Kangaroo Arrives in Manatee County for Foot Surgery

Manatee County's wild and exotic animal rescue is raising money to pay for foot surgery for a kangaroo the group took in after it couldn't be properly cared for at two other facilities.

The one-year-old kangaroo, Poppy, arrived in need of foot surgery and long-term care after spending her early life in a cage that was so small she didn't have enough room to grow properly. She had never been able to run and let her tendons and ligaments learn to stretch fully, according to Majical Minatures Animal Education & Care Center.

She was then purchased and shipped to a second location where she was given more space with other kangaroos. Once in this larger space she became a normal active youngster and began to run but since those tendons and ligaments had never learned to stretch as they should have, the first time she was able to run and did, her heel bones broke away from the major foot bones and are now floating freely in her heel tissue.

The only fix for broken bones in her feet is a surgical procedure to pin the heel bone back to the foot bone on each foot. Once the bones have heeled and the pins are surgically removed, Majical Miniatures will rehab her with physical therapy for several months to teach her tendons and ligaments to stretch and protect. Eventually she will be able to live freely with the other kangaroos now living at Majical Miniatures. Poppy will have some limits but will have a 'normal in captivity' life.

The animal rescue has scheduled for surgery for Tuesday. Once the vet is able to work on Poppy, the rescue will have more information on prognosis, rehab and recover. Currently the estimated expenses for her medical and rehab care range from $4000 to $6000.

Majical Miniatures will have a two part fundraiser on gulfcoastgives.com: Part 1, https://www.gulfcoastgives.org/projects/768, is designed to help raise funds for Poppy's surgery. Part 2 is to help pay for her long term care after surgery.

The rescue recently spent $7,800 rebuiding its aging Kangaroo compound to replace three macropod (wallaby, walleroo, and kangaroo) huts.

Majical Miniatures located in Parrish cares for unwanted, neglected and injured farm, exotic and wild animals. Wild animals are rehabbed and released when possible. Some exotic and farm animals are re-homed but many will live out their life as part of the Majical Miniatures family.