Australia is facing a complex climate change crisis, with average temperatures consistently exceeding 40 degrees Celsius. The prolonged heat has caused numerous severe wildfires, affecting the water supply, food, and habitats of many wildlife species, including kangaroos.
On December 24th, a Reddit user named Sharon Grady posted a video capturing a tall kangaroo sneaking into the pool in her backyard. Watching it soak calmly with an extremely chill expression, seemingly unfazed by the people filming, one might think it just wanted to escape the infuriating heat for a little while.
Sharon mentioned: “I think this poor little kangaroo decided to take a swim to cool off because it was so hot. Only in Australia can you witness such a unique scene. Now I’m tired, how do I get it out of the pool?”
As it turned out, Sharon didn’t have to do anything at all. After a few hours of soaking to cool down, the kangaroo hopped out of the pool and disappeared. This isn’t an unusual occurrence in Australia, especially recently. Male kangaroos have been continuously searching for ideal water sources, both natural and artificial, to escape the heat and widespread wildfires. Although they primarily live on land, kangaroos are also quite adept swimmers.
On the other hand, Sharon’s home is located in the town of Merriwa, in the Hunter region of New South Wales. This town is only about 273 km away from Meads Creek West, an area that has faced serious wildfires recently. It wasn’t until the afternoon of December 25th that the New South Wales Rural Fire Service was able to control the situation, with two firefighters bravely losing their lives during the mission. Therefore, it is quite possible that this kangaroo was trying to escape the nearby burning forest rather than simply looking to cool off.
According to statistics from ABC, Australia has lost about 30,000 square kilometers of forest in nearly 200 recent fires, with more than half occurring in New South Wales. As of December 22, approximately 829 homes have been engulfed in flames. Meanwhile, temperatures in the country show no positive signs, continuously exceeding 40 degrees Celsius. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology reported a record temperature of 41.9 degrees Celsius last Wednesday (December 25, 2019). This situation is expected to persist throughout 2020 and may even worsen with a significant drop in humidity.
Source: Insider