Buergers'/Goodfellow's (Dendrolagus goodfellowi) and Matschie's (Dendrolagus matschiei) Tree Kangaroos Fact Sheet: Managed Care

• Buergers' tree kangaroo
  • Only subspecies of D. goodfellowi kept in zoos (Flannery et al. 1996)
  • Population in Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) institutions as of Mar 2013 (M. Souza, pers. comm.)
    • 45 animals (14 males, 31 females) in 19 institutions worldwide
      • 5 in North American institutions (Cleveland, San Antonio, San Diego)
  • History at San Diego Zoo (M. Souza, pers. comm.)
    • First individuals arrived in 1969
    • 1 male, 2 females as of March 2013
    • 30 births as of March 2013
• Matschie's tree kangaroo
  • Population in Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) institutions as of Jan 2011 (Blessington 2011)
    • 54 animals (27 males, 26 females, 1 unknown sex) in 24 institutions
  • History at San Diego Zoo (M. Souza, pers. comm.)
    • First individuals arrived in 1951
    • 1 adult male, 1 adult female as of March 2013
    • 9 births as of March 2013

Diet (George 1982)

• 3 main components
  • Folivore biscuits (e.g. wallaby pellets)
  • Green browse
    • Carrot tops, fern leaves, endive, chinese cabbage
    • If fresh browse not available: oat grass, green lucerne
  • Fruits and vegetables
• Detailed diet information
  • See Tree Kangaroo Nutrition Husbandry Manual (Edwards & Ward 1998)

Behavioral enrichment

• Gourd puzzle feeders
  • Used at San Diego Zoo (Kline 2009)

• Buergers' tree kangaroo (Flannery 1996; George 1982)
  • More difficult to maintain than Matschie's tree kangaroo
  • Has been successfully bred and kept in managed care
  • May be housed in small groups
    • 1 male with up to 3 females
    • Never 2 adult males together
• Matschie's tree kangaroo (Flannery 1996; George 1982; Heath 1990)
  • Adapts better to managed care than other species (George 1982)
  • May be housed in groups
    • 1 male with up to 5 females
      • Separate male from female when young discovered in pouch
      • Females may pull young out of other females' pouches, especially if male present
    • Never house 2 adult males together, due to aggression (juveniles okay)
    • Older young may be removed from mother before a new birth
  • Vitamin E deficiency can lead to death in managed care
  • Coat color may fade on unbalanced diet - add maize or tea-leaves to diet to restore color

Image credit: © Tim Wang (Beijing, China; Buergers' Tree Kangaroo) [CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons]

Blessington (2011)
Edwards & Ward (1998)
Flannery et al. (1996)
George (1982)
Heath (1990)
Kline (2009)