Aussie Ark receives $850,000 grant to assist bushfire affected wildlife

January 20, 2021

Conservation organisation Aussie Ark has just been granted $850,000 from the Federal Government to assist bushfire affected wildlife through emergency interventions, such as through captive breeding, under the Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Program.

Aussie Ark are experts in the field of insurance population breeding programs and rewilding. The funds will go towards the expansion of already existing programs for the endangered Manning River turtle and Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby. Additionally, Aussie Ark will use the funds to establish a new conservation breeding program for the Giant Barred frog and Stuttering frog. Both species of frog were impacted by the devastating bushfire season 12 months ago.

The programs will involve the construction of specialised facilities onsite at both the Australian Reptile Park in Somersby and Aussie Ark in the Barrington Tops. The facilities will allow for the housing, breeding and development of species. Additionally, the funds will also be used to conduct in-situ surveys, to help establish locations and population abundance of the species in the wild.

Aussie Ark President, Tim Faulkner, says of the grant “these funds will have such an impact on the species. The expansion and creation of breeding programs is critical to their survival in the wild, without these programs our wildlife will disappear.”

Aussie Ark have shown how rescue, rehabilitation and insurance population breeding programs can be successful in conservation. The organisation rescued multiple platypus during the bushfire season. and relocated over 200 turtles. The platypus have all since returned to the waterways they were rescued from. Additionally, Aussie Ark is known for rewilding many lost species back to the Barrington Tops landscape. These programs outline the positive outcomes they can have on wildlife conservation and rewilding.

Faulkner adds “rewilding is critical to the long-term survival of species, but rewilding is only possible when insurance populations are established. We are looking forward to working with the Australian Government to see these long-term outcomes”.

For more information go to aussieark.org.au

Images courtesy of Aussie Ark

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27th November 2020 - Aussie Ark celebrates the opening of its Barrington Wildlife Sanctuary

24th November 2020 - Aussie Ark returns Platypus to the Wild after Bushfire Rescue

20th October 2020 - Aussie Ark launch campaign to raise funds for purchasing Curricabark Wildlife Refuge

19th September 2020 - Aussie Ark opens to the general public for second consecutive year

16th September 2020 - Aussie Ark welcomes birth of endangered Eastern Quolls

9th September 2020 - Aussie Ark partners with WIRES to increase conservation effort

7th September 2020 - Zoos SA and Aussie Ark mark National Threatened Species Day

14th August 2020 - Aussie Ark announces winning project of its Conservation from the Couch campaign

15th July 2020 - Aussie Ark celebrates birth of two Brush-Tailed Rock-Wallabies at Barrington Sanctuary

23rd May 2020 - Aussie Ark commits to turtle conservation on World Turtle Day

20th February 2020 - Aussie Ark recognised internationally for its significance in fire and drought recovery

12th February 2020 - Aussie Ark commit to save critically endangered Manning River Turtles

28th January 2020 - Aussie Ark coordinates regional assessment of endangered Brush-tailed rock wallabies

9th January 2020 - Aussie Ark secures wild protected sanctuary for koalas

28th December 2019 - Aussie Ark declares NSW State of Emergency for wildlife

18th November 2019 - Aussie Ark calls for wildlife support during bushfires

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