Rare Wangarru wallaby colony grows in leaps and bounds after rains in Far West NSW - ABC News

A rare native wallaby population found only in the New South Wales Far West and outback South Australia has slowly begun to grow again after years of dwindling numbers.

The yellow-footed rock wallabies, or Wangarru, reside in Mutawintji National Park and Nature Reserve.

The only other colony is in the Flinders Ranges.

The NSW Government's wildlife conservation program has been monitoring the nocturnal marsupials for 40 years in one of the state's longest running aerial survey studies.

The Saving Our Species Program's senior project officer, Sarah Bell, has been surveying the species for the last four years.

She said numbers were finally on an upwards trajectory after years of decline.

"Because we've had really poor years of rainfall, the population declined from around 150 animals down to below 60," Dr Bell said.

"But rain from March caused the ground cover to grow back and the wallabies have started breeding again, and this latest count in July we recorded 75 wallabies.

"We were getting quite concerned, because 60 in one population is such a small number of animals to represent a species distribution in NSW."

Two yellow-footed rock wallabies, or Wangarru, sitting on a rock in a national park.
The cute little critters have thrived off the recent rainfall events in the Far West.(

Supplied: Saving Our Species

)

Dr Bell said it was remarkable how closely related the colony's populations were to rainfall.

"If you put the population count on top of rainfall data, it's really quite amazing how closely it corresponds," she said.

In his role as Mutawintji Park Manager, Barkindji man Leroy Johnson would set up food and water stations for the animals to ensure their survival, particularly in times of intense drought.

Pest control problems are another root cause of declining numbers, with predation and habitat damage from feral cats, foxes and goats.

He said the colony of Wangarru held immense cultural significance for the local Aboriginal community.

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"Mutawintji Land Council has the rock wallaby in their logo, so our people take it very seriously to look after not only those animals, but the habitat they live in," Mr Johnson said.

"If the numbers are good then the land and the country is healthy too … we take pride in the fact that they're there."

The Saving Our Species Program and the Mutawintji Land Council are planning on a translocation project for the species in a bid reintroduce them to other areas of the Far West — but only if the numbers continue to rise.

"That strategy would increase the number of sub-populations in NSW and provide a back-up population in case of future droughts, fire or disease," Dr Bell said.

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