Save the Bilby Fund C/- Charleville Visitor Information Centre Phone (07) 4654 3057 Meet the bilby sessions at Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service Charleville headquarters - souvenirs, videos - bookings essential Website: www.savethebilbyfund.com

Bring the bilby back from the brink

THERE was a time when many Australians had never seen or heard of bilbies. Thanks to the work of two outback men - Frank Manthey and Peter McRae - the plight of this little Australian bandicoot is know widely known.

Bilbies are desert-dwelling bandicoots about the size of a rabbit. They have large ears, a coat of soft, light grey and tan hair, and a very distinctive black and white tail. Unfortunately, of the six bandicoot species that once lived in the arid/semi-arid areas of Australia, bilbies are the only species remaining and even their numbers have become dangerously low.

The genetically distinct Queensland population is the most threatened in Australia and has declined dramatically over the past 20 years. Presently, the population is estimated at less than 600, and is spread very thinly across nearly 100,000 square kilometres between Birdsville and Boulia in Queensland’s far southwest.

Luckily for the bilbies, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Officers Frank Manthey (chief ranger) and Peter McRae (senior zoologist) were determined not to let them disappear. In 1999, they launched an appeal to raise $400,000 to build a predator-proof fence at Currawinya National Park for the re-introduction of bilbies from the Charleville captive breeding program to that area.

Peter and Frank’s Save the Bilby Fund was a juggernaut that nothing could stop and through the enormous generosity of many ordinary Australians and loads of dedication, the fence was completed in 2001. A pilot colony of bilbies was released in 2005. This pilot colony of five captive-bred bilbies was closely monitored with the help of radio transmitter tracking devices within the enclosure by Peter. It was an exciting moment when “pouch babies” were discovered in 2006.

Save the Bilby Fund is committed to the education of all Australians in the importance of the conservation and preservation of the environment and all its species for the survival of us all. It is hoped that the bilby will become an ambassador for other endangered and threatened species.

Today, the Save the Bilby Fund is on the brink of a bright future. The launching of National Bilby Day by the Federal Minister for Environment Senator Ian Campbell in 2005 ensures this little Australian will not be forgotten. National Bilby Day celebrations are held in Charleville annually commencing during Threatened Species Week culminating with National Bilby Day on the second Sunday in September.

During your stay in Charleville, come along and enjoy a Bilby Show hosted by a team of dedicated volunteers from the local community. Shows are operated from April to October. For times and location information, please phone the Charleville Visitor Information Centre on (07) 4654 3057. Group bookings are available by appointment.

For further information on how to support Save the Bilby Fund or to browse through the range of bilby merchandise, visit the website at www.savethebilbyfund.com.