Humans believe it is just us who are capable of rational thought and gratitude, but it is not so.
Animals too display their gratitude- especially animals that have been domesticated. But that doesn’t in any way mean that wild animals aren’t capable of it. Also, it simply proves one thing- hugging is the universal sign of love, be it a human being or an animal.
And this brings us to Queen Abi, a kangaroo who never forgets to hug the sanctuary workers who nurtured her after her mother was killed. It has been quite some time that she has been a resident of Kangaroo Sanctuary, and she always hugs every single one of the staff. It is her way of showing gratitude, and who are we to stop?
We strongly believe that it would be wrong if we don’t mention that Queen Abi’s response to her being rescued is also a sign of the tremulous conditions that kangaroos face in the Australian outbacks. Predators, natural cataclysms, all serve to make their life hell, and if humans are taking steps to protect them from being extinct, all the better for the ecosystem.
This sanctuary was built by Chris Bolga after he found out that the nearest hospital for the protection and care of kangaroos and other animals was nearly 1500 km away.
This sanctuary, near Alice Springs, has since been a residence for a number of joeys, of whom Abigail is a huge favorite. The workers are kind, efficient, and well-trained in the care and nurturing of kangaroos which make them the parents that Abigail lost. Probably why she is so affectionate towards them- they were there when she was all alone and on the verge of death.
It is sad that human greed sometimes trumps an animal’s reason to survive. Since the sale of kangaroo body parts is a big booming industry in Australia, funding a major section of the employment, many authorities are willing to look the other way round.
Interestingly, Abigail has been around the block for almost a decade now, and her morning routine involves hugging every single worker she finds.
It has been going for almost 10 years now, so no one sees the need to change that. And what’s more satisfying to a caregiver of animals than said animal proclaiming their love for them? Isn’t it the best result possible?
Abigail features regularly on the sanctuary’s official social media handles. The world came to know of her when the sanctuary posted a video of hers, back in 2016, which went viral. And why shouldn’t it? The video of a kangaroo snuggling up to her caretakers is definitely going to put a big smile on everyone’s face.
Let’s hope that Abigail lives a long, healthy life and the workers at Kangaroo Sanctuary keep up the good work that they have been doing so far. It also serves as a learning curve to humans- if you do good, you won’t ever find the result bad.
Sources:
a) life.shared.com
b) boredpanda.com
c) goodnewsnetwork.org
