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| Courtesy of Australian Wildlife Conservancy |
I'd like to introduce you to the Australian Woylie. This little nocturnal marsupial, also known as the brush-tailed rat kangaroo, used to nest in over 60 percent of Australia. That isn't the case now! Woylies are critically endangered, and if it wasn't for caring people and researchers, woylies would be extinct!
Woylies are small gray animals with a dark bushy tail. They sort of look like miniature kangaroos, because they stand on their hind legs and have shorter forearms that they hold close to their bellies. They use their long tails to hold and carry the grasses to build their nests.
As with most endangered animals, predators and the loss of habitat are the cause. The predator in this case, is the non-native red fox. Woylies make their nests in clumps of tussock grass, and that makes them easy prey for red foxes.
Luckily, there are numerous Australian breeding programs aimed at saving the woylie. If you want to learn more about them or find out how you can help save this beautiful creature, you can contact Australian Wildlife Conservancy or Friends of Australian Wildlife.
Remember, when it comes to endangering animals:
"Some think it's cool, but I think it's cruel!"
Have your found out how the red fox arrived in Australia? Was it brought in on purpose or by accident? We sure do wind up doing an amazing amount of harm by not looking at the long term picture.
ReplyDeleteThe settlers from England in the early 1800s who wanted to keep doing their fox hunts are responsible for bringing the red fox to Australia. Now there are so many that have created damage to the balance of nature and are responsible for killing off too many species.
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