BELWOOD – It’s not an unusual sight to see domesticated animals and interesting livestock around the rural area of Wellington County, but a pair of marsupials native to Australia? They’re hopping around a property in Belwood.
Among the numerous exotic animals Lance Henderson owns, kangaroos Bindi and Gryphon might be his most unique.
Owning a kangaroo was a dream Henderson had since he was a child and it became a reality in 2019.
“I made sure that I could get the land that could accommodate it in an area that had bylaws that would allow,” Henderson said. “Once I started building a fence, there happened to be a zoo down near Windsor where they had one of their males for sale.”
Shortly after he got the female from a breeder and ended up with the pair who live on his property outside of Fergus. Henderson can no longer get anymore kangaroos as they now go against Centre Wellington’s animal control bylaw, passed after he got them.
The kangaroos have a heated house they can come and go from as they please with a large fenced area they can hop around in and play.
While thought of as a hot climate animal from Australia, Henderson explained they live in a harsh climate that varies in temperature more than people think.
“They can go from plus 20 in the days and minus five nights in their habitat,” Henderson said. “They’re very good at harsh environments.”
Initially Henderson worried about the really cold days but the kangaroos put those fears to rest.
“On a minus-10 day with the sun, he pushed straw out of the house onto the snow and laid on his back laying in the sun,” Henderson said.
Henderson is certain the kangaroos are happy and he interacts with them constantly with them as fairly playful animals.
“We’ll play fight but he knows that he can’t go too far,” Henderson said. “I do have to appreciate the fact that he is strong, he has very long nails and just playing, slightly scratching me, can give me a good scratch. His nails are almost an inch long.”
The kangaroos aren’t his only animals. Inside his home is a small reptile zoo which includes a ball python named fuzzy, a rare Philippine sailfin, axolotls, skinks, a blind tegu and a basilisk.
Some are rescued, some are bought from breeders but all are handled and cared for by Henderson who has been taking care of pets like this since he was a boy.
Growing up, his brother was allergic to fur and feathers, making a typical cat or dog pet out of the question. It started with frogs and newts as a child and has grown to what it is now. Reptiles are addictive after all, Henderson joked.
“They’re just so unique, they have so many different adaptations, so many colour variations,” Henderson said on why he’s interested in them.
Henderson understands some people have a mental block about these kinds of animals but insists nearly any animal can make a good pet as long as the potential owner does proper research on them to know what is best for them. It also helps to get the animal from a knowledgeable source.
"It means being willing to interact with your pets and provide enrichment and stimulation," Henderson said on what responsible ownership means to him. "It means putting the needs of your pets over your own convenience. They rely 100 per cent on you for their care, so by choosing to adopt them you need to be willing to step up to these needs and care."
As for the kangaroos, Henderson said neighbours don’t mind them at all but he has received some negative comments online.
“After I got him, 2020 the year Australia was on fire, literally, people were telling me that my very well kept, well spoiled kangaroo would be better off in the Australian fires than being kept as a pet,” Henderson said. “It’s not a tiny little pen that I have out there, he’s well kept, he’s well fed, he’s happy.”
