PREVIEW

AssetID: 41013339

Headline: Endangered Tree Kangaroo Celebrates 15th Birthday

Caption: An endangered tree kangaroo has celebrated her 15th birthday. Kimbe the Goodfellow tree kangaroo celebrated the occasion at The Australian Reptile Park. Kimbe arrived at the park in April 2019 and has been a beloved resident of the park ever since. The brand new, state-of-the-art enclosure that she now resides in alongside her male counterpart, Banjo is a highlight for visitors who come and see the pair. To celebrate the special occasion, keepers showered Kimbe in love and hand delivered a platter of her favourite snacks. Most importantly, this includes avocado. Keepers will often hand Kimbe avocado as a special treat every now and then, sometimes deliberately putting it at the bottom of her meal. Without a doubt, Kimbe will dig to the bottom and find the avocado immediately each time. In captivity, it is estimated for Goodfellow's tree kangaroos to live up to 14 years old, so the Australian Reptile Park is delighted to see Kimbe celebrating another birthday and showing no signs of slowing down any time soon! Staff are hoping that celebrating Kimbe’s birthday with the endangered species will hopefully raise awareness about the Goodfellow’s tree kangaroo by introducing visitors to the rare species whilst educating people about the serious threat of deforestation. General Manager Tim Faulkner said, “We’re so excited to see Kimbe is thriving here at the park and was happily celebrating her birthday. Sadly, Goodfellow’s tree kangaroos are endangered and need all of the help they can get. By making the effort to celebrate special moments with both Kimbe and Banjo we are able to educate our visitors into doing what they can to help save the species.” Tim Faulkner continued, “I personally love Goodfellow’s tree-kangaroos and spent a lot of my time when I was in Papua New Guinea trying to find a wild one – and I couldn’t! They’re quite rare to see out and about! This makes it even more special to have them here at the Australian Reptile Park” In January 2019, the Australian Reptile Park welcomed their first tree-kangaroo, Banjo, with intentions on adding a female in future to begin an all new conservation breeding program – a first for the Park. Since Banjo’s arrival, and Kimbe’s shortly after in April, Keepers have adored working alongside the endangered species and are working very closely to ensure the pair are well cared for. With prospects looking good, staff are keeping their fingers crossed for a joey in the near future. Visitors can meet Kimbe the Goodfellow’s tree kangaroo during an encounter in which they get to feed and pat the beautiful animal. In the newly launched Tree kangaroo encounters in September 2020, Kimbe is always the first to greet visitors as they walk into the enclosure and present herself for all the pats possible.

Keywords: animal birthday,endangered tree kangaroo

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