A miracle has taken place in England. Chester Zoo, in the northwest of the country, has witnessed the birth of a kangaroo that has given hope to an endangered species. The cameras have managed to capture how the small animal stuck its snout through its mother’s bag, thus showing its face to the world.
This is a milestone for the scientific community, since this kangaroo belongs to an endangered species that has been threatened by hunting and deforestation. The zookeepers have been extremely excited, since this is the first time that a specimen of this type has been born in its facilities in its 91-year history.
The animal that has aroused so much interest is a baby tree kangaroo, and it is part of a project whose objective is based on helping this endangered species to survive and develop in its natural habitat. As can be seen in the video shared by the zoo, this species has physical attributes that differentiate it from other kangaroos: short fur, brown on the back and beige on the belly, round ears and a large head.
The tree-kangaroo, or dendrolagus goodfellowi, is a marsupial whose origin is located in the tropical forests of Papua New Guinea. After suffering a massive destruction of its natural habitat, this species has seen its population reduced by more than half in the last 30 years, a rather hopeless fact for the community.
The monitoring of this calf has been carried out thanks to a special endoscope that Chester Zoo has had. Placed in its mother’s bag, this device has allowed the animal to be observed during its first months of life, as detailed by the person in charge of the facilities, Dave White.
In his latest statements, White has highlighted to AFP the difficulties that this type of animal has: “These animals have the most complex birth process in the animal kingdom”, since the young arrive in the world without having completed their development, so It resides in its mother’s pouch until six months, the approximate date when it begins to open its eyes.
Chester Zoo keepers expect this calf to fully emerge from its mother’s pouch in the next few days, as it must learn to jump and climb trees to complete its development. As for the rest of their fellow species, they reside in Indonesia, Australia and in their native country, Papua New Guinea.
