Kangaroos Get a Pouch

Once upon a time, in the tall grasslands of Australia, a Mother Kangaroo used to live with her son, Joey. One fine day, Mama Kangaroo was worried that Joey had been missing for a while. She hopped to the tall bushes to search and bumped into an old wombat. “Oh! Who is this who cannot leave an old blind wombat alone?” thundered the wombat. Mama apologised and told him that she was in a hurry. Wombat pleaded, “Please help me, I am hungry.” Mama told the wombat to hold her tail and she would take him to green pastures. Mama Kangaroo hopped with the old wombat behind and stopped where she saw the green grass so that the wombat could chew. The old wombat then asked, “Please can you take me to a river? I am thirsty.” Mama, though worried about her son, again helped. As she went ne the river, she saw little Joey sleeping near the riverside. She hopped to lift her baby and kissed him. The wombat turned into an angel and said to Mama Kangaroo, “Mama, You are the kindest of all animals. I had asked others too but nobody stopped.” The angel asked the Mother Kangaroo to tie a bark of a tree around her tummy. As she did so, it turned into a pouch! Mama was overjoyed and lifted her Joey into the pouch. From that day onwards, all kangaroos have pouches.