Numbers of Gilbert’s potoroo – the world’s rarest marsupial – triple in the 20 years since species was rediscovered in Western Australia

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

The population of the world’s rarest marsupial has grown to more than 100 in the 20 years since the Gilbert’s potoroo species was rediscovered in Western Australia’s Great Southern region.



The state’s environment minister, Albert Jacob, said there had been intensive conservation efforts made since the discovery of 30 animals at Two Peoples Bay nature reserve near Albany in 1994 and there were now more than 100 across three colonies.

“Prior to its rediscovery, the species was thought to have been extinct for more than a century, with the last recorded specimens collected in the late 1870s,” he said.

Recovery efforts included moving 10 potoroos to the predator-free Bald Island between 2005 and 2007. In 2010, nine potoroos were released into a predator-free 380-hectare enclosure in Waychinicup national park, 25km east of Albany, with more animals introduced into the park over the past four years.

The latest monitoring at Waychinicup has shown the species is doing well, with at least 29 animals in the enclosure, including 12 animals that were taken there by helicopter from Bald Island in July.

The main threat to Gilbert’s potoroos are feral cats and foxes.