[2] The tenkile is listed as endangered due to hunting and logging activities in Papua New Guinea.

Additionally, tenkiles are poached for their fur and are captured and sold as a part of the illegal pet trade.

[5] Deforestation in Papua New Guinea affects all tree-kangaroos, and industrial logging that occurs in the Torricelli Mountain Range decreases the species' already restricted habitat.

The Torricelli Mountain Range faces additional deforestation due to the timber industry, and the production of coffee, rice and wheat.

[8] The tenkile inhabits mid-montane rain-forests predominated by Podocarpus, Libocedrus, Araucaria and Rapanea.

Unlike other tree-kangaroos, which are partially frugivorous, they are mainly herbivores; their known diet comprises epiphytic ferns, green leafy material and vines including Scaevola and Tetracera.

Currently, research is being compiled from the knowledge of the local people and a collection of the animal's specific diet is being prepared.

The slow reproduction rate would also mean that it simply takes longer to replace lost individuals or increase the population.

Most accounts of tenkile social interaction in the wild has been recorded by locals in Papua New Guinea.

[3] The animal is hunted by indigenous people for food and the sub-population in the Torricelli Mountains is believed to number fewer than 250 individuals.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed the animal's status as being "critically endangered" and a moratorium on hunting has been arranged with the local community in the Swelpini area.

TCA have been able to get 50 villages to join the hunting moratorium that helps in the conservation efforts of not only the Tenkile but also the Weimang/ Golden Tree Kangaroo.