Latest news with #Coranderrk
ABC News
4 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Critically endangered Leadbeater's Possums released for new breeding program
Two Leadbeater's Possums have been released into a sanctuary at the Coranderrk Bushland Nature Conservation Reserve. Scientists from the Healesville Sanctuary hope the possums will establish a new colony and breed in the wild, boosting numbers and improving genetic diversity for the species. Supplied: Healesville Sanctuary
ABC News
4 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
Breeding program launched in Victoria for critically endangered Leadbeater's possums
Protected by a predator-proof fence, two tiny Leadbeater's possums have settled into their new life at the Coranderrk Bushland Nature Conservation Reserve with a big task ahead. Named Mercury (male) and Narvi (female), the possums have been raised and released by scientists from the Healesville Sanctuary in a decade-long effort to help rehabilitate the species. Healesville Sanctuary's threatened species keeper Amie Hindson said the pair had settled in well to their new habitat and were showing signs of forming a positive bond. "They were getting together straight away from night one, so that was a really good sign that they were getting along pretty well," she said. Scientists will continue to monitor the possums in the hope they will successfully establish a new colony in the wild. The Leadbeater's possum is unique to Victoria and was named the state's animal emblem in 1971. They are only found in the mountain ash forests of the Victorian central highlands, from Healesville and Marysville to Mt Baw Baw. Adult possums are about 40 centimetres in length and have distinctive markings on their face. There are two distinct groups of Leadbeater's possums: highland and lowland. Highland possums live in the central highlands of Victoria, and lowland possums only live at Yellingbo Nature Conservation Area. Once presumed extinct, the Leadbeater's possum was rediscovered in 1961, with the lowland population thought lost until 1986. Ms Hindson said the species was now listed as critically endangered due to habitat loss. "There are a lot of issues due to habitat loss and poor quality habitat, which are really affecting possum numbers in the wild." Both populations are critically endangered, with fewer than 40 lowland possums remaining in the wild. Scientists at Healesville have been working to establish a captive breeding program with the highland Leadbeater. Female possum Narvi was a successful result of that program. Her match with Mercury, a lowland Leadbeater, marks a first for the sanctuary as it tries to successfully match a mixed pairing. Healesville field officer Arabella Eyre worked to bring Mercury into the breeding program. She said breeding across the populations would hopefully ensure greater genetic diversity among wild populations. "The lowland population is so small, there are fewer than 40 individuals left in the wild," she said. "That's nine breeding pairs, and that can only hold on for so long. The team is radio tracking the possums and providing supplementary food as the possums adjust to wild conditions. As Mercury and Narvi settle into their new forest home, scientists will continue to monitor their progress with hopes that a new joey may soon join the pair. "That would mean so much to us," Ms Eyre said.
