The Craziest Story Ever
This is the story of a young man named Peyton Waag. It was the day before New Year's Eve, and he was definitely in the mood for partying.
The thing is, he had graduated from university at Minneapolis, Minnesota just a few months ago, so he really felt he deserved to welcome the year to come by rocking the night with all his friends. And so he did! But how did it go?
A Wild Night
But, you know how it goes... sometimes, especially in New Year's parties, things get a bit out of control! Peyton went to a party with his friends and it was already daytime by the time he went back home.
Truth be told, the guy got super drunk and woke up with a stabbing headache. In fact, he didn't even remember how he had gotten home in the first place! Had he done anything stupid?
Something Caught His Attention
Even though he had definitely had a blackout, he figured he hadn't done anything wrong, or else his friends would've told him! So he went on with his daily routine, as if nothing had happened.
But it wasn't until a few weeks later that something weird caught his attention. There was something strange with his checking account. They were charging him a few bucks per week, and he wasn't sure why!
Something Wrong With His Bank Account
It was not until February was nearing that he realized that $5 dollars were being deducted every week from his checking account. He entered his online banking, and realized this had been going on since January 2nd.
This could only mean one thing: he had probably purchased something on New Year's Day, but because of the blackout, he didn't have a clue as to what it could be!
Nothing Out Of The Ordinary
At first, he didn't even bother looking into it. He had recently renewed lots of services like Spotify and Amazon, so he was actually used to being deducted small amounts of money on a monthly basis.
> "This was also around the same time I had renewed a bunch of services I normally use that require monthly payments (Spotify, Amazon, Netflix, etc) so I really didn’t think too much of it for a while as I thought it was just some fee or tax or something", Payton confessed.
Connecting The Dots
However, as the weeks passed, he continued being charged with $5. He knew wasn't Netflix or anything of the sort, cause all of those apps and streaming platforms only charge you a monthly fee!
Therefore, he decided to dig deeper and find out what was really going on. He grabbed his cell phone to see if he could track down what on Earth he had done that New Year's Eve, but when he found out, he was left baffled. You won't believe it!
The Truth Unveiled
As bizarre as it sounds, Peyton discovered that the night of New Year's, he had bought... a kangaroo! And those 5 dollars had actually been a weekly sum he had been donating to a wildlife organization!
> "After A TON of digging, I found a receipt in my student email that said ‘Thank you for your donation! Your sponsorship will go towards all kinds of animals in need, including this injured joey named Poppy", he said on Twitter.
His Story Went Viral
Peyton was left baffled. He couldn't believe he had drunkenly adopted an injured joey and had been donating a weekly sum to an animal rights NGO. I mean, it could've been worse, right?
At least he had been spending his savings on a noble and just cause! He posted his crazy anecdote on Twitter, and as you can imagine, the news went viral!
Change Of Plans
But even though it was an honest cause, Peyton decided to suspend the donations. The thing is, he soon realized that most of his donations weren't being destined to Poppy the kangaroo. Instead, the NGO he adopted Poppy from was using his money for their website!
But even though Peyton was upset, he couldn't stop thinking about those injured and orphaned kangaroos, so he started donating to another Australian NGO. Before he knew it, he began sponsoring not one, but two joeys!
Jordy And Stix
So that's how Peyton ended up adopting two beautiful joeys: a male named Jordy, and a female named Stix! Both had been orphaned as a baby: while Jordy's mother had died in a car crash, Stix's mom had been shot by hunters.
Fortunately, both were discovered by rescuers working at Kangaroo Haven, a foundation that looks after injured and orphaned kangaroos, and the one that Peyton finally chose donating money to!
The Talk Of The Town
Peyton posted the whole story on Twitter, and as you can imagine, people went nuts. His tweets received over 200,000 likes and everyone was amused with his wild anecdote. "These are solid defensible drunken choices", one of the users said.
Well, we can't argue with that, can we? This other guy made the whole world laugh by posting: "So what I'm reading is that a kangaroo has more money than me!". Bravo.
Raising Awareness
But jokes aside, Peyton's drunken anecdote helped raise awareness on a very crucial issue: the fact that kangaroos are one of Australia's many endangered species and that they'll become extinct if people and the state don't intervene.
In fact, Peyton received hundreds of messages of support for having adopted those orphaned joeys.
Spreading The Word
Peyton, in turn, capitalized the attention to spread the word. He posted a list of different charities, foundations, shelters, and other NGOs who advocate for animal rights and who allow you to symbolically adopt injured or motherless kangaroos.
He also posted the names of other joeys who were in for adoption. Before he knew it, thousands of people were sharing his tweets!
The Real Reason
But why had he chosen to adopt a joey in the first place? Not even Peyton himself knows what came across his head at the moment, but he also believes it wasn't only a drunken mistake.
In fact, he thinks it's his love for Australia what made him do that. Peyton had recently spent nearly half a year studying in Adelaide, and that's why he became so attached to the country.
Moved By The Wildfires
It's also worth mentioning that Peyton was living in Adelaide around the time that the devastating wildfires struck the country. He figures that these tragic events also played the part in his impulsive decision.
> "I assume I was inspired to adopt a kangaroo that night as this was also around the time of the Australian wildfires were very bad and having studied abroad in Adelaide for five months, I am very attached to the country!", Peyton said reflectively.
The 2019 Bushfire Season
But what exactly happened during Australia's infamous 2019 bushfire season? In January 2019, several hectares in southeastern Australia caught fire, and it was just a matter of weeks before the fire spread across nearly 18 million hectares.
It is estimated that 5,900 buildilngs were destroyed, 35 people were killed, and up to a billion animals perished.
Kangaroo Island
The consequences of the wildfires were so catastrophic, that it is believed that a few species became extinct. Tens of thousands of kangaroos died too, and Kangaroo Island was one of the most affected areas.
This heartbreaking picture shows a pair of kangaroos jumping away from the bushfires in Snowy Valley, near the city of Coma.
Animal Rights NGOs
Ever since the widlfires, dozens of NGOs, foundations, and animal shelters have been putting all their efforts into rescuing and offering medical aid to as much animals as possible. Peyton played his part by tweeting a list of those NGOs that specialize in rescuing injured kangaroos and joeys.
Apart from Kangaroo Haven Wildlife Rescue, the one through which he symbolically adopted Jordy and Stix, he also encouraged donating money to Kanyana Wildlife and Coo Berrier Park.
Kangaroo Haven Wildlife Rescue
But let's talk a bit more about the foundation which Peyton chose to donate his money to. The Kangaroo Haven Wildlife Rescue is a family-owned foundation that takes care of abandoned or injured kangaroos, offering them a temporary home before releasing them back into the wild.
It was founded 15 years ago and up till know, they've successfully released 650 kangaroos back to their natural habitat!
An Inspiring Story
So, who would've thought that a drunken mistake would pave the way to one of the most widespread stories of 2020? Peyton doesn't regret it, as his decision helped him gain consciousness on the importance of protecting the world's wildlife.
It only takes $5 per week to help change the world and fight for the rights of those animals who have no voice to defend their rights. We all had a laugh with this hilarious story, but what are you waiting for to follow Peyton's steps?