YOUR SOCIETY
112 Australian GeographicYOUR SOCIETY
The northern hairy-nosed wombat has inched back from the precipice of extinction,
giving AGS-supported researchers a chance to breathe after a decade of intense work.
Hairy-nosed wombats
slowly bouncing back
CONSERVATION SUCCESSN
OTHING MOVES very fast
for the northern hairy-nosed
wombat. It’s naturally slow to
breed, move and adapt, so it should
come as no surprise that the fi ght to
save the species from extinction has
been progressing at a measured pace.
However, we’re pleased to report that,
after a decade of hard work, the
species’ population has almost
doubled. This success is due largely to
the work of Dr Alan Horsup and his
team in the Queensland government’s
Threatened Species Unit.
In 2003 the total wild population of
the northern hairy-nosed wombat
numbered just 113 (see Saving the
northern hairy-nosed wombat, AG 72). After
we reported on the wombat’s plight,
an AGS campaign raised $24,456 to
help save the species. Today, the entire
population is estimated to be about- It may still seem like a low
number, but “for a wombat this has
happened relatively quickly”, Alan
says. The funds donated by members
were divided among several programs
to improve the species’ wellbeing.
This included setting remote cameras
to monitor activity and a 2006
trapping-and-research program.
A call-out also resulted in the
recruitment of volunteer caretakers,
after the researchers stressed, in a
2008 report, that the local community
could help make a major contribution
to the recovery. The northern hairy-
nosed wombat is extremely vulnerable
to human impact, Alan says. “We’ve
done this to them...it’s our responsi-
bility to turn it around.”
Since 2003, Alan’s team has
become adept at matchmaking, and
has successfully established a small
second population of wombats to
safeguard the species against diseaseor a natural disaster wiping out the
primary group, found at Epping Forest
National Park in central Queensland.
“It was all about trialling and testing,”
he explains. “We’re now confident
that we could get things right in a
third, larger population.”
Alan estimates that in five years
the total population could be 300–
350 individuals, the peak capacity of
the initial area reserved for these
animals. “That means the pressure is
on to find the third site,” he says, “but
it’s a slow process – finding funds and
doing paperwork.”
Alan, however, is finally feeling a
little more relaxed about the future of
this rare and precious species.
“As long as we keep doing what
we’re doing, it’ll be alright,” he told
AUSTRALIAN GEOGRAPHIC. “Hope-
fully in 10 years we can sit back and
say, ‘We’ve achieved this.’” CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: JASON EDWARDS; ALAN HORSUP; EGO GUIOTTO /Lasiorhinus krefftiiBack from the brink. The main
population of northern hairy-
nosed wombats is at Epping Forest
NP in central QLD, where this
mother and joey were recently
snapped by a camera trap.