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The birth of bilby triplets on the Gold Coast has given conservationists renewed hope for the future of the vulnerable marsupials. Willow, Tilly and Daisy made their public debut at Dreamworld in January, but as Easter approaches, the trio are preparing for a new wave of attention. "Bilby triplets are very unusual," says Al Mucci, director of the Dreamworld Wildlife Foundation. "I've only seen it three times, and this is the second time it's happened at Dreamworld." The bilbies are a part of Dreamworld's conservation program, which ultimately aims to repopulate areas affected by introduced species. "The natural habitat of the bilby spans from west of the Great Dividing Range to Perth, and south to Adelaide," Mucci says. "But much of that environment has been hit by feral cats. The bilby went extinct in the south, and they could become extinct everywhere unless these cats are managed." Known as the 'rabbit-eared bandicoot', the bilby has become an Australian icon at Easter. Chocolate bilbies sit alongside the traditional bunnies on supermarket shelves in an effort to raise awareness of their plight. "Bilbies thrive in tough, arid environments and harsh climates," Mucci says. "They get all their moisture from the invertebrates and snakes they eat." When much-needed rain hits the coast, these dry, thirsty areas can end up with more than just a drink. "The water is good, but it brings the cats," he says. "So it's a very boom-and-bust environment for bilbies." Despite the threats, Mucci says repopulation efforts are working, thanks in part to the bilby's accelerated gestation period. "Just two weeks," he says. "It's a very quick reproductive cycle. Bilbies are short-lived, they only have a life expectancy of about five years, but in that time they can breed like rabbits." In a predator-free environment, numbers can explode. At Currawinya National Park in south-west Queensland, a 24 square kilometre enclosure has been set up to host bilbies born in captivity. "It's a safe area with water and food, which they can catch on their own," Mucci says. The first cohort of bilbies bred in captivity will be released at Currawinya just before Easter, with two more to follow in June and August. It's a promising start to the year, but Mucci says much more needs to be done. "There are 20 million feral cats out there, and they'll kill and eat anything they catch," he says. "Farmers should be given government incentives to kill the feral cats." Farmers were given incentives to kill dingoes and the now-extinct Tasmanian Tiger, and the subsequent lack of dogs led to an increase in the cat population. "The feral cat problem is everyone's responsibility, and if we don't act, the bilby could become extinct." The Lesser bilby went extinct in the 1950s, a fate Mucci says the surviving Greater bilby can avoid. "It's down to awareness. People need to be made aware of bilbies and their situation, which is why we encourage people to boycott the bunny at Easter and buy a chocolate bilby instead." Funds raised from the sale of Pink Lady chocolate bilbies help conservation efforts like Dreamworld's, which have helped turn things around for the cute critters. "There's a lot of work to do, but things are looking up for the bilby." Australian Associated Press

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