Featherdale welcomes Suli the tree kangaroo just in time for school holidays

Featherdale Wildlife Park has welcomed an adorable new resident all the way from Perth just in time for the April school holidays. Read on to find out more about the star attraction.

Featherdale Wildlife Park has welcomed a new resident in Suli, the Goodfellows tree kangaroo, from Perth Zoo just in time for the April school holidays. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

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Featherdale Wildlife Park has welcomed a new tree-dwelling resident just in time for the April school holidays.

Suli, the endangered juvenile Goodfellow’s Tree Kangaroo, will call Featherdale home after arriving from Perth Zoo last month.

Featherdale Life Sciences Director Chad Staples said the 18-month-old would form an integral part of the park’s tree kangaroo breeding program.

Suli the tree kangaroo settles into his new home at Featherdale Wildlife Park. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

“He will be the founder of our breeding program that will go on for decades,” Mr Staples said.

“He probably won’t mature until about three, and it will be at that time when a female tree kangaroo comes to Featherdale.”

“With tree kangaroos, they’re put together genetically, so it is very important who he breeds with.

“The Goodfellow’s tree kangaroos is a species found in New Guinea. Tree kangaroos don’t live in huge mobs, so they’re already in small numbers and susceptible to pressures, therefore in captivity, there aren’t many of them.”

Mr Staples said Suli had the star power to make him a popular attraction at the park.

“They’re just a very interesting animal — something about them strikes you as being very different,” he said.

Suli will form an integral part of the park’s tree kangaroo breeding program. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

“They’re like a cross between a kangaroo and a koala. When they’re on the ground, their locomotion is like a kangaroo. They’re also expert climbers like koalas and are very strong.”

Featherdale also has four juvenile koalas now on display for visitors.

Mr Staples said the joeys were ready to venture out into public after spending time in the pouch and with mum.

“The babies that are about to turn one are now living on their own and have come out for visitors to see,” he said.

This 10-month-old koala joey is one of four juveniles to venture out for the public to see in recent weeks. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

He said the newest joey crop was positive in boosting the numbers of the threatened species.

“One of the dangers is that within our lifetime, they’re going to disappear from the wild,” he said.

“We need to ensure we’re doing our absolute best to prevent this.”

To welcome Suli, Featherdale Wildlife Park will be giving away a free tree kanagroo plush toy with every full-priced child’s ticket purchased over the Easter Long Weekend.

Visit the park any day these school holidays (April 12 to 29) to receive a free animal toy with any full-priced child’s ticket. A new animal toy will be available each day. Visit featherdale.com.au to find your favourite.