Population of Rare Dibblers Given Remote Australian Island Home
Posted on October 19, 2015
29 dibblers were released on a remote Australian island. The hope is that the endangered carnivorous marsupial will establish a new population on Gunton Island, which is located off the south coast of Western Australia. 28 of the dibblers were originally at the Perth Zoo. The other dibbler is a wild-born dibbler.
Western Australia Environment Minister Albert Jacob says in a statement, "This is a significant step forward in growing the number of dibblers in the wild. Gunton Island is free of feral predators and has the right type of habitat to support the species. There are five established populations of dibblers elsewhere in Western Australia, of which four consist of less than 50 animals each. We are in the early stages of establishing a further two populations and creating another safe haven for this species is vitally important for its long-term survival."
150 more dibblers will be released on the island over the next two years as part of the dibbler population project. The project is a collaboration between the WA Department of Parks and Wildlife and the Perth Zoo.
Dibblers were thought to be extinct until one was rediscovered at Cheyne Beach in 1967. Tony Friend from the WA Department of Parks and Wildlife (DPAW) told ABC News Australia, "We can't expect them all to survive - dibblers produce a lot of young, and if they all survive we'd be knee-deep in dibblers."