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 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. There are no accurate estimates of the number that
survive in the wild, and the Tree Kangaroo Species Survival Plan
is funding ongoing research in the field to procure this information.
Ongoing field research is being conducted to determine the conservation
status of Matschie's tree kangaroos in the wild. Successful captive
breeding of this species has improved due to improved reproductive
husbandry protocols. These improved reproductive husbandry protocols
have been researched and distributed through the development of
the Tree Kangaroo Husbandry Manual.
Just as tree kangaroos feature unusual physical attributes, their
behavior and ecology likewise warrant special attention. Unlike
many of the more common macropods that live in large social groups,
tree kangaroos tend toward a more solitary existence. Also, unlike
their grazing terrestrial relatives, tree kangaroos browse on
the leaves and fruit from the forest trees that they inhabit.
As one might expect then, management techniques that apply to
many of the kangaroos and wallabies more commonly observed in
captivity are not readily transferable to tree kangaroos.
For this reason it was necessary to create an informational document
specifically for tree kangaroos; a husbandry manual that outlined
management guidelines, provided information on captive populations
and advised the Tree Kangaroo SSP recommendations. By providing
this information on these rare and unusual animals, the Tree Kangaroo
Husbandry Manual will assist the Tree Kangaroo SSP in accomplishing
its overall mission of enhancing the conservation of tree kangaroos.
For more information visit: http://www.animalnation.com/conservation/newguiny/ppg.html
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