Keepin' it Wild July - September 2019

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Tree Kangaroo Joey Makes Mother’s Day Appearance! Over this past Mother’s Day weekend at Zoo Miami, our endangered Matchie’s tree kangaroo “Zayna” got to show off her new baby! Although the joey was actually born on October 14, 2018, it’s just began to expose itself on a regular basis. As with most marsupials, tree kangaroos are born in an almost embryonic state. Newborns are about the size of a jelly bean and slowly crawl into the mom’s pouch, where most of its development takes place. It takes several months before they pop their heads out to greet the world! This little baby is still confined to its mom’s pouch and will continue developing there for several months before eventually venturing away from her. The sex of the joey has not yet been determined, but it will eventually become part of an international captive breeding program. Zayna is nine years old and was born at the Sedgwick County Zoo in Kansas. The father, Bayon, is 11 years old and was born at the Bronx Zoo in New York. Zoo Miami has been a long-time contributor to Matchie’s tree kangaroo conservation efforts in New Guinea. This Is Zayna’s third baby, and the ninth one born at Zoo Miami!

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