Taronga is celebrating National Bilby Day on Sunday 13 September with confirmation that its Greater Bilby conservation breeding program has a thriving at Taronga Western Plains Zoo.
Bilbies are the largest species in the Bandicoot family, and the species is threatened by predators such as foxes and feral cats.
Recent population monitoring in the Taronga Sanctuary has confirmed that there are about 212 Greater Bilbies in the feral-predator free 110-hectare home.
The Taronga Sanctuary is located behind the scenes at Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo, NSW, and provides a safe haven for bilbies to live and breed free from predators.
During a recent overnight survey 109 bilbies were recorded, including 45 newly identified bilbies. Bilbies are carefully trapped, given a health check, weighed, sexed and then released. New bilbies not previously recorded are microchipped and have genetic samples taken to help keepers and conservation officers keep track of the genetic diversity in the growing bilby population.
Since 18 founder Greater Bilbies were introduced to the sanctuary in 2019, there have been 241 births.
The breeding program has seen 62 bilbies bred in Taronga translocated and reintroduced to Wild Deserts in Sturt National Park, NSW and the Australian Wildlife Conservancy’s Newhaven site in the Northern Territory.
This reintroduction was more than 100 years after the bilby was declared extinct in NSW.
Taronga Western Plains Zoo Conservation keeper Leonie Pascua said the survey’s results were encouraging.
“National Bilby Day is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate a uniquely Australian species and the positive impact conservation programs can have,” said Leonie.
“To see the bilby population and program continue to grow inside the Taronga Sanctuary is incredibly rewarding for our team. Every new bilby recorded represents another step forward in securing the future of this species.”
At Sydney’s Taronga Zoo, you can visit bilbies in nguwing nura – Nocturnal Country, an immersive nocturnal experience. A good time to visit the bilbies is from 10.30am to 2.30pm.