One of the four Brush-tailed Rock - wallabies from Jenolan that have settled well in a special enclosure at Waterfall Springs Sanctuary, with lots of tree trunks for them to climb on. Photo: Debbie Breen DEC

Robert Humphries, Manager of the DEC's Threatened Species Unit sees captive breeding programs as an "insurance policy" for the survival of the species. Their populations have been decimated by loss of habitat and predation by feral animals, especially foxes.

Bandicoot Rescue Plans

Most at risk are the tiny remnant populations of Southern Brown Bandicoots Isoodon obesulus that live in Ku-ring-gai Chase and Garigal National Parks in Sydney.

They are among the few populations of these compact, rabbit-size creatures left in New South Wales. During monitoring over the past four years, fewer than 50 Southern Brown Bandicoots have been found in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park and Garigal National Parks.

"If there was an intense wildfire that burnt large areas of these parks, we could see the extinction of that species in the Sydney area," warns Rob Humphries. "With so few animals left, we don't have a lot of room for complacency. These Southern Brown Bandicoots could quite easily disappear with a catastrophic wild fire or be wiped out by disease."

With captive breeding programs being costly long-term strategies, Rob Humphries says the program for the Southern Brown Bandicoot is still in the "detailed planning phase". It will involve capturing bandicoots from the two Sydney national parks and allowing a partner organisation to breed them and release the young into the wild.

Dwindling wallabies

The captive breeding program for the Brush-tailed Rock-wallabies Petrogale penicillata has already begun with the relocation of a young male and three females to the private Waterfall Springs Sanctuary on the Central Coast. The four young animals were moved from a semi-captive mob of wallabies reared at Jenolan Caves by the Jenolan Caves Trust.

Years of scientific research, partly funded by the Foundation, identified three separate, genetically distinct groups of Brush-tailed Rock-wallabies in NSW. The northern population is still fairly healthy with an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 animals left in the wild. However the central population is confined to around 25 small colonies. All of the southern colonies in NSW and Victoria have disappeared or been severely depleted.

The NSW captive breeding program is aimed at increasing the genetic diversity and the number of animals in the central population.

Suzanne O'Neil, NSW Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby recovery team coordinator, says the department will seek approval to capture 16 animals in the wild to supplement the handful of wallabies in captivity considered suitable for breeding. Six breeding groups of wallabies, each consisting of a male plus two or three females, will then be sent to zoos and wildlife sanctuaries.

She notes that "because of their phenomenal work, Waterfall Springs has the greatest capacity and is currently in the best position to hold and manage the animals, and we expect that they will therefore hold the majority of wallabies."

For those future residents Waterfall Springs has already created an authentic habitat with 455 tons of basalt boulders and 1350 tons of earth to create a series of ridges among which the animals can roam.

Lloyd Oldfield, owner of Waterfall Springs Sanctuary, says: "These are very difficult macropods to hold in captivity. Because of their agility, they are escape artists. They are the most highly strung of all the macropods, and therefore if they are not totally comfortable with the environment you can expect a pretty disastrous attrition rate."

Rob Humphries says that once the animals have bred "we will start recruiting these animals back into the wild to supplement existing colonies and reintroduce wallabies to other secure areas of habitat where threats are under control."

Suzanne O'Neil summarises: "Without the support and ongoing commitment of the Department of Environment and Conservation, the recovery team, zoos and private wildlife sanctuaries and funding from organisations like the Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife the Brush-tailed Rock-Wallabies would be in grave danger of extinction."