CENTRAL COAST SCHOOL PROMOTION –
Threatened Species Week
Threatened Species Week is celebrated nationally between September 1 – 7.
During this week students of all ages are encouraged to learn about and understand
Australia’s threatened species crisis and the many important issues relating to the
conservation and protection of our unique and precious wildlife. Threatened Species
Week incorporates national Threatened Species Day - the anniversary of the death
of the last Tasmanian tiger on 7 September 1936.
Central Coast based conservation organisation Waterfall Springs Wildlife
Sanctuary would like to encourage your school to participate in threatened week
and learn about the plight of one of Australia’s most endangered wallaby species
by getting involved in our fun and interactive “Adopt a Wallaby” Program.
At Waterfall Springs Wildlife Sanctuary we are working to save the Brush-tailed
Rock-wallaby by conducting an important conservation based breeding program.
The wallabies bred at Waterfall Springs will eventually be released back into the
wild to increase severely declining population numbers and help prevent the
extinction of this species.
The maintenance of our sanctuary facilities and the professional care for these
animals is expensive. Your school can help us in the fight to save the Brushtailed Rock-wallaby by “Adopting a Waterfall Springs Wallaby” and
following its journey towards eventual release into the wild.
This fun learning program is a unique opportunity for Central Coast based
schools.
Help Waterfall Springs to inspire your students to discover and connect with
Australia’s wildlife and take action to help protect Australia’s natural environment.
What you need to do
Fundraise within your school; environment club or class room to Adopt A
Wallaby :
School Adoption Fee: min $300
Environment Club Fee: $75
Class Fee: $75 (max 2 classes combined)
You could make this fun by pinning your own Wallaby Pouch to the classroom
wall with each class member making a gold coin donation until the fee has been
reached.
Have a mufti day with each participating child making a gold coin donation.
What Waterfall Springs will do
Waterfall Springs will post your adoption information on our website and keep you
up to date regularly with your wallaby’s progress. We will also send your class an
official certificate of adoption, photo and information package including stickers
and collection cards and invite students to submit their wallaby artworks, stories or
comments for display on our website.
We will also arrange a visit to your class within the next 3 months by a Wallaby
Keeper and where possible a hand raised rock-wallaby joey for an amazing closeup wildlife experience (this will be limited to 2 classes per visit to minimise stress
and agitation to our animals).
KEY LEARNING FACTS – Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby
Did you know that Australia has one of the worst animal extinction rates in the
world! Since European settlement some 125 flora and fauna species have
become extinct including 27 of Australia’s known mammal species.
The Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby is one of 16 species of rock-wallaby in Australia and
the only rock-wallaby present in eastern NSW. Once abundant and widespread, their
numbers and range have been drastically reduced since European colonisation. The
Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby is listed as a threatened species in NSW.
At a local level, Brush-tailed Rock-wallabies were once found in metropolitan Sydney
and throughout the ranges of the Hunter region. Today, the colonies at Middle Head
and Pittwater are now extinct and its status in the Hunter – Central Rivers area is in
severe decline. Small populations still exist in the Watagan, Wollemi and Yengo
National Parks (see distribution map below).
This beautifully marked medium-sized wallaby is distinguished by its long, dark tail
ending in a brush of coarse hair, a white cheek blaze and a black dorsal stripe along
the head. Its long tail provides balance as it makes great leaps from rock to rock and
its soft well padded feet provide it with remarkable traction.
Rock-wallabies live in steep rocky habitat and take shelter in rock crevices, caves
and overhangs. They feed on a wide variety of grasses, herbs and shrubs. Females
give birth to a single pouch young at a time and the young remain in the pouch for 6
months.
The dramatic decline of rock-wallaby numbers began in the late 1890’s when they
were hunted for sport and their furs sold for bounty. Today, the major threat leading
to ongoing extinction of colonies of Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby is predation by foxes
and feral cats.
To address the critical decline in BTRW populations, the NSW Department of
Environment and Conservation (DEC) Threatened Species Unit have commenced a
BTRW Recovery Program.
Fox control and captive breeding programs are two of the high priority recovery
actions in place to help increase the numbers of the wild populations.
Waterfall Springs conducts an important managed breeding program for BTRW that
aims to generate sufficient new animal numbers for eventual reintroduction into the
wild.
Saving Australia’s threatened species requires the support and commitment from the
whole of the community. Wild habitat preservation and regeneration is the primary
means for ensuring the long-term survival of Australia’s vitally important native
species.