Latest news with #HealesvilleSanctuary
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
This elusive possum was thought to be extinct outside Victoria. Now ecologists have made an ‘amazing' discovery
A critically endangered possum species thought to be isolated to Victoria has been found in a New South Wales alpine national park. Previously thought to be extinct in the state, a leadbeater's possum has been found in Kosciuszko national park, at least 250km away from the nearest sighting in Victoria. A trawl through millions of photos found seven images of the tiny creature over a 10-second span, with the Healesville Sanctuary and the Australian National University confirming the NSW environment department's find. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email The leadbeater's possum, Victoria's faunal emblem, has big eyes and a bushy tail. It relies on dense, damp areas in old-growth forest and nests in hollows that take more than 150 years to form. Dr Fred Ford, a senior threatened species officer at the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, said it was 'amazing to see that distinctive bushy tail waving among the rows of images on the screen'. 'It jumped right out at me,' he said. 'This discovery highlights that you have to be out there looking at the world to find these rare species. 'You might not be specifically looking for what you find, but the more you look, particularly using modern techniques such as remote cameras and environmental DNA, the more chance you have to find them.' NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe labelled the find 'extraordinary'. 'For ecologists to spot a needle in a haystack of millions of images speaks to their commitment to the conservation cause and demonstrates that NSW government threatened species officers are doing some of the most incredible work,' she said. 'This special find in Kosciuszko National Park once again highlights why the government is taking action to remove invasive species to protect Australia's only mainland alpine region, which spans the NSW and Victorian border.' A recent survey found the national park's brumby population had been drastically culled via aerial shooting, which Sharpe said was important in providing the right conditions for native species. Ecologists will review past surveys of Kosciuszko to see if more of the critically endangered possums can be spotted, along with putting in new cameras to help look for them. Leadbeater's possums, known as 'forest fairies' for their elusiveness, were thought to be extinct when they were rediscovered near Marysville in 1961. Fewer than 40 of the lowland subspecies exist today in a tract of the Yellingbo Forest, east of Melbourne, after most of its habitat was lost to logging and development.
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.
The Guardian
09-05-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
Helmeted honeyeaters return to Cardinia in Victoria for first time since 1983's Ash Wednesday bushfires
For the first time in 42 years, critically endangered helmeted honeyeaters have returned to Cardinia in south-east Victoria, where they were found until the Ash Wednesday bushfires in 1983. Helmeted honeyeaters are charismatic, energetic and curious, according to Dr Kim Miller, the manager of threatened species at Healesville sanctuary. Even though the birds can be quite territorial, they're social and will shake their gold and black feathers in 'a really beautiful greeting to each other'. Twenty-one birds captive-bred at the sanctuary were released into forest on Bunurong country where researchers will monitor them to see if they breed and can establish themselves as a new wild population. Sign up to get climate and environment editor Adam Morton's Clear Air column as a free newsletter 'The location at Cardinia has some really good habitat features that helmeted honeyeaters require,' said Miller, who has worked with the species for a decade. 'It has the right vegetation structure and some of the food plants that they need. That combination is hard to come by.' Fewer than 250 helmeted honeyeaters remain in the world. Miller said 99% of the species' habitat had been wiped out across its range and genetic diversity was a problem because the remaining wild birds were incredibly isolated. Sign up to Clear Air Australia Adam Morton brings you incisive analysis about the politics and impact of the climate crisis after newsletter promotion One remnant wild population can be found at Yellingbo nature conservation reserve in the Upper Yarra Valley. A second wild population is found at Yarra Ranges national park, where scientists working with the decades-long conservation breeding program began releasing birds in 2021. The program has been releasing birds every year since 1995, mostly to boost numbers at Yellingbo. A couple of populations introduced at other sites have been unsuccessful. 'Releasing species into new locations, there's no guarantee of success,' Miller said. 'The recovery team has been working really hard for more than a decade in finding suitable sites that can support a population of helmeted honeyeaters.' Miller said researchers planned to release more birds at the Cardinia site over the next few years to try to increase their numbers and genetic diversity. A radio transmitter has been attached to each of the birds for temporary tracking. Miller said it would fall off after a few weeks, after which each bird would be monitored over the long term via the unique leg bands they had been fitted with. Zoos Victoria's helmeted honeyeater field officer, Dr Nick Bradsworth, is at the site to feed and monitor the birds for the first few weeks. 'To see them flying around and squabbling with each other where they would have been doing this over 40 years ago, it feels like the right thing,' he said. 'This is just the start. We are just going to keep building from here. Hopefully we can create even more populations throughout eastern Victoria through their former range, so our bird faunal emblem can thrive for years to come.'
ABC News
08-05-2025
- General
- ABC News
Victorian helmeted honeyeaters returned to the wild in historic release
More than 20 iconic yellow and black helmeted honeyeaters have fluttered off into their new forest home on Bunurong Country in eastern Victoria. The birds were bred at Healesville Sanctuary near Melbourne as part of a conservation program establishing a crucial wild population in the fight against extinction. Zoos Victoria helmeted honeyeater field officer Nick Bradsworth said the release in Gippsland this month was a bittersweet time for those involved in the program. "It is an emotional moment for the recovery team, and so many of our partners, to have had helmeted honeyeaters return to this area after an absence of over 40 years," Dr Bradsworth said. Scientists are hopeful the continued introduction of new colonies of the birds will help re-establish their numbers and ensure their survival. Honeyeaters are unique to Australasia, with around 170 species recorded. The helmeted honeyeater is known for its striking black and yellow plumage, and a bright yellow crest or "helmet", which distinguishes the bird from other honeyeaters. Dr Bradsworth said the helmeted honeyeater was chosen in 1971 as Victoria's bird emblem partly because it was only found east of Melbourne. "Its historic distribution used to be from the Yarra Valley down to the Westerport Bay and through the hills of the Koo Wee Rup swamps," he said. Zoos Victoria estimated there were only 200 helmeted honeyeaters in the wild. The birds are listed as threatened under Victorian legislation and endangered under Commonwealth legislation. The species has not been seen in the Cardinia area since the Ash Wednesday fires in 1983. The team at Healesville Sanctuary has been part of a national recovery plan for the species, with a focus on population management and the establishment of new colonies in the wild. Healesville Sanctuary's helmeted honeyeater breeding program lead, Kim Miller, said the team was hopeful the new population of birds at Cardinia would help improve the genetic diversity of the species. Dr Bradsworth said Zoos Victoria had been working closely with other local organisations to rehabilitate the habitat ahead of the birds' release. "They are listed as critically endangered still, but we're actively working to help reverse their decline, and so one of those factors is through re-introductions into the wild, mainly with captive-bred birds," he said. As the honeyeaters establish themselves, a dedicated team will monitor and provide supplementary food to ensure the species thrives in its new location. Scientists from Healesville have managed to attach tiny VHF radio transmitters to the birds' tails, allowing them to track the birds, although Dr Bradsworth has managed to come up with his own way of identifying the colony. "All of the birds have unique colour combinations on their legs, so I can actually identify which individuals are which … who they pair off with, and where they go," he said. All involved hope the release is the beginning of re-establishing the iconic species. "We do hope to increase the number of sites in years to come, bolster numbers with captive-born birds and hope that they thrive into the future."
