Pygmy Kangaroos Are Going Home
Rare Indonesian Pandemelons Rescued From Wildlife Trade
A wildlife rehabilitation facility in Java will release 17 young pandemelons, whose parents were rescued from illegal trade, into rainforest on Papua Island.
It is a proud moment for the Cikananga Animal Rescue Center. Over the years the Center acquired 6 dusky pandemelons (Thylogale brunii) that were either taken from the illegal trade or private zoos. These miniature kangaroos produced 17 youngsters, which the Center has raised to live in the wild, and this week they will be released on Papua island. The status of the wild dusky pandemelon population on Papua Island is not known but the IUCN has listed the species as Vulnerable, meaning they run a very strong risk of extinction over time.
The dusky pandemelon, also called pygmy or miniature kangaroo, is found in the Papua rainforest but little else is known about them. Weighing only about 30 pounds when full grown, they live in the dense forest undergrowth. The pandemelons, along with other native species such as the Sumatran orangutans, rhinoceros, tigers and elephants -all of which are endangered, are losing critical habitat to deforestation and commercial development, including palm oil plantations. Pygmy kangaroos are predated on by giant pythons and face further danger from being hunted by poachers who sell their meat and fur. The younger animals are sold into the pet trade, ending up in private collections such as the ones the adults were taken from.
Trade in wildlife is a problem worldwide, despite the protections that agreements like CITES attempt to put in place. As long as there is money to be made animals will be captured for sale. And many of the animals, like the adults at the Cikananga Center, end up being consigned to a life in permanent captivity even if they are rescued. Most often this is because the animals have been habituated to humans and have not developed the skills they need to survive in the wild. In addition, there are often concerns about diseases that the animals may have come into contact with while in captivity. Reintroducing an infected animal could result in the loss of animals from the wild population. Rehabilitating and releasing the young produced by non-releasable adults is a logical way to help increase the pandemelon population on Papua island with fewer risks. Raising the young in isolation from humans reduces the chance of disease exposure while avoiding humanizing them.
As is often the case, this program raises awareness of the issues of wildlife trade, habitat loss and deforestation that Indonesia faces. But for the young pandemelons being released back to the wild, their main concern will be just staying alive.
