Rare tree kangaroo born in US zoo after 14 years

A newborn tree kangaroo just popping its nose out of its mother’s pouch is the first of its kind born at the Bronx Zoo since 2008.

According to zoo director Jim Breheny, the birth of the Matschie’s tree kangaroo joey ‘is an exciting birth for the Bronx Zoo and a unique opportunity for people to observe one of nature’s most intriguing evolutionary adaptations’.

The Matschie’s tree kangaroo is a Papua New Guinean species that are endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. It dwells in alpine rainforests and is arboreal.

The species is substantially smaller than the well-known red kangaroo of Australia. Matschie’s tree kangaroos weigh between 20 and 25 lb (9–11 kg) as an adult male. As per zoo authorities, the joey was roughly the size of a human thumbnail during birth.

The tiny joey crawls through the mother’s fur to enter her pouch and emerges after around seven months. ‘At this stage of development, the joey will spend a lot of time in his mom’s pouch with just its head sticking out. As it matures it will begin to explore its environment and start spending short periods of time outside the pouch’, Breheny said.

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According to conservationists, fewer than 2,500 Matschie’s tree kangaroos are thought to exist in the wild. Habitat degradation, poaching, and other human activities pose a threat to them.