MEET CAPTAIN THE KANGAROO!

The 18-month old kanagroo that resides at Antioch Ranch.

Captain is incredibly sweet, gentle and loving. All he wants in life is to be friends with everyone he meets!

He is currently roommates with two miniature horses and three goats. He is also neighbors with six rescue pigs. The miniature horses want nothing to do with Captain, but he has not given up hope and continues to try to be friends with them. He realized very quickly that his hopping startled the horses, so now he crawls slowly when approaching them.

Since Captain didn’t grow up with other animals, he resonates with people. He loves to sunbathe and for his humans to sit with him and pet him. He has the softest fur, is incredibly affectionate and loves to give kisses.

He also uses his front legs like hands and likes to put them on my hand or legs. We found out about Captain from a friend of ours who knew his owner wanted to find him another home.

We never want to turn an animal away, but we were a bit hesitant to take him in because we knew NOTHING about kangaroos. After a little research and some prayer, we decided to go for it! We figured that he would be better off with us than someone else who might not prioritize him like we would.

KANGAROO FACTS:

• Kangaroos are marsupials and are indigenous to Australia and New Guinea.

• Kangaroos belong to the animal family Macropus, literally “big foot.”

• Female kangaroos give birth to joeys at 31 days and live in their mothers pouch (called a marsupium) for nine months to complete their development.

• Joeys are fed by their mother until they reach 18 months old.

• A large male can grow to be 6’7” tall and weigh as much as 200 pounds

• They are herbivores and eat grass, flowers, leaves, ferns, moss and even insects. Captain also gets a daily supplement of two cups of Mazuri’s exotic animal nutrition.

• Kangaroos regurgitate their food and re-chew it before it is ready to be totally digested, just like cows.

• Kangaroos possess powerful hind legs, a long, strong tail, and small front legs. Thanks to their large feet, kangaroos can leap some 30 feet in a single bound, and travel more than 30 miles per hour.

• Kangaroos are the only large animals to use hopping as a means of locomotion.

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for next week! Follow along on Instagram @ Antioch_Ranch