Success Stories
Raising
Lilly
These days, Lilly is a fixture in Lands of Change,
shamelessly sprawled out beneath the Florida
sun. But life wasn’t always this good; at the
tender age of five months, this red kangaroo
was ejected—hairless and helpless—from her
mother’s pouch during a powerful storm.
Repeated attempts to reunite the two were
unsuccessful, and animal care staff opted to
raise her themselves.
Though hand-rearing kangaroos from such a
young age often ends tragically, then-zoological
manager (and current curator) Lauren Hinson
gave it her all. At the beginning, Lilly was fed
every four hours on the dot—yes, even in
the middle of the night. When not nestled
in an incubator and, later, a “playpen” in the
Expedition Africa barn, the joey was strapped
to Hinson in a soft fabric pouch mimicking
this unique marsupial feature.
After five months, Lilly was slowly integrated
with the rest of the mob. She’s now a full-time
resident of the Kangaroo Walkabout, and an
enduring affinity for humans—the species
that raised her—has made Lilly a consistent
guest favorite.
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