New tree kangaroo joey at Bristol Zoo perfectly demonstrates ‘staying at home’
A tree kangaroo joey at Bristol Zoo Gardens has emerged from its mother’s pouch for the first time.
Keepers spotted the tiny marsupial popping its head out of mum Kitawa’s pouch and managed to catch the rare moment on camera.
But, like us, the joey will be staying home for a while yet and is not expected to venture out of its mother’s pouch until mid-May.
The birth of the tiny Goodfellow’s tree kangaroo is a huge boost for the captive breeding programme for this Endangered species.
It is the first time the Zoo has bred the species and is one of only two tree kangaroo joeys to have been bred successfully in captivity in the UK during the past 12 months.
The young joey is also genetically important as his dad, Mian, joined Bristol Zoo from Perth in Australia, so he and the youngster bring new genes for the European breeding programme for the species.
Once out of the pouch, the joey will return to its mum’s pouch regularly, until it is eventually so big that it can only put its head inside the pouch to feed.
Tree kangaroos are found in the tropical rainforests of Papua New Guinea, where they have adapted to life in the trees. They can bound as far as nine metres to a neighbouring tree and can leap down to the group from as high as 18 metres.