Recently, Dr. Jane Goodall met Jim Thomas at the Wildlife Conservation Network Expo, where she gave the keynote address to an audience of over 1,000 people.  Jim is the Director of the Tenkile Conservation Alliance and is working to save the Scotts’ Tree Kangaroo from extinction.

The Tenkile or Scotts’ Tree Kangaroo (Dendrolagus scottae) is only found in the Torricelli Mountain Range of Papua New Guinea (PNG). Discovered in 1989 Tenkile is one of the most endangered marsupials in the world with a population of approximately three hundred. Being a kangaroo they have a pouch but tree kangaroos can walk bi-pedally (like people) and can hop as well. They have a flexible tail to help them balance and strong claws for climbing in the rainforest.

Tenkile is critically endangered because the human population has tripled in the last 50 years and the people depend on the rainforest for food. Tenkile has been hunted to the brink of extinction. More recently logging, mining and oil palm projects have increased the risk of all flora and fauna within the Torricelli Mountain Range and the surrounding areas in PNG.

The Tenkile Conservation Alliance (TCA) was established in 2001 to save the Tenkile and its habitat. Their work focuses on education, research and sustainable community development such as rabbit and chicken farms as alternative food sources to wild animals. TCA is working closely with local people to help establish a legally protected conservation area in the Torricelli Mountain Range.

After meeting Dr. Goodall, Jim is now planning to start a TCA chapter of Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots program. Roots & Shoots encourages youth to make positive change happen for people, animals, and the environment through service-learning projects.

To learn more please about TCA please visit their website: www.tenkile.com.