Chris Barnes, formerly an Australian tour guide, once saw a dead female kangaroo at the side of the road. While the body was in the first stages of decomposition, there was a joey in her pouch barely alive, that had been left for dead. Barnes took the helpless joey, whom he named Palau, and decided to raise her. A year later, Palau was healthy and able to be released.
Barnes missed his friend, and realized that there was no sanctuary in Australia to handle the situation he had with Palau. He also recognized the need to educate the public about orphaned joeys in similar circumstances. Intent on making a difference in the lives of these animals, Barnes began to work two jobs to cover the cost of helping orphaned Joeys. Eventually, an uncle of his passed on and left Barnes the money to build a sanctuary and continue his passion. Since then, Barnes has acted as parent to more than 200 joeys in need.
See many more adorable shots, a video, and read the full story of Barnes' commitment here, and visit and donate to his Kangaroo Sanctuary.
Love cute animals? View more at Lifestyles of the Cute and Cuddly blog