Media Release

Lulu and baby

They don’t know it yet but these little Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby joeys born at Waterfall Springs Wildlife Sanctuary in Kulnura will play an important role in securing the long term survival of the closely related and endangered Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby species.

Themselves in serious danger of extinction, a group of Yellow-footed Rock-wallabies are being kept at the Sanctuary to be used in a highly ambitious surrogate breeding program.

The aim of the program is to accelerate the breeding cycle of the female Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby by removing a 20 day old joey from her pouch and implanting it into the pouch of a surrogate Yellow- foot female. This will allow the Brush-tail female to rapidly increase her breeding output from one up to eight pouch young every year.

Sanctuary Communications Manager Karen O’Mara said that although this breeding method was initially controversial, it is now recognised by scientific experts as the only means to save the last remaining colonies of Brush-tailed Rock-wallabies in Victoria whose numbers became as low as 5 remaining in the wild.

Playing a lead role in this ambitious breeding program is Sanctuary Curator Celia Thomson. “To be part of this Australian first conservation program is an absolute thrill. I’m working alongside of the country’s most highly trained scientists to help save one of our countries most endangered species. Whilst we will never bring back the population numbers to the tens of thousands they once were, to be able to regenerate declining populations in NSW and Victoria is really exciting.”

Waterfall Springs Wildlife Sanctuary has flown 3 of its Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby offspring to Adelaide Zoo for the transfer procedure but in October last year successfully conducted its first transfer at the Sanctuary.

Ms Thomson said “with her bulging pouch and verocious appetite, we are waiting to see the first sighting of the litlle Brushie to pop its head out of her surrogate mums pouch any day”.

To help support the WS breeding program, visit www.waterfallsrpings.org for information on membership and donations.

Media Enquiries:
Karen O’Mara
Communications, Waterfall Springs
Karen@waterfallsprings.org
0415 326 762