‘ANGEL’ GABRIEL TRIES TO SAVE A KANGAROO

I have had my horse, Gabriel, a fouryear-old Andalusian gelding, for about a year. He loves his paddock buddy, Rimi, and both horses are also very fond of carrots.

Early one November afternoon, I walked into their paddock and noticed that Rimi was near the gate but Gabriel was right down at the back of the paddock. I immediately suspected that something was wrong. I called him but he stayed put, watching me steadily, which was another sign that something was up. He knows that I always bring them carrots and usually walks straight up to me as soon as he sees me.

As I got closer I saw a young, male kangaroo lying under a tree right beside Gabriel. Once I got closer to the kangaroo I saw that he had a badly broken back leg. Only when I had checked out the kangaroo did Gabriel approach me for his carrot.

I phoned the wildlife rescue service who came and assessed the kangaroo. Unfortunately, the kangaroo had to be put down as his leg was too badly damaged to be repaired.

Clearly, Gabriel had stayed with the injured kangaroo to alert me that it needed help.