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

Abstract

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.

Keywords

• tree kangaroo
• zoos
• behaviour
• activity budget
• enclosure use
• <i>Dendrolagus</i>