Welcome to our Thankful Thursday Blog Hop. Today we have a very special real life story to share with you, that means a lot to us. We have been rescuing animals for decades, and this is one of our most inspiring rescues. Today is day 6 of the HAPPY outcome rescue.

Baby today, giving herself a tickle scratch.

Two weeks ago mom, Michele saw one of our mother Kangaroos with an injured hind leg and a baby joey in her pouch. Although we searched every day, it was a week before we relocated her. It was now Friday afternoon and a full force cyclone was about to hit, within hours. The mom had a broken hind leg which could not be repaired, so we called for urgent help to euthanize her. It had just gone dark when the RSPCA Inspector arrived with the dart gun, and it was now raining.

Six days ago: Baby, the morning after her mom was euthanzied, in cyclonic torrential rain.

After a team of three Kangaroo vets examined photos of the baby, they unanimously decided she would die of stress illness, called myopothy, if she was brought into care. So we mom, Michele, had a baby joey out in the open with no mom, no pouch to take cover in, and no milk; in a full force cyclone with hammering torrential rain for 24 hours. Mom Michele spent hours out in the rain, morning, noon and night, observing and worried sick for the distressed baby who continued to scream stress calls for his mom. Thankfully, she survived the cyclone!

Day 2) the baby girl tried to team up with some bachelor teenager boy Kangaroos, but they didn’t want her cramping their style, so she went back to her tree and screamed for mom. We were very sad and worried for her.

A young bachelor trying to dump the needy baby. The baby then started screaming stress calls for his mom, ran back to the tree where she was euthanized, screamed (heartbreaking), and freaked out and took off like a lightening bolt, so fast I lost sight of him.

Day 3) she moved to a different location and gate crashed a “mob” (group) of Kangaroos, and we watched as she lay her head down and went to sleep, probably for the first time for days (below.) We were so thankful the mob let her stay with them.

Baby takes her first sleep in days, after gatecrashing a mob of other Kangaroos.

Day 4) Kangaroos live in “mobs” and daughter kangaroos never leave home and stay with the mob for life. Mother Kangaroos set up “baby nurseries” so one mother watches them while the other mothers get time off. GUESS WHO WAS IN THE NURSERY? Her! And she was now eating grass. She’s the little one in the middle. We were thankful a thousand times over!

Baby is in the nursery! She’s the little one in the middle.

Day 5) she made a new friend! She teamed up with another younger kangaroo, a little older than her. But even better, the mob she gate crashed has the HUGE Alpha male, who stands up around 7 foot tall. Provided she can stay in that mob,which we think she will, thankfully he will be her protector. (It takes 10 years for a male Kangaroo to mature.)

Baby with her new friend, in the mob.

The Alpha male, boss of the mob, who stands about 7 foot tall.

Day 6 – today) she still has her new friend, who was watching over her so she could take a nap in safety, knowing her friend was standing guard (please view the first photo, above.) We are incredibly thankful this baby is on track and every day is a miracle. I am so proud of her, and thrilled and amazed at her, and the mob for taking her in and looking after her. Its been an absolutely harrowing 6 days! We never for a minute imagined it would unfold as brilliantly as this. Baby still has a long way to go, but we are so thankful she has made it this far, and so strong. We will continue to monitor the baby each day and feel cautiously hopeful

What are you thankful for this week? Please join our blog hop and share your week with us. We hope to see you visit us again real soon. *waves paw* :=o)