Updated Jun 30, 2009 - 2:51 pm
Bear-like, bushy-tailed kangaroo now at the Woodland Park Zoo
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MyNorthwest.com
A rare species of kangaroo has arrived at the Woodland Park Zoo and looks a little different than your typical kangaroo.
Woodland Park Zoo is once again home to the Matschie's tree kangaroo for the first time in three years. This is an endangered species native to Papua New Guinea and known for its bear-like head, bushy tail and marsupial's pouch.
Huen, an 8-year-old male, marks the return of endangered Matschie's tree kangaroos to Woodland Park Zoo. He arrived from Singapore Zoo in March as part of Woodland Park Zoo's Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program (TKCP) and can now be found living in the Day Exhibit.
TKCP celebrated a milestone this year with the passage of Papua New Guinea's first ever national Conservation Area, preserving 187,800 acres of forest habitat for the endangered Matschie's tree kangaroo and thousands of other endangered species.
On Earth Day 2009, staff from Woodland Park Zoo and partner Conservation International joined thousands of PNG villagers for a traditional Sing Sing celebration in the highlands of Papua New Guinea in honor of this conservation breakthrough.
The arrival of Huen is the latest step in attempting to conserve this endangered species. Huen will be joined by a mate in the near future to increase the species' genetic diversity as a part of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums' Species Survival Plan.
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