Mobs of kangaroos have been raiding patches of grass in the Australian capital Canberra, driven to the city's sports fields, back yards and roadsides by food scarcity.
Canberra residents have taken to social media with images of the jumping marsupials exploring outside their usual habitats. But beyond the cute photo opportunities, the hungry kangaroos are at risk of dying on the roads as their feeding times coincide with rush hour.
Canberra has more than 30 nature reserves, with most hosting hundreds of Eastern Grey Kangaroos, and it is not unusual to see them in the reserves or in roads or yards nearby, Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Parks and Conservation Service Director Daniel Iglesias told CNN.But he said this winter the animals were far more visible.
"Canberra is experiencing a perfect storm of hardship for its kangaroos. New records have been set in Canberra for very cold, frosty nights this winter. This,
coupled with very dry conditions with very little rain at all in June and July, means there is very little food for kangaroos, " Iglesias said, via email."Sports ovals, suburban yards, schoolyards and roadsides are the
few places offering any green grass at all in Canberra at the moment and they act as magnets for kangaroos," he said.
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