Kangaroo sanctuary, Alice springs – Ode to Roger

If you did nothing else in Australia except visiting this sanctuary then you will have had a very special experience.

Established in 2005 by Broiga (Chirs Barnes) and set in 188 acres, the sanctuary houses and protects both adult kangaroos but predominantly orphaned baby roos.

They are nearly all rescued roos, mostly from road kills where the mother has more often than not been killed by a truck. The baby can survive several days in the pouch even after the mother is killed. This is basically how this sanctuary came about. .Broiga himself would often pluck a baby from a mothers pouch and then provide the all important 24 hour a day care. There biggest enemy in the wild if they are not run over is the dingo.

Enter Broiga who would provide 24 hour care to these babies, usually holding them close to his own body to keep them warm and feeling protected as if they were still in their mothers pouch.

The sanctuary was opened to the public in 2011 and in 2013 the BBC did a documentary on the sanctuary entitled as you would probably expect Kangaroo Dundee. The spin off was not only much needed focus on the sanctuary but Broiga who was then single was inundated with marriage proposals. Sorry ladies but he is now married.

This is a real hands on experience. You are allowed to pet, feed and even hold the babies. You can only go to the sanctuary at sunset when the roos are mostly awake and only on a guided tour. To book a tour click here

The most famous kangaroo at the sanctuary was and sadly I say it in the past tense was Roger. Rescued as a baby, Roger grew to a huge size of nearly 200 lbs and over 6 feet tall. He was an alpha male in every respect and had 12 partners. At the beginning he and Broiga were good friends until Roger started seeing him as competition and he had to be more cautious.

Roger even hit a magazine cover for his amazing strength when he crushed a metal bucket with his bare hands.

Sadly Roger was already on the decline when we visited in October 2018. He is not always easy to find but luckily for us we did meet this gorgeous animal.

Roger died in December 2018,