Australia.
\h\h\h\h\hA vast country of breathtaking natural beauty,
teeming with extraordinary \h\h\hand iconic animals.
And nothing says down under \h\h\hquite like a Kangaroo.
Renowned for their springy \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hlocomotion
and boxing brawls,
\hthey’re the most successful species
\h\h\hof the mammals known as marsupials.
\hThese kangaroos are Eastern Greys.
They’re prolific breeders and raise their young in pouches.
\h\h\h\hBut bringing up baby is fraught with challenges.
\h\h\h\h\h\hPredators, climactic extremes...
..and extremely lively \h\h\h\h\h\h\hjoeys...
\h..mean kangaroo moms face a daily struggle
to keep their offspring \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\halive.
This is the Secret Life \h\h\h\hof the Kangaroo.
Sundown National Park \h\h\h\h\hin Australia
\hsits on the border of New South Wales and Queensland.
A rugged wilderness with rolling hills,
deep river valleys and mountain peaks
rising to over \h3,000 feet.
Down in the lowlands, \h\h\hthe park is home
\h\h\h\h\hto around 300 Eastern Grey kangaroos.
This large colony lives \h\h\hpermanently here,
feeding in the forest \h\h\h\h\h\h\hby night
and out on the open pasture \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hby day.
For many of the females here,
child rearing is a constant \h\h\h\h\h\h\hpreoccupation.
\h\h\h\hEastern Greys are prolific breeders.
Each year, the park \h\hsees the arrival
of around 150 new joeys -
\h\h\h\h\hthe name used for all baby marsupials.
And like all marsupials,
\hkangaroos give birth to undeveloped young,
\h\h\h\h\hwhich they raise in a specialized pocket...
..known as a pouch.
Females can reproduce more than once a year,
\h\hwith family life somewhat resembling a production line.
\h\hIn fact, a female can have three babies
all at different stages \h\h\h\hof development.
\hShe can have one ’young at foot’ -
living beside her \hon the ground...
\h\h\h\h..another small joey growing inside her pouch...
\h..and be pregnant with a third baby in waiting.
The embryo of the third joey
\hcan be in a state known as diapause -
the pregnancy is literally \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hon pause
until there’s more room \h\h\h\h\hin the pouch.
\h\hBut while this is an incredibly efficient way
\hof ensuring maximum production of young...
\h..raising even one joey to an independent kangaroo
that can fend for itself is extremely difficult.
\hAround 50 percent of the joeys here don’t make it.
At each stage of the joeys’ \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hdevelopment,
\h\hmothers have to struggle to keep them well-nourished
and safe from predators.
\h\hAnd it’s something the females have to do alone.
\h\h\h\hAfter mating, the males play no part
\hin the raising of their young.
Everything is down to mom.
This is Lauren,
named by the researchers \h\h\h\hwho are studying
the breeding patterns of the kangaroos here,
\h\h\hto find out more about why only some joeys survive.
Despite numerous attempts \hin the last four years,
Lauren hasn’t been able to successfully raise a joey
past 18 months old.
For some moms, this is a common occurrence...
..while others seem to find \h\hthe challenge of raising \h\h\h\h\ha joey far easier.
\h\h\h\h\hBut Lauren’s managed \h\h\hto get her latest baby, Butterscotch, to nine months.
The little joey is healthy, \h\hand now she’s in and out \h\h\h\h\h\h\hof the pouch.
So far, all is well.
But the next six months \h\h\hwill be critical.
And everything will depend \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hon Lauren.
Only when the time is right -
when her daughter has learned \hhow to stay safe from harm -
will Lauren let her go and fend for herself.
A fully-grown Eastern Grey \h\h\hmay reach just under \h\h\h\h\hfive feet tall.
\hBut when it’s born, it’s very undeveloped
and just an inch long.
\hKangaroos give birth 30 days after mating,
\h\h\h\hmuch sooner than other mammals of a comparable size.
At birth, the tiny joey \his more like an embryo \h\h\h\h\h\hthan a baby,
\h\h\hand once born, it crawls up the fur
on the underside of its \h\h\h\h\hmother’s belly
into the pouch.
\hInside the pouch, the hairless joey -
\h\h\hlittle bigger than a jelly bean -
\h\h\h\hfinds its way to one of four teats.
It’s unable to bite down,
so the pointed end \h\h\hof the teat
\h\h\hexpands inside its mouth to stop the joey falling off.
Once the joey latches on,
it will only feed from the \hone teat until it weans.
The pouch is a complete \h\hlife support system,
\hproviding everything a growing joey needs -
food, warmth, and shelter \h\h\h\hfrom the elements.
And it will be its home for the next 11 months.
\h\h\hSpecial sphincter-like muscles in the pouch opening
keep the joey safe inside,
\hwhile mom has her nose to the ground, grazing.
Pouches are an efficient method of reproduction.
So much time in the pouch
\h\h\h\hallows a joey to do lots of growing
before it has to face \h\hthe outside world.
After around six months \h\h\h\h\hsafely nestled \h\h\hinside the pouch,
\ha young joey will poke her head out for the first time.
This is Poppy.
\h\h\h\h\hHer mom, Tilly, needs to graze constantly
to ensure she is making \henough nutritious milk \h\h\hfor her new joey.
Poppy has just begun to take a look at the outside world,
\h\h\hand is yet to leave the safety of her mother’s pouch.
In around three months’ time,
she should be ready to take \h\hher first bouncing steps
on her own two feet.
But she has a lot of growing \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hto do first.
\h\hShe won’t start to get her full coat of dense fur
until around nine months.
For now, her hair is fine \h\h\h\h\h\h\hand smooth.
Her face is slighter pinker, especially around the nose.
\h\hAnd her eyes are large \h\hand out of proportion with the rest of her head.
Poppy is what is known \has a ’pouch young’.
And life right now consists of staying safely within her climate-controlled envelope.
\hShe’s protected against predators,
\h\hand from Australia’s changeable environment.
But as she grows,
she will increasingly poke her head outside
to sneak a peek at what’s \h\h\hgoing on around her.
Kangaroos are herbivores,
\hspending the majority of their time grazing grasses \h\h\h\h\h\h\hand flowers.
Joeys learn by watching \h\h\h\hother kangaroos.
\h\h\hSo at around seven months old,
while still tucked safely \h\h\h\h\h\hin the pouch,
joeys taste their first \h\h\hmouthful of grass.
Over the next two months, \h\h\h\h\hlegs get longer,
\h\hheads get bigger, and tails get thicker.
Eventually, after nine months \h\h\h\hin the relative safety \h\h\h\h\h\h\hof mom’s pouch,
\h\hit’s time to leave that protective pocket
\hand take the first tentative hops into the great outdoors.
\h\h\hThey’ve had a bit of a preview
\h\h\h\hof what to expect from the outside world...
..but it’s almost like \h\h\ha second birth.
This joey has just begun \hto explore on his own,
each time taking longer \h\h\hand longer sorties
away from his mom.
After so long in the pouch,
he’s not very experienced \h\h\h\hat moving around.
Hopping might come naturally,
\h\h\h\hbut it still takes coordination and practice.
He’s got to learn just what those great big gangly legs \h\h\h\h\h\h\hcan really do.
This time in a joey’s life
\h\his known as the ’in and out’ phase,
and lasts for the next month \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hor two.
After his brief foray \h\hinto the outside,
he’s keen to get back home.
\h\h\h\hBut mom and joey need to work as a team.
\h\h\hBoth need to be in the right position
for him to find his way back in.
mom needs to lean forward
to create the necessary slack \h\h\h\h\hin the pouch opening
\h\hfor the youngster to clamber his way in.
\h\hShe also needs to lower her arms
and hold them out \h\h\hto the side.
But researchers here \h\h\h\hhave noticed
\h\hthat this doesn’t always come easily to some mothers.
If this mom doesn’t adopt \hthe right position soon,
it could lead to the joey \h\h\h\hbecoming exhausted
\h\h\hbefore he can get back in safely.
\h\h\h\hOutside, her joey is completely defenseless.
Predators could be watching.
Carnivorous lizards called goannas live in Sundown...
..as do predatory snakes.
\h\hIt’s not venomous, but this carpet python
would easily crush an ’at foot’ joey.
They hunt by stealth \h\h\h\hand ambush.
They use heat-sensitive pits \hon the tip of their noses
to detect tiny changes \h\h\h\hin temperature
which help them locate \hwarm-blooded prey...
like kangaroo joeys.
Killing is by constriction.
This suffocates the prey.
A joey that strays too far \h\h\hfrom the protection \h\h\h\h\h\hof its mother
could be swallowed whole.
At last mom bends down,
and the inexperienced \h\h\h\h\hlittle joey
has his opportunity \h\h\h\h\hto return.
But now he’s missing the signal from mom.
Finally, her arms are out \hand he gets the message.
\h\h\h\hHe’s back in, away from any hungry predator.
At any stage it can be hard \h\h\hfor a mother kangaroo
to keep her joey alive.
Drought, predation \h\h\hand disease
\hcan all take their toll on vulnerable young kangaroos.
Controlling a joey while keeping alert to dangers
can be a testing time \h\hfor young mothers,
as new mom Tilly is finding out.
Now, at nine months old,
\h\h\hher baby Poppy is consistently out on her own two feet.
Her legs are still a bit \htoo big for her body,
but she’s bursting \h\h\hwith energy.
\h\h\hPoppy’s playful antics leave attentive mother Tilly
little time to concentrate \h\h\hon feeding herself.
When Poppy’s not in the pouch \h\h\h\h\hor feeding from it,
Tilly needs to be sure
she’s constantly aware of where her baby is.
Kangaroos don’t have \h\hgreat eyesight.
While their sense of smell \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\his good...
their secret defense weapon \h\h\h\h\h\h\his their ears.
Kangaroos have very good \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hhearing.
Each ear can be moved \h\h\h\hindependently
to scan the surroundings for any sign of danger.
\h\hWhen Tilly decides it’s time to move on,
\hshe bends forward to signal to Poppy to get in the pouch.
But Poppy has other ideas.
Learning to hop at high speed
\his actually an essential skill for a growing joey.
And Poppy is starting to get the hang of it.
This spirited bouncing \h\h\h\hback and forth
is known as rapid running.
As she ventures away from mom
and puts her legs \h\hto the test...
..her huge Achilles tendon
works like a giant \h\helastic band.
\h\h\h\hEach rebound gives her energy back for the next hop.
Once she’s an adult,
she’ll be able to hop at over 40 miles per hour.
But for now, this short dash \h\his fast enough for her,
\h\hand she quickly scampers back again.
Poppy swings her paws at mom \h\h\h\h\h\h\hand hops off.
\h\hAdult kangaroos often settle disputes by boxing,
\hand Poppy has decided mom is good for target practice.
\h\h\hTilly keeps up her patient attempt
at getting Poppy into her pouch.
But Poppy sneaks in a quick right hook.
\h\h\hPlay-fighting and learning to box
is all part of a joey’s \h\h\h\h\h\hdevelopment.
Scratching and sniffing is usually the precursor
to a bit of play-boxing.
But you need to make sure
you have a willing sparring partner.
While this all seems \h\h\hlight-hearted,
this play has a serious side,
\h\hand it’s how crucial life skills are learned.
\hIn later life, fights are used
for establishing hierarchy \h\h\h\h\h\h\hin the mob.
It’s mainly the males \h\h\h\h\hwho fight...
\h\h\h..but females can get into scraps
over access to food or space.
However, tolerant Tilly has had enough fun for one day.
\h\h\h\hEventually, after a quick feed,
she manages to get Poppy \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hback in.
\hNow, with Poppy inside her pouch,
she can focus on feeding \h\hherself for a while.
\hTilly still needs to remain vigilant.
Like her joey,
she too is vulnerable to certain predators.
The wedge-tailed eagle.
The largest bird of prey \h\h\h\h\h\hin Australia
\h\h\hhas been known to attack kangaroos.
A huge, powerful eagle,
with a distinctively long, \h\h\hdiamond-shaped tail.
\hIt’s capable of taking prey several times its own weight.
And can easily pick off \h\h\h\h\ha young joey.
\h\hAnd wedge-tailed eagles sometimes hunt cooperatively
in pairs, or even \hin small groups.
\h\h\h\h\hWhen they do, these formidable hunters
could kill a large \hadult kangaroo.
Protective mothers work together too.
\h\hBoth mothers, Tilly and Lauren,
\h\h\h\h\hare part of a group of kangaroos, known as a mob.
\hBy staying close to other females,
\h\h\h\h\h\h\hthe extra ears listening out for predators
\h\h\hhelp to keep their joeys safe.
\hHopefully this year will bring Lauren more success.
\hOver the last four years, she has lost all her joeys.
\h\h\h\hMost likely, predators took them.
This is a critical time \h\h\hfor Butterscotch.
\h\h\h\h\h\h\hFor now, Lauren waits patiently
as young Butterscotch ventures further from \h\h\h\h\h\hher side.
She might appear calm,
\h\h\hbut her twitching ears betray that she’s listening \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hcarefully
for Butterscotch’s movements.
\h\hIt’s early morning, and Lauren’s cleaning her pouch.
After a night inside,
\h\h\h\hButterscotch is still tucked up.
\h\h\h\h\hCleaning a pouch is one of the first signs
that a kangaroo is preparing \h\h\h\h\hfor a new arrival
and is about to give birth.
And once she has a joey \h\h\h\h\hin the pouch,
\h\h\hkeeping it clean is an essential part of its care.
She uses her long tongue
\hto lick the inside of her pouch clean.
When very small joeys \h\hare still inside,
this licking will stimulate \h\h\h\h\hthem to defecate.
mom then consumes the feces.
And while this doesn’t sound \h\h\h\h\h\hvery appetizing,
it’s a highly efficient way \h\h\h\h\h\h\hof reabsorbing
any fluids the mother has lost from nursing.
\h\h\h\h\hWith an older joey, it’s also important to ensure
that mom removes any mess \h\hthat’s been brought in
\hwith the constant hopping in and out.
As well as pouch cleaning,
\hall kangaroos, male and female,
need to groom themselves \h\h\h\h\h\h\hregularly.
\h\h\h\hIn the summer months, ticks become a real nuisance.
And joeys need to be kept \h\h\h\h\h\htick-free too.
Grooming is an essential part \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hof bonding
\h\h\hbetween mom Tilly and her daughter Poppy -
\h\h\hif mom can get the mischievous joey
\hto stay still for long enough.
So when Poppy returns \h\h\h\hfor some milk,
Tilly seizes the opportunity \hto do some more grooming.
\h\h\h\h\hAnd the young joey even gives it a go herself.
\h\h\hOnce she’s weaned, \h\hmom will leave Poppy to do her own grooming,
so she needs to be \hwell-practiced.
Tilly can’t seem to keep hold \h\h\hof her joey long enough \h\h\h\h\h\hto finish the job.
She uses her forearms to hold \h\h\h\hher daughter in place,
\hbut the joey soon wriggles free again.
This grooming is about more \h\h\h\h\hthan just removing \h\h\hirritating parasites.
Ticks carry diseases.
And youngsters like Poppy are especially vulnerable.
With their immature \h\himmune systems,
they’ll be more susceptible \h\h\h\hto catching diseases \h\h\h\h\h\hfrom the ticks.
\hThe parasites feed on the joey’s blood
and if an infestation \h\h\h\his bad enough,
the loss of blood alone \h\h\hwill take its toll \h\hon her development.
After dealing with \ha fidgety joey,
mom turns her attention \h\h\h\hto her own body,
\h\h\h\hmost of which she can reach herself.
\hBut for those hard to get at places, there’s help at hand.
The willie wagtail is named \h\h\hfor the characteristic sideways waggle of its tail.
\h\hThey’re often found hopping about the grass,
picking off insects disturbed \h\h\h\hby feeding kangaroos.
But they’re also partial to a blood-sucking tick or two.
And the kangaroos \hwelcome the help
in removing the parasites.
Those young kangaroos \h\hthat have made it
from small pouch-bound babies \h\h\h\hto tentative explorers
are still reliant \hon their mothers
until they’re around \h\h\h18 months old.
\hAs the time approaches for the joeys to leave,
space in the pouch gets ever tighter.
\h\hTheir legs are now far too long and stick out awkwardly.
A mother will be carrying around at least 11 pounds \h\h\h\h\hof joey by now.
Tilly’s daughter, Poppy, \h\hhas grown very large
and will soon leave the pouch \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hpermanently.
\h\hShe’s still up to her old tricks.
This time, she kicks mom \hinstead of boxing her.
\h\hShe still takes regular drinks of her mother’s milk
and Tilly diligently \h\h\hremains alert
while her daughter feeds.
The wind has picked up,
which makes it far harder \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hfor Tilly
\h\h\h\hto hear the sounds of any approaching threat.
\h\h\h\h\hShe prefers Poppy in the safety of her pouch.
She’s clearly not prepared \h\hto let the large joey
fend for herself just yet.
\h\h\h\hBut hopping is increasingly difficult
with such a large load.
Poppy’s arms and feet
\h\h\hcan no longer fit inside the pouch at all.
\hShe won’t have many nights left
\h\h\hin the protection of her mother’s pocket.
During this time,
\h\h\h\hwhen their joeys are spending more and more time
out of the pouch exploring,
mothers tend to segregate themselves from the mob.
Researchers believe this may \h\hbe to reduce the chances
of the increasingly \hadventurous joeys
\h\h\h\h\hgetting confused and losing their mothers,
when there are so many other \h\h\hadult females around.
\h\h\hDespite some mothers taking these precautions,
\h\ha joey can jump into the wrong pouch when frightened.
One study DNA-tested \hwild Eastern Greys
and made the surprising \h\h\h\h\h\h\hdiscovery
that almost five percent \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hof joeys
get adopted by a new mother \h\hduring the ’in-and-out’ \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hphase.
If Poppy’s scared enough \h\hto attempt entering \h\h\h\ha random pouch,
there’s every chance that \hthe adoption might stick
until she’s independent.
It’s summer now,
and as the weeks and months \h\h\h\h\h\hpass at Sundown,
\h\hthe ground becomes increasingly parched.
\h\h\hThere’s been very little rain,
and after an unusually \h\h\h\h\hdry spring,
Sundown is in the grip \h\h\h\h\hof drought.
\h\hConditions like this \hcan have a huge impact on joey survival rates.
In 1982, a drought caused \hEastern Grey populations
to crash by 40 percent.
Kangaroos can go a long time \h\h\h\h\h\hwithout a drink
\hbecause they get most of the fluids they need
from the foliage they eat.
However, hot temperatures \hdehydrate the kangaroos.
And the plants they feed on.
So they’ll need to drink \h\h\h\h\h\hmore water.
\hBut this can be a risky business.
\h\h\hThis mother has a joey in the ’in and out’ phase...
..and has separated herself \h\h\h\h\h\h\hfrom the mob.
Alone, she’s lost \h\hthe protection
\h\h\hof the mob’s collective senses.
She’s extremely cautious
as she nears the edge \h\h\h\h\hfor a drink.
Predators often stake out waterholes in dry season,
knowing thirsty kangaroos \hwill be drawn to water.
\h\h\h\hIt’s a dilemma, but the need for fluids
overwhelms the risk of being so exposed.
\hMother and joey are far from cover
\h\h\hshould they need to make a run for it.
And fleeing at high speed \h\h\hon the rocky terrain
of the dry river bed would be difficult.
But after drinking her fill,
\hshe makes it back to the relative safety of \h\h\h\hthe tree line.
\h\h\h\h\h\hHere at Sundown, summer daytime temperatures
can rise to 105 degrees \h\h\h\h\h\hFahrenheit.
Kangaroos can’t sweat, \h\h\hso to keep cool,
they lick themselves.
As the saliva evaporates, \h\hit cools their blood.
\h\h\h\hIt’s very hot for a youngster inside the pouch.
So to help keep \hher joey cool,
\hthis mother has licked the fur on the outside.
As the moisture evaporates, \hit cools the joey inside.
While finding drinking water \h\h\h\h\h\hand keeping cool \h\h\h\h\h\his a challenge,
\h\h\h\hat this time of year it’s access to good grazing
that makes it increasingly \h\hdifficult for mothers \hto support their joeys.
The only green shoots \h\h\h\h\hto be found
are in what remains \h\hof a waterhole.
The water has completely \h\h\h\h\h\h\hdried up,
but there’s still enough \hmoisture in the earth
to support new plant growth.
The tough pond vegetation \his by no means ideal...
..but with so little \h\h\h\h\hgreenery,
\h\hthese two kangaroos are competing for what’s there.
The contest is short-lived.
One kangaroo quickly \h\h\h\hbacks down.
The weaker of the two \h\h\h\hhas to resort
to the poor brown grass \h\h\hin the dry meadow.
Being prevented from getting \h\h\h\henough good grazing
has had severe consequences.
She has a very saggy \h\h\hpouch opening.
Her coat is raggedy \hand worn-looking.
\h\h\h\h\hAnd her joey is nowhere to be seen.
She’s not in full health.
If a mother is struggling \h\h\h\h\hto produce milk
and to get sufficient nutrition for herself,
\hshe can decide to save herself
rather than risk both mother \h\h\h\h\hand joey starving.
A pouch like this is a sign \h\hthat it’s suddenly been \h\h\h\h\hvacated by a joey.
\hEither her joey came out \h\h\h\hand was too small to find its way back in...
\h\h\h..or she may have deliberately ejected it.
At a year old, Butterscotch \h\h\his now the oldest joey
Lauren has managed to raise \h\h\hin the last few years.
\h\h\hDespite the challenges brought by the lack of rain \hand poor quality grazing,
Butterscotch is no longer \h\h\hliving in the pouch.
She’s a ’young at foot’.
And Lauren is already \h\h\h\h\h\hattracting
male attention again.
This male smells Lauren’s urine.
He can detect hormones \h\hthat will tell him
if she’s ready to mate again.
\h\hBut he doesn’t get the message he wants.
\hKangaroos are able to pause a pregnancy
while they have \ha pouch young.
Lauren may have had one of \h\h\hthese paused embryos \h\h\h\h\h\h\hin waiting,
as she already has a new joey \h\h\h\hgrowing in her pouch.
\hShe won’t be ready to mate again for a few months yet,
which is why the male \h\hisn’t interested.
As the heat intensifies,
Lauren finds it harder \hto get enough food.
Even though Butterscotch \h\h\h\his eating grass,
she isn’t weaned yet,
so is still placing demands \h\h\h\h\h\h\hon her mother.
And with a new joey \h\h\hin her pouch,
Lauren must produce milk \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hfor two.
\h\hLauren’s struggling. She’s become very thin.
One of the most remarkable \h\h\haspects of kangaroo \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hphysiology
is their ability to allocate \h\hdifferent types of milk
\h\h\hto offspring of different ages.
Butterscotch will have \h\h\h\h\hbeen feeding
from the same teat since she was born
and it’s now stretched \h\h\h\hand elongated.
When she weans it will shrink \h\hback to its original size
\hfor a new baby to latch on to.
\hBy only feeding each joey from one of her four teats,
\hLauren’s able to reserve the premium high fat content milk
for her new young.
\h\h\hButterscotch will get poorer quality thinner milk.
\h\hAnd soon she’ll need to switch to a grass-only diet.
She must be healthy \h\h\h\hand prepared
for when her mother decides \h\h\h\hit’s time to cut off \h\h\h\h\h\hthe milk supply.
So before she weans,
\hButterscotch needs to greatly increase
\hthe amount of time she spends foraging.
\h\hFor now, the joey \h\hstill sticks close to her mother’s side.
This is the most \hdangerous time
in a young kangaroo’s life,
when joey mortality \his at its highest.
\h\hThey no longer have the safety of the pouch
\h\hbut aren’t yet independent and aware of all the dangers.
Lauren’s preoccupied \h\h\h\hby feeding.
She needs to forage for most \h\hof the day to get enough \hnutrition from the grass.
But while Lauren’s grazing,
Butterscotch is drifting,
further and further away \h\h\h\h\h\h\hfrom mom.
The young joey finds herself \hon the edge of the forest.
\hShe heads back towards the mob
\h\h\h\hbut encounters \ha group of kangaroos she doesn’t recognize.
Lauren is nowhere to be seen.
\h\h\h\hLauren risks losing another joey before reaching \h\h\h\h\hthe weaning stage.
(GRUNTS) Butterscotch calls for her mother.
Lauren has her head raised.
She seems to be aware \hthat something’s up.
(GRUNTS) Butterscotch calls \h\h\hfor her mother again.
She’s getting distressed.
(CLUCKING)
\h\h\hFinally Lauren gets the message...
\h\h\h\h..and it’s her turn to call out to Butterscotch.
This is known as clucking,
\hand is usually a signal to joeys to get into the pouch.
\hBut Butterscotch is now a good way out of earshot.
\h\h\hAlthough Butterscotch is close to other kangaroos
who could alert her \h\h\h\h\hto danger,
they won’t protect her if a predator appears.
Lauren finds a baby...
but it’s not Butterscotch.
She continues her search \h\h\hfor her daughter.
There’s a salt lick \h\h\h\hin Sundown,
\h\h\han area of soil where kangaroos gather
to lick up essential \h\h\h\h\hminerals.
\h\h\h\hPerhaps Butterscotch has followed the mob there.
But she’s not here.
\h\hLauren stands still and scans the horizon...
\h..using her eyes, her sense of smell,
and her highly-sensitive \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hears.
(GRUNT)
\h\hAnd this time, Lauren hears her.
All she has to do now is home \h\hin on her joey’s position.
Butterscotch has got her ears \h\h\h\hworking overtime too,
\htwitching around in all directions,
trying to hear her mom.
(GRUNTS)
Finally they’re reunited.
\h\h\hFor now at least, Lauren sticks to her daughter’s side
as they head for the safety \h\h\h\h\h\h\hof the forest.
\h\h\h\h\h\hBut while Lauren \h\h\h\h\h\hand Butterscotch are safely back together...
..Tilly is now alone.
Her precocious, mischievous Poppy is nowhere to be seen.
When Poppy was last seen,
she was still in and out \h\h\h\h\hof the pouch.
\h\hBut she hasn’t made it past the tricky transition
to becoming an independent \h\h\h\h\h\hyoung at foot.
\h\hIt’s possible her unwillingness to heed \h\h\h\h\h\hher mother
may have led to her demise.
She was just too bold \h\h\h\h\h\htoo soon.
Around half of all joeys die \hbefore reaching adulthood.
However the high frequency \hof kangaroo reproduction
\h\h\hensures that numbers \h\h\h\hare healthy enough to sustain the population.
Kangaroos are in fact \h\h\hvery successful.
\h\h\h\hThere are 16 million Eastern Greys in Australia.
And this success is, in part,
thanks to the constant cycle \h\h\h\h\h\hof reproduction
\hby kangaroo moms and their pouches.
For Lauren, the toll of \h\h\hraising two joeys \h\h\h\h\hsimultaneously
has been worth it.
\h\hShe has a healthy, independent daughter.
And things are looking up.
The rains have returned.
\hThe lakes and rivers have been replenished.
And there’s fresh new grass, making life a little easier.
Butterscotch has learned \h\h\h\h\hall she needs
to survive by herself.
And in just six months,
\h\hshe could be having little joeys of her own.
♪