Rare marsupial released on WA island
Twenty-eight dibblers have been released onto a remote island off Western Australia's coast. Photo: Getty
Efforts to save one of Australia’s rarest marsupials have had a boost with 28 dibblers released on Dirk Hartog Island, north-west of Perth.
The 16 males and 12 females, bred at Perth Zoo, were released at the weekend.
It’s the fourth release of the small, carnivorous marsupials on the island since 2019. Another scheduled for November will take the total number to 137.
The species once thrived on the island until feral animals wiped them out.
It was feared they were extinct for half a century, before some were rediscovered near Albany in 1967.
Environment Minister Reece Whitby visited Dirk Hartog Island, which has become a natural sanctuary following a program to eradicate feral cats, sheep, and goats.
“Watching these tiny marsupials venture into their new predator-free home gives hope for their long-term survival,” he said.
Under the Return to 1616 project, the island has become a predator-free haven for endangered wildlife allowing for the return of other species including rufous hare-wallabies, banded hare-wallabies, Shark Bay bandicoots, Shark Bay mice, greater stick-nest rats and western grass wrens.
-AAP