Photo reveals kangaroo mourning death of female mate after car hit her

A picture of a male kangaroo mourning his mate and her joey, left for dead after a driver hit and killed them, has been captured by wildlife rescuers.

A heartbreaking photo of a male kangaroo mourning his pregnant mate has shown how emotional Australian animals can be.

The photo, taken by wildlife rescuer Pam Rixon, showed the male stroking the body of his mate as she lay dead on the side of the road.

Ms Rixon and fellow wildlife volunteer Vicki Lloyd-Smith came across the tragic scene on Wednesday morning and managed to rescue the six-month-old joey from the female.

Despite their best efforts, the joey died at a shelter soon after, the Herald Sun reported.

Ms Rixon said she wanted to share the photo of the male mourning his mate to show kangaroos’ ability to feel pain and compassion.

A male kangaroo grieves over his mate, killed by a vehicle north of Yarra Glen on Wednesday, July 8. Picture: Pam Rixon

An estimated 500 million animals were killed in Australia’s devastating bushfire season.

Ecologists from the University of Sydney estimated around half a billion mammals, birds and reptiles may have been lost since September last year.

Harrowing scenes of kangaroos fleeing walls of fire, charred bodies of koalas and cockatoos falling dead out of trees horrified the world as our unprecedented bushfire season was broadcast globally.

Koalas have been among the hardest hit of Australia’s native animals because they are slow moving and only eat leaves from the eucalyptus tree, which are filled with oil, making them highly flammable.

Heartbreaking footage of kangaroos fleeing has been captured in Monaro, NSW, as bushfires close in.

For more fire updates: https://t.co/m3qKpIZsu5 pic.twitter.com/Jo6MDtuygC

— news.com.au (@newscomauHQ) December 31, 2019