Kangaroos are also present by the thousands in parkas, sanctuaries, and zoos for protective and educational purposes.
A new study on kangaroo behavior
(Photo : Pixabay)
A new study has found that kangaroos are able to learn to ask help from humans the way domestic animals like dogs and horses do.
McElligott and a research team composed of his colleagues examined 16 individual captive kangaroos from three subspecies in Australia. They used similar methods that have been used in past studies involving goats, horses, and dogs.
They published the results of their new study in findings in the journal
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The researchers conducted the study by first training the kangaroos to associate a small box with food treats such as pieces of corn, sweet potatoes, and carrots.
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Kangaroos in zoos and sanctuaries use body language to ask humans for help, much like horses and dogs do, which suggests that even wild animals can learn to communicate with humans just by being around them.
This overturns previous theories that animals’ ability to communicate with humans resulted from domestication, says Alan McElligott at City University of Hong Kong.
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Fifty million kangaroos – an animal family that has never been domesticated – roam freely in groups across Australia. They are so common that they are “the equivalent of deer in Europe”, says McElligott. However, thousands of these marsupials live in zoos, parks and sanctuaries for educational or protective purposes.