“Adorable Matschie’s Tree Kangaroo Joey Makes Public Debut at Bronx Zoo!”
The Bronx Zoo in New York welcomed the second Matschie’s tree kangaroo joey born to the same mother since 2021. The joey, born at the end of December, made its first public appearance last Thursday, peeking out of its mother’s pouch. This adorable pink-headed joey is the third of its species born at the Bronx Zoo since 2008.
Matschie’s tree kangaroos have a short gestation period of about six weeks before they are born and immediately crawl into their mother’s pouch. It takes around seven months for the young to start venturing out of the pouch. The Bronx Zoo stated that there are only around 2,500 tree kangaroos left in the wild and 42 in captivity. The birth of this joey is significant for the conservation efforts aimed at preserving genetic diversity among endangered animals.
Jessica Moody, the curator of primates and small mammals at the Bronx Zoo, expressed excitement about the rare event, stating that baby tree kangaroos are possibly one of the cutest animals to have ever lived. She described them as looking like stuffed animals and emphasized the importance of their conservation due to their small population.
Native to the Huon Peninsula in Papua New Guinea, Matschie’s tree kangaroos are threatened by human activities such as habitat destruction and hunting. They primarily live in trees and are smaller than Australia’s red kangaroos, weighing between 20 and 25 pounds as adults. The joeys are born the size of a human thumb but can grow up to 30 inches in length.
Wildlife restoration programs often rely on zoos for genetic diversity to prevent inbreeding and expand wild populations. For example, wolves reintroduced to the wild are often given zoo-born pups to raise. The Bronx Zoo’s successful breeding program for Matschie’s tree kangaroos contributes to the overall conservation efforts for this endangered species.