How you’re helping to save an endangered wallaby
This cute little critter is a southern brush-tail rock wallaby. If you haven’t seen one before, it’s probably because they’re extremely rare.
Of the three distinct varieties of brush-tailed rock wallaby (southern in Victoria, central in NSW and northern in Queensland), the southern variety is by far the most endangered. In the 1990s, it was estimated that only eight remained in the wild.
Since then, an intensive program to kill predators, monitor genetics and slowly introduce captive-bred animals has helped to keep the species alive.
Today, there are about 50 southern brush-tailed rock wallabies still living in the wild – mostly at Little River Gorge in Victoria's Gippsland region.
Despite the program’s success, challenges remain with such a small community of animals – particularly when it comes to gene diversity. This is where the introduction of captive-bred animals has an important role to play.
Zurich is proud to support the brush-tailed rock wallaby program support protecting biodiversity in Australia.
Your impact continues to grow
Since 2022 Zurich has partnered with Reforest to plant one tree on behalf of our new customers.
This planting program contributes to the 400-hectare Widgewah Conservation Sanctuary, which is helping create a new habitat for the southern brush-tailed rock wallaby.
As at January 2024, we can proudly say that this program has delivered the following incredible results:
- Trees planted: 5,186
- CO2 removed: 1,192 tonnes
- Habitat restored: 5.2 hectares
You can read more about the Widgewah Conservation Sanctuary on the Reforest website.