Warning, Lots of cute kangaroo pictures to come in this post…….
Just outside of the city of Alice Springs, Australia, is the Kangaroo Sanctuary. 
Many Aussies scoff at the idea of a sanctuary for kangaroos. Like deer in the US, kangaroos can be a nuisance. 
And in parts of Australia, there is major overpopulation. So, why have a sanctuary in one area while there is an effort to encourage hunting in other areas?
Baby kangaroos (joeys) are born the size of a jelly bean. They climb upward to the mother’s pouch and settle in to nurse and develop. When an adult kangaroo is hit and left for dead on the side of the road, the joey can survive inside that pouch for as many as 30 days! Rescuers will examine the pouch and rescue the joey. That joey can be nursed back to health at the sanctuary or in various foster homes with the desired result of a return to the wild. If the joey has any defect which indicates that it would not survive, it is allowed to remain at the sanctuary.
Our tour began about one hour before sunset.
Chris Barns, aka Brolga or “Kangaroo Dundee”, owns the sanctuary and leads the tours. Brolga carried a cloth tote as he explained how the joeys receive care. We were surprised when that tote revealed a joey! 
His original home is this unassuming metal building. He no longer lives in this building, but uses it as an entrance into the sanctuary.
Brolga showed us how two joeys will be placed inside their personal cloth pouches (sometimes just a pillowcase) and placed side-by-side in a laundry basket. The joeys like the comfort of sharing body heat and feeling each other’s heartbeat.
The man-made pouches can be draped over a chair back which is the perfect height for a joey who has gotten old enough to start testing the outside world and climbing in and out of the pouch.
Just as the sun was beginning to set, kangaroos started popping up everywhere among the bush. This was the first one to come hopping toward us.
Then more started to show up for dinner. They still look a little sleepy to me!
We also saw a really pretty flock of birds that are regular visitors to the sanctuary.
There are indentions in the ground at the base of witchetty bushes, a preferred sleeping location of kangaroos during the day. By the way, the native aboriginal people are known to eat witchetty grubs. I think I would have to be pretty hungry to eat a grub.
Brolga scattered feed and answered questions as we walked. 
The females are smaller and don’t mind being petted. A few have become quite social, and this one in particular still likes to be cuddled by his six- foot tall human “mama.”
Brolga secures the more aggressive males in a separate area, and he cautions us about the dangers of these males. 
If a male kangaroo feels threatened, he will stand up tall on his hind legs.
This shows aggression. The problem is, people stand on hind legs. So, male kangaroos can feel threatened when they see a human. Kangaroos are kick-boxers, and they have killed people. Brolga has many cuts and scars from his care of kangaroos, and he has suffered major injuries as well.
Even with the injuries Brolga has sustained, it is still abundantly evident that he loves these kangaroos. If you want more info., follow this link to the Kangaroo Sanctuary website.
Now that it is past sunset, the kangaroos are hopping and looking for their food. Dingoes are outside the fence wishing they could get in, and the aggressive, annoying flies that pestered us all day have disappeared.
Next post: A day trip to Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock.