An Australian Easter Bilby Tale

What has the ears of a rabbit, the nose of an ant-eater and the feet of a kangaroo? A Bilby of course!

There is a shy little creature
With a pointy pink nose
And big ears that listen out
Wherever it goes

Sleeping in its spiral burrow
It prepares and plans
For an Australian-wide journey                                
On April twentieth             

But this furry friend
Is no bunny or hare
It's the Easter Bilby!
With chocolate to share

The Greater Bilby is a nocturnal Australian marsupial that lives in semi-arid environments in Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. This cute and furry animal, however, has faced many challenges due to the introduction of other animals, including certain 'Easter Bunnies'.

Feral rabbits in Australia feed on the same grasses and plants that Bilbies rely on as their main diet. Not only this, rabbits also provide competition for Bilbies' homes as both animals live and breed in burrows. Since rabbits can reproduce much faster than Biblies can, our poor Australian critters are outnumbered and are consequently depleting rapidly due to the intense competition.

There are estimated to be 600-700 Bilbies left in the wild. This means that these cute and furry animals are extremely vulnerable to extinction. Not all hope is lost though! There are plenty of amazing programs that are working towards saving the Bilby.

But how can you help? This year at Easter, support the Easter Bilby and spend Easter with the family at WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo, where you can see our adorable Greater Bilbies in the Nightfall exhibit.

PLUS, did you know that you can recycle your Easter egg foil wrappers? The best way to do it is by scrunching the foil into a small fist-sized ball before placing it in the recycling bin. This makes sure the small bits of foil don't get lost in the recycling process.