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: 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." Adelaide Zoo, SA, Australia 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. Total Population: ~12 (7.5)
Thanks for this timely review of the status for tree kangaroos in Australia. It would be nice to add on the overall population stats for Goodfellow's TK in the Global Captive community. That should not be too hard as it is European Collections only and a few zoos in East Asia (Singapore, Yokohama) and PNG
Would be helpful for Dreamworld to receive 2 males for breeding to built up a ex situ population. Who was the former male breeder here? Perhaps Belson?
Wildlife HQ are now preparing to reacquire Lumholtz's Tree Kangaroo soon. This will create a total of eight zoos housing this species - seven in Queensland and one in New South Wales. It should be noted that Wildlife HQ currently have a male Goodfellow's Tree Kangaroo, meaning that they will soon have two tree kangaroo species. Something that can only be shared with Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary among Australian zoos.
@WhistlingKite24 Thats brilliant, Wildlife HQ really has an awesome species collection they keep hey. Will be great to have another place that houses both Lumholtz's and Goodfellow's side by side they really compliment one another so much (up until now had mistaken it to be Fleay's Sanctuary that had both species but now know its Currumbin). Would be great to see more places outside of QLD follow in Oakvale Wildlife Park's steps and house Lumholtz's (its great to see Goodfellow's at Taronga, Adelaide, Perth etc but Lumholtz's are so worth a residency place at way more zoos/wildlife parks). On that note have a really solid memory from about 1996 when visited the small 'Dizzylamb Park' in Carabooda (northern outskirts of Perth and before 'Dizzylamb' the same site was the Bullen's Wanneroo Lion Safari Park and now a paintball site) they had a small wildlife park there that was certainly impressive for its small size like having Koalas, Tassie Devils and a Quoll species (due to my young age I cant recall if it was Chudich/Western Quolls or Spotted-taileds but fairly certain the latter as one I saw on a log was really big and from what I understand its really difficult for facilities to obtain Chuditch due to their rare status but I digress) I definitely saw a Tree Kangaroo hanging out on a tree branch in an exhibit that was viewed adjacent to the park's Koalas on a raised boardwalk and my memory is really clear about it being brown in colour (remember seeing Goodfellows or Matschie's at Perth Zoo a little later on and being impressed by their different maroon and yellow coat colouring even thought Lumholtz's and Bennett's are equally as beautiful). So am positive that 'Dizzylamb' had at least one Bennett's or Lumholtz's in their wildlife park in the mid to late '90s
Wildlife HQ has a Lumholtz's Tree-Kangaroo again. 1.0 Patrick arrived from the Tree Roo Rescue and was hit by a car. His carer realised he suffered from the sight problems this species is currently facing and was deemed unreleasable. This creates eight holders with an approximate population of 13 (8.5) Lumholtz's Tree-Kangaroos among zoos. Wildlife HQ is also now only one of two Australian zoos to house two species of tree-kangaroos.
It would be welcome to have a combined native and PNG tree kangaroo ex situ program. I note that lately only Taronga seems to have bred a Goodfellow's tree kangaroo and according to your info Melbourne Zoo lacks a breeding male for Goodfellow's? What is going down?
Both zoos in Brisbane will soon have tree-kangaroos. Walkabout Creek Wildlife Centre will be acquiring a Lumholtz's Tree-kangaroo. 0.1 Brooky is a wild-born rescue that was found and discovered to be very habituated to humans. She is due to arrive in about two months all going well. Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary will also be adding tree-kangaroo (species not specified yet) to their collection as part of their Wild Walk development that is due to open this year.
0.1 Brooksie the Lumholtz's Tree-Kangaroo is now at Walkabout Creek Wildlife Centre. She arrived last Thursday from the rescue centre. Walkabout Creek is a new holder and this creates nine zoos housing this species. She is also currently the only tree kangaroo within the city of Brisbane.
0.1 Mani the Goodfellow’s Tree-Kangaroo at Healesville currently has a new joey which has been confirmed as female and named Ori. All going well, she will become a desperately needed breeding female for the region as the second youngest known female in an Australian zoo is her mother Mani. Sire is of course 1.0 Bagam from Krefeld, Germany: Log into Facebook | Facebook
David Fleay Wildlife Park also now has 0.1 Jeanie the Lumholtz's Tree-Kangaroo along with 1.0 Glen giving them a pair of tree-kangaroos. She was rescued in late 2019 after being found in Ravenshoe with the blindness issues that are increasingly impacting the wild populations. The captive population among zoos continues to grow with these rescues. Mentioned by the Tree Roo Rescue and Conservation Centre via social media.
1.0 Taro the Goodfellow's Tree-Kangaroo bred at Taronga Zoo in 2020 has moved to Gumbuya World in Victoria. This creates a new holder of the species and there are now 14 holders among Australian zoos - reported on social media.
0.1 Adel the Lumholtz’s Tree-Kangaroo has given birth to a 0.0.1 joey at Oakvale Wildlife Park in New South Wales. The joey has been named Sofus and its sex has yet to be confirmed. The park have made history by producing the first ever Lumholtz’s Tree-Kangaroo born outside of Queensland. The last confirmed captive breeding for this species at a zoo occurred in 2016 at Dreamworld: 'You should have heard the cheers': Oakvale celebrates history making birth
Thought i'd help you out with some info on some of the Melbourne born individuals. I have Timika down as a female- but she was paired with a male named Bagi at the time. They were a young pair (only paired up a few years prior); but I have them down as producing a female named Tani in 2007, so i'm not really sure here. Bagi and Timika were the parents of Kaluli. Torea (1997) fathered Parum with Tapini (1996).
I've emailed Melbourne and received the following responses: 1.0 Banam (2007) was indeed sired by 1.0 Timika and 0.1 Bagi. Timika was born in 2000 and was the offspring of the zoo's other breeding pair (Toea and Tapini). He died in 2014. Toea and Tapini were the parents of 1.0 Parum and 0.1 Kaluli.
A new holder of Lumholtz's Tree Kangaroo! 1.0 Dave the Lumholtz's Tree-Kangaroo has arrived at Billabong Sanctuary near Townsville and is another wild-born rescue. This creates a total of about ten holders of the species among Australian zoos: 登录 Facebook | Facebook
Yet another new holder of Lumholtz's Tree-Kangaroo! 0.1 Mindy at Dreamworld has been transfered to Billabong Zoo in Port Macquarie (not to be confused with Billabong Sanctuary). There are now two holders of this species in New South Wales as their zoo population continues to grow: 登录 Facebook | Facebook
1.0 Rocky the Lumholtz's Tree-Kangaroo has arrived at Lone Pine Koala Sacntuary, here in Brisbane. A new species for Lone Pine and he came from the Tree Roo Rescue as one of their long-term residents. There are about 12 holders now of this species in Australian zoos: Log into Facebook | Facebook
