Each week thousands of people visit the grounds of hospital in Morisset, New South Wales, to see the wild kangaroos. But some tourists have been kicked, scratched and left with serious cuts by the hungry marsupials, whose favourite snack is carrots.


Local MP Greg Piper says urgent action is needed to educate tourists. "While kangaroos are cute, they are also capable of inflicting injury, " Mr Piper told the BBC. He says the problem has escalated over the past few years following a jump in the number of visitors. "Social media has changed everything," Mr Piper says. Instagram, Facebook and blogs posting advice on where to get the perfect "Roo selfie" travel fast. Mr Piper believes around 3,000 people are coming each week to Morisset. "It's a spot where you're guaranteed to see kangaroos, so it's understandable that people come," he says. "And I don't want to blame the tourists - it's really a matter of educating them better."


The tourists themselves are not the problem, it's the fact many want to feed the animals - and that's a bad idea. For one thing it's not good for kangaroos. They are grazing animals, and being fed by thousands of tourists each week changes their natural behaviour. They come to expect and eventually demand food. That's when they can become a danger to humans. "People don't understand they are wild animals and have to be treated as such," warns Mr Piper.


Most importantly, don't feed the kangaroos - and certainly don't feed them processed food. Even vegetables are not right for the animals, and in Morisset, it's carrots that most tourists seem to be bringing. What might be seem like a healthy snack for humans is not necessarily a good lunch for a kangaroo. Carrots are high in sugar and can cause deadly diseases in the animals. Mr Piper wants better education for tourists, including more signs in multiple languages, to provide for their safety and the health of the kangaroos.