Close Encounter

After 6 months it has happened - really happened!
On Friday night, our friend Rod called to say that he was coming by on Saturday at 5pm sharp to pick the boys and I - Be ready and bring the camera!
The next day, he took us to the home of Lindsay Hayes. Lindsay fosters animals who have been orphaned until they can safely be released back into the wild. She has taken in koalas (we saw photos) and on this night we got to meet Sparky and Oscar - 11 month old joeys (kangaroos).
She has had Sparky and Oscar since they were pink, before they had fur. One came to her after its mother was killed on the road and it was found in the pouch. The other, under similar circumstances. She bottle feeds them and they sleep at night in a crib in the house. There are wicker laundry baskets on the veranda that Oscar and Sparky like to snuggle up in. You can put them in a satchel and carry them around. We were thrilled to be able to hold and pat their soft soft fur.
Lindsay said that they stay outside until about 11pm before they are ready for bed. Kangaroos are nocturnal and so she is trying to keep them to their schedule. They use their paws for digging at grass roots for food as well as for grooming. They groom each other and are quite playful. I tried to get some great shots of them but they were pretty lively and wouldn't pose nicely - neither would the boys. I'm going to share with you the pictures I did get. Enjoy.
Oscar and Sparky only have a week left with Lindsay before their "soft release". They will go to another foster home with older kangaroos in order that they become part of their "mob". Then, they will be fully released back into their habitat. I asked her how she felt about that aster raising them for nearly a year. She said she will feel sad but that it is well worth it that they can live the life that they were meant to live. It was a special experience to meet Lindsay and Oscar and Sparky.

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