Looking for missing wildlife to add to sanctuary

Looking for missing wildlife to add to sanctuary
10-04-2008

Hi we are looking to returning missing local native mammals from our area now we can offer a fox & cat free 100acs here near Margaret River in WA.

We have successfully bred and re-introduced the Woylie, we feel we should be charging a dollar a hole now..........between the Woylies and Bandicoots they are really start to mine the place - a wonderful site but can be hard on the ankles if not watching where you walk through the bush!

We have also reintroduced the Western Ringtailed Possums from local fauna carers successfully.

The next fauna we are hoping to reintroduce are -
Bushtailed Wallabies, Echidnas, Quokkas.

If any one can offer ideas or fauna please let me know.
Our ph is 08 97557579
Regards Joy

10-04-2008

Please, PLEASE tell me that you are working very closely with the WA Department of Environment and Conservation on this project, and are not just merrily releasing species on this property without any guidance?

Missing wildlife cont:
10-04-2008

Of course we are working with DEC as they helped with the Woylies transfer from Perth Zoo and DEC donated a Woylie to us from Dyranda she out wore her welcome there - a little madam!

We have also worked with our local FAWNA group in offering a safe home for Western Ringtail Possums.

I have mentioned on another thread about recording our Frog population is a high priority.

We are hoping to showcase the local fauna that used to be here in a predator free environment. Currently all funding is in-house by tourism guests staying here at Yelverton Brook.
We have dreams of nocturnal walks, cafe/kiosk and education/conference centre here at Yelverton Brook.
But shire fees and charges make this dream almost seem unattainable.
A Development Application fee for expansion of approx $52,000 + GST it out of reach for a family run business.
Any ideas or joint ventures?

Anyway enough of ranting, we just would love to get some off the other missing fauna back here in a safe environment.

The education of our guests to the delights of native fauna is worth the effort.
Each chalet has a "Wildlife Journal" which helps give great insight in their behaviour.
Regards Joy

10-04-2008

It is a pity that any work done for the benefit of native wildlife populations is not free of government fees. It would be even better if some of the expences could be claimed back from the government.

How long until governments relise that creating more national parks can not help our wildlife if introduced species are not controled.

10-04-2008

The reason I was asking is that I would be very surprised if the Department would be happy with animals of unknown, or interstate origins being re-introduced.

So if I was to offer you some echidnas (hypotheticly) from my wildlife park in northern NSW, would you take them and release them on your property? And would you mix them with echidnas from another hypothetical wildlife park in South Australia?

Missing wildlife cont-
10-04-2008

We want to return the property to an "Eden Status" or close as possible to showcase the wonderful and diverse Aussie native wildlife in a protected environment. Specialising in smaller fauna - much cuter and prettier!

We would prefer to use local indigenous fauna from WA rather than from anywhere but sometimes it's not possible.
All cases would be judged on their merit.

So far our Woylie population seems to be going ok, so it shows are are being responsible.
You do not see many people put their heart and soul into wildlife conservation in the private sector like us!

As we are a family run business & trust so we cannot access many gov grants....
We have gone to the trouble to set a company over the top of the trust so hopefully we can try for a grant or 2 but the competition is pretty stiff and you need to be fairly eloquent in submission and grant writing to get a grant these days.
We are busy actually doing stuff on the ground so this effort takes a back seat.
We have been helping some WA Murdoch Students for the last few years so hopefully we could get some help later from them - it's about building bridges for the future.
Regards Joy

10-04-2008

Hi Joy I nearly went to your place for a romantic weekend a few years ago but you were booked up.

Unless your perimeter is really secure I would have thought you would have trouble getting permission to put non-indigenous animals in.

What is the land around/outside the sanctuary like? Because 100 acres is not really big enough to support properly wild populations of some of these animals. I'm assuming the setup is a bit like Karakamia which is quite a bit bigger (275ha). And do you really need to introduce echidnas? I thought they were everywhere.

Missing fauna
10-04-2008

Hi about Echidnas - we used to see tracks many, many years ago but not seen any marks for a very long time.
We were hoping to add some back onto the property to help control the termites and ants.
Any advise is appreciated and taken on board.

What area do Echidnas require?
How do Zoos cope with a very restricted space?
Regards Joy

11-04-2008

The hardest thing with echidnas is feeding (some Zoo's use Roo mince with Linseed Oil, then in the blender), space isnt really an issue they may fight a bit but never too much,

I woould suggest fencing off a couple acres for them as a trial they will still need to be fed in that size though.
Remeber they will climb wire so you will need to use corragated iron or something smooth so they cant get out!