Researchers ecstatic after catching rare glimpse of critically endangered creature in nature refuge: 'It's very gratifying'
A tussle between two wild animals caught on a trail camera revealed happy news about an elusive species–and ended happily for both critters.
In hours of footage captured at Richard Underwood Nature Refuge in Australia, a northern hairy‑nosed wombat tried to take on a short‑beaked echidna, revealing exciting conservation updates for researchers about conservation efforts for the endangered wombat species, according to a report from Earth.com.
The researchers noted that the young wombat looked healthy, with a smooth coat and sturdy build, suggesting plenty of foraging opportunities and low-stress conditions.
"It's very gratifying to know that one of the world's most critically endangered animals is doing well and breeding within the safety of the fenced area," Andy Howe of the Australian Wildlife Conservancy told the outlet.
Only 400 northern hairy‑nosed wombats live in the wild currently. In 2009, a group of 15 wombats was moved to the park as part of conservation efforts. According to the researchers, the junior wombat's appearance on camera confirmed that a second generation is doing well without hand-feeding from humans.
Wombats are important to the health of the soil in the ecosystem thanks to their burrowing, which brings important nutrients to the surface and helps mix organic matter and seedlings, according to WIRES (Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service). Their burrows also provide shelter for other species, making them crucial to more species during increasingly intense heatwaves in the Outback.
In their report, the researchers noted the importance of trail cameras in helping monitor wombat health by letting "ecologists confirm pouch emergence dates, monitor health, and detect any intruding wild dogs before disaster strikes," Earth.com explained.
Scientists around the world have been able to track more and more species with trail cameras, making hopeful discoveries like the return of the pangolin in India, wolves in North America, and rare otter behavior in Israel.
As for the fight between the wombat and the echidna, for the spiny-backed marsupial, it was hardly a fight at all, as the wombat was all bluff and the echidna just kept walking by. "It's a nervous wombat and a happy echidna," biologist Tim Flannery of the Australian Museum told the outlet.
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