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Florida zoo cares for abandoned baby kangaroo
By WFTV.com
Jan 31, 2017A baby kangaroo that was abandoned by its mother is getting another shot at life thanks to caretakers at one Florida zoo.
The 5-month-old joey was found Jan. 23 outside its mother’s pouch at Brevard Zoo.
Zookeepers believe that the mother pushed the kangaroo out of her pouch because of stress from a bad storm the night before.
Animal care managers decided to raise the joey by hand.
"Red kangaroos don’t start emerging from the pouch until they’re about 7 months old,” said Michelle Smurl, the zoo’s director of animal programs. “We think this joey is 5 months old, so the situation is still very precarious.”
Keepers feed the joey every four hours, day and night, and weigh her once a day.
