A video footage shows a troop of six kangaroos which seemed to be enjoying some lunch on a nice cloudy day. The filming, which took place in Hunter Valley, Australia, was made possible by using the drone's camera as the machine hovers over the kangaroos.
While the drone has caught the attention of the kangaroos, at least two among them, a mother kangaroo and a joey, got really curious and hopped nearer the flying robot. The mother was able to reach out and touch the drone, knocking it down to the ground.
Obviously, drones are not built with protective features that would save them from being knocked down to the ground. Moreover, allowing them to hover over kangaroos may not be a good idea after all knowing that kangaroos have a unique leaping capacity even at a normal hopping speed.
Kangaroos are categorized into the Red Kangaroo, the Eastern Grey, the Western Grey, Wallabies and smaller macropods. The first two, Red kangaroo and Eastern Grey, are the highest leapers. The Red Kangaroo is the largest and can leap eight meters far and three meters high. Eastern Greys can leap as high as nine meters in one bound and can reach speeds of almost 50 kms. per hour.
Some drones can also travel at the same speed of 50 kms. per hour. Others would have a maximum speed of merely 15 kph. Of course, drones should be able to fly higher and reach a certain distance where it cannot be reached by a kangaroo. However, these features may not be enough to save itself from a hopping and leaping kangaroo.
Furthermore, kangaroos are known to have the ability to move faster without getting tired. They can hop faster but they don't use a lot of energy. This means that not only can a kangaroo be a champion in hopping and leaping, it can also be competitive when it comes to keeping a good amount of energy.
Kangaroos can be found all over Australia. It's also common to see some of them crossing the highway. With this in mind, drones may find it difficult to fly in an area where it will not encounter a single kangaroo.
