BROKEN ARROW, Okla. (AP) — An anonymous donor has purchased a $50,000 insurance policy to help an Oklahoma woman keep her pet kangaroo as a therapy pet.
The Broken Arrow City Council is considering an exotic animal ordinance exemption that would allow Christie Carr to keep the partially paralyzed red kangaroo named Irwin within city limits.
Council could vote May 3 on a proposal that would allow exotic animal owners to keep their pets if they obtain a newly-created permit. The permit would require them to have a liability insurance policy for any injuries inflicted by the animal, certification that the animal has adequate housing for its health and meet all federal and state guidelines for licensing, among other provisions.
"It's amazing for someone to be as generous as that," Carr said Friday, adding that she had no details about who bought the liability insurance for Irwin. "I can't believe the support."
Carr said she couldn't have afforded to purchase such a policy and even contemplated moving out of Broken Arrow to continue caring for the animal.
"That was the biggest hurdle I saw," she said. "It's not a sure deal yet, but we're closer."
Councilman Richard Carter said the ordinance exemption is designed to allow Christie to keep Irwin within city limits while safeguarding residents from potential harm the animal might cause.
"We realize it's not in the category of a pit bull or Rottweiler, but we still need to protect the public," Carter said.
Native to Australia, healthy male great red kangaroos can grow up to 7 feet tall, weigh more than 200 pounds and bound 25 feet in a single leap.
Because Irwin was neutered and is partially paralyzed after running into a fence, he is not supposed to get bigger than 50 pounds, his veterinarian said.
For more pictures of Irwin and his owner, click NEXT
Christie Carr, right, shows Irwin the kangaroo the sign that residents of Broken Arrow Nursing Home made for him in Broken Arrow, Okla. Holding the sign are Daisy Stout, left, Mary Butler, center, and Florence Rhodes, right. Looking on at far right is Martha Rowe. The sign was made to show the city council that they support Irwin. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
In this March 30, 2011 photo, Christie Carr dresses her kangaroo, Irwin, in a shirt in her home, in Broken Arrow, Okla., before going out to visit a nursing home. Carr suffers from depression and has found solace in Irwin, but local city officials worry that the therapy pet, a partially paralyzed kangaroo, could become a public safety risk. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
In this March 30, 2011 photo, Nette Hudson cuddles Irwin at Broken Arrow Nursing Home in Broken Arrow, Okla. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Christie Carr puts her kangaroo, Irwin, into a car seat for the ride to visit a nursing home, in Broken Arrow, Okla.
Christie Carr gets a lick from her kangaroo, Irwin, in her home in Broken Arrow, Okla. Carr suffers from depression and has found solace in Irwin, but local city officials worry that the partially paralyzed therapy pet could become a public safety risk. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
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