0:00:02 > 0:00:03C'mon!
0:00:03 > 0:00:07Deep in the heart of Central Australia lives
0:00:07 > 0:00:09a family like no other.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12This is Brolga...
0:00:15 > 0:00:18..a man who has sacrificed everything
0:00:18 > 0:00:21to give orphaned kangaroos a second chance at life.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25Some people, they think that's a bit strange, a bloke being a mum to
0:00:25 > 0:00:30an orphaned kangaroo but I do it cos I see what other people don't see.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33I see that little joey call out for help.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37From his tin shack hidden in the bush,
0:00:37 > 0:00:41Brolga raises his babies until they're ready to be released.
0:00:43 > 0:00:47And just as with any family, each new day brings fresh challenges.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54Tonight, mob boss Roger gets territorial.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57Roger wants a fight, something's really stirred him up.
0:00:59 > 0:01:03Rex and Ruby start the messy business of toilet training.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06Kangaroo wee cuts through all the grease and grime on the floor,
0:01:06 > 0:01:08it's the cleanest part of the shack.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12And we meet Brolga's fellow kangaroo mums, in Alice Springs.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15Come on, let's get those legs happening, mate.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17Build up the muscles.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21No wonder you were called Elvis, you're a mover and a shaker.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24Welcome to the world of Kangaroo Dundee.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42It's mid-autumn near Alice Springs.
0:01:46 > 0:01:50Two weeks ago, Brolga took in a pair of orphaned joeys,
0:01:50 > 0:01:52Rex and Ruby.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01Since then, he's been working day and night to give them
0:02:01 > 0:02:04everything they need, including a pouch.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11A baby kangaroo needs security.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14Now, out in the bush baby kangaroo has the security
0:02:14 > 0:02:16of Mum's pouch to go into.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18For the little orphans,
0:02:18 > 0:02:23we can imitate the pouch by using just a pillow case.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29Pillow case practise has been going well
0:02:29 > 0:02:34and the joeys have almost mastered the art of using their new pouches.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43Although Rex still has a little to learn.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45It's not your pouch.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50It's not your pouch. OK...it is, it is your pouch.
0:02:56 > 0:02:57How's that?
0:03:04 > 0:03:07For Brolga, as for most mums,
0:03:07 > 0:03:09bringing up babies is a full-time job.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17It's laundry day...
0:03:19 > 0:03:24..and while Brolga hangs out their washing, Rex and Ruby hang out.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33For now, the joeys need constant care,
0:03:33 > 0:03:37but Brolga hopes that in a few months' time they'll be ready
0:03:37 > 0:03:40to join the mob of kangaroos that live in his sanctuary.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51But first, there's a new challenge to overcome.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58FLIES BUZZING
0:03:58 > 0:04:00Flies, flies, flies...
0:04:03 > 0:04:07We had some good rain about maybe a month ago
0:04:07 > 0:04:11and out here in the desert when it rains everyone breeds.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16It's one of the hardest things living out in the bush,
0:04:16 > 0:04:19is the constant flies during the heat of summer.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23For Brolga the flies are an irritation
0:04:23 > 0:04:27but for the fragile joeys they pose a serious risk.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33Sleep's everything when you're a baby.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37So little joeys Rex and Ruby should be spending most of the day asleep
0:04:37 > 0:04:43but unfortunately they're spending more time fending off these flies.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47I'm quite concerned for the joeys.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49They're just not getting enough sleep.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53Always flapping their big ears around.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59Life in Brolga's shack can be far from comfortable.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03There's no electricity and temperatures can
0:05:03 > 0:05:07range from below freezing to over 40 degrees Celsius in the summer.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13The harsh conditions and basic facilities limit
0:05:13 > 0:05:17the number of orphans he can care for at any one time.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19HE MAKES CLICKING NOISE
0:05:19 > 0:05:24Depending on the year, sometimes up to 200 orphan kangaroos can
0:05:24 > 0:05:26come into Alice each year.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30Having a baby kangaroo really takes as much of your time
0:05:30 > 0:05:35and energy as that of human children.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39And I can't have them all here at my sanctuary.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41I just look after what I can look after.
0:05:45 > 0:05:49Luckily, Brolga's not the only kangaroo mum in Central Australia.
0:05:54 > 0:05:59Ten miles away in Alice Springs, there's a network of like-minded
0:05:59 > 0:06:05carers, who strive tirelessly to save as many kangaroos as they can.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07That feels better.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10You've got a bit more fur than you had a week or so ago.
0:06:10 > 0:06:15Cynthia Lynch has been caring for orphan joeys for over 30 years.
0:06:15 > 0:06:20There we are, guys, come on. Who wants this, Jack? You too?
0:06:21 > 0:06:23The kangaroo, to me, so trusting.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26I think that's the thing that still fascinates me to this day.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28How can they come and trust us, when often
0:06:28 > 0:06:32they haven't been very well treated by humans prior to coming to us.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37Unlike Brolga, Cynthia has a number of hi-tech tools to help her
0:06:37 > 0:06:38care for the joeys.
0:06:38 > 0:06:39Into bed.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42Including an incubator.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48For very young kangaroos, or pinkies, it's the best way to mimic
0:06:48 > 0:06:51the conditions normally found in their mother's pouch.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58We have to try and replicate Mum as much as we can,
0:06:58 > 0:07:01so this is very important to keep them at the right temperature
0:07:01 > 0:07:03because they do not have a temperature control of their own.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06A bit like premature babies, they don't either.
0:07:06 > 0:07:07So, until he gets fur,
0:07:07 > 0:07:10he's not going to have any form of temperature control.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17The pinkies must be kept at a temperature of around 34 degrees.
0:07:20 > 0:07:25In the incubator, we currently have three orphaned joeys.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30They can hear one another's heartbeat.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32They're constant company to one another,
0:07:32 > 0:07:36they know there's something else alive and there with them.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40The three of them are actually helping one another to survive.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44It gives them all that extra incentive to say "I want to live".
0:07:49 > 0:07:52This is Elvis.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58Kept warm by the incubator and cared for by Cynthia,
0:07:58 > 0:08:01he's been getting stronger by the day.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08He's even starting to stretch his legs.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13Bad news for his sleeping roommates.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19Come on, my man.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21No wonder you were called Elvis,
0:08:21 > 0:08:23you're a mover and a shaker, aren't you?
0:08:23 > 0:08:27A little mover and a shaker, yes, you are.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29And you're ready for your bed.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32All that noise cos you've lost your pouch.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35All right, ready to get back into bed.
0:08:35 > 0:08:39We'll do what we can do for you, there we are, that's a good boy.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44And stop walking all over the others...yes.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48Into bed...there we are.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51There we are.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54Sweet dreams.
0:08:57 > 0:08:58Come on, young man.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02Sharing the incubator with Elvis is Cynthia's latest arrival,
0:09:02 > 0:09:05who was found at the roadside two days ago.
0:09:05 > 0:09:07Yes.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13This little pinky should have stayed in his mother's pouch
0:09:13 > 0:09:15for at least another two months.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20His eyes are totally closed,
0:09:20 > 0:09:22his ears are stuck down,
0:09:22 > 0:09:25which tells us, along with the fact that he
0:09:25 > 0:09:29weighs 480 grams, that he is about four months old.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31So he should never have left Mum.
0:09:31 > 0:09:35It's actually very miraculous that this little guy is here at all.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39Oh, and you've got a bruise on your tail.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42You didn't quite miss the car, did you, hey?
0:09:42 > 0:09:44You poor little man.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49You didn't stay in the pouch, hey?
0:09:49 > 0:09:50No, I know.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56It's the only reason you were found though, isn't it?
0:09:56 > 0:10:01All right, that's the boy. How's that? That better?
0:10:02 > 0:10:06You've almost got your eyes open, haven't you? Not quite.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10It's touch and go and his chances of survival
0:10:10 > 0:10:13for the first three weeks will be very tenuous.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17Sometimes they come in, life is just too much and you know all you can do
0:10:17 > 0:10:21is make them comfortable, give them TLC and wait until their days end.
0:10:24 > 0:10:25This little guy,
0:10:25 > 0:10:27he's got the attitude that "somebody cared enough
0:10:27 > 0:10:31"to take Mum off the road and pick me up, find me,
0:10:31 > 0:10:33"and I'm going to make the grade,"
0:10:33 > 0:10:36and I really hopefully have the feeling that he is one that
0:10:36 > 0:10:40just does have no intentions of doing anything but survive.
0:10:46 > 0:10:51Back at Brolga's, the fly problem is getting worse.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58With Rex and Ruby wide awake,
0:10:58 > 0:11:03Brolga decides it's time for the next step in their training.
0:11:03 > 0:11:05HE MAKES CLICKING NOISE
0:11:08 > 0:11:11Normally, joeys spend their first six months
0:11:11 > 0:11:14permanently tucked in their mother's pouch.
0:11:19 > 0:11:20It's a cosy life...
0:11:22 > 0:11:25..but it creates a pressing problem.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28While the baby's in the mum's pouch,
0:11:28 > 0:11:32it's actually too young to come onto the ground and go to the toilet,
0:11:32 > 0:11:37so Mum kangaroo sticks her head in the pouch and licks the baby
0:11:37 > 0:11:41and that makes the baby go to the toilet, it stimulates the baby
0:11:41 > 0:11:45and the baby goes to the toilet in Mum's mouth
0:11:45 > 0:11:48and then to make sure it's all clean
0:11:48 > 0:11:52and hide the evidence that she's carrying a baby, she swallows it.
0:11:54 > 0:11:58It may sound strange, but it's an essential and hygienic solution.
0:12:02 > 0:12:07And with Rex and Ruby's real mums gone, Brolga has to step in.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14HE MAKES CLICKING NOISE
0:12:14 > 0:12:17The mother kangaroo, she uses her tongue,
0:12:17 > 0:12:21so I can be quite thankful that I'm going to use my finger.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23And just like I'm doing here,
0:12:23 > 0:12:26that stimulates the baby to go to the toilet.
0:12:29 > 0:12:34A baby kangaroo gets very stressed out if it's not taken to the toilet.
0:12:35 > 0:12:37In the early days of the baby's life,
0:12:37 > 0:12:40it's natural to be stimulated to go to the toilet.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45So, this is the best way I can do it.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47HE MAKES CLICKING NOISE
0:12:50 > 0:12:53See that...just about all done, hmm?
0:12:53 > 0:12:54HE MAKES CLICKING NOISE
0:12:54 > 0:12:58It's a messy business, but there is an up side.
0:13:00 > 0:13:05The good thing about kangaroo wee, is once you mop it up like this,
0:13:05 > 0:13:09it sort of cuts through all the grease and grime on the floor,
0:13:09 > 0:13:11it's the cleanest part of the shack.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30It's a unique form of toilet training.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35Just one of the ingenious solutions kangaroo carers come up with
0:13:35 > 0:13:38to solve the problems faced by their orphans.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46And in Alice Springs, Brolga's friend Anne-Marie has come up
0:13:46 > 0:13:50with a novel way of helping another kangaroo, called Lick Lick.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56Come on, Lick Lick. Put you in your jelly jumper, mate.
0:13:58 > 0:14:00There you go, big boy.
0:14:01 > 0:14:05It's actually for babies, erm, to help get their, you know,
0:14:05 > 0:14:08to get them used to being on their legs and to get them
0:14:08 > 0:14:10moving around and all that sort of thing.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14Erm, Lick Lick was attacked by a dog and he has a back injury.
0:14:14 > 0:14:19So we tried to work out how to rehabilitate him,
0:14:19 > 0:14:25so he now can get movement and strengthen the muscles in his legs.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27Yes, I do love you. Yes, I do.
0:14:28 > 0:14:34You love your mum, don't you? You don't kiss everybody, do you? No.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37That's how you got your name, wasn't it?
0:14:37 > 0:14:38Lick Lick, cos you're a kissy boy.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42Come on, let's get those legs happening, mate.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44Build up the muscles,
0:14:44 > 0:14:47yes, and then you can go out with the other bubbas, can't you?
0:14:47 > 0:14:50Oh, I know he's a little lick-lick man, aren't you?
0:14:50 > 0:14:53I know, you're very special, yes, you are.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55You're such a good boy.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59When she's not helping kangaroos,
0:14:59 > 0:15:03animal lover Anne-Marie runs a dog grooming business.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14Now look at you, sweetheart. You do look beautiful.
0:15:16 > 0:15:17Dogs may be her day job
0:15:17 > 0:15:20but Anne-Marie feels a special bond with the kangaroo.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23I love them!
0:15:23 > 0:15:25I just think they're such a special, beautiful animal
0:15:25 > 0:15:28and they deserve every chance they get.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31And if it takes that little bit of extra time
0:15:31 > 0:15:34and effort to do that, then I'll put myself out there for them.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37I've got the time to give him.
0:15:37 > 0:15:39I mean, you've only got to look at him.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43He's a pretty happy little chappy, aren't you...Lick Lick?
0:15:44 > 0:15:48Are you a happy boy? Are you a happy boy? You are.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52I mean, I don't mind if he's sitting in my lounge room for six months.
0:15:52 > 0:15:54I feel so privileged to do that, to help them
0:15:54 > 0:15:56to have that second chance at life.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03As well as Lick Lick, Anne-Marie is looking after
0:16:03 > 0:16:06another sick joey called Bonya.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12Bonya has a nasty abscess and needs treatment.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15So Anne-Marie has come to Cynthia's house.
0:16:16 > 0:16:17Morning!
0:16:20 > 0:16:22Good, thank you.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25Hello, my darling, how are you?
0:16:25 > 0:16:28I'll have to turn her around the other way, I think.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30So I've got the head nearest me.
0:16:30 > 0:16:34- OK, sorry, I was being kacky handed, like I am.- It's all right, I know.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37All right, so there we are...
0:16:37 > 0:16:39Cynthia's spent over 30 years working as a nurse
0:16:39 > 0:16:42and can see it's a serious infection.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50Yeah, she's got... the abscess is right up here
0:16:50 > 0:16:52and her eye's half-closed because of it.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56The abscess is making it hard for Bonya to eat.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01So Cynthia decides it has to be drained.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09- Ohhh!- Yuck!
0:17:14 > 0:17:18My nursing skills and the years of being a bush nurse, I think,
0:17:18 > 0:17:22that's what prepared me for what I'm doing now, I guess.
0:17:25 > 0:17:29It's not a total change, I was looking after people.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32Erm, and I found animals that needed treating at the same time
0:17:32 > 0:17:36and the kangaroo was by far the one that gave me most satisfaction
0:17:36 > 0:17:41and I felt needed the most care. And this is how this grew.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44Now that is really, really good.
0:17:44 > 0:17:45Sorry, sweetheart.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47I can't believe I'm sitting here doing this,
0:17:47 > 0:17:49I can't do it with my kids.
0:17:49 > 0:17:50LAUGHTER
0:17:50 > 0:17:53I passed out when they had their ears pierced.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58Now, I reckon we've got it now. There you go...good girl.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02- Now that was a big abscess. - A big abscess, wasn't it?
0:18:03 > 0:18:06All that wouldn't have come out on its own without some help.
0:18:06 > 0:18:10She probably could have died if she was out there though, couldn't she?
0:18:10 > 0:18:12She would have, she would not have survived
0:18:12 > 0:18:15- if she would have been out in the wild.- She's so little as well.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17Yes, she's so little, she can't eat, she couldn't drink.
0:18:17 > 0:18:21- Awful, wasn't it? - There we are, job done.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23She's such a little baby...
0:18:32 > 0:18:34At the shack, Brolga, Rex and Ruby
0:18:34 > 0:18:37are setting off on a family trip to Alice Springs.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49Been invited to go down to a local radio station.
0:18:50 > 0:18:56A station that plays '70s, '80s, '90s type music.
0:18:58 > 0:18:59So, an age group around mine,
0:18:59 > 0:19:03so hopefully there'll be a few of my mates listening out there.
0:19:05 > 0:19:09For Brolga, a radio show is a good way to raise awareness about
0:19:09 > 0:19:13his sanctuary and the plight of orphan kangaroos across Australia.
0:19:19 > 0:19:23It's not the first time Brolga's been interviewed about his work,
0:19:23 > 0:19:27and word of this six foot seven kangaroo mum is starting to spread.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35Chris AKA "Brolga" Burns is fast becoming
0:19:35 > 0:19:39something of a sensation on a scale of global proportion.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41Somewhat of an accidental hero, some might say.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43The quiet-spoken, khaki-clad,
0:19:43 > 0:19:47lanky wildlife saviour is currently under a spotlight.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50He has however managed to find a moment of time,
0:19:50 > 0:19:54as he joins me this morning in our studios in Breakfast on the Beach.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57- Brolga, thanks for taking the time to come on board.- No worries, Sandy.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00Nice to have you here. Let me just jump straight into it.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02How do you support this work?
0:20:02 > 0:20:06Off and on and off over the last... Since 2009 I often work two jobs
0:20:06 > 0:20:09to support the running of the sanctuary
0:20:09 > 0:20:12and occasionally I get in the odd donation that helps out as well.
0:20:12 > 0:20:16In a perfect world, none of us really want to go out there
0:20:16 > 0:20:19and do harm to any animal, certainly not deliberately, right?
0:20:19 > 0:20:23I mean, what can we do more of to save them?
0:20:23 > 0:20:25The best thing is to get the education
0:20:25 > 0:20:28out there that there is a little orphan often waiting,
0:20:28 > 0:20:30alive in the pouch of a dead kangaroo on the road.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34We need all locals and tourists and tour guides being aware
0:20:34 > 0:20:36that there could be a little joey still alive.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38So, don't just drive past it.
0:20:38 > 0:20:39And I guess the other thing is also,
0:20:39 > 0:20:42let's not be in so much of a hurry to get where it is we want to go.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45Yeah, that's a great message. Prevention is much better than cure.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47We would much prefer to have no babies...
0:20:47 > 0:20:51The interview is going well but now Sandy wants to dig a little deeper.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54Now rumour has it you're becoming
0:20:54 > 0:20:57somewhat of a global eligible bachelor,
0:20:57 > 0:21:00without being a yokel gullible bachelor like me.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03Getting a lot of interest from the fairer sex.
0:21:03 > 0:21:07Well, I mean that does come about with the tabloids in the UK,
0:21:07 > 0:21:10when I came out as this bloke living in the bush
0:21:10 > 0:21:14by himself with a mob of kangaroos, in the outback of Australia.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16Such beautiful country, you know,
0:21:16 > 0:21:18of course the beautiful blue skies of the Alice look so attractive.
0:21:18 > 0:21:22And the wonderful stark ranges and the red, rich ochre.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25The beautiful skies we have at night time, the stars, the milky way...
0:21:25 > 0:21:28It all builds up this huge romantic aura.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30You know, I've always said,
0:21:30 > 0:21:33I go into a pub in Alice Springs and a girl doesn't look at me
0:21:33 > 0:21:37a second time, so to have all of this international reaction
0:21:37 > 0:21:40like that is extremely flattering and...
0:21:40 > 0:21:43It's not a lifestyle for every lady, is it, really?
0:21:43 > 0:21:45I mean, you know, especially those coming from tea and...
0:21:45 > 0:21:48high tea and scones down Essex way.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50That's right, the girls would probably think, you know,
0:21:50 > 0:21:54""here do I plug my hair dryer in?" "Where's the loo?"
0:21:54 > 0:21:57I mean, you've basically got to take a shovel and dunny roll
0:21:57 > 0:22:00and hide behind the termite mound down the back, that's it.
0:22:00 > 0:22:05You know, so how long the novelty would wear off, I'd give it a week.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07You'd beg to ask, wouldn't you?
0:22:07 > 0:22:09LAUGHTER
0:22:12 > 0:22:16It's a beautiful place, the surrounds of the sanctuary are lovely
0:22:16 > 0:22:18but, you know, the reality is I don't know
0:22:18 > 0:22:21if many girls would be able to handle living here in the shack.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26I just went to make my breakfast before
0:22:26 > 0:22:29and my bread's been eaten by the mice.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33Only last week I had a snake in... a five-foot brown snake in the shack
0:22:33 > 0:22:36who was shacking up with me for the night.
0:22:36 > 0:22:40You know, all of these things are a regular occurrence out here.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42It can be really...it can push you.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44I mean, it's pushed me on many occasions.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47Being in the heat and the flies
0:22:47 > 0:22:53and the harshness of living in a place with very little luxuries
0:22:53 > 0:22:56is something you've got to have a mindset
0:22:56 > 0:22:59that one day things will get better.
0:23:02 > 0:23:07It's been a long day for Rex and Ruby and despite the flies,
0:23:07 > 0:23:10they finally manage to get to sleep.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14So Brolga heads out into his sanctuary to check on
0:23:14 > 0:23:19one of the first kangaroos he ever took in - Roger!
0:23:23 > 0:23:25KANGAROO MAKES CLICKING NOISE
0:23:29 > 0:23:32Over the years, Roger has worked his way up from orphan joey
0:23:32 > 0:23:36to alpha male and now he's the mob boss.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49Even Brolga has to watch his step,
0:23:49 > 0:23:53as today, Roger's feeling fiercely territorial.
0:24:20 > 0:24:24Roger is particularly aggressive at the moment.
0:24:32 > 0:24:38Roger wants a fight, but I don't want to fight Roger.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41He's far too powerful.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45What he's doing now, he's showing me how powerful he is,
0:24:45 > 0:24:50by sitting back on his tail...and trying to make himself look larger.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57Roger is a very dangerous animal
0:24:57 > 0:25:02and really keeps me on my toes... out here in the bush.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05He sees me as another... Oh!
0:25:11 > 0:25:14Something's really stirred him up!
0:25:22 > 0:25:26And Roger's not the only roo behaving strangely.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31On the other side of the sanctuary,
0:25:31 > 0:25:34seven-year-old Ella is not her usual self.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38There's something going on with Ella today
0:25:38 > 0:25:40that's different from yesterday.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42She seems to be exhausted.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44She really seems to be tired.
0:25:46 > 0:25:48There are other signs too.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52Normally an attentive mum to youngest son Terry,
0:25:52 > 0:25:55recently Ella's been keeping her distance.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03Terry is hanging close to Mum
0:26:03 > 0:26:07but he doesn't appear to be allowed back in the pouch.
0:26:08 > 0:26:12There's some reason which she's not allowing Terry
0:26:12 > 0:26:14to get back into the pouch.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18And Brolga's spotted one more clue.
0:26:19 > 0:26:23I noticed Ella is being flanked,
0:26:23 > 0:26:26almost guarded by a male kangaroo.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30He won't leave her out of his sight
0:26:30 > 0:26:33and he's camping not far away.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37Funny enough, it's not Roger.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39It's one of Roger's rivals.
0:26:41 > 0:26:45Ella's admirer is Charles, and he's on Roger's turf.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49It's a dangerous game to play.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54If Roger catches Charles with Ella, one of his females,
0:26:54 > 0:26:56it will come to blows.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03Brolga has a theory.
0:27:05 > 0:27:07She could be about to give birth.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13Or she might have already given birth.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18A new baby would explain Ella's behaviour
0:27:18 > 0:27:20and if Charles is the father,
0:27:20 > 0:27:23Roger's bad mood would make sense too.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28I can't tell one way or the other.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32The baby's born so tiny,
0:27:32 > 0:27:36that if it is in the pouch I can't see it from the outside.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41I'm going to have to examine her later on when she wakes up.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45That's the only way I'll know whether she's had a baby or not.
0:27:47 > 0:27:51HE WHISPERS: I'll come back and check up on you later.
0:27:51 > 0:27:52Good sleep.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57HE MAKES CLICKING NOISE
0:27:57 > 0:28:03Next time on Kangaroo Dundee... we find out if Ella is a new mum.
0:28:08 > 0:28:09Wow!
0:28:09 > 0:28:12It's lift-off for Rex and Ruby.
0:28:12 > 0:28:14They've got this massive spring in their step
0:28:14 > 0:28:16and they don't know how to control it.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19And we meet new arrival Rocky...
0:28:19 > 0:28:20Argh!
0:28:20 > 0:28:22Ow!
0:28:22 > 0:28:26..a wallaby who's punching well above his weight.
0:28:26 > 0:28:29- How do you keep control of him? - Well, basically I don't.
0:28:51 > 0:28:55Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd