My experience began on a sunny yet chilly afternoon in Perth, Australia. While on vacation with my family in Perth, we decided to go to a wildlife preserve for the day. That morning we were able to see a sheep being sheared, the experience to milk a cow, and the opportunity to pet a wombat and a koala. Little did I know that the most exciting part was yet to come. It was finally time to be with the kangaroos.


My family and I began walking to a large area that looked like an ordinary grassy park. As we walked down the sidewalk with sunshine hitting our faces and trees on both sides, we started to spot kangaroos here and there. Then, it seemed as if they were all over the place. As we began to watch we saw people going over to the kangaroos and petting them. Then, we realized they were also feeding them. I felt really excited because I had never thought I would have the opportunity to pet a kangaroo, let alone feed one. Since I had watched the movie Kangaroo Jack when I was younger I had always thought kangaroos were vicious and people could not get close to them or pet them, but they are really sweet animals with soft fur that enjoy being touched. I had always pictured kangaroos to be hopping around really high and kicking whoever came near them. A park ranger came up to me and gave me some food and told me how to feed the kangaroos. At first I was a little scared so I watched my brother feed one first. Then, tentatively I went up to one of the kangaroos and held my hand out with the food on it. It felt funny because it was nibbling on my hand. After the kangaroo had finished eating out of my hand, we went on down the path to see if there were any more kangaroos. As we rounded the corner we came up to about thirty of them lying in a bunch of sand trying to get in the shade that some of the small trees provided. I felt really sorry for them because no one was feeding them and they looked really scrawny and seemed like they were starved. I went up to one of them and put my hand out for it to eat. The kangaroo started eating all that I had in my hand so I ran back to get more food from the feeder trough. When I came back I went to a different kangaroo and feed it. Then, I went around to different kangaroos to feed them. Then, they started gathering around me. It made me feel really loved and special because of it. They started to paw at my arm to get more food. When I ran out of food I was tired and went to sit down with my dad.
From the bench my dad and I sat and smiling and laughing at my mom and my brother, but mainly my mom. She had all the kangaroos jumping all around her and almost hugging her. She was giggling like a school girl and her face showed great joy. Whenever her hands and pockets were empty of food she and my brother would go get more. Finally, the kangaroos seemed full and we were ready to go. It was such a great day, definitely one that I will never forget.