Posted by Craig Newberry, Communications
Photo credit: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, Woodland Park Zoo
Exciting! This Sunday, May 21st, is World Tree Kangaroo Day and Woodland Park Zoo is celebrating with the introduction of two new endangered matchy tree kangaroos to the zoo.
The arrival of these amazing marsupials is especially exciting because the zoo broke ground on their future home earlier this month. new immersion, Best-in-class exhibits It will be home to matchy kangaroos, red pandas, kea and forest reptiles. Scheduled to open in 2026, the exhibit will give Woodland Park Zoo visitors the chance to see the yellow kangaroo for the first time in 10 years. Please note that while the new exhibit is being constructed, the tree kangaroo lives in a backstage habitat and is not open to the public at this time.
of Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program (TKCP) is the flagship program of Woodland Park Zoo. TKCP works with communities in Papua New Guinea to save the endangered matchy tree kangaroo and to benefit communities through supporting education, health and livelihood programs.
World Tree Kangaroo Day is on a Sunday, but today, May 19th, is Endangered Species Day, and this year marks the 50th anniversary of the enactment of the Endangered Species Act. While conservation efforts have come a long way over the years, much more remains to be done. The American Wildlife Restoration Act encourages states, territories and tribes to implement science-based state wildlife action plans to proactively restore wildlife populations and restore habitats. will invest $1.4 billion a year to supportAnyone can cooperate by visiting https://tinyurl/AZA-RAWAThen fill out a short web form to let senators know you support RAWA.
Tree Kangaroo Facts:
- 50% of all tree kangaroo species are classified as threatened or endangered.
- The 14 species of tree kangaroos are found in only three countries: Papua New Guinea, Indonesia (West Papua) and Australia.
- Papua New Guinea has most of the species, 6 species found only in Papua New Guinea, 3 species found in both Papua New Guinea and West Papua, 3 species found only in West Papua, 2 species found in Found only in tropical northern Queensland, Australia.
- The Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program at Woodland Park Zoo and its partners in Papua New Guinea are working to increase the protection of wildlife and habitats across the country.
- Major threats to tree kangaroos on New Guinea include habitat destruction through logging and clearing, and overfishing. The main threats in Australia are habitat loss and fragmentation, injuries and deaths from cars and dogs.