EXTINCTION

Bilbies under infrared lights at Adelaide zoo

Australia has the worst record of any continent for animal extinction. Some mammals that have been identified as being in danger of becoming extinct have already been reintroduced to other AWC sanctuaries. AWC seem to be leading the way in the saving of endangered wildlife populations. The establishment of feral-free environments and the management of these populations seem to be having an impact on at least saving some of these animals. Six of AWC sanctuaries already have feral-free areas.

The nine endangered mammals to be reintroduced to Mount Gibson over the next five years are:                         
                                                Woylie (only 10,000 left in the world)

                                                Banded Hare-wallaby (8,000 left)

                                                Greater Stick-nest Rat (3,000 left)

                                                Bilby (10,000 left)

                                                Western Barred Bandicoot (5,000 left)

                                                Red-tailed Phascogale (3,000 left)

                                                Shark Bay Mouse (6,000 left)

                                                Chuditch (8,000 left)

                                                Common Brushtail Possum (less than 10,000)

                                                Numbat (less than 750 left)

The Greater Stick-nest Rat at Mount Gibson already

Boodies being released after checking at Yookamurra

Numbats being bred at Perth zoo

Researchers monitoring introduced populations at Yookamurra

AWC also has programs to introduce students to issues in wildlife ecology

MOUNT GIBSON

I picked up Laura, one of the volunteers, from Perth and headed for the sanctuary at Mt Gibson, about four hours drive away. Laura is from New Zealand and has a degree and honours in ecology and has moved to Perth because the job opportunities are greater here. On the way we passed through a number of ‘towns’. These towns were very small, often just a garage and one or two other buildings. The directions were vague, as is usual with AWC. But we followed them and 70 kms past Wubin took a right turn down a dirt track. Thirty kilometres later and a few false stops we found where we were staying.

Laura

The first day there were ten of us there. We had to set up the traps. We worked in two teams, each team covering six sites. At each site we set up two pitfall traps, two wire traps and twenty Gilbert traps. The pitfalls involve erecting a small fence in a T shape. At each end and in the middle there are buckets, so that reptiles and small mammals follow the fence line and fall into the bucket. There are also six funnel traps along the T. These are to trap snakes and larger lizards. The cages are to trap larger mammals, such as bettongs and the Gilbert traps are for hopping mice, dunnerts and field mice.

For the first day we have ten people here. All of the others are young females and all have science degrees or doctorates. There are four volunteers, one intern and the other five are ecologists. Some of the ecologists are leaving after the first day to go back to their own sanctuaries. The weather is reasonably mild.

Constructing pitfall walls

Setting up the funnels

Constructing dinner