0:00:11 > 0:00:15HE CALLS OUT
0:00:18 > 0:00:23Up a dirt track, in the heart of the Australian outback
0:00:23 > 0:00:25lives a rather unusual family.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35Meet Brolga -
0:00:35 > 0:00:39a six foot seven Aussie who is mum to a mob of kangaroos.
0:00:44 > 0:00:48Some people think I'm a bit of a wacko living out here in the bush,
0:00:48 > 0:00:52by myself, looking after kangaroos but I love it.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57Brolga built his sanctuary for orphaned kangaroos
0:00:57 > 0:00:59with his own blood and sweat.
0:00:59 > 0:01:03Sacrificing everything to live an Australian fairy tale.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08It's a childhood dream to have a kangaroo.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11Now I've got my own mob.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15Like being any parent,
0:01:15 > 0:01:20life as a kangaroo mum requires round the clock commitment.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26In this unruly family there are good days and bad days,
0:01:26 > 0:01:32and Brolga never knows what the next day might have in store.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38HE CLICKS HIS TONGUE
0:02:08 > 0:02:13It's 6:00am - milk time for Brolga's current batch
0:02:13 > 0:02:15of baby kangaroo orphans.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20They live together in a tin shed,
0:02:20 > 0:02:22not far from a town called Alice Springs.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28Over the past weeks,
0:02:28 > 0:02:32Brolga has been surrogate mum to three orphan red kangaroos...
0:02:34 > 0:02:36..Amy,
0:02:36 > 0:02:38William
0:02:38 > 0:02:39and Daisy.
0:02:43 > 0:02:48Just cos I'm a man some people call me a kangaroo dad.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50I'm not, I'm a kangaroo mum -
0:02:50 > 0:02:54a full-time kangaroo mum
0:02:54 > 0:02:56and proud of it.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03Having lost their natural mothers,
0:03:03 > 0:03:06these babies have been handed a lifeline.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14Brolga's dream is to get William, Daisy and Amy
0:03:14 > 0:03:17over the trauma of losing their mum
0:03:17 > 0:03:18so that, one day,
0:03:18 > 0:03:21they can be released back to the wild where they belong.
0:03:27 > 0:03:32Together they've been making excellent progress.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40But today, a gust of wind spooked the joeys.
0:03:40 > 0:03:47In the panic, baby Daisy got caught up in a fence and is badly hurt.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51(It's all right. All right.)
0:03:51 > 0:03:53HE CLICKS HIS TONGUE
0:03:59 > 0:04:01I'm gutted now.
0:04:03 > 0:04:08Daisy will have to be 100% fit, as all three of them will be,
0:04:08 > 0:04:12to able to survive in the wild and be able to outrun their predators.
0:04:15 > 0:04:20If she's not capable of being 100% fit,
0:04:20 > 0:04:24she can't go back to the bush -
0:04:24 > 0:04:28and that's what I work for, to get the animals back to the bush.
0:04:32 > 0:04:37Daisy's sudden injury threatens all the orphaned joeys.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41They stand a much better chance of surviving in the wild as a mob
0:04:41 > 0:04:43with safety in numbers.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49I raise them as a group so they can all go back to the bush together.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54I don't want to send two back, not three.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08Brolga has reached the limits of what he can do for Daisy,
0:05:08 > 0:05:11she needs urgent, expert, help.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44So, er, what...
0:05:44 > 0:05:46what is the damage?
0:05:46 > 0:05:48Look, I'll show you the X-rays
0:05:48 > 0:05:51and that's probably the best way to understand
0:05:51 > 0:05:54exactly what her injuries are and just where to go to from here.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57All right. Is it positive?
0:05:57 > 0:05:59Well, I'll talk you through it.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03The ankle is such an important joint for a kangaroo.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06They're bouncing off it, they're walking on it.
0:06:06 > 0:06:11So her having two functional legs is actually really important.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15But it looks like this whole joint is completely crumbled together.
0:06:15 > 0:06:19- Yeah.- In addition she has some other injuries.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23So, look, she wouldn't be able to ever be released
0:06:23 > 0:06:25- with the severity of her injuries. - Really?
0:06:25 > 0:06:29- Um, she's just got so many injuries...- I know.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32..it's, um, unfortunately, stacking against her.
0:06:32 > 0:06:38Um, I think the best thing for Daisy would be that we put her to sleep.
0:06:38 > 0:06:42- Yeah.- So um, you know, so she's not going through pain in this joint.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44Yeah. Yep.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49- Thank you for doing everything you could.- No worries.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58It's been over a decade since Brolga last lost an orphan.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05When the vet was talking to me I was thinking, "Well,
0:07:05 > 0:07:09"if she can't go back to the bush, she can then stay at my sanctuary."
0:07:14 > 0:07:17Then you hear those words of, "She's got to be put to sleep,
0:07:17 > 0:07:20"nothing can be done, I'm sorry."
0:07:20 > 0:07:25That's where all your plans that you had just come crashing...
0:08:06 > 0:08:09Many things go through your mind,
0:08:09 > 0:08:12thinking about the two other ones that have... You know,
0:08:12 > 0:08:15the three of them bonded together so well that,
0:08:15 > 0:08:19I could already see them in my mind
0:08:19 > 0:08:22running off into the bush at sunset together.
0:08:26 > 0:08:32I look at the baby kangaroos, the orphans that I look after,
0:08:32 > 0:08:37with the same respect and love as if they were my own children.
0:08:37 > 0:08:42So to get told that one of your children's got to be put to sleep...
0:08:43 > 0:08:46..I don't know, it sort of...
0:08:48 > 0:08:50HE SIGHS ..it sort of hits you.
0:09:31 > 0:09:35Daisy has died, I accept that,
0:09:35 > 0:09:39but Amy and William really need me at this time. I am their mum.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43It's a job that I've taken on because I love it
0:09:43 > 0:09:47and although Daisy has passed,
0:09:47 > 0:09:50we will move on, the three of us, together.
0:09:59 > 0:10:04It's midsummer. William and Amy are now nine months old
0:10:04 > 0:10:08and still on six regular feeds of milk a day.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23Despite the loss of Daisy, Brolga is pressing on.
0:10:23 > 0:10:27When winter comes, he hopes he will have fully rehabilitated
0:10:27 > 0:10:32his orphan joeys and made them fit to be returned to the wild.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43But that momentous day is still a very long way off.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07Everything Brolga knows about mothering kangaroos
0:11:07 > 0:11:10has come from years of observing the females
0:11:10 > 0:11:13that live around his shack in the sanctuary.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18And to succeed in raising his orphan joeys,
0:11:18 > 0:11:22Brolga has to imitate how natural kangaroos raise their young.
0:11:33 > 0:11:38In place of a pouch, Brolga uses a pillow case.
0:11:45 > 0:11:50Mother kangaroos are one of the best mothers anywhere in the world.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54When I look at the kangaroo mum and her baby I take notes.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56I'm really looking at it,
0:11:56 > 0:11:59seeing how I can be like the kangaroo mum.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04I've found I have a much better success rate
0:12:04 > 0:12:07if I can give the babies a lot of love,
0:12:07 > 0:12:10a lot of nurture when they're very young.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20If William and Amy still lived in the wild
0:12:20 > 0:12:22with their natural mothers,
0:12:22 > 0:12:25now is the time in their life - at nine months of age -
0:12:25 > 0:12:28when they'd be venturing out of the pouch
0:12:28 > 0:12:31and taking their first steps towards independence.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50When the babies come out for a hop,
0:12:50 > 0:12:51at the start, it's a slow hop.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58And then you can see the excitement in their face almost,
0:12:58 > 0:13:00and they do a thing what I call hot-laps.
0:13:04 > 0:13:08Hot-laps is when a baby kangaroo realises
0:13:08 > 0:13:11that with every spring in his step
0:13:11 > 0:13:14he can go faster and faster and faster.
0:13:29 > 0:13:34There will come a time however where they realise, "Hey! Where's Mum?"
0:13:34 > 0:13:38And they'll come racing back.
0:13:53 > 0:13:58Today, Brolga is taking William and Amy out into his sanctuary
0:13:58 > 0:14:00for their first early morning run.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13What's important for the babies now,
0:14:13 > 0:14:18they've got to learn to be like wild animals but they don't have
0:14:18 > 0:14:21their natural mother to teach them the ways of the bush.
0:14:39 > 0:14:44Taking Amy and William out for a run is good for me and good for them.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51They're building up their muscles
0:14:51 > 0:14:54and building up the strength in their legs.
0:14:54 > 0:14:58The worst thing I can do as a kangaroo mum
0:14:58 > 0:15:02is keep the babies in the pouch for far too long.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13When I feel they're just getting too relaxed,
0:15:13 > 0:15:17that's not what a wild kangaroo's about and I'll decide to run off.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22Come on!
0:15:22 > 0:15:25'What I'm trying to do is sort of instigate in them
0:15:25 > 0:15:28'the follow when someone runs, because
0:15:28 > 0:15:33'that's how the kangaroos in the wild survive from the predators.'
0:15:36 > 0:15:40When a kangaroo runs, it stamps its feet - bang-bang, bang-bang! -
0:15:40 > 0:15:46into the earth and that sends off like a sound wave through the bush.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51'That's their warning call when there's danger.
0:15:51 > 0:15:53'So when mum runs, you run.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56'Sometimes the ones following the leader
0:15:56 > 0:15:59'don't know why they're running but it's instinct.'
0:15:59 > 0:16:02Come on, keep up. Come on.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08Training Amy and William to react to danger is a serious business
0:16:08 > 0:16:12because in a few months, when they leave Brolga's care,
0:16:12 > 0:16:15the orphans will need to be able to run for their lives.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28When you watch a kangaroo hop,
0:16:28 > 0:16:31when you really watch...
0:16:33 > 0:16:37..you see they touch the ground for just a split second -
0:16:37 > 0:16:40then they're off, flying through the air.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46Inside a kangaroo's legs are tendons that,
0:16:46 > 0:16:48like springs in a pogo stick,
0:16:48 > 0:16:52store energy that's released with every bounce.
0:17:03 > 0:17:08Kangaroos can speed across the outback as fast as a racehorse,
0:17:08 > 0:17:13each giant stride up to eight metres in length.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22They can keep going like this for hour after hour
0:17:22 > 0:17:25in search of the next water hole.
0:17:34 > 0:17:39Amy and William are beginning to hone their wild kangaroo instincts,
0:17:39 > 0:17:42building up their agility and strength,
0:17:42 > 0:17:45which also means a lot of jogging for Brolga.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56He's devoting everything to be the kangaroo mother
0:17:56 > 0:17:58that Amy and William have lost.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07But he can't raise them on his own.
0:18:07 > 0:18:11Soon he's going to need the help of other kangaroos.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20Fortunately for William and Amy,
0:18:20 > 0:18:24over the years Brolga has developed an extraordinary relationship
0:18:24 > 0:18:25with a mob of kangaroos,
0:18:25 > 0:18:30who, like an extended family, live alongside him in his sanctuary.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35Many of their mothers were killed on the desert highway.
0:18:42 > 0:18:47I make every possible effort to get an orphan back to the bush,
0:18:47 > 0:18:49where it should belong, so it can be wild.
0:18:49 > 0:18:53These kangaroos out here couldn't go back to the bush however.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59HE CALLS OUT
0:19:01 > 0:19:04Until now, or very recently,
0:19:04 > 0:19:08any kangaroo that was raised by a carer in this part of the outback
0:19:08 > 0:19:12would have to be destroyed if it couldn't be released.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14That's the law.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16I just couldn't let that happen,
0:19:16 > 0:19:19so that's why I built my own nature reserve.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26Kangaroos that would otherwise have been destroyed,
0:19:26 > 0:19:29because they're not fit enough to go back to the bush,
0:19:29 > 0:19:32can now have a home at my kangaroo sanctuary.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38Out here is an area where they can live out their lives
0:19:38 > 0:19:43as a wild animal, yet, hidden in the distance way, way, way, away
0:19:43 > 0:19:46is a fence to keep out the dingoes.
0:19:46 > 0:19:50If I allowed dingoes to get in here, they'd slaughter the kangaroos.
0:19:50 > 0:19:51I can't have that.
0:19:55 > 0:19:59These kangaroos are my family,
0:19:59 > 0:20:01they are my children.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12Amy and William are now ten months old
0:20:12 > 0:20:15and they're outgrowing Brolga's shack.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25In a few weeks' time, he's going to take them out into the sanctuary,
0:20:25 > 0:20:29where the mob will teach them what Brolga can't -
0:20:29 > 0:20:31how to become a kangaroo.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36Mixing with the mob will be a key stepping stone
0:20:36 > 0:20:39on their journey back to the wild.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45When William is introduced to the mob, he'll have to meet Roger.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54Roger is the head of the mob, and as alpha male,
0:20:54 > 0:20:57no-one in their right mind dares to mess with him.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08One day, William will grow to be Roger's size -
0:21:08 > 0:21:13over six foot tall and 80 kilos of pure Australian muscle.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21When Brolga rescued Roger six years ago
0:21:21 > 0:21:24he was a hairless little orphan, even smaller than William.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27How that's changed!
0:21:27 > 0:21:31And now, Brolga has to contend with him every day on his rounds.
0:21:51 > 0:21:55I'm playing ring a ring o' rosie around this tree with Roger.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00Make no doubt about it, Roger's mad as a cut snake.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04He sort of goes into this mentality of "I just want to kill yer!"
0:22:21 > 0:22:24He's trying to drive me out of the territory
0:22:24 > 0:22:30cos he confuses me with another rival male.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51Roger really lives up to his name.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54Since he's taken the throne as king of the mob,
0:22:54 > 0:22:58he's sired 15 joeys with his harem of 8 females.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12His youngest son is called Nigel.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17A couple of months ago, he was a tiny pinky -
0:23:17 > 0:23:19just a couple of inches long.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32While Roger is otherwise occupied,
0:23:32 > 0:23:36it's safe for Brolga to get close to Nigel's mother, Ella,
0:23:36 > 0:23:39and sneak another peek inside her pouch.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42He's keen to see how Nigel is getting on.
0:23:52 > 0:23:56The joey Nigel is really coming on now.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01I can now see eyes opening for the first time.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11And that baby is now looking back at me for the first time.
0:24:28 > 0:24:33I can see a little bit of hair just starting to come on the baby's body.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38The toenails and the hands are fully developed.
0:24:39 > 0:24:43You can see the pads on the baby's feet,
0:24:43 > 0:24:46like an athlete's running shoe.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51Since he was born,
0:24:51 > 0:24:54Nigel's mouth has been permanently fused with his mother's nipple,
0:24:54 > 0:24:59constantly sucking on this lifeline of Ella's nutrient-rich milk.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07As that baby has been attached to that nipple
0:25:07 > 0:25:09for the last few months without letting go,
0:25:09 > 0:25:14that nipple has stretched and stretched and stretched,
0:25:14 > 0:25:16and today it'd be about the size of my little finger.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49Well after joeys have left the pouch,
0:25:49 > 0:25:51up to a year after their birth,
0:25:51 > 0:25:54they continue to feed from their mother's teat.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00That's a lot of milk,
0:26:00 > 0:26:04and kangaroos produce it all from this arid and prickly environment.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14William and Amy need constant feeding as well.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17They are growing up fast and really putting on weight.
0:26:19 > 0:26:23But Brolga can't make milk from the desert,
0:26:23 > 0:26:26so it's off on a road trip to town for the young family.
0:26:36 > 0:26:41William and Amy are still too young to be left at home alone
0:26:41 > 0:26:42but they seem to love these outings,
0:26:42 > 0:26:46transfixed by strange sights and smells.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51# When I'm with you baby I go out of my head
0:26:51 > 0:26:53# I just can't get enough
0:26:53 > 0:26:55# I just can't get enough
0:26:55 > 0:26:58# All the things you do to me and everything you said
0:26:58 > 0:27:01# I just can't get enough
0:27:01 > 0:27:03# I just can't get enough... #
0:27:03 > 0:27:06- Very cute joeys you have in your trolley.- Yeah, thanks.
0:27:06 > 0:27:11- How old are they? - They're about six, seven months.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14Little William and Amy - these are my kids.
0:27:14 > 0:27:15SHE GIGGLES
0:27:15 > 0:27:18- I hope they behave for you.- Yes!
0:27:19 > 0:27:22- And that's yours.- Thank you. - Thank you.- See you later.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24See ya!
0:27:27 > 0:27:32Like all marsupials, William and Amy are lactose intolerant.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40Every day, orphans can drink up to eight bottles of formula milk.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45And what goes in, quickly comes out.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54Watching a kangaroo mum and the baby,
0:27:54 > 0:27:57mum's always sticking her head in the pouch.
0:27:58 > 0:28:03What she's doing is she's actually taking the baby to the toilet.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06She actually licks the baby's genitals
0:28:06 > 0:28:09and that stimulates the baby to go to the toilet.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14Mum then collects that on her tongue and then she swallows it.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25This is one of the jobs that's very important that I do.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28Of course...
0:28:28 > 0:28:29not like that.
0:28:34 > 0:28:38As Brolga can't use his tongue like natural mums do,
0:28:38 > 0:28:41he has to provide gentle encouragement
0:28:41 > 0:28:44to stimulate them to go to the toilet.
0:28:44 > 0:28:48This is not to everyone's taste, but someone's got to do it.
0:28:52 > 0:28:53Good little Amy.
0:29:09 > 0:29:13The orphans quickly get the hang of toilet training,
0:29:13 > 0:29:14growing more confident by the day,
0:29:14 > 0:29:17until they can eventually do it by themselves.
0:29:38 > 0:29:40BROLGA CALLS
0:29:40 > 0:29:44To his relief, Brolga can finally take a break
0:29:44 > 0:29:46from tickling kangaroo genitals
0:29:46 > 0:29:50and spend more time with the mob out in his sanctuary.
0:30:07 > 0:30:12I've lived out bush a lot of my adult life now, often by myself,
0:30:12 > 0:30:14although I don't feel by myself,
0:30:14 > 0:30:17because I've got my family of kangaroos with me.
0:30:18 > 0:30:22I do look forward to settling down one day,
0:30:22 > 0:30:24meeting a nice girl...
0:30:25 > 0:30:27..and potentially having a human family.
0:30:34 > 0:30:38There has been times I've thought I'd met the right girl
0:30:38 > 0:30:42and they can't commit to what I have to commit to.
0:30:44 > 0:30:48Your partner's going to have to learn to give up a fair bit of sleep.
0:30:48 > 0:30:51It's a lot of me getting up through the middle of the night,
0:30:51 > 0:30:53feeding joeys.
0:30:56 > 0:31:00There's no luxuries, power or toilet.
0:31:02 > 0:31:04It's not everyone's cup of tea.
0:31:14 > 0:31:16That doesn't bother me.
0:31:16 > 0:31:19You can't have everything, it's a bit of a trade-off.
0:31:21 > 0:31:25This is much more important, this is adventure,
0:31:25 > 0:31:28and...adventure is what I want.
0:31:28 > 0:31:31I want to be able to wake up in the morning
0:31:31 > 0:31:34and look out the window and see the kangaroos hopping around
0:31:34 > 0:31:37and look at the relationship a joey has with his mum.
0:31:37 > 0:31:40And at the same time, a flock of a thousand budgies,
0:31:40 > 0:31:43beautiful green parrots, fly over my head.
0:31:44 > 0:31:46If I was living in the city, what would I see?
0:31:46 > 0:31:49Cars, concrete, traffic.
0:31:49 > 0:31:52I had that as a kid.
0:31:52 > 0:31:55I wanted to escape that and I have.
0:32:01 > 0:32:08So, who knows? I think I'd make a good mum.
0:32:11 > 0:32:14I think I'd make a good dad, I should say.
0:32:16 > 0:32:19HE CLICKS HIS TONGUE
0:33:14 > 0:33:18William and Amy are growing fast, as is their confidence.
0:33:18 > 0:33:22Brolga is focusing on the bittersweet task
0:33:22 > 0:33:24of distancing himself from his babies.
0:33:24 > 0:33:28Recently, he's started weaning them off milk.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37Each day Brolga is giving them less and less,
0:33:37 > 0:33:39like mum would in the wild.
0:33:39 > 0:33:42And he's feeding them from a bowl, not a bottle,
0:33:42 > 0:33:46so that he can start gently stepping back from their lives.
0:33:53 > 0:33:55No more bottles, right?
0:33:59 > 0:34:01Something new, look.
0:34:07 > 0:34:10HE CLICKS HIS TONGUE
0:34:20 > 0:34:23When you meet big kangaroos, take it really carefully.
0:34:23 > 0:34:26As Brolga gradually withdraws their milk,
0:34:26 > 0:34:31the joeys will start adjusting to a diet of leaves, grasses and roots.
0:34:31 > 0:34:35Brolga is also leaving Amy and William alone
0:34:35 > 0:34:37in each other's company for longer,
0:34:37 > 0:34:40to build their sense of independence.
0:34:40 > 0:34:42Amy and William are growing up
0:34:42 > 0:34:44and they're not little babies any more.
0:34:44 > 0:34:46They're not wholly dependent on me.
0:34:46 > 0:34:51They don't want to be holding mum's hand 24 hours a day.
0:34:51 > 0:34:54They want to come out here, they want to explore the place.
0:35:12 > 0:35:15They don't know what they can eat and what they can't eat,
0:35:15 > 0:35:19so they're going up to different plants and trying.
0:35:21 > 0:35:25You'll watch them follow a lizard or a beetle
0:35:25 > 0:35:28and they're almost looking at it, "Can I eat that?"
0:35:30 > 0:35:31I'm saying, "Well, not really,
0:35:31 > 0:35:33"you're supposed to just be a herbivore."
0:35:44 > 0:35:47Near Brolga's shack in the sanctuary,
0:35:47 > 0:35:50we find Ella and her baby, Nigel,
0:35:50 > 0:35:53who has now reached a critical point in his development.
0:35:53 > 0:35:57His mouth has separated from his mother's nipple,
0:35:57 > 0:35:59and like a jack-in-the-box,
0:35:59 > 0:36:03he's able to take his first peep out the window of mum's pouch.
0:36:16 > 0:36:19Soon, Nigel's gawping at everything,
0:36:19 > 0:36:23including a train of processionary caterpillars going walkabout.
0:36:36 > 0:36:39It's dusk and, by pure chance,
0:36:39 > 0:36:42Brolga witnesses a heart-stopping moment -
0:36:42 > 0:36:46something even he's never seen before.
0:36:48 > 0:36:52Nigel has fallen out of his mum's pouch much earlier than normal.
0:36:54 > 0:36:57Almost hairless, he's extremely vulnerable
0:36:57 > 0:37:01to the sub-zero temperatures of desert nights.
0:37:01 > 0:37:04If he stays out for too long he'll die.
0:37:04 > 0:37:08And what's more, Ella is incapable of putting him back into her pouch.
0:37:13 > 0:37:15This is an incredible moment now.
0:37:19 > 0:37:22This is the first time he's actually used his legs.
0:37:22 > 0:37:24Before that, it was something attached to him
0:37:24 > 0:37:26and it was sort of slung up above his head.
0:37:26 > 0:37:30All Nigel really wants to do is get back in mum's pouch,
0:37:30 > 0:37:32the only security he's ever known.
0:37:40 > 0:37:44Brolga's aware that Nigel is losing heat fast.
0:37:44 > 0:37:46He needs to get back into his mum's pouch quickly.
0:38:04 > 0:38:07Fortunately, and not a moment too soon,
0:38:07 > 0:38:11instinct guides Nigel back into warmth and safety.
0:38:12 > 0:38:15It's been a cold baptism for Nigel
0:38:15 > 0:38:19but at least he's had his first taste of life among the mob.
0:38:33 > 0:38:36When Brolga releases William and Amy to the outback
0:38:36 > 0:38:38in a couple of months' time,
0:38:38 > 0:38:41he hopes that they will also be welcomed to join a mob.
0:38:43 > 0:38:45But for this to stand a chance,
0:38:45 > 0:38:47the orphans must first learn the secrets
0:38:47 > 0:38:50of how to live among kangaroos.
0:38:59 > 0:39:01Tonight is the last night
0:39:01 > 0:39:04that William and Amy will spend inside with me.
0:39:08 > 0:39:10It's the last night they get to cuddle up to each other
0:39:10 > 0:39:12in their little pillow cases.
0:39:12 > 0:39:16There'll be no more getting up for midnight feeds
0:39:16 > 0:39:18and getting up through the night.
0:39:22 > 0:39:25The hardest part is letting go.
0:39:25 > 0:39:28The more you pick them up and hold them, and cuddle them,
0:39:28 > 0:39:30that's for you, that's not for them.
0:39:30 > 0:39:33Now's that time to break that.
0:39:45 > 0:39:48Hello.
0:39:50 > 0:39:52Hello!
0:39:52 > 0:39:55It's time for Amy and William to face their biggest challenge yet...
0:39:55 > 0:40:00It's time to come out and meet the older ones.
0:40:00 > 0:40:04..to meet the kangaroos that live out in Brolga's sanctuary.
0:40:05 > 0:40:08The girls are going to look after you today.
0:40:11 > 0:40:14They've never seen big kangaroos before, so you can see in them,
0:40:14 > 0:40:16it's like, "What's this?
0:40:16 > 0:40:18"Is that what we are?"
0:40:20 > 0:40:23They know there's some connection there.
0:40:25 > 0:40:28You can see the wild kangaroos also looking at them thinking,
0:40:28 > 0:40:31"Where's your mother?"
0:40:31 > 0:40:34William is immediately inquisitive.
0:40:42 > 0:40:45They'll have to learn that there's a hierarchy in place,
0:40:45 > 0:40:48and they're way down the bottom.
0:40:56 > 0:40:59The mob is taking over from Brolga
0:40:59 > 0:41:03and it's now the kangaroos' turn to get the orphans ready for release.
0:41:05 > 0:41:09Amy and William need to soak up as much kangaroo culture as possible.
0:41:16 > 0:41:21William is learning about life in the kangaroo male hierarchy,
0:41:21 > 0:41:24which is held together by a daily routine
0:41:24 > 0:41:26of mostly harmless play-fighting.
0:41:42 > 0:41:45But sometimes these fights get serious
0:41:45 > 0:41:48and a large buck like the alpha male, Roger,
0:41:48 > 0:41:52could easily kill William if he doesn't learn his place in the mob.
0:41:58 > 0:42:01William will have to try and find a mate some day.
0:42:03 > 0:42:06And it isn't long before he gets a valuable lesson.
0:42:07 > 0:42:09Being head of the mob like Roger
0:42:09 > 0:42:13isn't necessarily the only route to love.
0:42:18 > 0:42:22While Roger's taking it easy, a rival male called Monty
0:42:22 > 0:42:26uses the opportunity to make his move.
0:42:27 > 0:42:31This is very risky business because Monty's a lot smaller than Roger
0:42:31 > 0:42:34and wouldn't stand a chance if he was challenged
0:42:34 > 0:42:36to a bout of kick boxing.
0:42:40 > 0:42:42But with Roger still resting in the shade,
0:42:42 > 0:42:46blissfully unaware, Monty can't resist temptation.
0:42:59 > 0:43:02He seems to be getting away with it,
0:43:02 > 0:43:05until Roger clocks what's going on.
0:43:12 > 0:43:14The game's up.
0:43:16 > 0:43:18Monty will have to postpone
0:43:18 > 0:43:21his attempt to find love for another day.
0:43:26 > 0:43:30But just as Roger thinks he's dealt with his rivals,
0:43:30 > 0:43:33another male steals a quick mating.
0:43:35 > 0:43:38It's a valuable lesson for William.
0:43:38 > 0:43:42He's unlikely to grow up to be the biggest of kangaroos,
0:43:42 > 0:43:46but perhaps he can be one of the sneakiest instead.
0:43:52 > 0:43:57Meanwhile, Amy's been spending a lot of time with the mother kangaroos,
0:43:57 > 0:43:59learning her place in the mob as well.
0:44:00 > 0:44:04In less than a year's time, she'll be old enough to mate
0:44:04 > 0:44:06and raise her own joey.
0:44:11 > 0:44:14As the orphans have been learning the laws of the outback,
0:44:14 > 0:44:17Brolga has been keeping an eye on the mob
0:44:17 > 0:44:19and he's noticed something unusual.
0:44:19 > 0:44:23Something that Amy will one day have to learn about.
0:44:25 > 0:44:28I have a kangaroo out in the bush called Zoe.
0:44:30 > 0:44:32I'm feeling a little bit confident
0:44:32 > 0:44:35that she could be about to give birth.
0:44:38 > 0:44:45There's no sign by just looking at them that they're pregnant.
0:44:45 > 0:44:48There's no swollen belly, like you would see with other mammals.
0:44:50 > 0:44:53It's the behaviour of the kangaroo that changes.
0:44:55 > 0:44:59The female kangaroo starts cleaning her pouch.
0:45:00 > 0:45:02Just one or two minutes every hour.
0:45:02 > 0:45:04And then, over the next hour,
0:45:04 > 0:45:07a little bit more until just before birth
0:45:07 > 0:45:12she will be cleaning that pouch - almost obsessively cleaning it.
0:45:12 > 0:45:17And she is preparing the nursery for the newborn.
0:45:20 > 0:45:23This is what Zoe is starting to do now.
0:45:25 > 0:45:28And she's starting to sit on her bottom
0:45:28 > 0:45:33with her tail between her legs, which is the birthing position.
0:46:01 > 0:46:05By nightfall, Zoe has become increasingly uncomfortable,
0:46:05 > 0:46:07constantly shifting position
0:46:07 > 0:46:10and obsessively licking the fur around her pouch.
0:46:32 > 0:46:34Suddenly, blood.
0:46:37 > 0:46:40We catch a glimpse of a tiny pink thing,
0:46:40 > 0:46:42the size of a jelly bean,
0:46:42 > 0:46:44crawling up her belly towards her pouch.
0:46:49 > 0:46:52This is her baby.
0:46:52 > 0:46:55If it falls off now, it will die.
0:46:58 > 0:47:00But Zoe, a first-time mum,
0:47:00 > 0:47:03doesn't even appear to know what's happening.
0:47:03 > 0:47:05She licks at the blood on her tail,
0:47:05 > 0:47:08removing all trace that she's given birth.
0:47:11 > 0:47:15Finally, one last fleeting view
0:47:15 > 0:47:17before the new born foetus disappears.
0:47:32 > 0:47:36Zoe leaves her hole and there's no sign of the baby on her fur.
0:48:03 > 0:48:05He's safe inside.
0:48:13 > 0:48:18In just 90 seconds, this tiny baby has climbed up into her pouch,
0:48:18 > 0:48:23guided here by a hard-wired sense to follow the scent of milk.
0:48:27 > 0:48:29Now he'll grow fast.
0:48:29 > 0:48:31His mouth will fuse to the teat
0:48:31 > 0:48:34and the teat will swell to fill his throat.
0:48:36 > 0:48:40Mother and baby are one once more.
0:49:12 > 0:49:15Winter's come to the outback.
0:49:17 > 0:49:19Out in the sanctuary,
0:49:19 > 0:49:22Amy and William have grown warm, shaggy coats.
0:49:25 > 0:49:30They're now 14 months of age, and the perfect size for release.
0:49:32 > 0:49:34They've formed a close bond,
0:49:34 > 0:49:37which means the pair will hopefully stick together
0:49:37 > 0:49:40when Brolga returns them to the wild.
0:49:49 > 0:49:52William should be allowed to join a mob of wild kangaroos
0:49:52 > 0:49:55because he's too small to be classed as competition.
0:50:02 > 0:50:07And Amy will definitely be accepted because she's a female
0:50:07 > 0:50:09and soon to be of mating age.
0:50:17 > 0:50:21Over the past few weeks, Brolga's been looking
0:50:21 > 0:50:24for a suitable new site to release his orphans.
0:50:31 > 0:50:34I've been looking for a good spot to release them.
0:50:36 > 0:50:40I need a spot that's away from people,
0:50:40 > 0:50:42and particularly away from hunting.
0:50:50 > 0:50:52I've found a really good spot.
0:50:54 > 0:50:56There's lots of wildlife out here.
0:50:57 > 0:50:59It means there must be water.
0:51:01 > 0:51:04I've seen a lot of kangaroo tracks.
0:51:05 > 0:51:09You sort of feel it in your heart, this is the right spot.
0:51:13 > 0:51:17To get to the point where we can put little rescued joeys
0:51:17 > 0:51:22back into the bush, way out in the outback, is why I do this.
0:51:25 > 0:51:29Beautiful country out here, really remote.
0:51:31 > 0:51:34And I'm really looking forward to setting them free.
0:51:42 > 0:51:45THUNDER RUMBLES
0:51:52 > 0:51:56The first rain in months and what Brolga's been hoping for.
0:52:01 > 0:52:05These precious drops will make the land green and fertile,
0:52:05 > 0:52:08giving Amy and William the best possible start
0:52:08 > 0:52:11for their new life in the outback.
0:52:31 > 0:52:35It's now time for them to go back into the outback
0:52:35 > 0:52:40and have a life that they were born to have, that's to be wild.
0:52:42 > 0:52:45That will make all the hard work worthwhile.
0:53:05 > 0:53:09This is the end of an astonishing journey for William and Amy.
0:53:10 > 0:53:15The culmination of over eight months' tireless dedication
0:53:15 > 0:53:17from their surrogate mother, Brolga.
0:53:19 > 0:53:22They've come a long way from the tiny defenceless orphans
0:53:22 > 0:53:24he nursed back to health.
0:53:26 > 0:53:31Now they're ready to inherit the life they came so close to losing.
0:54:08 > 0:54:11I often feel I might be sad,
0:54:11 > 0:54:15but when I get out here into the outback...
0:54:17 > 0:54:21..no barriers, no fences, no highway,
0:54:21 > 0:54:26this is the wild, this is the life they should have had at the start.
0:54:29 > 0:54:30Just freedom.
0:54:55 > 0:54:59Brolga's mob is finally back where they belong.
0:55:02 > 0:55:06This will be his last sight of his babies.
0:55:08 > 0:55:12Now they are in charge of their destiny
0:55:12 > 0:55:14and they've got the whole continent to explore.
0:55:46 > 0:55:52I'd imagine, like for any mother, the hardest part is letting go.
0:55:52 > 0:55:56I'm a bit emotionally torn.
0:55:56 > 0:55:59I want to give them their independence.
0:55:59 > 0:56:01It's for the best for them.
0:56:01 > 0:56:06Yet, then there's my heart and the way I feel that, you know,
0:56:06 > 0:56:09they won't be with me any more.
0:56:26 > 0:56:30I see myself in a way as a kangaroo of the bush.
0:56:32 > 0:56:38I take the human form in my body but my spirit is a kangaroo.
0:56:47 > 0:56:53I don't care about money, I don't care about possessions.
0:56:54 > 0:56:59What's important is the kangaroos at the sanctuary stay safe,
0:56:59 > 0:57:05and the sanctuary will hopefully live a lot longer than I'll live,
0:57:05 > 0:57:08it's got to be a legacy,
0:57:08 > 0:57:15a place that stands up for the welfare of the kangaroo.
0:57:19 > 0:57:23Brolga's back again with his old mate Ella,
0:57:23 > 0:57:27only to discover that her pouch is hiding a new arrival.
0:57:31 > 0:57:36This is Ella's latest baby and Brolga has decided to call him
0:57:36 > 0:57:38Terry.
0:57:45 > 0:57:51Just like Ella's pouch, Brolga's shack is never empty for long.
0:57:55 > 0:57:59And sure enough, only a few days after setting Amy and William free,
0:57:59 > 0:58:04Brolga has been handed another orphan joey to look after.
0:58:08 > 0:58:11Little Elizabeth here, she's a bundle of joy.
0:58:13 > 0:58:18You could say a kangaroo mum's work is never done...
0:58:18 > 0:58:21and, er, here I go again.