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CURRENT CONSERVATION PROJECTS

Waterfall Springs is currently conducting Recovery Programs for 3 populations of endangered Brush-tailed Rock-wallabies (BTRW) under the direction of the state government managed breeding programs.

BTRW ‘central form’
(repatriated from Kawau Is New Zealand)

  1. In 2003, Waterfall Springs planned, implemented and funded the rescue and repatriation of 33 ‘central form’ BTRW from Kawau Island NZ.
  2. Following 18 months in quarantine confinement, the Kawau Island BTRW’s were entered into a managed breeding program at Waterfall Springs.
  3. A number of animals from the Kawau Island group have been provided to Earth Sanctuaries and Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve to support co-operative BTRW breeding programs.

BTRW ‘central form’ (New South Wales)

  1. Once common around Sydney and the Blue Mountains this group of ‘central form‘ BTRW’s have disappeared from most of their former range.
  2. The Recovery Program involves the selective capturing of a small number of young animals from the wild to participate in a managed captive breeding program.
  3. Once matured and conditioned, the offspring from these animals will be safely reintroduced into wild habitats in NSW to supplement existing and develop new BTRW colonies.

BTRW ‘southern form’ (Victoria)

  1. Less than 20 ‘southern form’ BTRW remain in the wild in Victoria and approx 26 breeding animals now exist in Australian zoos.
  2. Waterfall Springs is a participating partner in an accelerated captive breeding technique for the BTRW ‘southern form’ known as cross-fostering. This program is managed by the Victorian BTRW Recovery Team.
  3. This technique involves the removal of 10 day old new born joeys from their mother and placing them into the pouch of a surrogate mother of a different but closely related species. The donor mother is then free from the burden of carrying pouch young allowing her to breeding cycle to begin again.
  4. Cross fostering trials began in 1997 and the official breeding program got underway in 2001.
  5. Young are now routinely transferred at 10-14 days of age. 75% survive to weaning.
  6. The cross fostering process adds an additional wallaby to the population every 40 days.
  7. Waterfall Springs aims to produce 8 offspring per year for eventual re-introduction into safe wild habitats in Victoria.

Waterfall Springs is also involved in recovery programs to save two other species of endangered wallabies; the Bridled Nailtail Wallaby and the Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby.

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© 2007 Waterfall Springs Wildlife Sanctuary