AWC has just completed an historic translocation of numbats from the largest feral cat-free area in Australia (Scotia Wildlife Sanctuary) to the second largest cat-free area in Australia (Mt Gibson).
This is the first translocation of numbats back to Western Australia and is a critical step in preventing the extinction of this endangered species.
Nine numbats were airlifted from Scotia Wildlife Sanctuary in western NSW and released within Mt Gibson’s 7,800 ha feral predator-free area early last week. The numbat has an estimated population of less than 1,000 mature individuals and is declining, primarily due to predation by feral cats and foxes. This is the first translocation in a series of proposed numbat translocations to Mt Gibson. Working with the WA Government and Perth Zoo, AWC will establish a genetically diverse founder population, which is expected to grow to around 240 Numbats – increasing the global Numbat population by almost 25%! For more information on this project and how you can help save the Numbat, visit http://australianwildlife.org/…/mt-gibson-endangered-wildli…
AWC ecologists are radio-tracking each numbat daily to monitor the success of the translocation.
Ed: Many thanks to the AWC for providing this article to the DCVC. Numbats are endemic to the Dryandra region, and you can follow more about the local numbats on this Numbat Taskforce facebook page.