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If only one kangaroo is in the exhibit it probably means that
they have bred and the female is nearing a potential parturition
(birth) or has a joey (a baby kangaroo) in the pouch. The kangaroos
are separated at that time to prevent interference by the male.
Kangaroos are normally solitary in the wild so the separation
is not stressful. Keepers trained Arboroo to allow a "standing
pouch check" (one done without restraining the animal)
so they can determine if she has a joey. This is done 50 days
after the kangaroos have bred; if she doesn't have a joey in
the pouch then the pair is reunited.
Our pair have bred a number of times, resulting in one joey in
the summer of 2000. Unfortunately the joey ended up out of the
pouch prematurely at three months of age - too young to survive.
Tree kangaroos have the longest gestation period for any marsupial
at 45 days, but 45 days doesn't allow for much development. At
birth joeys are about the size of a jelly bean and don't resemble
a kangaroo at all. They continue to develop inside the mother's
pouch until they are 7 or 8 months old. Then they have a couple
of months of going in and out until they are finally weaned by
around 10 months.
The best time to see the kangaroos active in their exhibit is
first thing when the zoo opens at 9 am and again just before closing.
Tree kangaroos spend as much as 60% of their day sleeping. Another
good time to see our pair active is sometime between midmorning
and early afternoon when keepers go into the exhibit to offer
the kangaroos fresh browse. This usually wakes the kangaroos up
and they descend from the trees for a midday snack.
The 2000 IUCN Redlist classifies Matschie's tree kangaroos as
endangered. Tree kangaroos are primarily threatened by hunting
for meat and habitat destruction from logging, mining, oil exploration
and agriculture. Tree kangaroos are an SSP
(species survival plan) species. Through SSPs, North American
zoos work together to maintain genetic diversity in captive populations,
provide conservation education, protect native habitats and conduct
field research.
More information:
For more information on the Tree kangaroo and other SSPs visit
the Association of Zoos and Aquariums website at:
www.aza.org
To find out how you can help save critical habitat for Tree kangaroos
in the wild contact the TK-SSP's Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program
at:
http://www.zoo.org/conserve/treeroo2.html
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