Bloody roos

[skyring]

I'm home, I'm tired. My passengers are OK - I got them home. The car's not toooooo bad - lost the lower bit of the bumper and is noisy at speed with flapping plastic bits, but no mechanical or body damage.

The roo's a write off.

Not sure how the day driver will react to finding half the front bumper in the boot.

Bloody thing just jumped straight onto the road out of the scrub a couple of metres ahead of me. Luckily it went under the car, not up over the bonnet. I have nightmares about roos coming through vthe windscreen and thrashing about in the front seat.

Never hit a roo in all the years, decades I've been driving. Since becoming a night cabbie eighteen months ago, I've hit two and scared many more. The problem is that they have no road sense and no natural predators.

Bloody roos.

Comments

[asterapallas.livejournal.com]

I am so glad that you and your passengers are safe.

*hugs*

Sounds like drivers might be able to be listed as those who keep the 'roo count down - at least by a bit.

o.O

Eek.
So glad that you're ok.

*HUGS*

[sirroy.livejournal.com]

All I can say is, I've been driving 25 years and I've never even come close to hitting a 'roo.

[elhamisabel.livejournal.com]

ood for you!
What about leprechauns? ;-)

[elhamisabel.livejournal.com]

Of course that is supposed to mean "good" and not "ood"

[skyring.livejournal.com]

I like to think of myself as a fine chauffeur, but I dips my lid to you. You can drive me round the bend from the other side of the world!

[thebiblioholic.livejournal.com]

and no natural predators

Sounds like you're a natural.

Glad to hear you are ok.

I ran over a skunk once. Took several trips through the car wash and weeks to get all the smell out.

re skunks.

[jessibud.livejournal.com]

Did the car wash have tomato juice? They say that gets the skunk smell out of dogs. It worked on our dog...

;-)

Re: re skunks.

[holmesfan.livejournal.com]

That sounds such a weird solution. Almost makes me want a skunk and a dog to try it out - Almost!

Trust me on this one:

[jessibud.livejournal.com]

you want to take my word for it and leave it at that! Thankfully, I, personally, have never been sprayed by a skunk, as I don't think I'd want to bathe in tomato juice but it is NOT a fun experience. At least, not for the dogs or humans involved. I'm sure it doesn't bother the skunk much... ;-)

(btw, they usually won't spray unless they feel threatened or are provoked in some way. I've had 2 stroll across my backyard once while I sat out there reading, no issues at all)

[whimzykat.livejournal.com]

glad you're safe...

[yokospungeon.livejournal.com]

>Bloody roos

I'll bet they sit around at night going

"Bloody humans, taking up all the space with stupid roads everywhere! They've got no notion of natural speed, and hopping out of the way is totally beyond them!"

Glad you escaped injury.

[skyring.livejournal.com]

As usual, you are spot on, Yoko. Bless your gentle heart!

Roos were here a long time before humans. I wish there was some way to separate them from traffic, but short of building five metre high fences everywhere, it's not practical. I do everything I can to avoid them - for their sakes as much as mine, because I hate to see any creature suffer and die - but unlike smarter animals such as foxes, cats or even rabbits, roos have zero road sense.

[lizmopuddy.livejournal.com]

Oooh scary! I remember seeing a work colleague's Cadillac in the States after he hit a deer, and both the deer and the Cadillac were write offs. You are very lucky

[skyring.livejournal.com]

I'd like to have been even luckier...

I've had some work colleagues who were real write offs. And some who were dears. No Caddies, but.

Pete, still young

[fancyhorse.livejournal.com]

Was it the Silver Service car? I'm glad you're all right!! We have a similar problem with deer around my area. I've never hit one (yet), but have known people who have.

[skyring.livejournal.com]

Silver Service. Taxi 58 instead of my old Taxi 112. I'm devastated that such a lovely car has been damaged, and that a beautiful animal has died, but there wasn't anything I could do.

[fancyhorse.livejournal.com]

I know what you mean. I hit a bird once, and I felt bad about it for a long time.

I thought you drove in the city!

[jessibud.livejournal.com]

There are roos in the city??!!

All we have to watch out for here are squirrels, and raccoons, mostly. I see the odd skunk as roadkill, too, in the city. But nothing as large as a roo (or rather, a deer, in these parts...
;-)

Re: I thought you drove in the city!

[skyring.livejournal.com]

Canberra is often called "The Bush Capital". Or "A Good Sheep Station Ruinede":.

There is bush and open grassland all around the city, and huge streches of open space and parkland all the way through. This makes for a pleasant, green, environment, but also means that kangaroos can be found in suburban areas and occasionally in the centre of the city, particularly at night.

Roos have no remaining predators, and suggestions that the population be culled are always strongly opposed. The result is that vast numbers die of starvation when times get hard, or get hit by cars. I would love to avoid running into them, and take care to slow down when i see them on the side of the road. But when they bound out into the path of my car at full speed, there's not a lot I can do. Unlike cats or foxes, or even rabbits, kangaroos have no road sense at all.

Re: I thought you drove in the city!

[newkaligula.livejournal.com]

and yep we have kangaroos in the outer suburbs of Adelaide too

Re: I thought you drove in the city!

[wirigerie.livejournal.com]

I live in suburban Adelaide which is a capital city and I have seen a kangaroo on the street near where I was living. Scared the shit out of me because he was going down a street perpendicular to me and all I saw the first time was a shape cartwheeling down the road (or so it seemed). When I got down to that street I realised it was a roo.

With the drought we also have large numbers of koalas moving into people's backyard trees. Swimming pools are a great danger to these little guys.

This is fascinating to me!

[jessibud.livejournal.com]

I'm from Canada and like others not from down under, have only ever seen kangaroos in zoos.

Are they dangerous to humans, if you should encounter one in the city? Apart from being road hazards, I mean. Would they come after small pets, for example, or attack a child (or adult), without provocation? If hungry, do they seek food in residential garbage bins? You should see the damage our (much smaller) raccoons can do to garbage bins!

Re: This is fascinating to me!

[gunzel412.livejournal.com]

They are herbivores, and just munch on grass and jump in front of cars.

They will defend themselves viciously if provoked, but stay at least 2 metres away from them and they will leave you alone.

Re: This is fascinating to me!

[woosang.livejournal.com]

I was diving on the M5 near Campbelltown when a roo jumped into my lane. Imagine my shock at 110km/hr. Luckily for it and me There was no-one in the other lane.

David another near miss with a roo was with that loan car from Subaru.

[wombles.livejournal.com]

Glad you are safe.

I never see roos except in the zoo or at Gailes Golf club near Ipswich.

[onyerbike.livejournal.com]

I never see roos except...at Gailes Golf club near Ipswich.

I didn't realize kangaroos golfed. :-)

[skyring.livejournal.com]

They are never out of bounds.

[onyerbike.livejournal.com]

Nyuck, nyuck! :-)

[wombles.livejournal.com]

I think they just supervise!

[gunzel412.livejournal.com]

I've killed 3 kangaroos. 2 going to and from work, and 1 between Menindee and Broken Hill. (Plus countless more on trains.)

I have had numerous near misses, including between Kings Avenue and the War Memorial.

They truly are stupid, and their eyes don't help, as they don't reflect headlights.

[zanla.livejournal.com]

A shame about your vehicle there. Then again, better the taxi & roo than you. Allyster, TargetCat and I are glad that everything turned out well. Keep smiling.

[woosang.livejournal.com]

They do that. David has hit three that I know of, hence the big bull bar on the front of the Forrester. Still it is always a scare.
Glad you are OK.
A bugger you had passengers, imagine the fright they had!
(I did notice you have not made me a friend on facebook from a few days ago,but you did make david one. Favouritism???? **pout**)

[skyring.livejournal.com]

I dunno. If my wife ever finds out how many fabulously gorgeous women friends I have, I could be in big trouble.

Having said that, I shall go and friend you immediately, and we can discuss future physical embraces.

It was very good of you to show Wombles around Sydney. I can just imagine you all in the cab of a train, whoopin' and hollerin' and doing wheelies and donuts for the delight of the passengers, parking it under the Evil Bookshop and taking the secret subway entrance...