6 funny examples of animals invading Australian homes
Whether it’s an in-law popping by for a cuppa or a mate who’s sniffed out the snags on the barbeque, Australians are used to having visitors drop by unannounced. Very rarely does an unannounced house guest put us out of joint. In fact, the majority of the time we welcome the company. Sometimes though, these visitors can give us a fright… especially if they’re visiting from the animal kingdom.
In this article, we list 6 of the funniest examples of animals invading Australian homes. From curious cassowaries to couch-loving wombats, the following stories prove that when you live in the Land Down Under, you’re always sharing your surroundings with a host of other creatures.
1. Curious cassowary
Having a house guest around for tea can be stressful, but it’s even more stressful when the guest in question is a lethal-looking bird with giant talons. This is a problem that a Queensland couple had to deal with when they sat down for dinner a few months ago. Upon taking a seat, they were startled to see a large cassowary enter their home and try to pick from their plates.
We’re told that the cassowary was actually known to the couple and had been living in their backyard for years. Having it attempt to intrude on their dinner plans though really elevated their relationship to a new level. The couple believe it was the bowl of fruit in the middle of their table that the animal had eyes for. They also both said they’re pretty lucky that this sometimes-aggressive bird didn’t realise they were actually having chicken for tea.
2. Pasta-loving possum
If you’ve ever got up in the middle of the night to investigate noises in the kitchen, you’d probably expect the kids, your partner or even a mouse rustling around the benchtops and fridge. What you might not expect though is a cute little possum scooping leftover pasta out of a Tupperware container, and you certainly wouldn’t expect him to be using a spoon.
This is what actually happened in a house in Brisbane though, when Jordan Stanley walked into his kitchen after a night out and came across an unusual sight. There on the counter was a fully-grown possum that had pulled up next to the container in order to dig into its contents. Rather than shoo the critter away immediately, Jordan first let him eat all of the pasta. Needless to say that when he was finally released from the home, all the little fellow could do was lie on his back and rub his belly.
3. Gravity-defying lizard
Gary Holland from New South Wales came out of his shed one day to see a 1.5-metre-long lizard crawling across the wall on the outside of his house. Shocked at how such a massive reptile could cling to the wall and not fall, he quickly ran inside to grab his camera before taking a few action shots.
The lizard in question was actually a lace monitor lizard, which can grow over 2 metres in size. They often live deep in the Australian bush far away from civilisation, so seeing one of this size in a residential area is quite rare. Thank the lord he noticed it before his wife did, otherwise it’s safe to say they’d be living in New Zealand by now.
4. Kangaroo ninja
A man from Canberra recently awoke in the middle of the night to the sound of banging and crashing in his home. Concerned that it was a break in, he sprang out of bed and tore down the hallway wearing only his undies to confront the intruder. Upon reaching the room where the noise was coming from, he was startled to find a 1.8 metre kangaroo bouncing on beds and knocking over furniture.
The man then confronted the kangaroo, only to be boxed, scratched and kicked to the point he was left bruised and bloodied. He eventually managed to put the kangaroo in a headlock and drag it outside. It then broke free and took off into the bushes never to be seen again. The man said that while he was relieved that nothing was stolen, he’s still hopping mad about the amount of damage the noctural roo did.
5. Sneaky snake
A homeowner in Queensland recently captured footage of a large and very long guest invading his home. This guest, who the homeowner believes had actually been living in the attic, turned out to be a 3-metre python looking to upgrade to a different room. It proceeded to move from the attic down into the kitchen before entering the laundry and coiling itself inside the dryer.
As a 26-year-old bachelor, the homeowner says he’s not all that concerned about having a giant and potentially dangerous snake living in his laundry. He never really goes in there to use the washer and dryer anyway. Someone should probably tell him this isn’t the type of house guest you want hanging around your house.
6. Wombat manor
After moving to Australia from Zimbabwe 10 years ago, Stephanie Dooner found herself living in the country all alone with very little contact with friends and family. Instead of feeling sorry for herself, Stephanie instead decided to pursue her passion of working with animals and volunteer at a local shelter. It’s at this shelter that she met Sheila, a baby wombat that’d been found on the side of the road. Stephanie took care of her day in and day out, often returning after hours to ensure she was ok. This led to the owners of the shelter suggesting that Stephanie should take Sheila home to live with her.
10 years on and sheila is now a fully-grown wombat that spends more time in bed than in her burrow. Stephanie is more than happy with the arrangement and has plans to take on more wombats in the near future. And while we know this isn’t really a great example of an animal “invading” an Australian home, Stephanie also says she does feel like Sheila hogs the blankets on the couch.
7. Frightening fruit bat
Some people don’t mind being scared out of their wits when watching a movie, but when it comes to real life we rarely respond well to a sudden fright. So imagine just how terrified 78-year-old Irene Smythe from Victoria was when a large fruit bat flew out of her pantry early one Sunday morning. As she tells it, Irene was opening the pantry doors when all of a sudden, she was more or less face to face with the winged creature. Irene suspects one of her kids accidentally let it in and that it sought refuge in the dark pantry away from the noise and commotion.
Getting the animal out of the house proved the most difficult, with Irene calling her kids around once again in order to catch and release it. They spent the better part of the Sunday trying to shepherd the bat into the laundry and out the back door. When that failed, they resorted to opening every door and window in the house then leaving it to find its own way out. Eventually it took off out the front door and left Irene in peace. However, this is Australia and if we know one thing, it’s that leaving all of your doors and windows open is pretty much an invite for other critters to enter your home. So we’re guessing that while Irene probably has one less bat in her life, she’ll probably need to deal with some other creepy critters in the near future.
