Tree kangaroos and wallabies are marsupials, which means that they are born very tiny and are carried in a cozy pouch of skin on their mothers’ abdomen until they are ready to explore the world on their own. Makaia was too small to be nursed by zookeepers, so finding a pouch for him was the only solution.

It’s amazing that Makaia was able to survive and be accepted by his wallaby mom. A cross-species foster between wallabies and tree kangaroos has never been recorded, and the species are very different. Tree kangaroos don’t look like your typical Kangaroo—they look more like a fuzzy koala with a long tail, and they are only distant relatives of wallabies.

This good mama took care of little Makaia for three and a half months, and now that he’s big enough, a zookeeper has taken over his care. Success!

What do you think about this ahh-dorable story?

Photo credit: discovery.com

POSTED IN LIFE, In the News