A baby tree kangaroo living in a zoo in Victoria, Australia, began exploring the world outside her mother’s pouch, adorable footage from the Healesville Sanctuary in Badger Creek showed.
The zoo’s newest Goodfellow’s tree kangaroo – an endangered marsupial native to Indonesia – is named Ori, and was born to mother Mani and father Bagam.
In a press release sent to Storyful, Healesville Sanctuary Mammal Keeper Katherine Sarris said the Tree Kangaroo exhibit had been renovated to prepare for the baby tree kangaroo.
“Tree kangaroo joeys are really clumsy as they discover the world, that’s why we have also incorporated more mulch and pea gravel to her home, just in case she takes a tumble,” Sarris said. “And we have installed new perches with thick bark so it’s easier for Ori to learn how to climb.”
According to the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA), the Goodfellow’s tree kangaroo is classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List due to an ongoing population decline. It is one of two priority Papua New Guinea tree kangaroo species for which international cooperative breeding programs exist.
This footage released to Storyful shows the baby tree kangaroo bouncing around as she explores life outside her mother’s pouch. Credit: Healesville Sanctuary via Storyful
