Werribee Open Range Zoo new nocturnal house open

Chlidonias · 27 Jun 2014

photos of the bandicoots on the link

Bandicoot breeding success at Werribee Zoo leads to school holiday fun - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Children will see Eastern Barred Bandicoots for the first time following a successful breeding program.

A nocturnal house at Werribee Open Range Zoo, open in time for the Victorian school holidays, will allow the general public to see the endangered bandicoots for the first time.

Zoo keeper Ben Gulli said a breeding program had brought the animal back from near extinction.

"All of our native marsupials are in a bit of trouble but these guys were basically extinct in the early 1990s," Mr Gulli told 774 ABC Melbourne's Richard Stubbs.

"A tiny population was found out at Hamilton of I think about 12 animals and from there we’ve been breeding for about 20 years to try and get their numbers back up."

The enclosure, called the Bandicoot Hideout, tricks the nocturnal marsupials into thinking it is night time.

Mr Gulli said the bandicoots had been on display in another enclosure but were generally asleep during opening hours.

"They’ve been free-ranging, and just lived in the grasslands where people can go in and walk around but obviously they never see them," he said.

"Now they can come to the Bandicoot Hideout and they can actually see a pair of them running around."

The nocturnal house also houses other animals including Squirrel Gliders, Fat-tailed Dunnarts and Growling Grass Frogs.

A lot of work has been done to ensure the enclosure is fox, cat and rabbit proof.

"We’ve had to construct some massive fencing to keep all of the predators out," said Mr Gulli.

While only two Eastern Barred Bandicoots will live in the nocturnal house, a further 22 live in the zoo's breeding complex along with the five who range in the grassland.

Eastern Barred Bandicoots are considered extinct in the wild of mainland Australia.

"It’s a bit of a success story for conservation but they’re still on the brink," said Mr Gulli.

"There’s probably only about 400-500 left."
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zooboy28 · 27 Jun 2014

Opened just in time for the school holidays. Will check it out once the crowds have died down a bit.

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Werribee Open Range Zoo new nocturnal house open

Chlidonias Moderator Staff Member 15+ year member

zooboy28 Well-Known Member

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Werribee Open Range Zoo new nocturnal house open

Chlidonias Moderator Staff Member 15+ year member

zooboy28 Well-Known Member

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