Similar to a toddler learning to walk, a little Goodfellow’s Tree Kangaroo joey at Healesville Sanctuary has been pushing the boundaries by bouncing, cartwheeling and leaping around his habitat as he grows more confident.
Mungili [pron: Moon-gi-lee] is now 10-months old which means he is exploring life outside the pouch and he’s proving to be adventurous.
Healesville Sanctuary mammal keeper Katherine Sarris said he’s full of curiosity and investigating everything as he follows mum around.
“He will follow the keepers, and he even follows his mum onto the scales for the weekly weigh in,” Ms Sarris said.
“Mungili is learning the ropes. Wherever mum goes, he goes. We’ve seen him dangling from the big ropes in the habitat, so we have mulch and pea gravel to cushion his fall if he takes a tumble.
“He is quite hilarious at times. He crashes through the plants, and he tries to get into mum’s way. Mungili likes to go all parkour off the perches.”
Mungili is a resilient joey. If he missteps, stumbles or falls on the ground, He is quick to get back up.
Zookeepers pay close attention to this stage of development to ensure he is safe and meeting milestones.
Tree-kangaroos, though they seem out of place in the treetops, are perfectly adapted for life above the ground.
As an arboreal species, they are extraordinary climbers, their powerful claws and muscles allowing them to navigate the tallest trees with ease and grace.
Mungili [pron: Moon-gi-lee] means precious or beautiful in a local dialect from Papua New Guinea where this species originates.
He was named by Zoos Victoria members in February this year. Sanctuary visitors can learn more about Tree-kangaroos at the 11.15am daily keeper talk.
Two species of Tree-kangaroos are native to Australia.
The Bennett’s tree-kangaroo and the Lumholtz’s tree-kangaroo.
Both species are found in Far North Queensland.
Goodfellow’s Tree-kangaroos are listed as Endangered with a decreasing population on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list.
Threats to the survival of this species in the wild include loss of habitat and hunting.
Zoos Victoria is supporting Tree-kangaroos in the wild through its Coffee for Wildlife campaign in partnership with Genovese.
