This population list aims to documents the captive population of Goodfellow’s Tree Kangaroos (Dendrolagus goodfellowi) within the Australasian region. It will also monitor the population of Lumholtz’s Tree Kangaroos (Dendrolagus lumholtzi) with more generalised updates than the Goodfellow’s as there is less information around on the native species.
Goodfellow’s Tree Kangaroos (Dendrolagus goodfellowi) in Australasian zoos:
Pleasingly, Goodfellow’s Tree Kangaroos have slowly been growing with more holders in the last five years mainly due to the several male births allowing facilities like Caversham, Wildlife HQ and Wild Life Sydney all to pick up the species. However, I do wonder about the viability of future breeding pairs without further importations. There has been good success breeding tree kangaroos but they have all been males recently. In fact the youngest female in Australia at the moment I believe is the female at Healesville. The majority of Goodfellow’s Tree Kangaroo can be traced back to Melbourne stock combined with importations from Europe and the United States.
As they are a nearby ZAA member, I should also really mention that Port Moresby Nature Park, Papua New Guinea also currently have 1.1 pair plus a female joey currently. Their breeding male was surrendered to the park in 2017 while their female in 2019. They would represent completely new bloodlines for the captive population, an emerging need for the long-term sustainability for the Goodfellow's programme. They also house a few other tree kangaroo species that are not represented elsewhere in the region. Singapore Zoo also have a Goodfellow's pair that came from Australia; male Makaia bred at Adelaide and female Nupela from Taronga. This pair produced the first joey last year.
Date of births (months and years in some cases) can always be iffy with marsupials but I have tried to be as accurate as possible with the limited information available. Corrections are very much welcomed as is further information. Few bits of news and things to consider:
0.1 Buna (Bud x Summer) 30-09-2006 at Zoo Krefeld, Germany; imported in June 2015
Australian Reptile Park, NSW, Australia
0.1 Kimbe (unk x unk) 12-11-2005 at San Diego Zoo, USA; imported in 2015
1.0 Banjo (unk x unk) at unknown facility
Ballarat Wildlife Park, VIC, Australia
1.0 Kombai (Simbu x Baggi) 15-05-2015 at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary
Caversham Wildlife Park, WA, Australia
1.0 Banz (Huli x Doba) 00-09-2019 at Perth Zoo
Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, QLD, Australia
0.1 Mwali (unk x unk) 00-00-2005 at unknown facility
1.0 Torembi (Parum x Kwikila) 00-09-2017 at Taronga Zoo
Featherdale Wildlife Park, NSW, Australia
1.0 Suli (Huli x Kaluli) 00-10-2017 at Perth Zoo
Healesville Sanctuary, VIC, Australia
0.1 Mani (Kubu x Oumak) 29-06-2013 at National Zoo and Aquarium
1.0 Bagam (unk x unk) 10-07-2014 at Krefeld Zoo, Germany
Melbourne Zoo, VIC, Australia
1.0 Banam (Timika x unk) 00-00-2007 at Melbourne Zoo
National Zoo and Aquarium, ACT, Australia
1.0 Simbu (unk x unk) 01-10-2009 at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary
0.1 Oumak (Timika x Bagi) 03-12-2009 at Melbourne Zoo
Perth Zoo, WA, Australia
0.1 Kaluli (unk x unk) ~14-02-2008 at Melbourne Zoo
0.1 Doba (unk x unk) ~09-03-2009 at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary
1.0 Huli (unk x unk) 26-09-2012 at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary
Taronga Zoo, NSW, Australia
0.1 Kwikila (unk x unk) 00-11-2006 at Zoo Parc de Beauval, France; imported in 2013
1.0 Parum (unk x Tapini) 00-00-2007 at Melbourne Zoo
1.0 Makali (unk x unk) 00-09-2011 at Adelaide Zoo
1.0 Taro (Parum x Kwikila) 00-00-2020 at Taronga Zoo
Wildlife HQ, QLD, Australia
1.0 Chimbu (Bagam x Mani) 06-08-2019 at Healesville Sanctuary
Wild Life Sydney Zoo, NSW, Australia
1.0 Kofi (Bagam x Mani) 24-02-2018 at Healesville Sanctuary
Total Population: 22 (14.8)
Lumholtz's Tree Kangaroos (Dendrolagus lumholtzi) in Australasian zoos:
The Lumholtz’s Tree Kangaroo population currently comprises of rescued animals and a handful of captive bred animals which can roughly be divided into the following holdings. Wildlife HQ temporarily housed a male Lumhotlz’s Tree Kangaroo but I genuinely never found out what happened to him; the zoo later acquired a Goodfellow’s as seen above. The responses I received by zoos were very limited so this was the best I could compile to get a better sense of the population. This list has to work a bit differently as there is little point in me listing each individual as the majority are wild-born rescues anyway. According to the ZAA’s website the species is managed by Dreamworld.
Goodfellow’s Tree Kangaroos (Dendrolagus goodfellowi) in Australasian zoos:
Pleasingly, Goodfellow’s Tree Kangaroos have slowly been growing with more holders in the last five years mainly due to the several male births allowing facilities like Caversham, Wildlife HQ and Wild Life Sydney all to pick up the species. However, I do wonder about the viability of future breeding pairs without further importations. There has been good success breeding tree kangaroos but they have all been males recently. In fact the youngest female in Australia at the moment I believe is the female at Healesville. The majority of Goodfellow’s Tree Kangaroo can be traced back to Melbourne stock combined with importations from Europe and the United States.
As they are a nearby ZAA member, I should also really mention that Port Moresby Nature Park, Papua New Guinea also currently have 1.1 pair plus a female joey currently. Their breeding male was surrendered to the park in 2017 while their female in 2019. They would represent completely new bloodlines for the captive population, an emerging need for the long-term sustainability for the Goodfellow's programme. They also house a few other tree kangaroo species that are not represented elsewhere in the region. Singapore Zoo also have a Goodfellow's pair that came from Australia; male Makaia bred at Adelaide and female Nupela from Taronga. This pair produced the first joey last year.
Date of births (months and years in some cases) can always be iffy with marsupials but I have tried to be as accurate as possible with the limited information available. Corrections are very much welcomed as is further information. Few bits of news and things to consider:
- Taronga Zoo received a new male tree kangaroo from Adelaide Zoo. Male Makali (2011) was transferred in September 2020. He has sired one joey successfully with the now-deceased female Kia; male Makaia who is the breeding male at Singapore Zoo currently. In saying this, I didn’t get a message from Taronga presumably due to their extended lockdown so I cannot confirm what their current holdings are.
- Currumbin has an ageing female called Mwali. Not sure where she came from but presumably Melbourne like most Aussie-born females in the country.
- @LOU Y posted an excerpt of the census outlining the following concerning news as well in January 2020. I sincerely hope they are considering otherwise and find the means to manage both species: “"Taxonomically unique; uncertain as to whether able to import additional specimens from the range state. Able to import from AZA institutions......Export is currently restricted and the paperwork to export is not in place for GTK. ASMP reviewing whether to phase out Goodfellow's Tree Kangaroo in favour of Lumholtz Tree-kangaroo."
0.1 Buna (Bud x Summer) 30-09-2006 at Zoo Krefeld, Germany; imported in June 2015
Australian Reptile Park, NSW, Australia
0.1 Kimbe (unk x unk) 12-11-2005 at San Diego Zoo, USA; imported in 2015
1.0 Banjo (unk x unk) at unknown facility
Ballarat Wildlife Park, VIC, Australia
1.0 Kombai (Simbu x Baggi) 15-05-2015 at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary
Caversham Wildlife Park, WA, Australia
1.0 Banz (Huli x Doba) 00-09-2019 at Perth Zoo
Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, QLD, Australia
0.1 Mwali (unk x unk) 00-00-2005 at unknown facility
1.0 Torembi (Parum x Kwikila) 00-09-2017 at Taronga Zoo
Featherdale Wildlife Park, NSW, Australia
1.0 Suli (Huli x Kaluli) 00-10-2017 at Perth Zoo
Healesville Sanctuary, VIC, Australia
0.1 Mani (Kubu x Oumak) 29-06-2013 at National Zoo and Aquarium
1.0 Bagam (unk x unk) 10-07-2014 at Krefeld Zoo, Germany
Melbourne Zoo, VIC, Australia
1.0 Banam (Timika x unk) 00-00-2007 at Melbourne Zoo
National Zoo and Aquarium, ACT, Australia
1.0 Simbu (unk x unk) 01-10-2009 at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary
0.1 Oumak (Timika x Bagi) 03-12-2009 at Melbourne Zoo
Perth Zoo, WA, Australia
0.1 Kaluli (unk x unk) ~14-02-2008 at Melbourne Zoo
0.1 Doba (unk x unk) ~09-03-2009 at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary
1.0 Huli (unk x unk) 26-09-2012 at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary
Taronga Zoo, NSW, Australia
0.1 Kwikila (unk x unk) 00-11-2006 at Zoo Parc de Beauval, France; imported in 2013
1.0 Parum (unk x Tapini) 00-00-2007 at Melbourne Zoo
1.0 Makali (unk x unk) 00-09-2011 at Adelaide Zoo
1.0 Taro (Parum x Kwikila) 00-00-2020 at Taronga Zoo
Wildlife HQ, QLD, Australia
1.0 Chimbu (Bagam x Mani) 06-08-2019 at Healesville Sanctuary
Wild Life Sydney Zoo, NSW, Australia
1.0 Kofi (Bagam x Mani) 24-02-2018 at Healesville Sanctuary
Total Population: 22 (14.8)
Lumholtz's Tree Kangaroos (Dendrolagus lumholtzi) in Australasian zoos:
The Lumholtz’s Tree Kangaroo population currently comprises of rescued animals and a handful of captive bred animals which can roughly be divided into the following holdings. Wildlife HQ temporarily housed a male Lumhotlz’s Tree Kangaroo but I genuinely never found out what happened to him; the zoo later acquired a Goodfellow’s as seen above. The responses I received by zoos were very limited so this was the best I could compile to get a better sense of the population. This list has to work a bit differently as there is little point in me listing each individual as the majority are wild-born rescues anyway. According to the ZAA’s website the species is managed by Dreamworld.
- Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary houses 1.0 Belson if my information is still current. He has sired a joey at another facility and arrived at Currumbin in 2018 at the age of nine. He is a wild-born tree roo being found at the roadside and brought into care. It was discovered that due to his limited sight he could not be released into the wild.
- David Fleay Wildlife Park have had a long tradition housing this species and on my last visit had 1.0 Glen on-display. I am unsure whether the park have/will be having more individuals as there was an adjacent enclosure that would be ideal for another tree kangaroo.
- Dreamworld currently has 1.3 tree kangaroos and have had good breeding success. Their older females; 0.1 Mindy and 0.1 Ivy were rescued by the Tree Roo Rescue and Conservation Centre in Malanda, QLD. They are both visually impaired so they were not fit for release back to the wild and have been living at Dreamworld since 2013 and 2014 respectively. The other female is Mindy’s daughter Mupee who is a captive-bred female, being born in 2015. The male is Ivy’s son that was born in 2016; 1.0 Bunji.
- Oakvale Fauna World received a pair of wild-born tree kangaroos in February 2019 via Dreamworld. 1.0 Csi and 0.1 Adele were approximately nine and eight years old at their arrival. Both individuals were still around according to a video in April 2020. Oakvale is the only zoo outside of Queensland to house this species.
- Rainforestation Nature Park should have a young male; 1.0 Jimmy. He is wild-born individual who arrived at Rainforestation in late 2018 at the approximate age of three. He came from the Treeroo Rescue and Conservation Centre and entered into captivity in October 2016. He was rescued after being found wandering in a small town called Yungaburra. He unfortunately had sight problems and couldn’t be released into the wild.
- Snakes Downunder Reptile Park and Zoo have 1.0 Matty. He was rescued in 2017 by the Treeroo Rescue and Conservation Centre as he was found blind in a paddock. He arrived in February 2020.
- Wildlife Habitat Port Douglas have a breeding pair; captive-born 1.0 Quinton who was bred at the facility in 2012 and wild-born 0.1 Ruby. They had a female joey in September 2015 but the park informed me she was no longer at the park and I am not sure if she is still around.
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