Food supplies for critically endangered wallabies have been dropped from helicopters as a still-raging bushfire threatens thousands of native animals in Victoria’s west.
On Saturday, the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action said four wildlife field teams had assessed more than 1000 native animals in the Grampians fire ground so far.
Brush-tailed rock wallabies.Credit: Aussie Ark
Some animals had to be put down to relieve their pain and suffering, but the department said this was done for fewer than half of the animals examined.
“The wildlife response has involved aerial observation gathering intel on wildlife movements, and on-ground teams searching for and assessing affected wildlife,” a spokesperson said.
Wildlife rescuers remain fearful the Grampians fire could seriously harm native species and lead to a spike of injured animals. But a glimmer of hope emerged earlier this week when critically endangered southern brush-tailed rock wallabies were spotted in the fire-ravaged bushland.
Parks Victoria has since dropped more than 50 emergency food packages at 17 sites in the Grampians National Park to help feed the wallabies while the natural vegetation remains scorched.
The aerial effort to get food to the southern brush-tailed rock wallabies in the Grampians. Credit: Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action
Charlie Richardson, the park’s chief ranger, said the fire had “burnt quite hot” through the part of the Grampians that the wallaby colony is known to frequent.
“They can be quite clever in protecting themselves from the initial fire,” Richardson said in a department video. “And then that’s why it is so critical to get in there as quickly as possible, to make sure that they have enough food.”
A tiny colony was re-introduced to the Grampians in 2008 after the population fell so low the final wallaby had to be removed and put into a captive breeding program to help regenerate numbers. There is only one other wild southern brush-tailed rock wallaby population in Victoria, in the Snowy River National Park in East Gippsland.
Despite initial challenges, hopes were raised in 2020 that the Grampians colony could sustain itself, when remote cameras revealed four new joeys had been born. The births brought the reported population at the time to 13.
A brush-tailed rock wallaby and its joey at the Grampians National Park.
“The brush-tail rock wallaby is so endangered largely due to feral pests and predators – foxes, cats – that are devastating in the Grampians landscape,” Richardson said. “It’s a small colony, anywhere from 15 to 50 is estimated at this point.”
In a Facebook post, the Environment Department (Grampians) said the recent fire meant the wallabies would be in danger of starving without the food packages, which include carrots, sweet potatoes and macropod pellets.
Last week, an officer from the department was deployed to the Grampians to assess wildlife losses and determine whether a triage centre was required to treat injured animals.
On Saturday, the department confirmed the dedicated unit was not needed as wildlife assessors could effectively treat large animals they found on the ground.
The Grampians bushfire was still out of control as a heatwave hit this weekend and caused conditions to worsen. It has burnt through 76,000 hectares, but the VicEmergency warning for much of Saturday said the threat was reduced.
Our Breaking News Alert will notify you of significant breaking news when it happens. Get it here.