Successful transfer of a Goodfellow’s tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus goodfellowi) pouch young to a yellow-footed rock wallaby (Petrogale xanthopus) surrogate
Publication Type: |
Journal Article |
Year of Publication: |
2015 |
Authors: |
David J. McLelland, Kate Fielder, Gayl Males, Nathan Langley, David Schultz |
Publication/Journal: |
Zoo Biology |
Keywords: |
assisted reproduction, cross-foster, macropod, zoo |
ISBN: |
1098-2361 |
Abstract:
A 47-day-old orphaned Goodfellow’s tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus goodfellowi) joey was successfully cross-fostered onto a yellow-footed rock wallaby (Petrogale xanthopus). The joey was subsequently taken for hand-rearing at age 5 months. This is the first report of the cross-fostering technique, well-established in other macropods, being applied to a Dendrolagus sp. This technique can be considered as a viable option to raise young orphaned tree kangaroos, and as a tool to accelerate breeding in captive breeding programs of Dendrolagus spp. Zoo Biol. 34:460–462, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.