Mama Mary

As Dorothy said, “There’s no place like home,” and apparently this also applies to wallabies too.

Mary has visited us regularly these past few days. We find her waiting patiently on the doorstep of the donga, and when we open the door, she ambles in like she owns the place.

After briefly checking the kitchen for any leftover pieces of sweet potato, she turns left and heads for Darryl’s room. She isn’t afraid to make herself at home. She promptly hops on the bed and takes a siesta.

When Mary came back on the second day, Darryl started worrying that she was ill. But, after a quick check of her tummy, he learned she was with joey. Pregnancy, I assume, is a traumatic time for any female regardless of species. Returning to a place that’s familiar and safe is reassuring and calming.

You see, Mary is one of the hand-reared wallabies Darryl released at Brindle Creek Sanctuary. It’s one of the few places she can call home. And during a time of vulnerability, she’s come back to a place of shelter.

These animals never stop amazing me. I learn something new every day I spend with them. Some may think macropods are dumb or that they simply follow the mob without thinking. Mary, and many others, are proof that this is false.

Macropods in Motion

A snippet of life at Jowajilla Wildlife Refuge:

Hypnotized by Pandora

The more interaction I have with Pandora, the resident eastern carpet python, the more I become hypnotized by her. There’s just something about her that is inevitably so darn cool.

While many people don’t find her as welcoming as wallabies, I believe her appeal goes far beyond the cuteness that all macropods have. Pandora reminds me of a real woman –  powerful yet confident enough not to flaunt it and incredibly demure at times but oh so dangerous.

Each time you hold Pandy, it’s difficult not to fall in love with her. Her physical strength is clear in the way she grasps you when she moves. There is a pulsing of her muscles as she slithers along, a controlled power just beneath the surface that is inspiring.

Her tongue constantly darts out of her mouth as she tests the air and learns about her environment. Who is around her? Who has already left? Is there prey nearby? All of this information is gathered with a few quick flicks of her forked tongue. There is minimal effort involved and yet she is fully aware of her surroundings.

She’s beautiful in her varying shades of green, which would provide excellent camouflage if she were in the wild. Her body is smooth and cool but ripples with each movement. She is elegant but also a silent killer. The contradictions abound and that just makes her even more special.