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Indonesian Kangaroos to Gain Freedom
Topic Started: Jun 7 2007, 11:40 PM (27 Views)
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Indonesian Kangaroos to Gain Freedom
By Associated Press

JAKARTA, Indonesia

Indonesia is returning 17 rare pygmy kangaroos to the Papuan rain forest after rescuing and acquiring them in recent years from illegal traders and private zoos, officials said Monday. It is unknown how many of the mammals, which can grow up to three-feet long and weigh 25 pounds, still survive in the wild.

The animals being released were born to six males and females cared for by the Cikananga Animal Rescue Center on West Java where they have been reared to survive in their natural habitat, said spokesman Resit Sozer.

They are to be released on Tuesday into the forest, where they will face predators such as giant pythons and local poachers who eat their meat or sell their hides.

The World Conservation Union placed the species in its "vulnerable" category, meaning they face a high risk of extinction in the medium-term. It has not specified a time period.

The trade in rare and exotic animals from Papua and other areas of Indonesia is rampant, due largely to poor law enforcement. Rapid deforestation and commercial development also threaten species such as the Sumatran tiger, elephant, rhino and orangutan.

"Illegal trade can't be stopped without the cooperation of buyers and neighboring countries. If the buying continues, we will never be able to stop it," said Adi Susmianto, a senior official at the Forest Ministry.

Little is known about the Indonesian kangaroos, known as dusky pademelons, or Thylogale brunii.

http://www.happynews.com/news/642007/.htm
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Pademelon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A pademelon is any of seven species of small, kangaroo-like creatures that are usually found in forests. Pademelons are the smallest of the macropods. The name is a corruption of badimaliyan, from the Dharuk Aboriginal language of Port Jackson.

Pademelons, wallabies, and kangaroos are very alike in body structure, and the names just refer to the three different size groups. Originally wallabies were divided into small and large wallabies, but a more suitable name was needed to differentiate between them.

Besides their smaller size, pademelons can be distinguished from wallabies by their shorter, thicker, and sparsely haired tails.

Distribution and habitat

Tasmanian pademelons in Narawntapu National Park. The pair at the back are about to mate.Red-necked Pademelons can be found in the coastal regions of Queensland and New South Wales. In some places their range has been drastically reduced.

Red-legged Pademelons can also be found in south-central New Guinea. The Red-bellied or Tasmanian Pademelon is abundant in Tasmania. The Dusky Pademelon lives in Papua New Guinea and surrounding islands. It was previously called the Aru Island Wallaby. Before that, it was called the Filander. This name occurred in a translation of C. de Bruyns Travels published in 1737.

The natural habitat of the pademelon is in thick scrubland or dense forested undergrowth. They also make tunnels through long grasses and bushes in swampy country.

Diet and behavior

If there are no predators, such as dogs, they graze in the early mornings or evenings on grassy slopes near thickets into which they can quickly escape at the first sign of danger. Having noticed danger, such as a python, they may try to warn others by stomping their feet on the ground producing surprisingly loud sound. Pademelons are nocturnal and tend to feed at night.

Their main diet is made up of grasses, leaves, and small shoots. They do little damage to crops and are not as aggressive as wallabies and kangaroos can be, making them gentle pets.

Normally, a group of females would stay on the territory with males showing up, only when one of the females is ready for mating. This is in contrast to the behavior of bigger kangaroos, who stay in mixed mobs with a male leader.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pademelon
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