My favorite animal is the tree kangaroo. These marsupials live in the tropical rain forests of New Guinea, far northeastern Australia, the Schouten Islands and the Raja Ampat Islands. The tree kangaroo depends on the trees of these regions in order to survive. Because of their heavy tails, these animals are awkward walkers. When walking, these creatures hop with their bodies leaning forward and can only move at a human pace. But, when the tree kangaroos have access to trees they are extremely agile and mobile, leaping between trees using their powerful hind legs to push off. Also, tree kangaroos are known to make leaps of up to sixty feet from the tree canopy to the forest floor without being hurt. In addition to trees being vital for effective locomotion, tree kangaroos rely on trees for food. These animals feed on the leaves and fruits on trees. That said, the main threat to tree kangaroos is deforestation. Many forests in the areas that tree kangaroos inhabit are being turned into coffee, rice and wheat fields. The loss of trees allows the tree kangaroos to become more exposed to predators and causes the tree kangaroos to become more venerable to capture. In addition to deforestation, these marsupials are hunted by people for their fur and occasionally for meat.
Male Tree Kangaroo Hopping Along the Ground
Tree Kangaroo Feeding in the Canopy
Female Tree Kangaroo & Her Joey
The Woodland Park Zoo of Seattle, Washington has numerous programs with the goal of preserving these creatures. One of these programs focuses on partnering with the local governments of the regions that tree kangaroos originate in order to conserve the forests. Several forests are now under government protection so that the tree kangaroos as well as other inhabitants of the forests may continue to thrive. The Woodland Park Zoo also conducts research on the tree kangaroos, studying migration paths, mating, social order and other aspects of the lives of these creatures in order to ensure that local governments can do more to protect tree kangaroos when these animals are experiencing their most venerable periods of time. Finally, the Woodland Park Zoo has a reintroduction program through which they breed tree kangaroos in their zoo and release the joeys into the wild when they are mature enough to care for themselves. Like the tree kangaroos, the majority of animals on this Earth depend on the stability of their habitats in order to survive. It is extremely important for humans to respect nature in order for all of Earth’s creatures to continue to survive for future generations.
