The Torricelli Mountain Range in Papua New Guinea is home to two of the most endangered tree kangaroo species. Thanks to community programs, research and a hunting moratorium, they are facing a brighter future.
Numbers of Tenkile (Scott’s Tree Kangaroo) and Weimang (Golden-mantled Tree Kangaroo) have declined rapidly over the past 50 years as the human population in the mountains has trebled. Tree kangaroos are an important source of protein for the villagers but with more mouths to feed, fewer treekangaroos remain.
Tenkile Conservation Alliance works with villages in the mountains to develop programs to halt the decline. This includes the establishment of a hunting moratorium which has resulted in no significant hunting of any animals within the Tenkile’s habitat since 2004. Chicken and rabbit farms have been set up in the villages as an alternative protein source to tree kangaroos. Population monitoring has also occurred to determine the numbers of Tenkile and Weimang in the wild. Tenkile Conservation Alliance is pleased to report that their numbers are increasing.
To date, Wildlife Conservation Action has contributed $40,000 to Tenkile Conservation Alliance for its various programs including work specifically focusing on the conservation of the Weimang. There are 21 villages that have Weimang on their land. Communication and co-operation initiatives have been implemented to assist in this work.
Please donate to Wildlife Conservation Action to support this important work.
* figures are as at January 2012
