Animal lovers everywhere are in mourning after the death of Roger, a kangaroo who achieved international fame for his unusually enormous physique. The Kangaroo Sanctuary in Alice Springs in Australia announced his death from old age over the weekend, saying he was 12 years-old.
Roger had been rescued by the sanctuary as a joey after his mother was killed from being hit by a car.
“He was still a baby when I saved him from his mother’s pouch after she’d gotten killed on the highway,” said Chris “Brolga” Barns, who set up the sanctuary as a place to raise Roger.
Roger quickly became the alpha at the sanctuary, having 12 partners, and the facility has since grown to 50 kangaroos.
“At the beginning, there was a close bond but soon he looked at me as competition and wanted to fight me,” Brolga explained.
Roger became a viral sensation in 2015 when photos showing him crushing a metal bucket in his hands using his huge muscles made the rounds of the internet.
“Roger was as muscular as they come,” Brolga said. “Ever since he was featured on TV and clips went viral, there’s been a lot of love and attention for him. Now that he passed away, we are again getting a lot of attention and have received condolences from people around the world.”
In his old age, Roger struggled with arthritis and fading vision. While kangaroos can make it to age 14, they don’t usually get that far if they are in the wild.
“Life is much harder in the wild for an older kangaroo,” Brolga said. “When they get sick, the dingos, our wild dogs, will attack and eat them.”
He added that Roger has been buried on the grounds of the sanctuary so that “he will always be here.”
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