Presentation by Kelly Dixon.
The brush-tailed rabbit-rat was once widespread across northern Australia but has sadly disappeared from most of its former range. Today, the Cobourg Peninsula is likely the only place left on the NT mainland where it can still be found, with most remaining populations now surviving on a few offshore islands.
In recent years, ecologists from Territory Natural Resource Management, together with Traditional Owners and an army of dedicated people, have taken on the huge challenge of giving this species a helping hand. The team established a translocation program to move rabbit-rats to a predator-free island, safe from feral cats, introduced feral herbivores, and frequent fires.
After more than two years of planning and preparation, the first big move happened in August 2023, when 46 rabbit-rats were carefully captured and flown by helicopter to their new island home. Intensive monitoring with tiny radio trackers, cameras, and live-trapping showed not only that the animals were surviving well, but also that they were breeding. A second group of 20 animals was moved in August 2024 to boost genetic diversity and strengthen the population.
This talk will share the story of this journey.
Dr Kelly Dixon is the Ecological Programs Manager at Territory Natural Resource Management and an Adjunct Research Fellow at Charles Darwin University (CDU). She leads a passionate team of ecologists working alongside First Nations Rangers, Traditional Owners, and a wide range of partners to protect threatened species and critical habitats across the Northern Territory.
Through her role at CDU, Kelly also supervises postgraduate students, ensuring research is closely connected to on-ground conservation work. One of her students, Josh Magro, is undertaking a PhD on the brush-tailed rabbit-rat translocation program. Josh will join Kelly in this presentation to share insights from his research and early findings.
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