Re-introduction of eastern bettong to a critically endangered woodland habitat in the Australian Capital Territory, Australia

Summary

The eastern bettong (Bettongia gaimardi), a small mycophagous marsupial extinct on mainland Australia since the 1930s from fox and cat predation and now Near Threatened and confined to Tasmania, was reintroduced to the Australian Capital Territory as both an insurance population and an ecosystem-engineering agent for a critically endangered box-gum grassy woodland, following predator eradication at Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary (MFWS) in 2009. A partnership including the ACT Government, Australian National University and CSIRO obtained sequential licenses to translocate 60 wild adults and 28 pouch-young from five geographically separated Tasmanian source regions between 2011 and 2012, capping removals at one-third of trapped animals per site and using a sedation protocol validated in a prior trial to reduce capture stress; animals were split between a permanent captive breeding population at Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve (TNR) and immediate or delayed release into MFWS. All individuals underwent quarantine, health screening and, at MFWS, radio-collaring for tracking through the first year, with regular recapture for health assessment and genetic sampling at both sites. By November 2014, the TNR captive population had reached 51 and the wild MFWS population 179, for a combined total of about 230, with all survival and reproduction indicators met or exceeded; difficulties included pouch-young lost during trapping, collar-related injuries prompting design changes, and lower-than-expected capture rates at some sites. The project rates itself successful, crediting adaptive, experimentally tested management protocols, high-quality predator-free habitat, and close collaboration among government, academic and community partners.