Where Is the Compassion? A Heartbreaking Plea for Our Wildlife

Today, News.com.au posted a video of kangaroos—terrified, slipping, falling—trying desperately to escape a car full of people who thought it was funny to honk and harass them. And to make it worse, they captioned it:
“Talk about adrenaline junkies, these kangaroos are cutting it close!”

Adrenaline junkies? Are you serious?

These kangaroos weren’t thrill-seekers. They were terrified, fleeing for their lives. They were in their own home—on their land—doing what kangaroos do. And instead of using your platform to educate the public about wildlife safety and respect, you chose to sensationalize cruelty. You missed an opportunity to stand up for the voiceless. And that hurts.

To the driver and passenger: you are bloody idiots. You didn’t stop. You didn’t wait. You didn’t show a shred of decency. You honked your horn and pushed these animals into a panic. That kind of stress can cause capture myopathy—a silent, excruciating condition that can kill. And now, those kangaroos may be out there, dying slow, painful deaths. Because of you.

To News.com.au: you participated in this. You amplified it. You made it worse. And you owe every wildlife carer, every animal lover, and every Australian who respects our native species an apology.

We wildlife carers are devastated. We spend our lives—our time, our money, our hearts—trying to save these animals. We rescue them from trauma. We grieve when they don’t make it. And then we see this… and it breaks us.

This land is not yours. It belongs to them. You are the intruder. You are the one who needs to slow down, shut up, and show some damn respect.

If you see wildlife on the road—STOP. WAIT. BE QUIET. BE PATIENT Let them move on safely. You don’t need to ask if help is needed. Help is always needed. Compassion is always needed.

I won’t share the video. I’ll share photos of kangaroos living peacefully, as they should be. Because that’s what they deserve—not fear, not pain, not death for someone’s five seconds of internet fame.

To those who care: keep speaking up. Keep protecting them. And to those who don’t—you are the reason we cry ourselves to sleep some nights.

And to the authorities: this isn’t just upsetting—it’s a potential animal cruelty offence. That driver should be investigated and charged by the RSPCA.