Sanctuary's athletes try ice baths
With their muscular physiques and bounds of energy, it’s perhaps unsurprising that Healesville Sanctuary’s kangaroos are showing a liking for ice baths – a trend favoured by many athletes.
Mammal Keeper Katherine Sarris said a delivery of ice shavings on hot summer days is welcomed by all breeds of kangaroos residing at the Sanctuary.
“When the temperature reaches more than 30°C, we introduce ice into their habitat, so they can regulate their body temperature,” Ms Sarris said.
“Like rhinos, pigs and dolphins, kangaroos don’t have sweat glands which means they also use saliva as an evaporative cooling system and lick their forearms.
“The kangaroos dig holes to sit in and reach cooler parts of the earth. We often see them just chilling on their sides.”
Healesville Sanctuary also has water misters for the marsupials to cool down, while human visitors can keep cool in two creek play zones in Coranderrk Creek, which runs through the property.
Seven Kangaroo Island kangaroos, nine Red kangaroos and two Goodfellow’s tree kangaroos call the Sanctuary home. They all live along the Kangaroo Country track.
The Kangaroo Island kangaroos are a calm-natured species because they originate from Kangaroo Island off the mainland of South Australia where they have no direct predators.
Goodfellow’s Tree kangaroos are native to Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. Their conservation status is Endangered with a decreasing population according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List.
Zoos Victoria’s Coffee for Wildlife campaign supports tree kangaroos in the wild by offering coffee drinkers the option of coffee roasted in Melbourne by Genovese that is shade-grown in Ethiopia, Papua New Guinea, and Sumatra. Coffee for Wildlife supports farmers, protects forests and saves wildlife. For more information visit zoo.org.au/coffee.