Latest news with #Nungatta
Yahoo
4 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.
News.com.au
4 days ago
- Science
- News.com.au
Aussie park you can see ‘extinct' animals
Tourists and Aussies alike will now be able to see local animals that became extinct at Nungatta in South East Forest National Park. A 25km-long feral-proof fence now surrounds the area with visitors only allowed to walk around the edge. But plans to allow curious walkers inside are set for later this year. In the 2000-hectare park will be native species that are locally extinct but survived in small numbers elsewhere, giving them a second chance. National Parks and Wildlife Service has to develop and install gates that will let walkers in, while keeping predators outside. More than 40 remote cameras will constantly monitoring the area, to detect any potential incursions by feral animals such as feral cats or foxes. According to the NSW Government, across Australia, feral cats alone are estimated to kill more than 1.5 billion native animals every year. The critically endangered smoky mouse became the first species to be reintroduced into the area, in September 2024. Since then, 79 smoky mice have been released and ecologists recently detected the first juvenile smoky mice known to be born in the area. The long-footed potoroo, eastern bettong, eastern quoll and New Holland mouse are expected to be reintroduced in the coming years. Nungatta, which is one of 10 feral predator-free areas established by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), is the first of its kind on the South Coast. It was chosen from more than 35 potential sites due to its suitable habitat for reintroduced species. The program represents one of NSW's most significant threatened species restoration initiatives, and is funded by the NSW Environmental Trust and NPWS. 'The opening of Nungatta demonstrates the Minns Labor Government's commitment to protecting and restoring our environment, including native animals and their habitats,' Minister for the Environment, Penny Sharpe, said in a statement on Thursday. 'The team at National Parks along with the Saving our Species program has already successfully reintroduced the critically endangered smoky mouse, and with the fence now complete, Nungatta will be a safe haven to even more threatened species.' Meanwhile, Yiraaldiya National Park, also on the list, has locally extinct native wildlife being reintroduced. This includes eastern bettongs, koalas, long-nosed bandicoots, and the New Holland mouse. The New Holland mouse was presumed extinct in NSW until it was rediscovered in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park in 1967. 'For this reason, there is no access to the park while the feral predator-free area is being established,' NSW National Parks and Wildlife Servicesaid on its site.
