Latest news with #OdonataFoundation
Yahoo
03-08-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Sad reason six rare Aussie animals were placed in backpacks and flown 570km to secure location
Australia has the worst record in the world for mammalian extinction. So in a bid to stop history repeating, six rare wallabies have been taken from their rocky stronghold and flown 570km across the country to help bolster an important insurance population. 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. Related: Rare colour footage of extinct wallaby seen again after 90 years 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. 🚨 Alarm raised after strange backyard frog phenomenon worsens 🎞️ Incredible Australian footage reveals native predator killing city rats ☠️ Warning 'nowhere is safe' as Australia's 500km toxic problem spreads 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. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
Yahoo
03-08-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Sad reason why six rare Aussie animals were placed in backpacks and flown 570km to secure location
Australia has the worst record in the world for mammalian extinction. So in a bid to stop history repeating, six rare wallabies have been taken from their rocky stronghold and flown 570km across the country to help bolster an important insurance population. 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. Related: Rare colour footage of extinct wallaby seen again after 90 years 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. 🚨 Alarm raised after strange backyard frog phenomenon worsens 🎞️ Incredible Australian footage reveals native predator killing city rats ☠️ Warning 'nowhere is safe' as Australia's 500km toxic problem spreads 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. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
ABC News
01-08-2025
- ABC News
New population of critically endangered southern brush-tailed rock-wallabies established in ACT
Six critically endangered wallabies have been bundled up in backpacks and flown from Victoria to the ACT in a novel mission to help save the species. There are estimated to be fewer than 60 southern brush-tail rock-wallabies left in the wild. Three males and three females from the Odonata Foundation's Mt Rothwell Sanctuary were meticulously selected and genetically screened, before being loaded onto a small plane. Pilot Michael Smith, who delivered the precious cargo to Canberra, said the unusual approach was designed to minimise stress for the marsupials. "The backpacks have been done so that they sit there on the seats and they're really calm. "They're upside down, so they're in the foetal position, which reminds them of being in the pouch." The wallabies will spend 30 days in quarantine before being released into a breeding program at the ACT's Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve. Tidbinbilla's senior threatened species program manager, Dr Sarah May, said their arrival was the culmination of years of work. "It's the best day ever," Dr May said. The species has not been seen in the wild in the ACT since 1959. "Foxes are the biggest threat, but then we've got fires, habitat loss, climate change," Dr May said. There are now more than 300 wallabies at the Mt Rothwell sanctuary. Matt Singleton from the Odonata Foundation said the goal was to build genetically robust populations in more locations as an insurance policy against extinction. "While six individuals is not a massive amount of animals to be translocated, it's certainly critically important in sharing the genetic load around different sanctuary sites so we can build those populations up to where they should be," he said. "They play a really important role in the ecosystem to keep it functioning healthily and they're very charismatic little animals. "We hope they look after each other a little bit because I don't think they realise how critically endangered they are."
