Zookeeper hops in to become surrogate mom to orphaned kangaroo

WAHPETON, ND (KTRK) -- North Dakota zookeeper, Amanda Dukart, took matters into her own hands when the mother of a baby kangaroo died suddenly at the Chahinkapa Zoo, WDAY reports.

Dukart told WDAY that while human development occurs inside the womb, kangaroos' development actually happens inside their mother's pouch after birth.

So for six months, Dukart will carry Barkley, the baby kangaroo, swaddled around her, to help her fully develop.

"I'm working all the time, but I still have a baby to take care of. I can sympathize with working moms, now," she told WDAY.

Dukart said she and her adoptive baby are bonding like real mother and baby during the critical developing time.

"We're really hoping she survives. So we're trying our best and it's a learning experience for us as well," Dukart told WDAY.

According to WDAY, Barkley can leave the pouch at 10 months old. She will join the zoo's kangaroo exhibit next year when she's 18 months old.