Saudi Arabia Announces Participation in Horticulture Expo 2023 in Doha

A night view of Doha, Qatar. (AFP)
A night view of Doha, Qatar. (AFP)
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Saudi Arabia Announces Participation in Horticulture Expo 2023 in Doha

A night view of Doha, Qatar. (AFP)
A night view of Doha, Qatar. (AFP)

Saudi Arabia announced on Sunday its participation in Expo 2023 Doha for Horticulture to show its efforts in facing environmental challenges.

Held under the theme “Green Desert, Better Environment”, Expo 2023 Doha for Horticulture will focus on inspiring and informing people about creative methods to mitigate and minimize desertification.

Head Director of Saudi Arabia’s participation Saleh Bindakhil explained that the Saudi participation in the Expo is part of its efforts and contributions to achieving environmental sustainability through the ambitious Vision 2030 initiatives.

He added that Saudi Arabia will work to lead the next green era by launching many programs, such as the Saudi Green and Middle East Green initiatives. The initiatives have a role in achieving a green future for all, food security, and improving the quality of life.

The Saudi Pavilion at Expo Doha 2023 will feature many sections that reflect the diversity and richness of the Kingdom. The projects of the 2030 Vision will be highlighted, such as the sustainability projects, programs that focus on boosting food security, and transformation of agriculture through modern technology, hydroponics and horticultural.



7-month-old Tree Kangaroo Peeks Out of Mom's Pouch at Bronx Zoo

This photo, provided by the Wildlife Conservation Society, shows a Matschie's tree kangaroo joey that made its first appearance from its mother's pouch at New York's Bronx Zoo, Thursday, July 18, 2024. (Wildlife Conservation Society/Terria Clay via AP)
This photo, provided by the Wildlife Conservation Society, shows a Matschie's tree kangaroo joey that made its first appearance from its mother's pouch at New York's Bronx Zoo, Thursday, July 18, 2024. (Wildlife Conservation Society/Terria Clay via AP)
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7-month-old Tree Kangaroo Peeks Out of Mom's Pouch at Bronx Zoo

This photo, provided by the Wildlife Conservation Society, shows a Matschie's tree kangaroo joey that made its first appearance from its mother's pouch at New York's Bronx Zoo, Thursday, July 18, 2024. (Wildlife Conservation Society/Terria Clay via AP)
This photo, provided by the Wildlife Conservation Society, shows a Matschie's tree kangaroo joey that made its first appearance from its mother's pouch at New York's Bronx Zoo, Thursday, July 18, 2024. (Wildlife Conservation Society/Terria Clay via AP)

The second baby of a tree-dwelling kangaroo made its public debut this week in New York, poking its pink head out of its mom's furry white pouch.

The tiny Matschie’s tree kangaroo, or Dendrolagus matschiei, was born in December and is the second born to the same mother since 2022. It also was the third of its kind born at the Bronx Zoo since 2008, The Associated Press reported.

The tree kangaroo species only gestate for about six weeks before they are born and immediately crawl into their marsupial moms' pouches, the zoo said in a statement. It takes around seven months for the young to start peeking out of the pouch.

There are only around 2,500 tree kangaroos in the wild and 42 in captivity, the zoo said. In a statement Friday, a Bronx Zoo spokesperson said that the kangaroo's birth was significant for the network of zoos that aims to preserve genetic diversity among endangered animals.

"It's a small population and because of that births are not very common," said Jessica Moody, curator of primates and small mammals at the Bronx Zoo. “So it's a rare and exciting event,” adding that baby tree kangaroos are “possibly one of the cutest animals to have ever lived. They look like stuffed animals, it's amazing.”

The tree kangaroos are native to the Huon Peninsula in Papua New Guinea, where they are threatened by human activities such as habitat destruction and hunting, the statement said. They live primarily in trees and are smaller than Australia’s better-known red kangaroo. An adult tree kangaroo weighs between 20 and 25 pounds (9–11 kilograms). The joeys are about the size of a human thumb when they are born, but grow to as long as 30 inches (76 centimeters).