6 July 2009

Rock Wallabies A Go Go at Tidbinbilla

| johnboy
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The ABC brings word that Tidbinbilla’s breeding program for the critically endangered Southern Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby is going gangbusters with a baby boom underway.

    Another three baby wallabies have been born, bringing the Reserve’s total population to 14.

    Tidbinbilla senior wildlife officer David Dobrozszcyk says four wallabies bred in the Reserve were released back into the wild last year.

    “In 2008 there was a release into the Grampians of which four of those individuals were from Tidbinbilla, that’s a tremendous achievement,” he said.

Although last time I took visitors out to their rock (around Christmas) there was no sign of the beggars. It must have been “business time”.

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rock wallabies taste heaps better than ‘roos

4 released? Sadly 3 were run over by the end of the week, back to the drawing board

Well, they’re entirely different species for starters (Petrogale penicillata (Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby) versus Macropus giganteus (Eastern Grey Kangaroo)). Apple vs orange comparisons could be made but would be immediately invalid, on the grounds of being idiotic.

The Southern Brush-Tailed Rock Wallaby has entirely different genetic lineage to its other rock-wallaby relatives throughought the rest of NSW, and is believed to be extinct in most of their NSW regions of potential potential habitat (except one that includes Kangaroo Valley). ie: Our population is genetically and ecologically significant.

From http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/determinations/BrushtailedRockWallabyEndSpListing.htm

Three genetically distinctive groups of Brush-tailed Rock-wallabies have been identified on the basis of mitochondrial DNA analyses. Due to a lack of taxonomic resolution, these groups are referred to as Evolutionary Significant Units (ESUs):
(i) Central ESU: a well-defined group consisting of closely related populations in the region from central NSW, including Kangaroo Valley, Jenolan Caves, Broke and the Warrumbungles;
(ii) Northern ESU: a less well-defined group comprising locations in north-east NSW and south-east Queensland, which extends as far south as Armidale. At the northern end, there exists a narrow hybrid zone between P. penicillata and P. herberti);
(iii) Southern ESU: a highly divergent lineage within Victoria, and previously south-east NSW (NSW NPWS 2002).

All populations within the Southern ESU are believed to be extinct in NSW areas.

9. In view of the above the Scientific Committee is of the opinion that Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby Petrogale penicillata (Gray, 1825) is likely to become extinct in nature in New South Wales unless the circumstances and factors threatening its survival or evolutionary development cease to operate.

Two roo culls on one side of town, and a wallaby baby boom on the other.
How’s that for a paradox

amarooresident210:15 am 06 Jul 09

How long before we have to shoot them because there are to many?

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