Gilbert’s potoroo released at TwoPeoples Bay. Credit: DBCA.
For those roo-ting for Australian wildlife, there’re reasons to jump for joy as several endangered marsupials begin the road to recovery in their native habitats.
Starting with the world’s most-endangered marsupial, 4 male and 2 female Gilbert’s potoroos were released into the great southern region of the state of Western Australia.
After being threatened with extinction from a bushfire that reduced their numbers to 100, an insurance population was established on Bald Island, and a specially fenced-off area within Waychinicup National Park.
From these populations come the six pioneers that will hopefully lead to a rapid recovery in Two Peoples Bay, on the slopes of Mount Gardner, Western Australia.
The potoroos were fitted with GPS trackers and radio transmitters.
“We’ll be able to find out where they move, where they feed, and where they sleep,” said Potoroo researcher Tony Friend. “It’s important as we hope to learn if the potoroos can use the area that was burnt in 2015 … the vegetation is not as thick.”
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Australia’s small marsupials can breed fast if food is plentiful and they are not over-hunted by feral cats and invasive foxes, something that conservationists in New South Wales, working with the golden banicoot are seeing.
These smaller marsupials have been locally-extirpated from the far north-west for over 100 years. Now, after being reintroduced earlier this year in May, they are breeding at exceedlingly-fast rates within Sturt National Park.
Golden bandicoot CC 2.0. Amareta Kelly
Their gestation period is mere weeks, and their young are protected in their mother’s pouch until they’re old enough to move freely.
The reintroduction was handled by Wild Deserts, a project from the Univ. of New South Wales that reintroduced bilbies—another marsupial extinct locally for over 100 years—back to Sturt in 2020.
Indeed the AUD$40 million program has saved and expanded 7 other species beyond the golden bandicoot and bilbies, and NSW Environment Minister James Griffin said it’s not only leading Australia “but the world,” as well.
“We’re turning back that tide of extinction,” said Atticus Fleming, NSW Acting Coordinator General, “We’re bringing back bandicoots, bilbies, numbats…”
A recent trapping campaign to count how many golden bandicoot joeys were among the breeding females showed “absolutely flourishing popluations.”
Wild Deserts project coordinator Reece Pedler said the project has more species on the list, and are working through the approvals on what animals to reintroduce next year.
WATCH the golden bandicoot release from May…
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