WTF??
I'll die if I can't stay with my kangaroo 'son', says Oklahoma woman Christie Carr
Oklahoma woman Christie Carr and Irwin - wildlife experts say dressing animal up innapropriate. Picture: Christie Carr Source: The Daily Telegraph
Christie Carr with Irwin, the disabled kangaroo. Picture: Christie Carr Source: The Daily Telegraph
WITH a wardrobe full of designer suits, a cupboard packed with treats and a car booster seat, Irwin the kangaroo is not your average household pet.
To American owner Christie Carr of Broken Arrow Oklahoma, he's more like a child, worthy of 24/7 care and snacks of cheese puffs and popcorn, reported The Daily Telegraph.
The 15-month-old red kangaroo was paralysed after suffering a broken neck and brain damage in a wildlife sanctuary accident a year ago.
Since then Ms Carr has been devoted to Irwin - named after wildlife crusader Steve Irwin - taking him everywhere she goes. He even rides in the back of the car, watching life whiz by from a children's booster seat modified to fit his tail.
But little Irwin's days as a resident in Oklahoma, could be numbered. The city council last month deemed Irwin to be an exotic pet that Ms Carr was not allowed to keep.
The 39-year-old said yesterday her beloved boy would die if taken from her care and has vowed to uproot her life and move away, just to keep Irwin in her possession.
Among their outings, the pair regularly visit people in nursing homes. "He really enjoys going on his visits. That is his calling," Mrs Carr said.
"He snuggles them, he kisses them and he gets very excited."
Ms Carr said Irwin had helped her recover from a serious bout of depression. "He's my therapy," she said.
However, wildlife experts said dressing a paralysed animal and treating it like a human was "totally inappropriate".
Australian Reptile Park macropod expert Tim Faulkner said Irwin's quality of life needed to be the No. 1 priority.
Broken Arrow City Council is due to debate the issue today.
