A photo of a Lake Tahoe firefighter carrying a baby kangaroo whom he helped rescue, as bushfires burn in Australia, is making the rounds on social media.
USDA Forest Service Captain David Saldovni answered our questions about the story behind the viral photo of him and the baby kangaroo. Saldovni said he volunteered to help fight the fires in Australia. Firefighters, alongside Saldovni, made their way through a community to discover buildings were safe from damage. While the firefighters were surveying the structures, one of them found the baby kangaroo wandering around without its parents.
The kangaroo began to follow the firefighters around. One of firefighters then scooped up the kangaroo in his arms.
"That thing was so cute," Saldovni said.
Saldovni said the firefighter knew an Australian law enforcement officer who was taking care of a different kangaroo that was paralyzed in a traffic accident. That second kangaroo is now acting as the baby kangaroo's mother.