REINTRODUCE AUSTRALIA
Mala (rufous hare-wallaby). Scientific name: Largochestes Hirsutus. Source: parksaustralia.gov.au
What we face loss, but have a hope
Australia has the worst rate of recent mammal extinctions in the world: more than 10 per cent of Australia’s 273 mammal species has gone extinct since European settlement, and more than 100 native mammal species are on the brink of disappearing forever – including the iconic Australian mammal – Mala Wallaby.
Predation by feral cats and foxes changed fire patterns and feral herbivores are the main threats driving the decline of Australia’s wildlife. Some of Australia’s most iconic mammals, such as the Numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus), Greater Bilby (Macrotis lagotis), Bridled Nailtail Wallaby (Onychogalea fraenata) and Mala (Rufous Hare-wallaby, Lagorchestes hirsutus) are now either extinct in the wild or barely persist in just a fraction of their former range.
But there is hope: AWC is successfully halting the decline of some of Australia’s most endangered mammals and restoring their populations.
AWC’s national reintroduction program is one of Australia’s few stand-out conservation success stories for these – and other – endangered native animals.
The Mala (Rufous Hare-wallaby) is currently listed as extinct in the wild. AWC protects the Mala in feral predator-free areas at our Scotia and Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuaries. There are less than 500 individuals remaining of this species on the mainland; all in feral predator-free fenced areas. AWC is establishing a wild population of Mala within a vast 9,500 hectare fenced area at Newhaven. We estimate Newhaven will support as many as 2,500 wild Mala.
The Mala reintroduction at Newhaven in mid of 2019 marked the beginning of an ambitious rewilding program to restore central Australia’s lost biodiversity.
GENEROS is ready to help! Please, donate to bring The Mala Rufous Hare-Wallaby back! Help Us to Give Australian Wildlife Conservation
