Mining company to help Government save black-footed rock wallaby

4/12/94

A large mining company had joined forces with a Government department to save the endangered black-footed rock wallaby.

Environment Minister Kevin Minson said today that CRA Limited had donated $50,000 this year to establish a recovery program for the wallaby and would provide a further $37,000 in 1998 following a review of the project.

The work is being undertaken by researcher Jack Kinnear and other researchers from the Department of Conservation and Land Management (CALM).

Their efforts are targeted at saving a small colony of the wallabies hidden away in the remote Calvert Range in the western deserts.

"The wallabies are the only group of this species known to survive in the western deserts of Western Australia.  The isolated colony was discovered in 1985 and its numbers have been declining steadily ever since," Mr Minson said.

"Foxes are the wallabies' main threat and CALM scientists are intensively baiting the Calvert Range area to reduce fox numbers.

"It is hoped that cutting fox numbers will enable the rock wallabies to increase their population sufficiently to allow a number to be moved to the fox-free Depuch Island off the Pilbara coast.

"These could then provide breeding stock for future repopulation of the western deserts when a wide-area method of biological control is developed."

Mr Minson said the black-footed wallaby was distinguished by its black feet, black tail and dark stripe along its body.

"It weighs no more than five kilograms and has a delicate appearance that belies its extraordinary high-jumping ability on steep rock faces, and a rugged constitution that allows it to live with very little water," he said.

"Scientists are still gathering information about the general biology, social structure and behaviour patterns of the animals."

Mr Minson said scientists estimated that in the past 200 years Australia had lost more mammal species than the rest of the world combined, with evidence implicating the fox and feral cat.

"Rock wallabies survived longer than most small marsupials but they are gradually dying out. There are about 15 species of rock wallaby around Australia, many of which are endangered," he said.

"The black-footed rock wallaby was once abundant throughout western and central Australia, but is now reduced to a handful of small groups in WA.

"The Calvert Range colony is 1,000 kilometres away from other rock wallaby populations on the North West Cape."

Media contact:   Caroline Lacy 222 9595/321 2222 or Bruce Larson, CRA 327 2574.