Kangaroos named Ross, Rachel, Joey and Chandler thriving at Texas sanctuary after rescue from roadside zoo

Four kangaroos named Ross, Rachel, Joey and Chandler are among several exotic animals thriving at a Texas sanctuary after they were rescued from a roadside zoo.

Four kangaroos named Ross, Rachel, Joey and Chandler are among several exotic animals thriving at a Texas sanctuary after they were rescued from a roadside zoo.

The Humane Society rescued more than 200 animals from the Saint-Édouard Zoo in Quebec, Canada, in 2019, according to the organization, which described the unaccredited zoo as "decrepit" and "barren."

The barn where most of the animals were kept was dark, filled with spider webs and thick with the smell of ammonia and dust, said Kelly Donithan, director of animal disaster response for Humane Society International. Rescuers found rows of stalls with isolated animals and a big cat "house" that consisted of a shed over a filthy cement floor and enclosures with weakened, unsafe spots from the cats chewing on them, Donithan said.

"It was like most roadside zoos -- to a visitor it may have seemed OK, as most of the cruelty was hidden from paying customers," she said. "But we saw failing, dangerous fences and cages, chewed stalls holding malnourished and lonely animals, dead animals just below the soil, and animals who need to be in social groups anxious and alone."