Awww: Baby Kangaroo Finds New Mom Somewhere You Wouldn’t Expect

Raising a baby kangaroo is great practice for this new dad

An adorable baby kangaroo who was recently orphaned is doing just fine after an Australian police officer adopted the joey. With his demands for constant attention, snuggling, and feedings every few hours, the little guy is teaching the cop the joys of being a new parent.

Constable Scott Mason of the Cue Police Station in Australia adopted the little guy after his mom was hit and killed by a truck on Wednesday. A concerned citizen pulled the 4-month-old from the mom’s pouch and brought him to the police station. The cop started taking care of the young ‘roo who was dehydrated and malnourished, the SFGate reported.

Mason is a new dad himself and said caring for the kangaroo is helping him learn the ropes of parenthood. “Because it needs to be fed every three hours, it’s going to be my little child basically, as my wife’s in Perth with our newborn,” he said. How could Mason say no to this sweet face? Officers uploaded this photo to the West Australian Police Twitter page on Thursday.

In a ridiculously cute video posted online, the police officer talks about his buddy, now named Cuejo, as the joey jumps into Mason’s shirt, borrowing comfortably into his new pouch. The former paramedic wanted to name the ‘roo after his new son, but said his “missus wasn’t too happy about that,” Huffington Post reported. The station put a call for name suggestions out on social media.

After receiving such gems as Copper Hopper, Crime Hopper, and Busta they decided on Cuejo. Mason relocated six weeks ago to the remote town of Cue that has a population of fewer than 300 people. He’s been working with a local wild animal rescue organization and will eventually release Cuejo. But not until he’s sure the baby ‘roo can handle the outside world on his own.

See the full video below and watch Cuejo adorably follow Mason around the police station.