Animal handlers at a Gold Coast theme park are hopping with joy after a brand new joey popped its head from the pouch of a shy Lumholtz's tree kangaroo.
Mindi is one of three females in Dreamworld's breeding program, which began almost two years ago.
"It's the first Lumholtz tree kangaroo born into the Australasian captive management program," Dreamworld wildlife supervisor Alana Legge said.
It was the second pairing of Mindi with father Csi that achieved a successful result.
A health check earlier this year revealed a tiny joey had ascended to the pouch.
"We are just so excited about this joey," Ms Legge said.
The breeding animals are sourced from the Tree Roo Rescue and Conservation Centre at Malanda in far north Queensland.
They are animals that have been struck by cars or attacked by dogs and are unsuitable for release back into the rainforest.
"These animals have got injuries like blindness so they can't be released into the wild," she said.
"Dreamworld and other institutions have created this breeding program so we can share how amazing these animals are with the public ... many of [whom] don't even know what a tree kangaroo is."
The Lumholtz is one of two tree-climbing kangaroo species in Australia.
Beside dog attacks and car strikes, habitat destruction is another major problem facing tree kangaroos in the wild.
The sex of the yet-to-named joey is not yet known.
Ms Legge said it would likely stay close to mum.
"The joeys spend a particularly long time with their mothers.
"The joey is going to need to learn what different foods to eat and how to get around in the trees, so she'll be with mum for about two years," she said.
There are two males and three females in the breeding program, funded by the Dreamworld Wildlife Foundation.
The aim is to increase the number of adult tree roos in the park to nine.
Dreamworld staff said the joey's father, Csi, lives in a separate enclosure and would play no parenting role.
"They are solitary in the wild and the males can fight aggressively with the other males and females, and they are dangerous too around the joeys," Ms Legge said.
"So it's only the mother and the joey in those small family groups that you'll find together out in the wild."
The joey's arrival coincides with Tree Roo Awareness Week, which ends on Sunday.
