Bilbies are way cuter than bunnies anyway. I mean look at that face (ABC Gold Coast, Damien Larkins)
Creator: Martin Harvey | WWF | Credit: 672 Copyright: © WWF-Canon | Martin HARVEY
What we Face Loss, but Have a Hope
Australia has the worst rate of recent mammal extinctions in the world: more than 10 per cent of Australia’s 273 mammal species has gone extinct since European settlement, and more than 100 native mammal species are on the brink of disappearing forever – including the iconic Australian mammal – Greater Bilby.
Predation by feral cats and foxes changed fire patterns and feral herbivores are the main threats driving the decline of Australia’s wildlife. Some of Australia’s most iconic mammals, such as the Numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus), Greater Bilby (Macrotis lagotis), Bridled Nailtail Wallaby (Onychogalea fraenata) and Mala (Rufous Hare-wallaby, Lagorchestes hirsutus) are now either extinct in the wild or barely persist in just a fraction of their former range.
But there is hope: AWC is successfully halting the decline of some of Australia’s most endangered mammals and restoring their populations.
AWC’s national reintroduction program is one of Australia’s few stand-out conservation success stories for these – and other – endangered native animals.
The Greater Bilby has been reintroduced by AWC to four feral predator-free areas, including the Pilliga in NSW, where they have been absent for more than 100 years. Across the continent, Bilby populations have been reduced to fewer than 10,000 individuals. AWC currently protects 15% of the global Bilby population. With further Bilby reintroductions planned for Mallee Cliffs National Park and Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary, this figure is set to double.
GENEROS is ready to help! Please, donate to bring The Greater Bilby back! Help Us to Give Australian Wildlife Conservation.
