First Captive Bred Brush-tailed Rock-wallabies Released to Save Species from Extinction

2 captive bred Brush-tailed Rock-wallabies born and raised at the Waterfall Springs Wildlife Sanctuary were yesterday released into the Shoalhaven river region south of Sydney as part of an intensive recovery effort to help save a colony of the endangered species from extinction.
With less than 5 animals remaining in the Shoalhaven area, the captive breeding program is a high priority recovery action to help bolster the colony to a population level where it can become self sustaining.
The 2 twenty two month old female wallabies Polly and Willow were released at 5.30pm yesterday by staff from Waterfall Springs and the Department of Environment and Climate Change Threatened Species Unit.
The females had been kept in a pre release environment at Waterfall Springs with a breeding male in the hope at least one of the animals will be carrying a pouch young.
The aim of the recovery program for the Brush-tailed Rock-wallabies is to supplement existing declining populations in the wild with animals bred in the captive breeding program to reduce the immediate threat of extinction in the short term.
It is anticipated this will help achieve an overall long-term positive impact for the species as the captive bred animals not only survive but successfully reproduce and disperse into the wide available habitat.
The release sites are being intensively managed by the NSW DECC with goat control and fox abatement programs to ensure the best possible survival of reintroduced animals.
Once commonly found commonly in steep rocky habitat throughout NSW, numerous colonies of Brush-tailed Rock-wallabies are currently so low in numbers it is now thought that less than 500 individuals of this species remain in the wild.
The Shoalhaven release precedes a larger second planned release of approximately 30 captive bred animals held at Waterfall Springs Wildlife Sanctuary into the Warrumbungle National Park in April.
Polly and Willow have been fitted with radio collars and will be intensively monitored over the next 12 months.
The Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby captive breeding program is one of the first intensive breeding conservation programs in Australia and if successful will be used as a model to save other endangered mammal species in the future.

Media Contact: Celia Thomson, Manager Waterfall Springs Wildlife Sanctuary, 02 4376 1066