Australian Bandicoot Population Rebounding

Australia is celebrating its rebounding Bandicoot population after the Eastern Barred Bandicoot was recently removed from its “extinct in the wild” list and reclassified as “endangered.” An intense effort to protect the tiny marsupial has resulted in numbers increasing from approximately 150 to a current estimate of 1500, a tenfold increase. The conservation team’s members relied heavily on captive breeding techniques. They also took advantage of islands without foxes, natural predators, to improve the odds of the breeding program. Species loss continues at a catastrophic pace, but this victory has delighted environmentalists worldwide.

• Australian bandicoot brought back from brink of extinction