Baby kangaroos visit UPMC East in Monroeville

Staff members at UPMC East in Monroeville received a special visit from Aldinger Farms on Sept. 14.

Two baby kangaroos were brought for a meet-and-greet on the hospital’s outdoor patio.

Staff members lined up in front of the caretakers for their turn to hold the six-month- and nine-month- old babies. The kangaroos remained in their denim sacks while being held, with only a few daring escape attempts made by the older kangaroo, Ila.

The patio was buzzing with excitement for the little joeys. Some rehab patients ventured out with their nurses for an opportunity to hold them.

“We were looking for ways to give back to the staff after the pandemic,” said Jeffery Alvarez, chief nursing officer at UPMC East. “This was definitely a unique event created from out-of-the-box thinking.”

The hospital had been advertising the event to their employees prior to the visit. Workers did their best to make it to the patio. Some night-shift workers stayed past their shift to hold the kangaroos. Many of them could be heard saying that they had been waiting for this day for months.

Ashley Giuliano looked down in wonder at the animal in her arms as she said, “This is real life.”

The other staff members shared in her excitement as they chatted with the keepers and took pictures with the babies. They also had a good time suggesting names for the six-month old. Suggestions included Dolly, Daisy and Lily.

Aldinger Farms is based in Halifax, near Harrisburg, and often brings their kangaroos to events to let people interact with them and educate the public about exotic animals.