Baby kangaroos from Aldinger Farms visit campus
The furry little friends from Down Under delighted Knights across our realm
By Enmanuel Vidal
Knightly News Reporter
enmanuel.vidal@mymail.centralpenn.edu
and Paul Miller
Knightly News Co-adviser
The Office of Student Engagement welcomed to campus Friday two baby kangaroos from Aldinger Farms, Halifax, as a way for students to have a unique experience.
Aldinger Farms has five kangaroos that the private farm takes to local organizations for morale-building events. The baby kangaroos, known as joeys, visited UPMC and Cumberland Goodwill EMS in recent months.
Matt Aldinger, owner of Aldinger Farms, bought two kangaroos and has helped to breed three babies, two of which visited the college Friday. Pearl is the female joey and Dunkin is the male.
Aldinger shared that to own kangaroos, the farm must have a permit from the state.
Kangaroos can live between 10 and 20 years, and hail from Australia. Female kangaroos are much smaller than males, as male kangaroos often weigh more than 200 pounds, while females typically weigh under 100 pounds.
Aldinger said kangaroos are able to withstand the cold, something many people ask about. He pointed out that kangaroos, much like people, do not prefer the cold, but can live in colder temperatures.
Student Government Association President Michelle Donaghy was part of the festivities.
“It reminded me of holding a rabbit,” she said. “He was small and cuddly.”
According to Aldinger, adult kangaroos often become slightly aggressive, especially in the wild, but baby kangaroos are often quite docile and receptive to being held and played with. The joeys feed from milk bottles, while adult kangaroos typically feed on a diet of bread, apples and carrots.
Aldinger Farms is booking encounters with kangaroos. To book an encounter, contact Aldinger at (717) 572-0535 or at aldingerfarmsroos@gmail.com.
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Edited by media-club co-adviser and blog editor Professor Michael Lear-Olimpi.
