Three rare Parma kangaroos, once thought to have been extinct, have just come to Budapest Zoo from Antwerp. The white-throated Macropus parma are smaller than their great grey cousins, with whom they can now be seen at this popular, family-friendly attraction near the City Park.
Budapest Zoo has been keeping kangaroos ever since it first opened in 1866. In all, some 14 species have resided here – but these Parma varieties are the rarest.
Discovered in the mid-1800s, Parma kangaroos were thought to have been extinct until a few specimens were discovered in 1965 on the island of Kawau in New Zealand, where they had been introduced in the 1870s. And in 1967, it turned out that another few creatures had survived in parts of New South Wales.
Parma kangaroos, also known as white-throated kangaroos, are quite small, adults weighing between three and six kilograms. Usually they live alone, but can sometimes be seen in smaller groups of three or four. They are native to eastern Australia, including the north-eastern half of New South Wales, along the Great Dividing Range, and prefer dense undergrowth.
Currently Budapest Zoo houses four types of kangaroo, including the red-necked, the small brush-tailed rat and the giant grey Western varieties.
Budapest Zoo
District XIV. Állatkerti körút
Open: Summer Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat-Sun 9am-7pm
