Australian Reptile Park opens new exhibit

The Australian Reptile Park on the NSW Central Coast, has opened their new exhibit, a state-of-the-art enclosure for their Goodfellow tree-kangaroos, named Kimbe and Banjo.

In January 2019, the Australian Reptile Park welcomed their first tree-kangaroo, Banjo, with intentions on adding a female in future to begin an all new conservation breeding program – a first for the Park. Since Banjo’s arrival in January, and Kimbe’s shortly after in April, Keepers are working alongside the endangered species to ensure the pair are well cared for. With prospects looking good, staff are keeping their fingers crossed for a joey in the near future.   

The pair had previously been kept off display to ensure their comfort in their new home and were carefully introduced to their new exhibit over the past week. Keepers are hoping that showcasing the endangered species will raise awareness about the Goodfellow’s tree kangaroo and educate people on the large threat of deforestation.

General Manager Tim Faulkner advises “we couldn’t be happier to finally show off our gorgeous Goodfellow tree-kangaroos, we waited until we had the perfect enclosure built for them! Kimbe and Banjo are beautiful ambassadors for the species. Sadly, tree-kangaroos are endangered, but any way we can help this species – we will.”

There are 12 species of tree-kangaroo in the world with many of the species under threat due to due to hunting and habitat destruction. Goodfellow’s tree-kangaroos are native to the rainforests of Papua New Guinea, and the border of central Irian Jaya in Indonesia.

The species is slow and clumsy on the ground, moving about at walking pace and hopping awkwardly. However, in trees it is agile and climbs by wrapping its forelimbs around the trunk of a tree and hopping with the powerful hind legs. Tree-kangaroos are cousins of species such as kangaroos, wallabies and quokkas.

For more information at www.reptilepark.com.au