Save the Woylie
The woylie (Bettongia penicillata), also known as the brush-tailed bettong, is an extremely rare small marsupial that belongs to the genus Bettongia. It is endemic to Australia. Formerly it had two separate subspecies, Bettongia penicillata ogilbyi and the now extinct Bettongia penicillata penicillata.
This bettong was once very abundant and widespread across Australia. In 1863, Gould mentioned it was "abundant in all parts of the colony". As late as 1910 the species as said to be very abundant in the Australian southwest. Decline seems to have been caused by a number of factors, including the impact of introduced grazing animals, land clearance for agriculture, predation by introduced red foxes and, possibly, changed fire regimes. As a result, this species suffered localized extinctions throughout its range, and was very endangered by the 1970s.
Subsequent conservation efforts concentrated on controlling the feral fox and reintroducing woylies from expanding populations to fox-free sites in its former range. Stable populations have been established in places like Venus Bay, St Peter Island, Wedge Island, Shark Bay or Scotia Sanctuary. As a result of these efforts, the woylie population rose to sufficient numbers that it was taken off the threatened species list in 1996. The population expanded with new, wild-born joeys being recorded and survived several drought years in the early 2000s. The total population of this species rose to 40 000 in 2001.
However there was a sudden population crash in late 2001 and in just 5 years in most areas the woylie population dropped to only 10-30% of its pre 2001 numbers. The IUCN Red List also revised the woylie as critically endangered.
The exact cause of this rapid population crash remains uncertain, although researcher Andrew Thompson has found two parasite infestations in woylie blood. Predation and habitat destruction were also suggested as contributing to the recent decline of the species.
As of 2011, the global population is estimated to be less than 5 600 individuals. It is said to be "on the brink of extinction."
Source: Wikipedia
