Joey's momma

March 22, 2009: Hanging out in the Kentucky Outback

I am always looking for a nice slice of life or a picture story, it is just the journalist in my blood. On our way home from a weekend camping trip we ran into Shannon and Paco at Kentucky Down Under in Horse Cave, KY. Shannon let me hang out with them for a few hours so I could put together a story proposal for the Tribune. Unfortunately instead of getting the okay to follow up the story I was asked to use a few photos from my proposal and write a short story for the Travel section.

I was happy that they liked the photos but never made it back to Kentucky to chase down any real moments. I parted ways with the Tribune before this ever made it in the paper but, here is the story that was written to go with the photos.

Six hours south of Chicago Shannon Sharpensteen, an animal crew member at Kentucky Down Under, goes about her daily routine giving cave tours and taking care of animals with her 11-month-old baby Paco at her side. As she walks though the gift shop Paco pokes his head out of his pouch and a small crowd gathers to check out the baby.

Paco is a red kangaroo and Shannon is Paco’s “joey momma.” At Kentucky Down Under joey's move in with an adoptive momma when they are about 6-months-old and they are hand raised for 15 months before moving to the outback with the adult kangaroos.

“Most people are very curious, the first thing they want to know is what he is." Shannon says, "I've had questions like ‘Is it a donkey?’ ‘Is it a rabbit?’ Just about everyone gives us a second look.”

Michelle McGuire, marketing director at Kentucky Down Under says, generally we choose a “full time staffer that is willing to make the time and emotional investment into being a joey mommy." Since it is just like being a real momma they really need to have a nurturing personality. Joey mommas feed around the clock, toilet train and do all the other things you would for a real baby."

Shannon has two boys of her own but this is her first Joey. “Paco stands about as tall as my boys and when we first got him Paco decided he was going to be the boss and dominate them. The boys did get kicked a few times but after that he was fine and loved them ever since,” Shannon says, “My oldest son considers Paco to be his ‘other’ brother.”

"How many people can say that they have a roo hanging from their bedpost?" Shannon says, "Paco is a delight to have around the house and we will never be the same without him, we are just a little sad though because we know that our time with him is very short and we know that he will be leaving us very soon."

Kentucky Down Under has 8 handlers trained to raise joey’s and they have averaged about four joeys a year for the last 19 years. They currently have four joeys with mommas, two in the outback and one in pouch. There are 15 kangaroos and 8 wallabies at Kentucky Down Under but that number can change since kangaroos are sold or traded with other zoos from time to time.

Aside from kangaroos visitors to Kentucky Down Under can learn about life in the outback, feed nectar to a rainbow lorikeets, see turtles, lizards, wallabies, emus, white ibis, camel, watch border collies in action herding sheep and play a didgeridoo.

Here are three of the images that I included with my story proposal.

-Shannon Sharpensteen, left, says hi to Paco after gift shop manager, Courtney Eaton babysat Paco for a bit.
-Paco gets out of his pouch and gets a little exercise in the outback.
-After a cave tour kids look to get a closer peak at Paco.

-john

To see a few more photos from my Kentucky Down Under trip click HERE.

All photos © John Konstantaras 2009