The beautiful moment a kangaroo says goodbye to his love

An amateur photographer has captured the most spectacular images of a kangaroo family saying their goodbyes.

Fraser Coast residents Evan Switzer was out walking when he came across a male kangaroo holding what appeared to be a dead female, with a joey watching on. Mr Switzer told the Fraser Coast Chronicle he heard a thumping sound and then witnessed the male cradling the female.

As he watched the kangaroos’ behaviour, the only explanation he could find was that they were grieving.

“I have never seen anything like this in the wildlife before,” he said. “I saw the male pick up the female, it was quite amazing to see.

“I saw the male pick up the female, he looked like he was just trying to get her up and see what was wrong with her,” Mr Switzer told the Daily Mail. “He would lift her up and she wouldn’t stand she’d just fall to the ground, he’d nudge her, stand besides her … it was a pretty special thing, he was just mourning the loss of his mate.”

Mr Switzer couldn’t see any wounds or injuries that could have left to the female’s death, but he did observe the male holding up the females head as if to show her her baby one last time. He watched as the joey acted confused, hopping away for a moment then coming back to the parents to see what was happening. 

“The young one looked kind of confused, it would stand by the mother and then hop off and chew some grass, and then come right back again,” said Mr Switzer.

Dying kangaroo’s sad goodbye captured by Hervey Bay local | The Courier-Mail @judismithJudi @MariaPulk https://t.co/E2BaDipmdf

— Russell McGregor (@russell_mc) January 13, 2016

He told The Guardian that after the mother had died, the male kangaroo was very protective of her body, chasing other roos away.

His moving images have been published all around the world, with everyone connecting to the sense of loss in the scene.

“I have lost a dog so I understand the loss … but this is something you don’t see every day.”

Share your thoughts on these incredible images. Do you connect with the sense of loss these roos display?