Second chance for rescued bandicoot joey
A tiny Eastern barred bandicoot found abandoned in a Cape Woolamai backyard has received a clean bill of health and been released back to the wild.
The female joey was rescued by a Phillip Island resident back in August. They attempted to reunite the joey with her mother, but the next day the bandicoot, just weeks old, was still alone.
Phillip Island Nature Parks Rangers at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre determined the joey had no injuries but was still dependant on her mother for food and milk.
The joey was housed in a small enclosure and provided heat and hydration. A specialised milk was introduced as well as kibble, vegetables and live insects.
In the wild, Eastern barred bandicoots rely heavily on insects for nutrition, and rangers want to replicate that, not only for nutrition, but to teach young bandicoots how to forage for their food.
As the bandicoot joey grew, she was transferred to a bigger pen to encourage movement and exercise.
When she reached a milestone 200g, the joey was moved to a specially built outdoor pen. There she learnt all the skills she needs to survive in the wild, including building nests out of vegetation and digging for food.
With a final health check at 300g the joey was considered old enough to survive on her own and released within 50 metres of where she was originally found.
Kim Noy, Ranger at Phillip Island Nature Parks said bandicoots were curious creatures and spend a lot of time each night digging as they forage to find worms, grubs and insects to eat.
“At Phillip Island we are used to living with wildlife, and it’s not unusual to see little visitors around our homes,” she said.
“But just like our Good Samaritan did here, we always ask people to call Wildlife Victoria if they find a sick, injured or abandoned native animal, so it can be assessed and taken into care if needed and hopefully nursed back to health.”
“We want to keep our wild animals wild, and the best outcome is when we can release these animals back into their home to thrive.”
The Nature Parks, as part of a multi-agency recovery effort, helped save the Eastern barred bandicoot from extinction, reintroducing the species to the fox-free haven on Phillip Island in 2017.
Eastern barred bandicoots have now been on Phillip Island for more than six years and since then have bred and grown in numbers, expanding to several parts of the island.
To support these little marsupials, Phillip Island residents can plant local native species such as poa grass, which bandicoots will use as day beds or support the conservation of this Endangered species by symbolically adopting a bandicoot through the Penguin Foundation.