There are high hopes for tree kangaroo conservation in Papua New Guinea following the screening of a film documenting work being done to save them in the Torricelli Mountains.
A Tree Kangaroo in Papua New Guinea. Photo: Tenkile Conservation Alliance - From the film page "Into The Jungle"
There are 15 known species of tree kangaroo on the planet and 13 of them are found in PNG.
Over a hundred people attended the premiere of "Into the Jungle" in Port Moresby which features appearances by Sir David Attenborough and Dame Jane Goodall.
The film follows Australian couple Jim and Jane Thomas who have lived and worked with local communities in Sandaun Province for the past 15 years to build the Tenkile Conservation Alliance, Tenkile being one of the most endangered species of tree kangaroos in PNG.
Jim Thomas says he hopes the film will bring more sustainability to their work and help a campaign for more than 200,000 hectares of the Torricelli Mountain Ranges to become a national conservation area.
"Yeah look everyone was glued to their seats and watched the whole film and we got a lot of very positive feedback afterwards and everyone wants a copy of it and wants to see it again. So we have got now got to organise how to showcase it in Papua New Guinea, Australia and the rest of the world," Jim Thomas said.
The Tenkile Conservation Alliance's Jim Thomas meeting with communities in Papua New Guinea. Photo: Courtesy of Jim Thomas -Tenkile Conservation Alliance
