Tree Kangaroos scoop up icy treat
Healesville Sanctuary’s Goodfellow’s Tree Kangaroos are enjoying cool treats as the mercury rises.
Female Mani [Pronounced: Mar Knee] licked up every morsel after keepers froze her daily diet as a source of enrichment.
Healesville Sanctuary Mammal Keeper Katherine Sarris said while the treat looked like an ice cream bar, it was a combination of blended up melon and banana with a carrot stick for Mani’s long claws to hold on to.
“Tree Kangaroos are quite tactile animals, so having that carrot stick in the ice block gives her the opportunity to pick it up and have a lick if she chooses,” Ms Sarris said.
“As soon as we introduced the icy treat to her environment, Mani picked it up with her paws, but she immediately dropped it because it was too cold for her, which is a new experience.
“It looked like she had a bit of a brain freeze, but we then saw her licking her paws that were covered with the delicious sticky treat of melon and banana.”
The Sanctuary also has water misters for the marsupials to cool down.
Goodfellow’s Tree Kangaroos are native to Papua New Guinea and Indonesia (Papua). The conservation status of the Goodfellow Tree Kangaroo is Endangered.
Zoos Victoria members and Healesville Sanctuary visitors are reminded that all tickets must be pre-booked online at zoo.org.au and all ticketholders 18 years and over are required to provide proof of full vaccination and follow current Victorian Government directions at www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au