Halfway between Adelaide and Melbourne, the Bordertown Wildlife Park is home to some of the most unique native animals in the country.<\/p>\n
Among the trees, just off the Dukes Highway in the South Australian border community, kangaroos, some grey and some white, nibble on the grass and greet visitors meandering around the picturesque park.<\/p>\n
These white roos, a genetic strain of the western grey kangaroo, have bred in the park since the 1980s.<\/p>\n
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About 50 white kangaroos have been born at the park since the 1980s. (ABC South East SA: Josh Brine)<\/p>\n
Tatiara District Council Mayor Liz Goossens said about 50 of the white kangaroos had been born at the fully enclosed park since they were introduced.<\/p>\n
“A white kangaroo was given to the park by a gentleman who had brought it down from the SA \u2013 NSW border \u2026 they have been here for quite some time,” she said.<\/p>\n
The big white kangaroo went on to become the founder of the white kangaroo mob. The first white joey was born in 1984.<\/p>\n
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The park was designed to house up to 18 adult kangaroos but is now home to 23 adults and up to seven joeys. (ABC South East SA: Josh Brine)<\/p>\n
Too many roos<\/p>\n
While the park was only designed to accommodate 15 to 18 adult kangaroos, 23 adults and up to seven joeys now call it home.<\/p>\n
Earlier this month, the council, which manages the park, voted to approve the sale of some of both the white and grey kangaroos to prevent any overcrowding issues or the potential spread of disease.<\/p>\n
“We were approached by a tourism company over in Victoria that have purchased some [animals] previously,” Ms Goossens said.<\/p>\n
Council communications and economic development officer Kelly Hutchinson said approximately 12 kangaroos would be desexed and sold, leaving plenty for people to visit in Bordertown.<\/p>\n
“We will still have the western greys, we will still have the whites \u2026 there’s a lot of different things here to have a look at,” she said.<\/p>\n
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Kelly Hutchinson says about 12 white and grey kangaroos will be sold. (ABC South East SA: Josh Brine)<\/p>\n
A rare breed<\/p>\n
Ms Hutchinson said the Bordertown Wildlife Park was one of the very few places in the country that had a white kangaroo breeding program.<\/p>\n
“It is just a genetic strain of the western grey kangaroo, so it’s not albino,” she said.<\/p>\n
“You only need to have one parent with this genetic strain for you to have joeys that come out white.”<\/p>\n
The Bordertown Wildlife Park is a popular stopover for visitors. (ABC South East SA: Josh Brine)<\/p>\n