What could be better than devouring chocolate on Easter morning you say? How about eating a delicious chocolate whilst helping save an Australian endangered species**.

You may argue that bunnies are so cute and fluffy, why all the hating? Well I suppose the poor things can’t help that they are Australia’s worst vertebrate pest species, which have caused up to $200 million in lost agricultural production, and the destruction of native vegetation and landscapes. Rabbits have become such an economical and environmental pest that scientists have begun to slowly roll out a newly developed rabbit virus (RHDV-K5 Korean strain of the calicivirus).

So they damage vegetation, what’s the big deal?

As I mentioned, lots of rabbits=destruction of vegetation, which leads to the extinction of plant species. If there are no plants, soil is exposed and subject to a whole lotta erosion. The soil is washed/blown away and valuable soil nutrients are lost, which new plants need to develop and grow. The eroded soil usually ends up in waterways which can cause siltation and ultimately lead to the destruction of aquatic ecosystems. Rabbits also contribute to the demise of native species such as the bilby and bandicoot, by the way of competition (food) and destruction of habitat (e.g. destruction of burrows).

Why save the Bilby?

This is a super important question to ask ourselves, because at the current rate of extinction we cannot save every endangered species :'(. Usually people save endangered species for some of the following reasons: cultural significance, ecological importance, ecosystem services, medicinal benefits, etc etc. In the case of the Bilby, not many people know much about them, because a) they are found in arid parts of Australia and b) they are nocturnal. Therefore one can conclude that because we don’t know much about them or see them in the wild, we tend to not care as much. The reason I get behind this cause is that I believe that the Save the Bilby Fund are involved in projects which will not only help the bilby, but also other native marsupials which are excluded because of pest species. For example, bilby burrows are important refuges for a range of native reptiles, and other small marsupials.

One of the biggest projects the fund has been involved in is the erection of the Currawinya Bilby Fence, which cost half a mil to establish. The goal is to ultimately release genetically important captive bred bilbies back into the wild, in order for population to thrive and grow.

How much of my purchase goes to the fund?

Okay, so from each purchase (make sure you look for the green tag) 30c goes to the Save the Bilby Fund. I know this doesn’t sound like a lot. But when you think about the costs of production for the manufacturer and the cost of the actual chocolate, I think it’s pretty reasonable! Let’s say a quarter of the Australian population buy 1 chocolate each, that’s $1,725,000!!!

I honestly think it’s a great initiative to replace a feral icon with an Australian counterpart. At the end of the day knowledge is power, and the more Australian’s know about pest species the more equiped we will be in the fight against them!

You can find the chocolates in most Myer, Target, David Jones, and Aus Post office stores.

I hate chocolate (wierdo), what else can I do to help?

Volunteer (For those who live in Western Queensland)

Sponser a bilby ($60 a year)

Become a fundraiser

Spread the word for freeeee!!!

For more info visit https://savethebilbyfund.com

I’m going to leave you with this incredibly gorgeous video of bilby triplets- click the link 😀 Bilby triplets

** The greater bilby is endangered in Queensland and classed as vulnerable nationally.