The photo of a young, orphaned kangaroo hugging a teddy bear while standing in a field has gone viral because… well…
IT’S A PHOTO OF AN ORPHANED KANGAROO HUGGING A TEDDY BEAR WHILE STANDING IN A FIELD!
Tasmania resident Timothy Beshara shared the amazing photo on Twitter this past Tuesday, remarking that it features an eastern grey kangaroo named Doodlebug. Yes, DOODLEBUG!.
He’s clutching his best friend in New South Wales, Australia.
"I have loved seeing the comments of how the photo has cheered people up when they are having a bad day," Beshara told The Huffington Post via e-mail.
"Nature can bring so much joy to people if only we pay attention to it."
The picture’s popularity is reminiscent of this heartbreaking koala photo that went viral in May 2013.
In that image, the precious little creature was reacting in shock and sadness to his home being destroyed by loggers.
In this one, Beshara says the 15 month-old was found abandoned a little over a year ago and was too young to take care of himself.
So his mother – Gillian Abbot, a licensed wildlife carer and member of rescue organization WIRES – is helping with Doodlebug’s “soft release” back into the wild.
Of the stuffed animal in the kangaroo’s hands, Beshara says:
"He lies next to it, practices his kicking against it and cuddles it."
Yup. We just melted into a million little pieces.