Sad reason why six rare Aussie animals were placed in backpacks and flown 570km to secure location
Fewer than 100 southern brush-tailed rock-wallabies remain in the wild, primarily due to habitat destruction and predation by invasive European foxes. But there are an additional 300 to 400 living at the Mount Rothwell sanctuary, west of Melbourne, which is run by environmental charity the Odonata Foundation.
Its chief operating officer Matt Singleton explained the wallabies are a curious creature that scales high rocky cliffs, watching people as they walk past. 'They stand up there almost like meerkats. When you sit still and watch them... they mind their own business, but they're always keeping a watchful eye over you,' he said.
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With most of the brush-tailed rock-wallabies at this one location, just north of the You Yangs, the species was deemed susceptible to threats like bushfire. So work is being done to spread the genetics around to improve the health of two smaller populations at faraway predator-proof sanctuaries.
Wallabies placed inside backpacks to keep them calm
When populations get too small, there's a danger they can become inbred. On Friday morning, three males and three females with healthy genetics were selected to be sent to Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve in the ACT where a population of 20 live. At the same time, two will be taken from Tidbinbilla to Central Victoria, to help set up a population there.
Tidbinbilla is well known for its work in helping save threatened species, and it is one of the last remaining places on Earth where the critically endangered Canberra grassland earless dragon survives.
Brush-tailed rock-wallabies are well known for their ability to help the landscape by nibbling between long tussock grasses, potentially improving the landscape for dragons, which require open spaces. They also spread mycorrhizal fungi, which attach to tree roots to help them communicate.
As Singleton spoke to Yahoo on Friday afternoon, the wallabies were mid-flight. Each was placed inside a backpack so they'd feel comfortable.
'They feel like they're in a pouch, and it reduces stress on the animals. A lot of macropods like rock wallabies have stress toxins build up in their bodies and they can be fatal to them,' he said.
After the wallabies are picked up at Canberra Airport, they'll be placed inside one to two-hectare pens to keep them quarantined from the established Tidbinbilla while they adjust.
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While the Odonata Foundation has been successful in breeding up numbers, Singleton said the Southern Brush-Tailed Rock-Wallaby Recovery Team's work has been a collaborative effort.
'I think it's a great example of how people can work together to achieve really great outcomes to recover a species. And from Odonata's perspective, our work couldn't be done without the support of Amazon's Right Now Climate Fund,' he said in reference to the tech giant's $100 million nature investment fund to help conserve natural landscapes and build climate resilience around the world.
The project was also supported by the ACT Government and Cesar Australia.
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