Wildlife News by Donna Brennan Wildlife Volunteers Assoc Inc (WILVOS) Phone 5441 6200 www.wilvos.org.au

Last week saw a happy ending to a lovely story.  Rusty, the adorable Rufous Bettong, pictured, was taken to his wonderful release property. 

Resident wild bettongs are checking him out through the pre-release paddock fence. There are no dogs or cats, and over 300 acres (over 120 hectares) of grassland and forests, with creeks on one boundary and a thousand-hectare conservation park on another. 

Survival cannot be guaranteed, but eliminating as many dangers as possible is the goal. This is a beautiful place with grazing areas, blady grass which bettongs love to use for making their ground nests, huge eucalypt trees with many hollows full of arboreal native animals, and even an area of rainforest.  It is wildlife heaven!  Weed species are removed or controlled and it is so refreshing to see natural grass growth instead of the often precisely manicured small acreage blocks, with no patches of habitat left for wildlife. 

Rusty has been a fascinating native animal to prepare for the wild, observing little things like the way the tops of his ears curl inwards when on high alert!  Though only in care for seventeen weeks, a short time for macropods, it has been enjoyable and very challenging when he fractured his leg.  Thank you to miracle worker Charlotte, Heather and staff at the Woombye Vet Surgery.  Rusty passed all of his fitness tests, once again stretching, jumping, climbing (maybe he thinks he is arboreal!), and racing around at breakneck speed! I do miss him!