Parentless kangaroos find refuge with Julie Willis and Gary Willson. The couple has been taking in young kangaroos who have lost their parents after bush fires or are unable to find food for over 40 years. After the devastating fires this season, the couple's living room looks like an emergency room. Willis and Willson have never taken in as many kangaroos as this year. "We had so many animals in and around our house that we couldn't walk around so easily anymore. We decided to stay here and fight the flames. The fire department then told us that we couldn't escape anymore. There then we had no choice anyway. " Dead kangaroo mothers were also often found, with small babies in their bags. The young animal that Willis is holding is still alive and could be saved. At her home, the animals sleep in replacement bags made of fabric. She feeds the babies with milk every two to four hours. Julie Willis has a full time job. "We never had children ourselves. This is what we spend our time with. We think that caring for our babies is an honorable task." When the animals are reasonably large and strong, they are released back into the wild. Often, however, the kangaroos don't run far from their surrogate parents. A flock of almost fully grown marsupials roams the grounds of the couple almost every day. The conditions in nature now seem to be improving for the animals again. At least it doesn't burn so much anymore. Instead, as nature sometimes seems ironic with humans, tons of water. In Sydney alone, more than 60 millimeters of rain fell in 24 hours. By Monday, the authorities said the level would increase by up to 360 millimeters. This means a breather for the fire brigade. For the first time in months there was no fire warning and the number of active fires fell to less than half.
Orphanage for baby kangaroos: a life with the animals – video
