What's Being Done?

Save the Bilby Fund

Started in 1999, the Save the Bilby Fund is headed by Rangers Frank Manthey and Peter McRae (Zoologist) from the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service. Since 2001, the main aim of the Fund has been raising money for the fenced-off safe bilby haven in the Currawinya National Park, Queensland.

The Fund has also established a National Recovery Plan for bilbies which has three goals:

- To research the bilby and find out why bilby numbers are declining and why they are no longer found in some areas;
- To encourage people to be aware of practices that might hurt the bilbies’ chance of survival; and
- To reintroduce bilbies to the wild through a captive and wild breeding programme.

Launch of the Bilby Fence - 2001

The Australian Bilby Appreciation Society, with the bold Mr Bilby leading the way, paid a visit to Charleville in Queensland (about 750km west of Brisbane) early in December 2000. The National Parks and Wildlife Service office there is the home of the Save the Bilby Fund. While we were there, we caught up with Frank Manthey (Chief District Ranger) and Peter McRae (Senior Zoologist) and the Bilbies.

Mr Bilby outside the Charleville National Parks and Wildlife Service office (also known as Bilby Command Centre) with the fantastic wooden Bilby sculpture that greets visitors. Chris McKenzie, renowned sculptor from the Gold Coast, carved this 2 tonne Bilby and donated it to the Save the Bilby Fund.

The Bilby Fence in Currawinya National Park was officially opened (or should that be closed?) on Sunday 15 April 2001. Over 1000 people from all over Australia attended. Hard working volunteers from the Rotary Club of Charleville (and surrounding areas) provided meals, starting Good Friday 13 April (fish, of course!) and all day Saturday and Sunday.

Speakers at the opening included: Lorna McNiven, representing the traditional occupants; Dr Liz Dovey, from Environment Australia; Ms Jan Oliver, Director, Wildlife Preservation Society of Australia; Rose-Marie Dusting, children's author and accredited founder of the Easter Bilby; Howard Hobbs, Member for Warrego; Frank Manthey and Dr Peter McRae, Save the Bilby Fund; Dean Wells, Queensland Environment Minister, pictured above with the fence.

According to Frank Manthey it was "a very emotional time". "To see 1200 people on Sunday at the opening who travelled from all parts of Australia to join in the celebrations was something I will never forget."

Xmas 2001 Update

Since the official opening, work on the fence has continued but there is still much to be done. Now that the fence is electrified it needs to be connected to the Ranger Station so it can be monitored remotely. Better gates are required and the feral cats inside the fence (2 are known to be there) must be removed. Radio tracking collars are required for some of the 40 Bilbies that will eventually be released in 4 groups of 10.

Easter 2004 Update

On Easter Sunday 2003 a celebration marked the completion of the work required to prepare the fence and the enclosure for the release of the Bilbies. Unfortunately the drought that has effected much of Australia has meant that conditions have not allowed the release of the Bilbies. At Easter 2004, they are still awaiting a few good rainfalls to make the release possible.

General Information

Reintroduction efforts have begun, with a successful reintroduction into the Arid Recovery Reserve in South Australia in 2000 and plans underway for a reintroduction into Currawinya National Park in Queensland, with a recent success with 6 bilbies released into the feral-free sanctuary in early February 2006.

Image Courtesy Erica Meles - Arid Recovery Project

Released bilbies have spread well through the 13,000 hectare Dryandra Woodland in WA and seem to be coping with predators. Part of their success is due to a local plant which produces a selective poison which kills introduced animals, but not natives. Poison Bush occurs throughout the South-West and consequently native mammals are tolerant to the poison. The breeding program is going so well that more releases are planned around the South-West and up into the drier areas.

There are many recovery projects in progress. These include breeding bilbies - for release into fenced areas or predator-free islands - at Venus Bay and Roxby Downs in SA, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in the NT, Shark Bay and Dryandra Woodland in WA, and Currawinya in QLD.

Aboriginal people in the Gibson and Great Sandy Deserts in WA and the NT's Tanami Desert are working alongside scientists and Land Council staff to survey and monitor wild bilby populations. WA's Department of Conservation and Land Management is also developing fox and cat baiting methods and running baiting trials in several bilby habitat areas across the country.

The National Bilby Recovery Team, chaired by the Threatened Species Network, oversees much of the national effort and provides input into project design and management planning. In addition the Australian Government recently launched National Bilby Day, which will be held annually on the second Sunday in September to raise awareness about the plight of bilbies and other threatened species.

Around Australia there are many people working towards Saving the Bilby. They are doing research, breeding Bilbies in captivity, building predator proof fences, and raising money to fund these and other activities. On this page, and those linked below, Mr Bilby would like to give you the opportunity to meet some of these special people and learn about what they are doing and how you can help.