Lost kangaroo joey reunites with those of her species

MELBOURNE, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - Against the odds, baby Kangaroo Lilly is reunited with other members of her species at the Brevard Zoo.

Lilly was found ejected from her mother's pouch after a severe storm in late January. After many failed attempts to reunite the mother and baby, the zoo staff decided to raise the joey on their own.

Lilly lived in an incubator, mimicking the temperature and moisture of a mother's pouch, only removed to be bottle fed six times a day.

After Lilly become more stable, she was placed in a pouch suspended from the neck of Zoo's collection manager, Lauren Hinson.

Hinson says, "I took her home every single evening and brought her with me wherever I went."

Lilly has been taking "field trips" to the kangaroo yard since May, but it wasn't until this week that she stayed their permanently.

The Zoo staff says they will be keeping a close eye on the joey, and will still bottle-feeding her twice a day for several more months.