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

ZOO

Young numbat

Reaching Perth the first place I visited was Perth zoo. In particular I wanted to see the numbat breeding program. Perth is the only place breeding numbats and they released them into the wild at Yookamurra and at Scottia. When I was at Scottia the second time it was to see a group of these numbats. My job was to monitor the numbats that had been released. A number of them had radio-tracking collars and I would drive around each day locating these individuals.

At the zoo I talked to the numbat keeper, Dani, and she showed me where the numbats were bred. At present they had a batch of young numbats just being weaned from their mothers in preparation for their release, this time at Yookamurra. It was good to see how the program operated and to hear about the anti-predator training that they gave the young numbats. I was able to get some good photographs of the young numbats and of the female numbat on public display.

I also visited the African Painted Dogs which I have a soft spot for after working with them in South Africa. The Perth zoo was well laid out and there were a good number of people there. I had hoped also to see the squirrels which live in the trees around the zoo. These are the only squirrel colony in Australia and probably came from individuals that have escaped from the zoo. However very few of these have been seen in recent years and their population may have died out or at least is very reduced in numbers.

Dani, one of the keepers