Meet Jaffa!
Jaffa is a most extraordinary kangaroo. My bond with her is unique to any animal I have (or will ever have) in care. The joy and heartbreaks we have shared with each other over the years has created an inseparable bond. Even now, long after she was softly released into the wild, she returns daily to check on me and the babies I have in care. She communicates her happiness, insecurities and fears to me and she helps me communicate with the other kangaroos. But I’ve gotten ahead of myself now . . . let me go back to the beginning:
Her story with me begins on August 11, 2020 when I welcomed three little girls into my heart - Jaidee, Jola and of course, Jaffa!
Jaffa was always a care giver herself. If Jaidee or Jola were ever scared, or feeling a bit cold, Jaffa was more than happy to get out of her pouch and jump into theirs. No doubt she was whispering the most beautiful bedtime stories to them.
When raising orphaned kangaroos, providing them with a buddy is of the utmost importance. As humans we can love and nurture them, but they need the emotional camaraderie of their own species.
As they grew up they formed a strong bond. Jaidee and Jola were Jaffa’s best friends. Soon they were enjoying zoomies around the pen, and when they were old enough, exploring the surrounding bush.
Suddenly within ten days of each other, freak accidents took Jadee and Jola’s lives. Jaffa’s heart was broken. The grief a kangaroo feels when they loose their buddy is overwhelming, and Jaffa had lost TWO in addition to her kangaroo mother. I was shattered.
My heart felt like it had been broken into a thousand pieces. But what could I do, but pick up and carry on. Jaffa needed me to be strong and to comfort her.
During her depression, Jaffa “buddied” with me. She paid close attention to my caring of the other orphans and she took it upon herself to look after them too. Long after the kangaroos of a similar age went off to to raise babies of their own, Jaffa was still coming home in the evenings for cuddles and a milk bottle. With all she’s been through, my answer was always yes.
Jaffa - December 2020
In September/October 2022, many of the Amaris mob contracted Bordetella Bronchiseptica, a highly contagrious respiratory disease, with a cough that can linger for weeks. Without specialised care, they all would have died. Some were wild ones which made it very challenging to treat.
Caree, Coco, Emma, Rossie and Jaffa were hit the worst.
Rossie was one of the sickest, he came back inside and was back on bottles and nebuliser every three hours. He did recover and joined his buddies in the bush. In May he became weak and started falling over. The vet diagnosed him with a respiratory infection as a result of a compromised immune system. Back to confinement in the pen, pouched at night, bottles and a heat lamp. He recovered slowly and in a month went back with the mob.
Rossie when he was little, became Jaffa’s first “joey project”.
Jaffa then took over his care. . . late every afternoon she brought Rossie home. (I’m sure a comfy warm bed and bottle for her played a small part). With her help, I was able to pouch him at night all through the winter, provide support care and milk bottles. By spring he had recovered and in early summer, he was staying out all night playing with his buddies the way a kangaroo should.
Jaffa was a bit despondent that her buddy Rossie didn’t need her guidance anymore, but then turned her attention to other young ones in my care. She is so good with them, she remains forever curious and loving towards them. I finally had to put a big soft bed in the Joey shack for her to use on the nights she feels the need to sleep amongst them. Ever the protector of the babies. Even now at the beginning of 2025.
At some point she will decide it’s time to have a baby of her own and I look forward to sharing that experience with her too. But for now, she loves looking after the joeys both in the pen and guiding them through the bush when it’s time for them to become more independent. That she still wants to come back and rest next to me, or enjoy a bit of the soy milk froth from my coffee is a gift that I will continue to relish.
I feel so honoured to have her in my life.
In December 2024, Jaffa became a published kangaroo!