Latest news with #NSWEnvironment
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Tourists to see 'extinct' animals behind national park's 25km predator-free fence
Tourists will once again be able to see animals that became extinct in an Australian national park. You could argue it's a bit like Jurassic Park, except the creatures are much smaller. The plan is to reintroduce native species that are locally extinct but survived in small numbers elsewhere, giving them a second chance. This time around, they'll be protected by a 25km fence that's designed to keep invasive predators out. The 2,000-hectare Nungatta feral predator-free area in the South-East Forest National Park has been completed, but for now, curious walkers can only walk around the edge. By the end of 2025, they'll be able to venture inside. The one impediment is that National Parks and Wildlife Service first has to develop and install gates that will let walkers in, while keeping predators outside. Because a single cat or fox could decimate a population of rare animals. You'll need to look hard if you want to spot any of the reintroduced creatures, because most will be small. A population of critically endangered smoky mice was released as part of a trial commencing in September 2024, and at least one juvenile has been born since then. 🚨 281 experts call for ban of 'toxic' product sold at Coles, Bunnings, Woolworths, Mitre 10 📸 Beach find highlights dark side of Queensland's $88 million tourism pledge 🌏 Alarming map highlights growing threats to $3.8 billion industry On Thursday, the state government officially opened the predator-free zone. NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe said it will soon be home to more threatened species. They will likely include the long-footed potoroo, eastern bettong, eastern quoll and New Holland mouse. 'The opening of Nungatta demonstrates the Minns Labor Government's commitment to protecting and restoring our environment, including native animals and their habitats,' she said. The exterior of the fence will be patrolled at least three times a week. Other animals already surviving in the sanctuary include eastern pygmy-possums, yellow-bellied gliders and powerful owls. Sadly, small marsupials are struggling to survive on mainland Australia, with feral cats alone killing around 1.5 billion native animals a year. Habitat destruction and climate change also remain key threats. In NSW, around 50 per cent of threatened species in the state are on track to be wiped out in a century, according to a government report. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
The Guardian
01-06-2025
- 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.
