Does Your Therapy Kangaroo Wear Pants?
Every day therapy dogs, cats and even miniature horses help people deal with physical or mental trauma. But the healing properties of kangaroos have been relatively unknown—until now, that is.
Christie Carr, who suffers from severe depression, took her human therapist’s advice and volunteered at an animal sanctuary near Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. A week into her service a red kangaroo named Irwin fractured his neck after colliding with a fence and suffered severe brain damage.
Carr offered to take care of Irwin, who cannot stand or walk on his own. The two developed a bond, and the lucky marsupial is now a certified therapy pet. “Irwin is my life,” Carr says. “He brought me out of my shell.”
Her mental healing seems to come from being Irwin’s sole and utterly devoted caretaker. She changes his diapers, feeds him vegetables, popcorn, kangaroo chow, and sometimes special snacks like Cheez-Its. An MSNBC story described Irwin’s daily routine:
The marsupial never leaves the house without first getting dressed. The clothes—a little boy's shirt cut and sewed to accommodate his neck, sometimes a tie, and jeans or slacks with a hole cut for the tail—are necessary for therapeutic reasons and to protect him against germs.
Last May, the Broken Arrow City Council had granted Carr permission to keep Irwin at her home, amending their exotic animal ordinance.
Fearing that he might eventually overcome his disabilities and become a hefty, strong, seven-foot high kangaroo that could jump 25 feet in a single leap, Carr was required to purchase a $50,000 liability insurance policy for any injuries he might inflict, as well as certification that he had appropriate housing that met all federal and state guidelines for licensing.
Carr was also told that she must inform her neighbors that she has a pet kangaroo. An anonymous donor paid for the insurance, but since Carr has not completed her application for ownership, she and Irwin are set to move into their new home—a wildlife rehabilitation center called Wild Heart Ranch.
The saga of Christie and Irwin in all its wonderful strangeness reminds us that the secret to happiness is often found in losing ourselves in the service of others, whether the other happens to be a person or not.
Comments
1