Thanks to a NSW government collaboration led by UNSW ecologists and Ecological Horizons with NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and Taronga Conservation Society Australia, ten bilbies are set to start a species-led renovation of their desert ecosystem in Sturt National Park.
The Greater Bilbies have been cared for by a specialist team of keepers, ecologists and vets prior to the release and were given a final health check at the Taronga Western Plains Zoo’s Wildlife Hospital before travelling to the desert.
Via radio tracking, the scientists will be checking in on the animals daily to ensure they’re adapting well to their new environment.
In addition to Greater Bilbies, other threatened mammals will also be reintroduced into the Wild Deserts exclosures in future releases, including western quolls, stick-nest rats, western barred bandicoots, and golden bandicoots. Western quolls are natural predators of Greater Bilbies, bringing balance back to these unique desert ecosystems.