A photo of a kangaroo hugging a teddy bear in the forest has taken social media by storm. The orphaned kangaroo received the stuffed toy as a gift from a caretaker, and it looks like the hoppy animal loves it to bits.
The original photo was posted on Twitter by Timothy Beshara, a media advisor to a senator in Australia. He tweeted the photo featuring the kangaroo named "Doodlebug." The New South Wales man posted the photo on Tuesday, Aug. 4, and the photo has since garnered over 3,000 retweets and massive international attention.
Gillian Abbot, Beshara's mom and a licensed wildlife caretaker, who is part of the WIRES rescue group, was the one who took the photo, Beshara told the Huffington Post. Abbot is also the one who has been extending care and assistance to the 15-month-old orphaned animal.
Doodlebug loves its new best friend. "He uses the teddy like any toddler would use one," Beshara told ABC News. The eastern grey kangaroo treats the bear as its companion, lies next to it, practices kicking against it and, ultimately, cuddles it.
People from all around the world have been touched by the photo. Beshara is glad to see the comments. According to him, nature can elicit great happiness in people if only they took time to pay attention.
Doodlebug lives alone and is an orphan. The exact reason as to how it lost its mother remains unclear. Some people think it fell out of its mother's pouch and has since been left in the wild. Another possibility is that Doodlebug's mother has died.
Over a year ago, Doodlebug was first found all weak and unhealthy. It only weighed three pounds and was definitely not able to take care of itself. The wildlife personnel helped it recuperate and, at present, he weighs approximately 26 to 30 pounds. Doodlebug was able to recover and can now be seen hopping and roaming around the forest again, Bershara said.
The kangaroo is currently on "soft-release," which means that little by little, the wildlife staff are preparing it for its gradual homecoming into the wild. Doodlebug hops around the forest but comes back to Abbot's residence once in a while for occasional supplementary feedings.
Doodlebug surely made many people happy with its adorable ways around its stuffed teddy. Bershara was shocked to find this as he only anticipated a response within Australia. Little did he expect that the photo would also be popular across the world, reaching countries as far as Russia and Brazil, and even getting featured in morning shows in the U.S.
My mum (a wildlife-carer) sent me this. Showing the value of a good hug, especially for an orphaned wallaby. #wildoz pic.twitter.com/WuSeDrZ16s
— Tim Beshara (@Tim_Beshara) August 4, 2015
