Some of the staff here at WILD LIFE Sydney have had some early
mornings recently, volunteering at North Head with Australian
Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) projects.
AWC are currently contracted at North Head to carry out various
conservation research and management projects based on the
preservation and enhancement of the North Head Ecosystem.
The project our staff were involved with, was focused on
tracking, tagging and information collection on the endangered
population of the long-nosed bandicoot.
This population live at North Head/Manly, and are subject to a
range of threats including habitat loss and fragmentation, road
mortality, predation, and genetic isolation. The tracking and
tagging project involved biannual and biennial trapping surveys
over the headland.
The morning started in the dark with the team setting up their
gear and coating themselves in insect repellent! They then
travelled around the area checking the traps for bandicoots and
other animals. When bandicoots were found, they were weighed, their
health and tracking devices were checked, they were scanned for a
microchip, their back foot was measured, and the pouch was checked
for young.
In just one morning, the team found four bandicoots, two of
which were new to the project, so DNA was taken, and tags fitted.
Once all the data is recorded, the animals are released, and the
traps were reset.
WILD LIFE Sydney has been working with AWC, and have raised
almost $5000 in public donations since December 2011. This support
helps AWC protect endangered wildlife in their Sanctuaries across
Australia.