Oklahoma Woman fights to keep Irwin the roo

jojackson

New Member
An Oklahoma woman suffering from depression has found solace in the company of an unusual companion, but local city officials worry that the therapy pet — a partially paralysed kangaroo — could become a public safety risk.....

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ne...ep-irwin-the-roo/story-e6frev20-1226032643878

547544-kangaroo-irwin.jpg


Geez, let her have the roo, storm in a teacup! Atleast she is caring for it, allow her some love in her life!
 
Un-American is what their city council has become.

Having a committee give permission for each exotic animal ownership-

That's freedom, that's liberty.

Meanwhile most mid-size dogs can kill more easily than a kangaroo, and you can have a choice of free puppies in the local paper classifieds.
 
Irwin the Kangaroo's a keeper..for $50,000 May 20, 2011

AN American woman fighting to keep her paralysed pet kangaroo in Oklahoma has been told she needs to take out a $US50,000 ($A47,565) insurance policy and can't take her roo out in public unless it's in a cage or restraints.

Christie Carr is seeking an exemption from the Broken Arrow City Council to keep Irwin, a red kangaroo that she cares for much like a child.

Irwin, who is named after the late "crocodile hunter" Steve Irwin, rides in a car seat, is dressed in a shirt and pants each day and is rarely away from his doting caretaker.

Last night, the council said it would amend its exotic animal act to allow Ms Carr to keep the kangaroo as a pet but only if certain requirements were met, the Tulsa World newspaper reported on its website.

The council, worried the animal could injure someone, has stipulated that Ms Carr must buy a $US50,000 insurance policy.

"If I could afford to throw away money like that, I could afford to move out of town," Ms Carr told the council last night, according to the Tulsa World.

The new rules would also prevent Ms Carr from having the kangaroo with her in public places and on streets or footpaths unless the animal is in a cage or restraints.

Councillors plan to adopt the amendments at their next meeting, which is on May 3.

Following yesterday's meeting, Ms Carr called the requirements extreme and said she would have to move because she couldn't afford the insurance.

"Also, Irwin can't be in a cage," she said.

"They want to discuss animal cruelty - that is about as cruel as you can get for a disabled animal."

Along with the insurance policy, Ms Carr would have to have certifications that Irwin has a proper enclosure, habitat and vaccinations.

She would have to comply with federal and state animal laws, have no animal-ordinance violations and pay a $US100 ($A95) fee to the city every year.

City Manager Dave Wooden said the issue had brought unique challenges.

"On the one hand, you have an individual who is emotionally tied to an animal that is not normally considered a domestic pet. On the other hand, you have a wild animal living in the city, and there's no guarantee that animal may not convert to its natural tendencies and harm either its owner or someone else," he told the paper.

A council staff report said some of the feedback the city received from Australia criticised the way Carr dressed the kangaroo in clothes and exposed him to an environment more consistent with the raising of humans rather than animals, the newspaper said.

Ms Carr told the council that some of the comments from Australia were from animal radicals who had sent her threats and degrading comments.

"You're talking about a country that mass murders its kangaroos," she said, speaking of the legality of kangaroo hunting in Australia.

Ms Carr was a volunteer at a local animal sanctuary when she met Irwin, who had run into a fence post and suffered a broken neck and brain injury that left him paralysed.

Ms Carr volunteered to take young kangaroo home and, while nursing him back to health, developed a bond.

Irwin cannot stand or walk on his own, although he is slowly gaining back mobility and can hop three or four times in a row with assistance, she said.

The one-year-old roo never leaves Ms Carr's side for more than an hour, often accompanying her on errands and going out to eat.
 
Irwin allowed to stay with his carer may 6/11

A WOMAN will be allowed to keep a partially paralysed kangaroo as a pet at her home in Oklahoma.

The Broken Arrow City Council voted to create an exemption that allows Christie Carr to keep Irwin the red kangaroo within city limits under certain conditions.

Ms Carr, who suffers depression, cannot work because of her health and has found comfort in the companionship of Irwin, whom she met while volunteering at a local animal sanctuary.

"Irwin is my life," she said at the council meeting. "He's given me strength."

Irwin fractured his neck and suffered brain damage when he ran into a fence. He cannot stand or walk on his own, but can hop with assistance.

The permit requires Ms Carr to have a $45,000 liability insurance policy for any injuries inflicted by the animal.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/ipad/irwin-allowed-to-stay-with-his-carer/story-fn6bfm6w-1226050703786

702810-irwin.jpg
 
That is absurd. There are more TIGERS living in private homes in the US than are left in the wild. People all over the place have chimps, which are notoriously aggressive by instinct (they find amusement in dismemberment!), and not to mention the types and sizes of dogs people keep! I would be much more worried about a person with a rottweiler (most people don't know how to train big dogs) than a lady with a disabled roo!

It seems absolutely asinine to become worried about an IF situation when there's no guarantee that he'll ever regain full mobility. How about you reassess if and when that happens? If the poor creature can barely walk, why would he go after someone? They're just making this poor woman have to pay a riddiculous amount of money for an if. This is making me quite angry, actually. If I had anything to offer I'd donate a little money to her to help pay for the insurance, or a MOVE to a different state!
 
Back
Top Bottom