Western Pygmy Possum sits on the thumb of an ecologist. © Brad Leue
Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) received a tiny yet remarkable 35th birthday present, with the capture of a Western Pygmy Possum at Karakamia Wildlife Sanctuary, the organisation’s first sanctuary. It was the first capture of the species since the late 90s, and a wonderful testament to the dedicated conservation work that has shaped the sanctuary over the last three-and-a-half decades.
One hour outside of Perth on Whadjuk Country, three unsuspecting AWC ecologists were checking pitfall traps, in-ground bucket traps for small species, when they saw the beady black eyes of a 21gram Western Pygmy Possum staring up at them.
“We were so excited! A Western Pygmy Possum wasn’t what we thought we’d find in one of the traps. Skinks, geckos, maybe even a frog or two, but not the possum,” said Dr Bryony Palmer, AWC Wildlife Ecologist who was among the survey team to find the small individual. “This capture was so special because the last live capture of the species at Karakamia Wildlife Sanctuary was in 1999, and we’ve only had a few incidental sightings since.”
During the pitfall survey, the team made a total of 195 captures of 17 wildlife species, the highest number of species from this survey to date.
“It was such a wonderful way to mark the sanctuary and AWC’s 35th anniversary.”
AWC’s story began at Karakamia Wildlife Sanctuary, when AWC Founder Martin Copley AM purchased land in the Perth Hills for conservation on 2 August 1991. The sanctuary served as a launch pad for AWC’s ground-breaking model for conservation, which is now deployed across 6.5 million hectares of land, with plans to significantly expand to 5% of Australian continent by 2035.
Three years after purchasing the sanctuary, AWC constructed the organisation’s first feral predator-proof fenced area. The fence used an innovative climb-proof design and, combined with the removal of introduced predators such as cats and foxes from inside the fenced area, created a haven that now supports 18 mammal species, 30 reptile species, 10 frog species and 123 bird species.
The feral predator-free area also enabled the reintroduction of species that had disappeared from the landscape including the Woylie (Brush-tailed Bettong), Quenda, Tammar Wallaby and Brushtail Possum. These once locally extinct species have since repopulated the sanctuary and contributed to wildlife conservation efforts in other parts of the country.
“One of the biggest wins to come out of Karakamia Wildlife Sanctuary over the last 35 years is the greater conservation impact of the four species that we reintroduced,” added Bryony. “Within the safety of the fenced area, these populations have grown to a point where we’ve been able to translocate individuals and establish new populations elsewhere.”
“It’s snowballing the conservation impact beyond the sanctuary to places such as Julimar State Forest, Kalbarri National Park and North Calingiri Nature Reserve where we sent Woylies in 2004, or sites like Matuwa Kurrara Kurrara National Park and Mt Gibson Wildlife Sanctuary where we’ve translocated Brushtail Possums. It’s really cool seeing these animals rebuild populations in places that they were once lost from.”
Read more about AWC’s 35-year history, here, and learn more about the ground-breaking conservation model established at Karakamia Wildlife Sanctuary, here.
Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) is a pragmatic, on-ground global conservation leader, conserving landscapes and providing hope for Australian wildlife. Informed by science, we deliver measurable conservation impact at scale to secure the future of our most endangered species and their habitats, including restoring degraded landscapes where necessary.
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