A 'feel good' story just up on our evening news:
| 20:35 AEST Mon 22 Sep 2003 | |
| Pet roo saves hurt farmer Farmer Leonard Richards may owe his life to his pet kangaroo, Lulu, which alerted the family after he was badly injured by a falling tree branch. In a scene straight out of the TV series "Skippy", the kangaroo stood guard over her master's unconscious body and barked for help like a dog. A tearful Mr Richards said the 10-year-old western grey may have saved his life. "She's better than Skippy," Mr Richards told Channel Seven's Today Tonight program. "If it wasn't for that animal I might not be here. She's a real-life kangaroo, and there's lots of things that she can do that I don't think Skippy could ever do." The RSPCA called for Lulu, which is blind in one eye, to be given a national bravery award. "She was making this noise which sounded like a dog barking," said Mr Richards' 17-year-old daughter, Celeste. "She was obviously trying to get our attention because she never acts like that. It went on for about 15 minutes, so we went outside to investigate, and we saw Lulu standing upright with her chest puffed out over dad's body." Mr Richards, 52, had been checking a tree on Sunday in a paddock about 300m from his house near Morwell, south-eastern Victoria, when he was struck by a falling branch, and knocked unconscious. "I am just so glad she found me," a tearful Mr Richards said. "I am just so grateful. My son helped her out in her time of need, and now she's helped me out." After his wife, Lynn, Celeste, and his son, Luke, found him, Mr Richards was taken to Melbourne's Alfred Hospital with head injuries. He was released last night. "If it wasn't for her, my dad could have died. We might not have found him for ages," Celeste told AAP today. "Lulu and dad are very close, and she follows him around, but we all just love her so much. Lulu is my hero." The family adopted the western grey as a joey 10 years ago, when they found her in the pouch of her mother, who had been killed by a car. Celeste said Lulu was a loving, friendly, and smart kangaroo. "She thinks she's a dog," she said. RSPCA president Hugh Wirth urged the family to nominate Lulu for an RSPCA National Bravery Award. "From my point of view, it's a darn good story, and I would hope that Lulu is nominated," Dr Wirth said. Healesville wildlife sanctuary senior veterinarian David Middleton said the Skippy-like behaviour was conceivable in a hand-reared kangaroo. "There is zero chance a wild kangaroo would act like that," Mr Middleton told AAP. "Rescued kangaroos or roos which have been hand-reared are less timid about people, and will come up to them quite readily. "But I have never heard of a wild kangaroo doing anything helpful to a human, so some kind of trusting relationship with this kangaroo and the family must have developed over the years." It was the second time an animal helped save its owner's life in the past week. Rescuers say a blue heeler named Dazzie helped keep alive her elderly owner, Janette Luscombe, by providing body warmth when she became lost in the bush for six days outside Broken Hill, NSW. That's life downunder for ya! Cheers, Ozzie | |
