Reproductive Biology and Behavior of Tree Kangaroos in Zoos

Blessington, Jacque; Steenberg, Judie; Richardson, Megan; Norsworthy, Davi Ann; Legge, Alana; Sharpe, Deanna L.; Highland, Margaret A.; Kozlowski, Corinne P.; Males, Gayl

doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-814675-0.00017-8

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Further work has stated that Lumholtz's tree kangaroos may come to the ground only as a flight response when startled, but then swiftly return to the forest canopy [32]. These works highlight the importance of understanding wild-type baseline behaviour in order to make accurate and species-appropriate interpretations of data collected in a zoo environment [33]. As such, for an arboreal animal such as a tree kangaroo, no utilization of the ground level of the indoor habitat should not be an area of great concern.…”

Section: Height Utilizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Day Time Activity Budgets, Height Utilization and Husbandry of Two Zoo-Housed Goodfellow’s Tree Kangaroos (Dendrolagus goodfellowi buergersi)

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Humphreys

2022

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Goodfellow’s tree kangaroos (Dendrolagus goodfellowi) are an endangered, arboreal macropod native to the lower, mid-montane rainforests of Papua New Guinea. Despite a number of holders keeping D. goodfellowi in zoos across the world, there is a lack of recent published work on this species. Here, we present daytime activity budgets, document height use and provide husbandry information for two Goodfellow’s tree kangaroos (Dendrolagus goodfellowi buergersi) housed at Chester Zoo, UK. Throughout the observation period, both individuals spent the majority of their time resting within the environment but also spent time engaging in vigilance, travel and feeding behaviour. Additionally, despite the age and sex differences of the study individuals, both animals used the highest height level in the indoor habitat most frequently. We aim to share our information and encourage knowledge transfer with other holders, to both increase understanding and promote evidence-based management of this species.

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Section: Height Utilizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Day Time Activity Budgets, Height Utilization and Husbandry of Two Zoo-Housed Goodfellow’s Tree Kangaroos (Dendrolagus goodfellowi buergersi)

Finch

Humphreys

2022

JZBG

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“…Detailed field studies of the behavior and diet of this species are scarce due in part to its dwindling population size and because of its cryptic nature in remote cloud forests [ 2 ]. Matschie’s tree kangaroos are currently housed at 18 Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) accredited zoological institutions; however, the captive population is unsustainable due to various reproductive and health issues which are likely linked to problems with diet and obesity [ 3 – 5 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Balancing the scales: Preliminary investigation of total energy expenditure and daily metabolizable energy intake in Matschie’s tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus matschiei)

et al. 2022

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Matschie’s tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus matschiei) is an endangered arboreal marsupial native to Papua New Guinea. Detailed field studies of its behavior and ecology are scarce due largely to its occupation of remote cloud forests and cryptic nature. Although this species has been in human care since the 1950s, much of its biology is still unknown. The current ex situ population is not sustainable due to health and reproductive problems, believed to stem largely from issues with diet and obesity. To better assess potential discrepancies between energy requirements and energy intake, we sought to 1) quantify total energy expenditure (TEE) of two zoo-housed Matschie’s tree kangaroos (body mass = 9.0–9.7 kg) on a diet composed largely of leafy browse; 2) quantify food and macronutrient intake, apparent dry matter macronutrient digestibility, and metabolizable energy (ME) intake over a 14-month period; and 3) test for seasonal changes in ME intake due to seasonal differences in the varieties of leafy browse offered. Using the doubly labeled water method, we determined TEE for the female (288 kcal day -1) and male (411 kcal day -1). Resulting mean TEE was well below the expected value for marsupials and macropods (i.e., ~60% of the expected value based on body mass). The mean calculated ME intakes for the female and male were 307 kcal day-1 and 454 kcal day-1, respectively. There were significant seasonal differences in ME intakes, driven by reduced intake in the autumn. These results demonstrate that Matschie’s tree kangaroos can be maintained at healthy body weights and conditions on fiber-rich and browse-heavy diets. Our findings contribute important insights into tree kangaroo energetics and physiology and can be applied to help reformulate the diet of Matschie’s tree kangaroos at captive facilities to improve population health and sustainability.

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Reproductive Biology and Behavior of Tree Kangaroos in Zoos

Cited by 2 publications

References 8 publications

Day Time Activity Budgets, Height Utilization and Husbandry of Two Zoo-Housed Goodfellow’s Tree Kangaroos (Dendrolagus goodfellowi buergersi)

Day Time Activity Budgets, Height Utilization and Husbandry of Two Zoo-Housed Goodfellow’s Tree Kangaroos (Dendrolagus goodfellowi buergersi)

Balancing the scales: Preliminary investigation of total energy expenditure and daily metabolizable energy intake in Matschie’s tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus matschiei)

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