Camera Trap Captures Rare Central Brush Tailed Possum in the Wild
Posted on December 8, 2011
The endangered Central Brush Tailed Possum was captured by an infrared camera at a bait station in Ormiston Gorge in West MacDonnell National Park, which is lcoated west of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory of Australia. Parks and Wildlife Service Ranger Deon Grantham says the photographs are a major breakthrough and provide clear evidence the possums are still present in the area. The possum had not been spotted in the area in ten years.
Grantham said in a statement, "Until now, all we had was circumstantial evidence such as tracks, droppings or marks on trees, so we believed possums were present but we didn't know much about them. We decided to set up an infrared camera and bait station in Ormiston Gorge and monitored the site for a month and half, and we were thrilled to actually see a possum on camera. It confirms that the possums are there and that our scented bait will attract them, which opens up the possibility of further monitoring in other areas of the West MacDonnell ational Park, as it may be the last stronghold for this type of possum."
Take a look: