Plants and Animals

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Eastern Barred Bandicoot Perameles gunnii Endangered | What is a Bandicoot? | Survival Needs | Threats | Conservation You Can Help | Further Information | Threatened Species Index | Eastern Barred Bandicoot - Action Statement Eastern Barred Bandicoot Recovery Team

Endangered
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The Eastern Barred Bandicoot is one of Victoria's most endangered mammals. It was formerly widespread throughout the grasslands and grassy woodlands of western Victoria, but is now virtually extinct in the wild. Only a handful of wild bandicoots survive and they live in and around the City of Hamilton. The majority of the approximately 150 Eastern Barred Bandicoots surviving are found in four reintroduction sites across western Victoria or in the captive breeding program led by Melbourne Zoo. The Eastern Barred Bandicoot is listed as threatened under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 and is considered to be critically endangered in Victoria. It is also listed as nationally endangered under the Commonwealth Environment Protection an Biodiversity Protection Act 1999. What is a Bandicoot? Bandicoots are small, rabbit-sized marsupials with long, pointed noses and compact bodies. They are ground-living, omnivorous or carnivorous, and nocturnal. There were 11 species of bandicoots found in Australia, but three are now extinct, and another three, including the Eastern Barred Bandicoot, are highly endangered.

Survival Needs

The Eastern Barred Bandicoot requires long, dense grass and low shrub cover for nesting, where it can be secure from predators, and more open areas for foraging. Almost all of the native grasslands and grassy woodlands that were once their natural habitat have been lost to agriculture. Bandicoots make grass-lined nests to rest in during the day, and emerge at night to feed on small animals like beetles, crickets, worms and caterpillars. They also eat some bulbs, tubers and fungi but rarely drink, gaining moisture from the food they eat. Threats Predation by foxes, cats and dogs is a significant threat that places remaining populations at risk. Most bandicoots now survive within fox and cat-proof reserves. Cats also spread Toxoplasmosis, a disease that causes sickness and death in bandicoots.

Eastern Barred Bandicoot Recovery Team

The Eastern Barred Bandicoot Recovery Team has coordinated efforts to prevent the extinction of the species since the 1980s. Bandicoots are bred for reintroduction by Melbourne Zoo, Healesville Sanctuary and Werribee Open Plains Zoo. Conservation efforts in Victoria focus on reintroduced populations at Hamilton Community Parklands in far western Victoria, Woodlands Historic Park near Melbourne, “Mooramong", a National Trust of Australia property near Skipton and at Mt Rothwell Sanctuary, a privately-owned reserve north of Geelong.

There are a number of things you can do to help save the Eastern Barred Bandicoot.
• If you live near a bandicoot population keep your dog and cat restrained or inside at night.
  Cats and dogs can kill bandicoots and other native wildlife.
• Get involved in the regular population monitoring of bandicoots.
• Encourage your local government to legislate responsible pet ownership provisions such as night-time curfews on cats and dogs.
• Contact the Eastern Barred Bandicoot Recovery Team and offer your assistance

Newsletters are generally produced each year. If you would like to receive the newsletter regularly contact the Recovery Team.

Newsletter 12 2006 (PDF - 632 Kb)


Newsletter 11 2005 (PDF - 322 Kb)

Newsletter 10 Mar 2004 (PDF - 1.2 Mb)

Newsletter 9 2002 (PDF - 1.6 Mb)

Newsletter 8 2001 (PDF - 500 Kb)

Newsletter 7 2001 (PDF - 856 Kb)

Newsletter 6_2 1995 (PDF - 872 Kb)

Newsletter 5 1994 (PDF - 1.0 Mb)

Newsletter 4 1994 (PDF - 1.4 Mb)

Newsletter 3 1993 (PDF - 1.9 Mb)

Newsletter 2 1993 (PDF - 1.1 Mb)

Newsletter 1 1992 (PDF - 1.6 Mb)



Please note: Document(s) on this page are presented in PDF format. If you do not have the Adobe Reader, you can download a copy free from the Adobe web site.

The recovery team has produced the following posters of information about the Eastern Barred Bandicoot. Refer to them for bandicoot facts
or print them out to display information about this beautiful endangered animal.

Identification (jpg - 125 Kb)


Breeding (JPG - 119 Kb)


Feeding (jpg - 126 Kb)


Nesting (jpg - 115 Kb)


Predators (JPG - 142 Kb)


Reproduction (JPG - 129 Kb)


Causes of Decline (JPG - 116 Kb)


Native Grasslands (JPG - 120 Kb)


Hamilton Community Parklands (JPG - 145 Kb)


Poster: Management (JPG - 123 Kb)

Annual reports summarise the successes (and failures) of each of the bandicoot reintroduction
sites.

2000 - 2001 (PPT - 1.5 Mb)

2000-01 (PDF - 158 Kb)

2001-02 (PDF - 127 Kb)

2002-03 (PDF - 148 Kb)

2003-04 (PDF - 184 Kb)

2004-05 (PDF - 125 Kb)




Further Information Further information on the recovery program for the Eastern Barred Bandicoot can be obtained from the following offices of the Department of Sustainability and Environment and Parks Victoria.

Department of Sustainability and Environment		Parks Victoria
Customer Service Centre 136 186 .		Customer Service Centre 131 963