Scientists studied 11 kangaroos living in captivity on a reserve, which hadn't been domesticated. During the experiment, the animals were offered food in plastic containers several times. The first few times, the kangaroos were able to independently get food from the case, but during the last test, the container was closed so that the animals could not open it.
Since the kangaroos already knew there was food in the boxes, they were highly motivated to get it.
Ten out of 11 observed animals eventually approached people for help.
Nine kangaroos looked at the human and at the container when they were unable to open it, waiting for help.
“We interpreted this as a deliberate form of communication, a request for help,” Alan McElligott, the Irish researcher said as quoted by Reuters.
The authors of the research note that this method of communication has already been documented in domesticated animals such as dogs, horses and even goats.