Annette Rypalski is a wildlife crusader, fighting to save Australian species from extinction.
She faced one of her toughest tests yet, while rescuing critically endangered wallabies from last summer’s devastating bushfires, which decimated billions of native animals.
Annette and a team of volunteers evacuated 17 Southern Brush-tailed Rock-wallabies when fire threatened Tidbinbilla Sanctuary, near Canberra. It holds 70 per cent of the captive breeding population.
“The fires could have wiped them all out,” the 38-year-old explained to SBS.
“So in late February, when fire came roaring towards their sanctuary, we made a critical decision to evacuate."
The colony was flown by military plane to sanctuary in Victoria, under intense and challenging conditions.
Annette Rypalski helped rescue wallabies from the fires. Source: Supplied
“Volunteers went above and beyond to rescue these animals at short notice in 47 degree heat. It was amazing,” Annette explained.
“We could have lost important genetic founders if we left them there,” she added.
Annette is the biodiversity director at Mt Rothwell, a private reserve in rural Victoria.
The rescued wallabies wintered there, on 450 hectares of predator-free fields at Little River near Geelong.
Most wild colonies of the Southern Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby Petrogale penicillate have been wiped out by predators and habitat clearing.
Only 150 animals are thought to survive, held mostly behind fences in sanctuaries like Mt Rothwell.
The wallabies are among more than 100 threatened species that were pushed further toward extinction by the fires.
Wallabies were evacuated in February by the ADF and volunteers. Source: Supplied
“We're trying to gain traction in this battle. There's this feeling of loss in fighting against extinction,” Annette said.
The evacuated wallabies were returned by private plane to Tidbinbilla in the ACT last month to breed.
Director of the Threatened Species Recovery Hub, Professor Brendan Wintle described the rescue as crucial to the long-term survival of this species.
“It's a great credit to all of those involved that they've managed to bring the species back from the brink,” he said.
“The genetic breeding program [at Tidbinbilla] will contribute animals to the wild population, and that will make [the population] more robust and more likely to survive impacts by bush fires,” he said.
Mt Rothwell already protects a small number of the wallabies, alongside Eastern Barred Bandicoots and Eastern Quolls.
The conservation property is owned by Melbourne businessman Nigel Sharp, under the auspices of not-for-profit entity Odonata.
Its focus is the business of biodiversity, guiding private landowners and businesses towards sustainable solutions. Odonata aims to demonstrate that farming and conservation can mix.
“Most of Australia's land is privately owned and we have active agriculture on more than 75 per cent," explained Professor Wintle.
"So we have to get conservation outcomes on private land and by private people. Otherwise we are going to continue to see the decline in nature and the loss of amazing unique species.”
“The Black Summer fires were one of the biggest natural disasters that we've had, in terms of the impact on threatened species in this country.
Professor Brendan Wintle is the Director of the Threatened Species Recovery Hub. Source: SBS
“And I just don’t think that Australians want to see any more extinctions," he said.
“We’ve already lost more than 30 mammals since Europeans arrived in Australia, so we are really keen to hold onto this amazing species."
Southern Brush-tailed Rock-wallabies have a distinctive bushy tail and orange rump, with a white stripe along their cheeks.
“It would be devastating to lose these animals, which have evolved in this landscape over hundreds of thousands of years,” Annette added.
Captive bred wallabies will eventually be released at a new fenced site at Avenel, in Victoria which has the capacity to hold thousands of animals.
Annette Rypalski with a baby quoll. Source: Supplied
“This will hopefully downlist the species from critically endangered, to at least endangered,” Annette Rypalski said.
The rescue is estimated to have cost around $500,000.
“It was worth the effort and resources, as we have effectively saved the species from extinction,” Annette added.
The Federal Government has committed $200 million towards the recovery of wildlife from last summer’s bushfires.
