Woodland Park Zoo celebrates arrival of endangered Matschie's tree kangaroo joeys

SEATTLE — Meet Finni and Soya, the Woodland Park Zoo's newest endangered Matschie's tree kangaroo joeys!

Finni's name was inspired by the Finisterre Mountain range in the YUS Conservation Area in Papua New Guinea. Soya was named to honor a ranger who passed away this year and worked with the Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program.

Matschie’s tree kangaroos are just one of 14 species found in Papua New Guinea, Indonesia (the Province of West Papua), and Australia. Papua New Guinea is home to most of the species, with six species exclusively found in Papua New Guinea, including the Matschie's tree kangaroo, found only in the Huon Peninsula of northeastern Papua New Guinea.

However, due to habitat destruction from logging, land clearing, and overhunting in Papua New Guinea, matschie's tree kangaroos have an estimated wild population of less than 2,500 (IUCN 2014), the zoo said. They added that the survival of the tree kangaroos is important since it plays an important role in the culture and diet of the indigenous people.

So it was a big deal when female tree kangaroos Elanna and Omari gave birth to the Joeys in August 2022.

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Tree kangaroos are marsupials, so a majority of their physical development happens in the mother's pouch. Female tree kangaroos have a gestation period of 44 days. When the underdeveloped, kidney-bean-sized joey is born, it crawls into the pouch, where it will latch onto a teat and continue to grow for three months. The joey remains in the pouch until around seven months until the joey initially leaves the pouch. The joey is out of the pouch at 10 months. Once the joey is capable of for caring itself, it will leave its mother at 18 months to establish its own home range.

According to the zoo, the personalities of the joeys are beginning to shine through and are very unique. Soya, Omari's joey is cautious but curious. He likes to hang out close to his mom and watch animal keepers from high above, the zoo added. However, Elanna's joey, Finni, is very outgoing and enjoys jumping on her mom's back.

Soya and Finni are easy to tell apart thanks to their face colorations. Finni has a half light, half dark face pattern, while Soya's face is mostly dark, with a little spot of light fur in the middle of his forehead. They also have slightly different head shapes.

The Woodland Park Zoo's Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program (TKCP) works with local communities in Papua New Guinea to save endangered matschie's tree kangaroos. Currently, the zoo is working on building a new home for the tree kangaroos called the Forest Trailhead. Until the exhibit is opened in 2026, the tree kangaroos are not visible to the public, living behind-the-scenes.