The extraordinary life of a roo called Myrtle
http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2009/01/26/myrtle470,0.jpgWhen David would take guests snorkelling and exploring, Myrtle would swim after the boat, only her head visible, until the boat was out of view.
Picture: Paul Sheehan
Myrtle had identified David as the dominant male and never drifted far from him. She was jealous of any young women who came to the island, growling and kicking them if she got a chance
Paul Sheehan
January 26, 2009
She turned up out of the bush one day, a young kangaroo born in the wild, and attached herself to a farmer. She liked human company and stayed close to the house. The farmer called her Myrtle. Over time she became part of the family. She loved sitting on the couch watching TV.
This often happens when a joey is rescued by humans after its mother has been killed. They usually don't know how to survive, stop identifying with other kangaroos, and end up hanging around the nearest farmhouse.
As Myrtle grew she became too big for a household with little kids and the farmer offered her to a friend who was building a resort on an island inside the Great Barrier Reef. She'd have human company, be safe from hunters and cars and would also make a great mascot for an Australian wilderness lodge. The friend, David, agreed.
"Myrtle was lying on the couch happily watching cartoons when I arrived one Sunday morning," David told me. "She wasn't too keen on leaving and we had to drag her by the tail and manhandle her into a cage." When the cage door was reopened after a boat trip to the island, Myrtle peered around for a few moments then hopped off into the rainforest. They didn't see her for days.
"On the fourth day she appeared at the staff house looking hungry and a bit lonely." Myrtle hopped into one of the open bedrooms and claimed it as her own. She spent most afternoons lazing on the bed. "In the morning she'd stand at the breakfast table and expect a bowl of cereal like the rest of us. She didn't like being left out."
more...
http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/paul-sheehan/hey-roo-blue--the-tale-of-a-larrikin/2009/01/25/1232818241433.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1