Under the cover of darkness in remote outback Queensland,
one of Australia's most critically endangered marsupials,
the bilby, is taking a small leap
back from the brink.
Thirty-four bilbies
are traveling 2200 kilometres by air from Currawinya National Park,
where they've been breeding for 21 years, to a new home
in the Great Sandy Desert in the Northern Territory.
Bilby numbers are booming here and we're thankfully in a position
now where we can translocate bilbies to other facilities and get one step
closer to our dream, which is to have 10,000 bilbies held securely
to give us genetic insurance for the next 100 years.
The massive mission is a joint project
involving the Australian Wildlife Conservancy, the Save the Bilby Fund,
the Queensland Department of Environment and Science,
Queensland Parks and Wildlife, and the Northern Territory Government.
It's hoped this enormous undertaking will help save these endangered marsupials
that have been in Australia for millions of years from extinction.
Bilbies live in some of the harshest country
in Australia now, which they've been able to adapt to surviving.
And it's just so important that we don't lose one more species
to extinction in this country.
So Australia actually has the worst extinction record of anywhere
in the world.
Last year alone, 12 new species got listed as extinct,
which is an increase of 39% since the year 2000,
which is horrific when you think about it.
And if we don't do anything, then it's just going to get worse.
And catastrophic extinction is inevitable.
Passive traps are gently set with a seed mix
to lure the nocturnal marsupials in.
We found here at Currawinya anyway, they'll trap quite readily.
You know, I've got my fingers
and toes crossed while I'm saying that, because ultimately it's up to the animals.
But, no they trap pretty readily.
They're motivated by food.
The field scientists take the trapped bilbies and place them
in a familiar environment - a pouch for transporting
to a pop up vet clinic set on the red soil amongst the Mulliga.
The hum
of a generator breaks the night's silence as vets
carefully check each bilby for the long flight.
So each each bilby will come in full of life and vigor.
And to do our veterinary examination, we need to give some sedation.
So we use a mask anesthetic.
So the bilby's restrained in the bag, and we put the mask of anesthesia
onto its face.
And that takes about 30 seconds or so.
And we've got a little bilby recovering here.
So up,
up she goes.
So it takes 30
seconds to a minute for the bilbies to go to sleep.
And then they get their full vet check from top to tail.
We take a little bit of blood, put a microchip in, and
the whole thing's finished in about five or 10 minutes.
So this little fella's
ready to go back in his bag.
Yeah, pretty special, hey.
And I'd say
it's a pretty big deal, but really good to say.
And they're going to a great time and really good people.
So that's what that's all that matters, you know, they'll be well managed and
that's what it's all about.
More bilbies.
See you later Currawinya bilbies.
Go forth and multiply.