Wildlife Vets & Nurses

Hi everyone, Dave here. My turn again this week.

Thought I’d begin this week by telling you about a recent trip up to Venus Bay on the Eyre Peninsula to assist staff from the Department of Environment and Heritage (DEH) to investigate an apparent decline in the population of brush-tailed bettongs (or ‘woylies’) in a fenced reserve there. This species once ranged across southern Australia from Perth to the Gold Coast. It was decimated by cats and foxes.

Woylies are now limited to a few predator-proof reserves, mostly in WA, and is an endangered species. Populations in WA have experienced dramatic declines in recent times and despite intensive investigations, the cause of this populations crash is still not known. So, it would be concerning if a similar process threatens populations in South Australia.

I spent 3 nights (along with my wife and 3 week old bub) doing health checks on bettongs trapped by DEH. We have lots of samples – blood, DNA, parasites etc – which are currently being processed. Hopefully we don’t find any evidence of a serious disease; a normal seasonal decline in a relatively newly established population would be a pleasing conclusion. We are planning 2 further trips in October and February so we can monitor the population over time.

For more information on the woylie declines in WA, go to the WA Department of Environment and Conservation website.