Chris Barns´ Kangaroo Rescue Centre is one of a handful scattered around Australia. The kangaroos are rescued from roadkill; even if its mother is run over and killed, a joey in her pouch may survive. If it´s at least one month old, it can be raised by hand.
Guilt-stricken drivers and passers-by bring the tiny joeys to Chris. They are wrapped in swaddling clothes and bottle-fed, cuddled, and kept warm for about twelve months, after which they can be released into the wild. This one is called Albert, and he likes to suck his tail.
Like lambs, kangaroos are not just cute, they taste great too. Kangaroo is a lean, gamey red meat, which I first tried in New York at Aussie restaurant Eight Mile Creek.
The reds and the grays are not at all endangered - they are seen as a pest in some parts. And scientists like Tim Flannery have long argued that it´s better to eat kangaroos than to destroy their habitat in favor of raising cattle and sheep.
But they can’t be farmed economically, because they can jump a three-meter fence.
