ABC News highlights tree kangaroos and Crittercams
Featured on ABC World News and Nightline. See video to the right.
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From November 5-7, 2009, ABC News anchor Dan Harris joined researchers from Woodland Park Zoo-based Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program (TKCP) and National Geographic at the program's Wasaunon field research site in the Papua New Guinea cloud forest of the Huon Peninsula.
Through a generous grant from National Geographic and the Waitt Foundation's exploratory research program, Kyler Abernathy and TKCP's Lisa Dabek successfully captured and outfitted two wild tree kangaroos with National Geographic Crittercams. The Crittercams captured hours of footage from these endangered kangaroos' perspectives in the tree canopy, providing previously unknown data on the natural animal behavior of wild tree kangaroos, including feeding behavior and times of activity---important information in order to help conserve these animals and their habitat.
The Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program is a community-based conservation program working with landowners and the national government in Papua New Guinea to foster wildlife and habitat conservation, through global partnerships and community-based scientific research, education, healthcare, and land protection.
Since 2002, TKCP has partnered with Conservation International (CI) to protect tree kangaroo habitat in Papua New Guinea and support livelihoods in local communities. In 2009, TKCP and CI achieved a first for conservation in Papua New Guinea, with the declaration of the Yupno-Uruwa-Som (YUS) Conservation Area.
Now, TKCP is working to raise a total of $2 million for the YUS Conservation Trust Fund, which will provide long-term funding for protection and management of the conservation area, as well as in-country services to the surrounding communities.
The Trust is funded by a generous matching grant provided by Conservation International's Global Conservation Fund (with funding from the Moore Foundation). Our goal is to match the $1 million CI grant with $1 million in matching donations. We're making progress but your help is greatly appreciated!