The Australian Reptile Park has transferred two Parma wallabies to its sister conservation organisation Aussie Ark in the Barrington Tops.
The wallabies were born at the Park and were part of a small cohort of wallabies on display for the public to see and learn about.
Because of their genetic value, the duo was collected and transferred to the Barrington Tops facility to join Aussie Ark’s world-leading Parma wallaby breeding and rewilding program.
The successful program has been running for five years and is a part of the Ark’s vital work to build healthy insurance populations and save this threatened species.
Aussie Ark Operations Manager Dean Reid worked with the Park’s Mammal and Bird Keeper Lauren Hunter to safely transfer the wallabies to their new home to begin their contribution to the Ark’s conservation program.
“The first step in the transfer process was a rigorous health check,” Reid said.
“This involved a microchip check, weighing each wallaby, inspecting feet and teeth, and checking the fat of their tails to give them a ‘body condition’ score.
“Both wallabies had a score of three, which is perfect.”
During the health check the team was delighted to discover a tiny joey in the female’s pouch.
“It was amazing,” Hunter said.
“It was tiny; no fur, ears still closed down on the head, blind, and fused to the teat … so probably just a couple of months old.”
The two Parma wallabies (and joey) were driven to the Ark by Reid and released into a huge enclosure in the Species Recovery Unit.
There they will acclimatise to the alpine environment before their release into the 400ha Barrington Wildlife Sanctuary next month, where they will live out the rest of their lives, wild and free.
The Parma wallaby is a tiny macropod, once widespread along the eastern seaboard.
However, feral predation and land clearing has decimated the wild population, and it was thought to be extinct until accidentally rediscovered in the 1960s.
Small populations exist in the wild, with a stronghold being the Gosford district; the location of the successful Australian Reptile Park.
Source:
Australian Reptile Park