Brush-tailed mulgaras released on Dirk Hartog Island as part of ecological restoration project

Almost 30 rare marsupials were released on Dirk Hartog Island at the weekend in a marathon 844km journey from the Goldfields outback.
In total, 100 brush-tailed mulgaras were captured in Matuwa Kurrara Kurrara National Park in the remote Goldfields, before travelling by plane and helicopter to their new home.
Teams released 29 of them on Dirk Hartog Island, with the remaining located to other parts as part of the Return to 1616 project.
The Wiluna Martu rangers, under the Tarlka Matuwa Piarku Aboriginal Corporation, helped with the translocation, and were welcomed to the island by Malgana traditional owners.
The animals were released just after sunset last Saturday night.
The Return to 1616 project began in 2012, and aims at restoring the island to resemble the ecological condition from when Dutch sailor Dirk Hartog first explored the area more than four centuries ago.
Brush-tailed mulgaras are classified as near-threatened and are the eighth species to be translocated to the island. The group was made up of 60 females and 40 males.
The project has seen the reintroduction of rufous hare wallabies, banded hare wallabies, Shark Bay bandicoots, greater stick nest rats and Shark Bay mice.
Dirk Hartog became the world’s largest island, at 63,300 hectares, to have feral cats, sheep and goats eradicated in 2018.
The program is primarily funded through the Gorgon Barrow Island Net Conservation Benefits Fund, with additional support from the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
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