Doodlebug the kangaroo was about two months old and weighed just 3½ pounds when he was found on the side of a road in Grafton, New South Wales, in southeastern Australia in 2015. Australian wildlife rehabilitator Gillian Abbot said she didn’t know whether his mother had been hit by a car, was the victim of an animal attack, or had simply abandoned her joey. When the organization took the baby kangaroo in, they gave him a stuffed teddy bear to cuddle. It wasn’t long before Doodlebug was cuddling up with the stuffed animal and even practicing kicking against it. After 15 months, he was entered into a “soft release,” which meant he could hop off into the forest whenever he wanted, but he always came back for feeding. Today, Doodlebug is a full-grown kangaroo happily hopping around in the wild. Gillian said he still comes back to visit now and then. Each time the eastern grey kangaroo returns home, he finishes the food in his bowl and hugs his teddy bear without fail. The teddy bear has been considerately tied up to dangle at a huggable height.
Orphaned Kangaroo Finds Comfort In a Teddy Bear
Doodlebug the kangaroo was about two months old and weighed just 3½ pounds when he was found on the side of a road in Grafton, New South Wales, in southeastern Australia in 2015. Australian wildlife rehabilitator Gillian Abbot said she didn’t know whether his mother had been hit by a car, was the victim of an animal attack, or had simply abandoned her joey. When the organization took the baby kangaroo in, they gave him a stuffed teddy bear to cuddle. It wasn’t long before Doodlebug was cuddling up with the stuffed animal and even practicing kicking against it. After 15 months, he was entered into a “soft release,” which meant he could hop off into the forest whenever he wanted, but he always came back for feeding. Today, Doodlebug is a full-grown kangaroo happily hopping around in the wild. Gillian said he still comes back to visit now and then. Each time the eastern grey kangaroo returns home, he finishes the food in his bowl and hugs his teddy bear without fail. The teddy bear has been considerately tied up to dangle at a huggable height.