Watch: 7-month-old tree kangaroo peeks out of its mom’s pouch for the first time

BRONX, N.Y. ( WPIX ) — The second baby of an endangered tree-dwelling kangaroo made its public debut this week in New York, poking its pink head out of its mom’s furry white pouch.

The baby joey, a Matschie’s tree kangaroo, was born at the end of December but finally emerged from its mother’s pouch.

“This birth is a rarity and significant for the Bronx Zoo,” a spokesperson said. “The birth is a result of the zoo’s participation in a cooperative breeding program administered by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).”

In a 30-second video shared by the Bronx Zoo, the joey pops its head out for a brief moment, looks around the enclosure, sniffs and then goes back inside its mother’s pouch.

The Matschie’s tree kangaroo is an endangered species from Papua New Guinea. When born, the joeys are about the size of a human thumbnail, crawling through the mother’s fur to enter her pouch. They emerge about seven months later.

This species of kangaroo is smaller than Australia’s red kangaroo, weighing between 20 and 25 pounds. Conservationists believe that fewer than 2,500 Matschie’s tree kangaroos remain in the wild. They are threatened by habitat destruction, hunting and other human activities.

This is the second kangaroo born at the Bronx Zoo and to this female since 2021.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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