Found by the roadside in his mother's pouch after an accident: 'He was scared and had some injuries'

On the side of a road in New South Wales, Australia, a kangaroo joey was found alive in its deceased mother's pouch following a tragic accident. The mother kangaroo had been struck by a vehicle, but a compassionate passerby performed a crucial "pouch check," a common practice in Australia.

Federico Negro, an Argentine veterinarian, recounted the discovery. The finder noticed the joey, scared and injured, nestled within its mother's warm pouch. The joey was immediately wrapped in blankets and rushed to a veterinary clinic. Upon arrival, the team initiated emergency protocols, stabilizing the joey's temperature and treating its wounds, including closing one with surgical staples.

"We performed the initial triage to control its temperature and determine the severity of the injuries," Negro explained. "We treated its wounds, closed one with surgical staples, administered fluid therapy, and provided the necessary care to stabilize it." The joey survived the critical initial phase, a testament to the prompt action.

Negro highlighted the ingrained civic habit in Australia: drivers often stop to check the pouches of kangaroos hit by cars, ensuring no surviving young are left behind. "When you see a cross painted on a roadkill kangaroo, it often means someone stopped, checked the pouch, and made sure there wasn't a life that could still be saved," he said. The joey is now in rehabilitation, cared for by a network of volunteers.