There's an old joke about visitors coming to Australia and expecting to see kangaroos hopping down the street. Well right now, there's one spot in New South Wales where that joke has become a reality. Large numbers of roos have set up residence in suburbia, but experts are warning people not to get too close.
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00:00A mob in suburbia, making themselves right at home.
00:06Here usually you can see at least 20 or more.
00:09I get about 30 every morning.
00:12Dozens of kangaroos are regularly gathering at Wai'e Point near Newcastle.
00:17They stroll the streets, hop among homes and lounge on lawns.
00:22The roos are popular on social media, bringing swathes of visitors who aren't always careful.
00:28I've seen tourists previously pull up to try and grab hold of joeys, even to put a joey
00:33in a bag while I was watching at one stage.
00:37The marsupials have become used to people who pet and feed them.
00:42Fried chicken has been observed being fed to kangaroos.
00:46But people are not afraid, they just come and feed them, give them carrots, things like that.
00:50Wildlife vet Dr Tanya Bishop says people shouldn't be feeding them at all.
00:55When people start feeding them, not only do they think, oh, OK, there's food, therefore
01:00the females will start breeding and create more kangaroos in that one area.
01:06In 2018, kangaroos on the grounds of the nearby Morissette Hospital became a tourist attraction
01:12before they started attacking people who didn't feed them.
01:15Here at Wai'e Point, there are fears of history repeating itself.
01:19It can either cause issues towards us, but it can also make them more vulnerable to being
01:25hurt by people also.
01:27Some get aggressive, otherwise they're very friendly.
01:30It's unclear who's responsible for controlling the kangaroos, so for now, it's squatters'
01:35rights for these furry interlopers.