The Australian Reptile Park celebrated an exciting day today as it marks Kimbe the Goodfellow’s tree kangaroo’s 16th birthday! Kimbe is believed to be the eldest tree kangaroo living in Australia and arrived at the park in April 2019 and has been a beloved resident of the Park ever since.
To celebrate the special occasion, keepers showered Kimbe in love and hand-delivered a huge cake made entirely of her favourite food – avocado. It is well-known amongst keepers that Kimbe can’t resist avocado and she devoured her special birthday treat in no time.
In captivity, it is estimated for Goodfellow’s tree kangaroos to live up to 14 years old, so the Australian Reptile Park is delighted to see Kimbe celebrating another birthday and showing no signs of slowing down any time soon! Staff are hoping that celebrating Kimbe’s birthday with the endangered species will raise awareness about the Goodfellow’s tree kangaroo by introducing visitors to the rare species whilst educating people about the serious threat of deforestation.
Australian Reptile Park Director Tim Faulkner said, “We’re so excited to see Kimbe is thriving here at the Park and has happily celebrated her sweet 16th birthday. Sadly, Goodfellow’s tree kangaroos are endangered and need all of the help they can get. By making the effort to celebrate special moments with Kimbe, we are able to educate our visitors into doing what they can to help save the species.”
Tim Faulkner continued, “I personally love Goodfellow’s tree-kangaroos and spent a lot of my time when I was in Papua New Guinea trying to see a wild one – and I couldn’t! They’re quite rare to see out and about! This makes it even more special to have them here at the Australian Reptile Park.”
There are 12 species of tree-kangaroo in the world with many of the species under threat due to due to hunting and habitat destruction. Goodfellow’s tree-kangaroos are classified as endangered and are native to the rainforests of Papua New Guinea, and the border of central Irian Jaya in Indonesia.
Visitors can see Kimbe the Goodfellow’s tree kangaroo on display at the Australian Reptile Park. She is often seen munching on her favourite snacks and foraging around the enclosure.
