You may not believe, but some studies have shown that friendships can have a major impact on our health and well-being. Therefore, everyone needs friends, and this is no exception to animals. Even if the friendship comes from a stuffed animal, it can help someone feel comfortable and overcome all of trials. And of course, it deserves to be cherished and admired. Meet Doodlebug, an orphaned baby kangaroo who lives the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia. He ​is taken care of by the wildlife rehabilitator Gillian Abbott. She and her son Tim Beshara, an adviser to Greens senator for Tasmania Peter Whish-Wilson, have taken care of Doodlebug since he was a baby found orphaned in the wild.

Source: Twitter

Doodlebug is actually an Eastern grey kangaroo and not a wallaby. But no matter which species he belongs to, he went viral captured everyone’s heart after his photos hugging a teddy-bear were tweeted by Tim. Through these photos, we can see the value of a good hug, especially for an orphaned wallaby. “He may have fallen out of his mother’s pouch or his mother may have died,” Beshara told the Daily Mail. “He was a couple of months old when he was passed onto my mother’s wildlife company WIRES. She has since nursed it back to health and it is now hopping around the forest and coming back for the occasional feeding or cuddle, as the image shows.”

Source: Twitter

Although Doodlebug is big and healthy enough to come back to the wild, he is still not ready to face the wild world without a little help from Abbott and her organization. Abbott thought that Doodlebug, just like babies, needed a friend to comfort and help him grow. For this reason, she gave him a fuzzy bear to snuggle up with.

“They seem to respond to the toys much in the same way as a toddler. They treat it as a companion,” says Abbott. Doodlebug lost his mom and his home, so no wonder he wants to hug his favorite bear. With the help of his bear, he will recover quickly and return to the wild where he belongs. Please share this post with your friends and family members to make their day!