He doesn’t look like a kangaroo, he doesn’t move like a kangaroo and yet WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo’s newest arrival is indeed a type of kangaroo!
The Darling Harbour zoo welcomed its first Goodfellow’s Tree Kangaroo, a 7.3kg fluffy, blue-eyed adorable creature named Kofi with a fondness for climbing trees and boiled eggs.
Kofi flew in from Victoria early this month and has spent the last two weeks settling into the zoo’s new Tricky Tongue and Treetops Zone which was redesigned ahead of his arrival to cater to his specific needs. It features his newly built hut where he will slumber, extra tree branches for him to climb as well as Mulberry and Willow Trees for him to munch on.
“Kofi was initially shy with us keepers but over the past few weeks he has become a lot more comfortable with us, he’s taking food from our hands and he’s getting his confidence up day by day,” said Renee Howell, WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo Head Keeper.
Although labelled a ‘kangaroo’, Kofi and other Goodfellow’s Tree Kangaroos are one of 14 Tree Kangaroo species that appear and act much differently to the kangaroos you are probably familiar with. They have adapted to life in the trees, they have shorter limbs, they have sharp claws and they have the ability to move their back legs independently.
Goodfellow’s Tree Kangaroos can also leap up to 18m, they are herbivores and sadly, due to hunting and rapid habitat loss, their numbers are dwindling.
International breeding programs are in place to protect and grow the population, including the program at Healesville Sanctuary in Victoria where Kofi was the first Goodfellow’s Tree Kangaroo to be born and raised.
At WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo, Kofi will continue to receive love and attention from his Keepers while educating visitors on the endangered status of Goodfellow’s Tree Kangaroos.
“We hope that by introducing Kofi and an endangered species such as a Goodfellow’s Tree Kangaroo at the zoo, we can inspire visitors to further research these lesser-known creatures and get involved in protecting them in the wild,” Renee Howell, WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo Head Keeper said.
“We also expect a few visitors to fawn over him as he is a real beauty.”
Stop by WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo and meet Kofi! See more and save more during your visit by taking advantage of our ‘buy two and get a third attraction free’ offer available now until 11 December. It includes WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo, SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium, Madame Tussauds Sydney and Sydney Tower Eye.
For more information, visit: www.wildlifesydney.com.au
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