This parma wallaby looks a bit peeved.
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Perhaps that's because it's a vulnerable species in NSW. Or, maybe it's still getting over the bushfires.
Do not fear little marsupial, help is at hand. [Well, maybe fear a bit. That'll help you survive]
Conservation organisations WildArk, Aussie Ark and Re:wild have given $15,736 to University of Newcastle researchers for a project on how parma wallabies survived the Black Summer bushfires.
Aussie Ark, as you may have heard, is doing great work at Barrington Tops, running a wildlife sanctuary that's fenced to keep out predators, weeds and disease.
With the threats removed, native species get the chance to survive and thrive in a more natural environment.
Aussie Ark said the parma wallaby - which grows to about 52cm long - was "one of the most poorly known mammals in Australia".
"This species has disappeared from the north of its range, and 70 per cent of its distribution was affected by the Black Summer fires of 2019/20. It is critical to assess the status of the species, its distribution and factors impacting this."
The researchers aim to study parma wallaby movement patterns in burnt and unburnt areas, and how this affects corridors they use, diet and stress levels.
Aussie Ark drew international attention when Hollywood superstar Leonardo DiCaprio pledged $1 million through the US-based organisation Global Wildlife Conservation, following the devastating bushfires in Australia.
Re:wild, which Aussie Ark is connected with, was founded by DiCaprio and a group of renowned conservation scientists.
In battling Australia's extinction crisis, Aussie Ark provides sanctuary for threatened species such as the Tasmanian devil, eastern quoll, long-nosed potoroo and brush-tailed rock wallaby. In a similar vein, Re:wild protects and restores the wild.
"We have a singular and powerful focus: the wild as the most effective solution to the interconnected climate, biodiversity and pandemic crises," Re:wild states.
"The wild is extraordinary. Beyond its colourful animals, plants, fungi and mesmerising landscapes, what makes the wild so powerful is that it exists around and within us all. It isn't restricted by political borders."
Re:Wild believes the wild is for everyone.
"The wild is alive beneath the cool shade of a tree at the end of the block, just as it is in the most untamed parts of the Amazon.
"Our livelihood and the health of our planet depends on the wild. We all play a role in protecting it. We don't need to reinvent the planet. We just need to rewild it."
George hits a century
Lemon Tree Passage resident George Wallace marked his 100th birthday by reliving his passion for the sea.
George served in the navy for 24 years, so Marine Rescue Lemon Tree Passage took him out on the water.