Melbourne Airport is partnering with Conservation Volunteers Australia to deliver the Healthy Habitats program to help save the Eastern Barred Bandicoot. Once common across Victoria’s volcanic plains and grasslands, the Eastern Barred Bandicoot is now one of Australia’s most endangered species and is considered extinct in the wild.
The Healthy Habitats program has seen the development and maintenance of a predator-proof sanctuary for the bandicoots at Woodlands Historic Park, located on Melbourne Airport’s back fence.
Since 2013 when 47 bandicoots were released into the sanctuary, breeding has seen numbers increase with more than 500 animals now roaming within the 230-hectare sanctuary. The survival of these shy tussock-dwellers now depends entirely on captive breeding programs and secure, healthy, predator-free habitats.
Watch the video for a snapshot of the Eastern Barred Bandicoot Program at Woodlands Historic Park.
See here for more information about Conservation Volunteers and the Eastern Barred Bandicoot Program across Victoria.