Animal rights campaigners in the United States will this weekend protest against a petting zoo that tours the east coast with a kangaroo in poor condition.

The #savetherooCT protest will take place on Sunday local time at Naugatuck, Connecticut, outside the touring fun fair run by Commerford Petting Zoo.

A change.org petition is collecting signatures to protest against the poor condition of the native Australian animal.

Animal rights campaigner Amy Marie Mallardi saw the kangaroo, which some fear may be sedated so as not to scale its fencing, which is just over a metre high, a distance most kangaroos could jump. Director at Western Massachussets Animal Rights Advocates, Sheryl Becker, says the roo has not only been kept in confined spaces but also extreme weather conditions.