Kangaroo Cuddle Time

A Visit To Kangaroo Creek Farm

Lake Country, BC

I am always wary of visiting any type of zoo in general for fear I will find animals in despair and neglect. Kangaroo Creek Farm is a small “petting zoo” of exotic (to Canada) animals that is a twenty-minute drive from my home and my first visit was a pleasant surprise.

The animals are calm, content and friendly and the grounds green and shady. Visitors are free to walk around the grounds and pet the animals (under the watchful eyes of farm employees). I remarked to one of the employees how calm the young red kangaroo was as my daughter and friend petted his back. She said he’d been very frisky earlier that morning and that they’d calmed him by giving him stuffed toys to kick around.

Watching the mommy Kangaroos bond with their joeys was touching beyond words. There truly is nothing as beautiful as the precious love between a mom and her baby. The two of them would snuggle and Mom would hold her little joy’s head in her hands; then the joey would feel secure and brave for a moment and he’d jump around and explore for a bit before returning to Mom for more loving reassurance.

 If you are quiet and still, you realize how much we humans are similar to every other creature on Earth. We truly are one and the same–sisters and brothers of planet Earth.

The preciousness of these Oceanic and Southern Hemisphere creatures makes me stop and reflect on how the human race treats all of the other creatures that we share the Earth with: pets, wild life, farm and zoo creatures—all the Earth’s creatures that are at the mercy of our human whims. While there are some laws in place that attempt to protect the basic well fair of animals, ultimately, we do what we want to these creatures.

Every moment that we are experience and intimate connection with another creature, we need to stop and reflect:

We must treat all Earth’s creatures with the basic respect that they are due. 

Unfortunately, many humans do not value the lives of other creatures.

In my home province of British Columbia, in the last four years 1872 black bears, 352 cougars and 72 Grizzly bears have been killed by government-employed “BC conservation officers.” We do not know how many of these animals were cubs and kittens.

Humans deforest their habitat and then kill the displaced creatures if they come into contact with humans.

The more time we spend with other creatures, and get to know them, the more we understand we are one and the same. May we treasure their lives as much as we treasure our own human lives.