The Tree Kangaroo – Beautiful, Endangered…and Talented

Matschie’s Tree Kangaroo – Beautiful, Endangered…and Talented

 

By Susana Cortázar

 

Native to Papua, New Guinea, Matschie’s tree kangaroos, also known as the Huon tree kangaroo, are one of the cutest animals at Zoo Miami.  They are housed in the zoo’s Australia exhibit, which also showcases koalas, New Guinea singing dogs, and a crocodile monitor lizard.

 

Their coloring is quite striking – gold and rust bodies, yellow and white faces, and a dark stripe down the back.  Their hair is all fluffy and they look like a plush you’d buy at a toy store.  They have very small ears, which accounts for their poor sense of hearing. Their curved claws and soft pads on their limbs “are adaptations that enhance their climbing ability,” says Zoo Miami General Curator Steve Conners. Because of the structure of their fore limbs, they possess a degree of independent movement of their digits. They can walk bi-pedally, are better vertical climbers, and have strong tails, which they use for balance, that are almost as long as their body.
 

 

Matschie’s tree kangaroos are solitary animals, and the strongest bond is between mother and offspring, although sometimes a mother, father, and offspring will form a family.

 

Arboreal, they live in mountainous rainforests at high elevations and remain in trees most of their lives.  In the wild, they eat leaves, insects, flowers, bark, moss, and nuts.  They rest about 20 hours a day while digesting their food.

 

When mating, the female approaches the male on the ground.  They touch each other’s nose and make a clicking sound with their tongue. There is an initial bit of courting aggression before the female allows the male to mount her – usually after about 10 minutes.  Copulation may last up to one hour.  Gestation is approximately 44 days – the longest of any marsupials’.  “Joeys nurse for about 28 weeks and at 18 months, they leave the pouch to establish their own range.  In the wild, tree kangaroos have a lifespan of 14 years as opposed to an average of nearly 20 years in captivity,” says Zoo Miami Curator of Mammals Conrad Schmitt.

 
 

And what are some of the reasons for their being placed on the endangered list?  The main ones are habitat destruction and hunting by humans.  However, there are many efforts and organizations, such as the Tree Kangaroo Conservation Project based out o the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, Washington, which purpose is to study and conserve the tree kangaroo.   Adds Steve, “Zoo Miami has supported this project with grants from our Conservation and Research Fund over the years. In fact a grant for New Guinea teachers to attend college is named in honor of a former Zoo Miami employee, Alice Gilley, a tree kangaroo champion who passed away some years ago.”

  

Zoo Miami is fortunate to have three tree kangaroos – Patty, Lombok and Banyon, with Patty being the oldest and only female.  Their keepers, Tom Condie, Matthew Marsicano, T.M. Arnett, and Michelle Wroblewski not only care for the tree kangaroos, but also the other animals in the zoo’s Australia exhibit.

 

I asked Matthew what is the first thing he does in the morning when he gets to work.  “I check the animals visually to make sure they are okay and look for unusual stool or any other irregularities in their night house that would indicate something is not right with the animals.”  After determining everything is fine, Matthew opens the door to one of the kangaroo’s night house – whichever kangaroo is on exhibit that day, as they are rotated – and the kangaroo will leave the night house, visit the others by smelling and sniffing under the door – they mark their territory by defecating and urinating – and walk or hop all the way to the exhibit on his or her own, where Matthew will have placed a treat as reinforcement.
 

 

Matthew states each kangaroo has a distinct personality.  “Patty is very prissy, and possessive.  Banyon, the youngest, is like a little kid, very social, mischievous, and active.  Lombok is laid back, relaxed and always seems to be just chilling.”  Although they are relatively passive animals, “it is not a good idea to leave two together (without having been housed together previously) without supervision as they are solitary animals and can get into fights when in the same area,” says Matthew, adding that, “the keepers practice monitored introductions, and the kangaroos are never left alone together overnight.”

 
 
Matthew getting ready to feed the kangaroos
 

Their diet is prepared daily in Zoo Miami’s kitchen, and it consists of carrots, sweet potato, kale, apple, leaf-eater biscuits, and celery.  Calcium is sprinkled on the food on a regular basis to ensure they are getting enough, tea leaves are added to help with their beautiful coat color, and they also occasionally get oats and a hard-boiled egg for protein.  They are fed once a day and get a treat or browse as well.

 

 

Since they are usually up in trees and branches in their exhibits, they need their exercise.  What do they do to keep in shape?  “They are allowed access to the hall and to each others adjacent rooms to socialize; we hide peanuts and alfalfa in boxes and they have to walk around in order to find the boxes and get their treat. We also offer other enrichment such as olfactory, tactile, visual and auditory.  This keeps them active, enriched, and nimble,” says Matthew.

 

Our Matschie’s tree kangaroos came from other zoos and Patty gave birth to a joey, P.J., 12 years ago.  He is at another zoo.

 
 

Matthew, a zookeeper for four years, has worked at Zoo Miami for nine years, carrying out various duties in order to work his way up to become the keeper he is so proud of being today.  Asked why he wanted to become a keeper, he said that not only is his intense love of animals a factor, but he always wanted “to impart that love, knowledge and experience to people who might never have the opportunity to see these animals up close and learn about them.”  He loves working with the vets and learning about the various treatments and techniques of veterinary medicine, the whole on site learning experience. These are the favorite aspects of his job.  His least favorite?  Working outdoors “in the sun, heat and humidity.”  Matthew, we feel your pain.

 

Matthew says that in order to be a good keeper, “you must have a healthy knowledge of the species you are working with and their behavior, try to gain a good working rapport with the animals, respect them and their power, and always be alert and on your toes.”

 

And not only are our tree kangaroos adorable, but Patty is quite the accomplished artist and has even sold some of her paintings.  Impressive when you think that Vincent Van Gogh never sold a painting during his lifetime, except one to his brother Theo who bought it to help Vincent during desperate times.  Matthew noticed how tree kangaroos hold their browse in their “hands” and he wondered if “she could hold a brush.”  He got some paper, paints, and put peanut butter on the tip of the brush.  As he held the paper, Patty put the tip of the brush in her mouth and as she licked the peanut butter off, the brush would move around and make designs on the paper.  At the recent fundraiser Bowling for Rhinos sponsored by the American Association of Zoo Keepers, some participants bought some of Patty’s paintings!  Anyone would be proud to hang one of them at home. Matthew acted like a proud father when telling the story of Patty’s talents!
 
 

 

Matthew, any last thoughts?  “My job provides an amazing experience every day.  I get to do what so many would love to but can’t.  And to be able to take care of something – animals – that may not be around forever (unless together we make a change and protect our wildlife and continue conservation efforts) is an honor.”  Well said, Matthew.