Nature photographer and Queensland local Matt Cornish is a seasoned wildlife guide. For years, he’s been exploring remote areas in the country’s north and sharing his fascinating discoveries online.
However, even he was taken aback by what he spotted frolicking in the Daintree Rainforest one day. Much to his delight, after he scanned the thick vegetation, his eyes landed on a mum and joey Bennett’s Tree Kangaroo perched on a branch.
It’s the rarest wildlife encounter he’s ever had, Matt told Yahoo News Australia.
Bennett’s tree kangaroos live exclusively north of the Daintree River, so finding them in their lush natural environment can be a bit tricky.
“To see a Bennett’s tree kangaroo in the wild at almost eye level is unbelievably rare,” he said of the magical moment, which he captured on video.
“To see a female and a joey together is obviously mind-blowing. To see a joey drinking from the pouch of a mum at eye level in the Daintree Rainforest is the holy grail of wildlife encounters in Australia.”
The joey was drinking from its mum’s pouch, Matt said. Source: Matt Cornish/Facebook
While the encounter happened about two years ago, Matt told Yahoo he decided to share it on his socials again this week to remind Aussies to observe our spectacular native wildlife responsibly.
“For animals that are quite under-appreciated and quite unknown, it’s nice to be able to share visual encounters for members of the public to see, to appreciate not only that these animals exist, but also some of the threats they’re facing as well,” he said.
For Bennett’s tree kangaroos, land clearing and motor vehicle strikes are the biggest concerns.
The area attracts a huge amount of tourists year-round, but the plea is particularly timely given the amount of people on the roads this time of year.
“We have a huge amount of locals that drive quickly through there, as well as people visiting from interstate and internationally, and there is a chance that these animals could be crossing the roadway, crossing that gap in the rainforest, and being struck by vehicles,” Matt told Yahoo.
“By re-sharing videos and photos of these quite elusive animals, it’s nice to remind people that these animals exist, and that we need to actually be mindful about our day-to-day activity.”
That goes for endangered southern cassowaries as well, he noted.
If visitors are lucky enough to spot one, they should keep their distance and not feed it.
Earlier this month, Matt spoke about a Queensland tour group that were treated to a rare tree kangaroo sighting last year. Source: TikTok/adventuresbymatt
Incredibly rare discovery in Aussie street
The warning comes just weeks after Matt spoke to Yahoo about a tour group’s encounter last year with an exceptionally elusive and “incredibly rare” species in the tropical north.
He shared footage earlier this month of the encounter where a group caught a glimpse of the Lumholtz’s tree kangaroo — a sight few tourists ever witness — in a residential street in Yungaburra in the Atherton Tablelands.
The species is also under threat by habitat loss driven by land clearing, collisions with vehicles and attacks from dogs
Matt said this makes seeing them in the wild all the more exciting, and shines a light on the importance of conserving this remarkable species.
“I’ve worked in wildlife for most of my life, and I’ve realised that probably 90 per cent of Australians don’t know that we have two tree kangaroo species in the wild,” he said.
“And I would say even the 10 per cent that do, most of them don’t know that we have them in Australia.
“Most people assume that any tree kangaroo in the wild is found in Papua New Guinea.”
Just in the last couple of years, Matt said he’s seen over 10 different Lumholtz’s tree kangaroos killed in his local area.
“This is directly from people driving too fast through the areas,” he explained.
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