Roger the ripped kangaroo passed away this weekend at the age of 12, due to natural causes. The massive marsupial gained a following on social media due to his size and muscle definition, standing at 6′, 7″ and weighing in at 196 lbs.
Roger spent his life at The Kangaroo Sanctuary in Alice Springs, Australia, after his mother had been killed in a car accident. Though he was hit with tragedy early on, Roger lived a full life at the sanctuary, having the run of the place as its resident alpha male and racking up around 12 partners in the process. Chris “Brolga” Barns, founder of the sanctuary, posted this touching video tribute to Roger on the sanctuary’s Facebook page. You can watch it here:
Roger first landed on the media’s radar when an image of him crushing a metal bucket went viral in 2015. Roger had retired from his role as alpha-male in 2017, when his son, Monty, beat him in a kickboxing match. Monty may not have the same muscle definition as his dad, but he is equally as massive in size, even standing taller than Roger himself. This family is essentially the Hemsworths of kangaroos.
In his retirement, Roger had been struggling with his eyesight and arthritis. Barnes says kangaroos can live to around age 14, but few wild kangaroos make it to that age. According to the BBC, Barnes buried Roger in the sanctuary, so “he will always be here.”
