When Kangaroos are first born, the bones and muscles in their legs aren’t strong enough for them to stand on their own. This is why baby kangaroos reside in their mothers’ pouches until they grow large enough to stand and hop on their own.
In this video, we get to see a baby kangaroo named Keith taking his first few hops after being cared for by human caretakers. To do this, the team waits until the joey develops enough before placing the artificial pouch on the ground. At that time, the animal decides if it’s ready to try standing up or not.
Its first steps are somewhat awkward as the joey fumbles around on four legs, but after a few tries, it learns how to hop, and through repetition, it will develop the stronger leg muscles needed to do this all day long.
When the caretakers feel that the kangaroo is strong enough to be on its own, they release the animals into the wild.
It’s a cute little thing, isn’t it?