CANBERRA, June 27 (Xinhua) -- A rare Goodfellow's tree kangaroo from the Adelaide Zoo will next week be transferred to Singapore in an attempt to establish a successful international breeding program.
The tree kangaroo, Makaia, was saved from certain death as a joey when a surrogate wallaby mother decided to take in the orphaned marsupial at just seven weeks age.
Makaia is the Adelaide Zoo's only Goodfellow's tree kangaroo, but Zoos South Australia chief executive Elaine Bensted said ensuring the future of the endangered species was important, and his move to Singapore could help ensure his species' future.
"He was a pretty special little one because of the way he was brought up; his first few months were quite, quite unique," Bensted told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Monday.
"Tree kangaroos are critically endangered and so his genetics are very, very important for the region."
The critically endangered tree kangaroo species is found in the rainforests of New Guinea, but a loss of habitat and hunting is driving them to extinction.
Bensted said that while Adelaide Zoo will now be without any Goodfellow's tree kangaroos, it is hoped the Makaia will become a successful breeder, so that his offspring might one day return to the zoo.
"We're proud that we were able to save his life in what was a world first and hopefully he'll go on and become a successful breeding male," she said.
The news comes less than a week after Perth Zoo celebrated the successful birth of a Goodfellow's tree kangaroo joey after its breeding program was bolstered by a male from Queensland last year.
