National Zoo and Aquarium zookeeper Brendan Sheean will be keeping a close eye on the zoo's two Goodfellow's tree kangaroos for any signs of flirting between the pair.
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As part of the zoo's regional breeding program for endangered species, eight-year-old Simbu was relocated from Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary on the Gold Coast three weeks ago to hopefully be paired with nine-year-old girl, Oumak.
Mr Sheean said the matchmaking process between tree kangaroos was not a simple task.
"Tree kangaroos are not as easy to breed as most other kangaroos and that's because the girl only fancies the boy for three days out of every 55 days," he said.
"We have to pick the right timing when she's more interested in him."
That's right: three out of 55 days for sparks to fly. Talk about hard to get.
He said the signs could be simply the pair looking over at each other or Oumak walking the fence and "flirting" with Simbu.
"You can tell pretty much straight away if she is interested," he said.
"She'll come down, she'll say g'day to him, a bit of flirting and hopefully, the romance will begin."
Tree kangaroos are native to northern Queensland, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. There are about 14 species.
"Unfortunately, all of the species are from vulnerable to critically endangered and there's not much known about them."
Mr Sheean said Simbu, who has "experience on his side" after successfully producing two joeys, was a good boy who can hopefully win over "our girl".
The zoo produced one joey in 2014 but has been unsuccessful since.
"We haven't had much success and that was mainly due to our previous boy getting too old," he said.
"He's headed off to another zoo for retirement and we've got a new boy, Simbu, who has arrived for breeding."
Unlike common ground-dwelling kangaroo, tree roos are slow and clumsy on the ground, but agile and flexible in the treetops, making use of their long tail for balance.
The zoo has also opened a new tree kangaroo conservation hut with the tree kangaroo conservation program.
"They work with tree kangaroos in the wild and protect them from becoming extinct," he said.
"The hut is here to teach people the amazing work that is happening over in Papua New Guinea and hopefully inspires them to protect these species in the wild."
