CUTE MARSUPIAL FINALLY MAKES A COME BACK IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA AFTER NEARLY EXTINCT
With its tiny kangaroo-like appearance, the brush-tailed bettong is as adorable—and uncommon—as they come. Like kangaroos, bettong carry their young in pouches, but they react differently to predators. The animal ejects its joey from protection and runs in the opposite direction when it is in danger. Yes, it's a surprisingly vicious instinct, but it's also a survival strategy developed over many generations. However, in South Australia's Yorke Peninsula, the brush-tailed bettong was considered extinct until just four years ago. These endangered and endearing marsupials are beginning to recover with the support of regional wildlife conservation organizations like Marna Banggara.
The Bettongia penicillate, a bipedal marsupial rat-kangaroo, is also referred to as the woylie or yalgiri. 60 percent of the Australian continent was once home to bettongs. However, the population was in danger due to the introduction of new predators and the destruction of wildlife habitats brought about by colonization. A blood-borne parasite is the primary suspect in the sharp decline in woylie populations that occurred between 1990 and 2010.
The Yorke Peninsula's bettong population and other native species that have all but vanished since colonization are being restored by the wildlife conservation organization Marna Banggara. Initially known as the "Great Southern Ark" initiative, Marna Banggara was started in 2019 by the Northern and Yorke Landscape Board. The region's Indigenous Narungga people, who have been heavily involved in the project, are honoured by this name change. The name's meaning is explained by Garry Goldsmith, a member of the Narungga community and initiative participant: "Banggara means country, and Marna means good, prosperous, and healthy in our language."
The bettong is also referred to as yalgiri by the Narungga. Ironically, these cute marsupials were used as test subjects for the Marna Banggara initiative because they were the first species to be worked on during the conservation project. About 200 woylies were brought to the area between 2021 and 2023, and their easy revival was guaranteed by a predator-control fence that surrounded more than 350,000 acres of land. Recent monitoring indicates a steady increase in population and reproduction, demonstrating the success of these conditions and efforts.
Although the brush-tailed bettong's adorableness is undoubtedly sufficient justification for its resuscitation, Marna Banggara had another reason for attempting to save this species before any others. Because of the way they eat, woylies are sometimes called "nature's engineers." Because they primarily eat underground fungi, marsupials must excavate a lot of soil, which aerates the soil and, consequently, improves water filtration and seed germination.
Other severely endangered species that the Marna Banggara project has yet to revive will have a better environment to grow in if a population of yalgiris not only survives but thrives. Despite their small size, brush-tailed bettongs are incredibly powerful, as is evident.
