Doodlebug, an orphaned kangaroo, is shown hugging a teddy bear given to it by its caregiver mother.

Tim Beshara’s wonderful photograph went popular all over the globe when he tweeted it.

“I figured it would be shared in Australia but I’ve been shocked to see the image reaching as far as Brazil and Russia. I’ve even had American morning shows using it on air.”

The photograph was shot on the property of Doodlebugs wildlife carer in New South Wales, where she discovered that orphaned animals reacted well to teddy bears.

“They seem to respond to the toys much in the same way as a toddler. They treat it as a companion.”

Tim Beshara and his mother Gillian have been caring for Doodlebug since he was abandoned as a newborn; she said:

“He may have fallen out of his mother’s pouch or his mother may have died. He was a couple of months old when he was passed onto my mother’s wildlife company WIRES.”

The juvenile kangaroo has recovered completely from his ordeal when he was adopted and is now free in the wild.

“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.”