Sad week

I have been vacillating back and forth between posting this or not, but I think the roo's deserve a fond farewell. Let me explain, it goes back one week. On Sunday morning, the 29th of August (our 2nd anniversary) I went out to feed the roos their sweet potato. At first I was surprised that Split didn't rush right over when I called, Lick came over alone. I thought he must have been laying in the gravel being lazy so I went to the side of the house to look for him, he wasn't there. I continued to search the entire yard and soon realized that he was not within the fence. I looked a little closer at the gravel near the gate and could see that there was a little burrow under the gate, just big enough for a roo. He had burrowed his way out. I frantically ran into the house and told Adam that Split was gone, we checked the front of the house and could see where he had walked in the gravel and where he possibly laid down for a little while. We both got in our cars and drove around the neighborhood and the bush around our house with the vain hope that we could find a wild roo. As you can imagine, we were not successful. We went to church and when we came home we went on a walk out in the bush behind our house calling his name, no success. About an hour later we drove out there, turned off the car but left the lights on, we called and called, hoping to hear him clicking, his way of telling us he is coming. There were no clicks. Our baby Split is out in the wild, I hope he is ready and I hope he stays where it is safe. It was time to release him but we wanted to take him to a place that is a little safer for roos, but in the end, you never know. I am just grateful that I was able to raise him from a young joey to a teenager. In all honesty he is the roo that I thought wouldn't make it, he seemed to have health issues and failure to thrive right at the beginning, but he quickly recovered. Well, he is free, we miss playing with him, he was more like a pet dog than a wild animal. I loved watching him follow Adam around the yard and I loved how he laid at my feet while I laid in the hammock. He always wanted to help me hang the laundry and would be up and peering into the window in the morning, waiting for me to come out and say hello.We will miss our pet Split.

Then three days later I went out to feed Lick and check him grain and water bowl. Again, I couldn't find him in the yard, but we had blocked the gate so he couldn't escape like Split, so I knew he had to be inside somewhere. But I couldn't find him anywhere and my anxiety started to increase. I decided to check the bushes on the other side of the pool fence, I happened to glance into our above the ground pool and to my shock and horror I found Lick. He had jumped into the pool sometime during the night and drowned. I was hysterical, I ran inside to grab my phone and called Adam from the room in the house that is the farthest from the pool, he could barely understand what I was saying but knew that he had to come home. After a few minutes of heart-wrenching sobs I finally decided that I couldn't leave Lick in there like that. I went out to the pool and after a few attempts I was able to lift him out and put him on the ground. His fur was so soft, so clean. He looked like he was ready to jump, maybe he is jumping in heaven. Adam came home and we buried Lick where he would have felt at peace and felt joy, in the bush. He is free.

Raising roos was one of the best experiences I have ever had. From the first day I felt a connection with them, especially Lick, I was their mommy. They would run after me in the yard, chirping, reminding me that they were there and didn't want to be left behind. Many an afternoon was spent with one of them laying in the hammock with me. I can't count the number of bottles I fed them, the number of sweet potatoes I gave them nor the amount of grain they devoured. They were ready to be released in a week or so, but we would have struggled with letting them go. But, we would have, and it would have been a beautiful and cathartic moment to watch them hop off into the bush, where they belong. Well, Split, you are in the bush nearby, and Lick, you are in the bush in heaven. I imagine we will see you both someday!

We Love and Miss You!

Adam and Gunda