Karri was born at Roo Gully on the 10th May 2000.
Her mother is Molly, and her father is Oliver, the wild boomer.
Karri is known at Roo Gully as 'Miss Grumps' - her photo below says it all!

Karri's birth in May was outside of what scientists currently believe to be the Western Grey kangaroo breeding season,
which they say is November to March, so we were very excited.
And she became an important joey in our study into joey development.

Because we had raised her mother, Molly, and gained her trust
she willingly allowed us to film Karri's
development inside the pouch.

And Karri gave us valuable information to add to our study as we observed her pouch life,
but the information we gained once she left the pouch was unbelievable and invaluable.

But we soon found out that Molly and Karri had a very strange mother joey relationship.
Instead of being a clingy joey, Karri was very independant.
We often discovered Molly lying alone while her daughter was quite happy to be in the company of other roos.

And, having associated with us when she was younger,
she had no problems with human company either.

She was an adventurous joey and never seemed to have any fears.

Karri was soon became a force to be reckoned with,
and earned the respect of many roos, especially the newcomers,
by taking her role seriously.

We have discovered that Western Grey kangaroos are either tall and thin or short and dumpy.
Karri is of the latter variety, but she is also physically strong.

Maybe this was because she was Molly's only joey, and with no new sibling taking up residence inside the pouch she was able to feed for much longer than is usual.
In fact she still drank from her mother's pouch when she was almost as big as Molly.

This prolonged the bond between them, and as Karri matured
we were delighted to see a loving relationship did develop between mother and daughter.

However, when she was not with Molly, Karri remained a bit of a loner.

Seemingly often preferring her own company,
and not afraid to be some distance away from the mob.

But then Molly's twin sister, Polly, died leaving a daughter, Willow.
Although Willow was not dependant on her mother for milk
they did have a very close mother daughter relationship and it was obvious Willow missed Polly.

We observed Willow closely in the days following Polly's death,
and were heartened, but not surprised, to see Aunty Molly taking Willow under her wing.
But we were surprised when we also saw Karri, the loner, seeking her cousin's company.
Since then Willow has remained close to Molly and Karri.

Karri has grown into a fine young roo,
although there is little doubt she has also inherited her mother's weight problem!

Over the years Karri has has been the subject of many studies, and having maintained her ranking within the mob,
is very much a part of our ongoing study into mob behaviour
and roles within kangaroo mobs.

Roo Gully continually strives to provide a wonderful environment for the roos,
and gives a mixture of pasture and natural bush, with plenty of space to stretch those long legs.
Your 'adoption' will help us care for many kangaroos like Karri, and her mother, Molly,
and also help fund our studies, which we hope will lead to the better understanding
and a greater love of these magnificent, and unique, creatures.