Possums welcomed back to Country in Red Centre
The common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) is, well, common in Australia, right?
Wrong.
“I think most people think the common brushtail possum is really common because it is found in a lot of the coastal fringes, urban fringes, of Australia,” says Pat Hodgens, a fauna ecologist with Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC).
“But this species has actually had a massive range contraction. It is now extinct in more than 50 per cent of its former range, with massive losses in Central Australia and northern Australia still currently occurring.”
On Ngalia-Warlpiri and Luritja Country – near Alice Springs (Mparntwe) – the possum has been locally extinct for decades.
But earlier this month it returned when 40 common brushtail possums were flown on a special charter flight from South Australia back to Country at AWC’s Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary – a predator-free, fenced, 9450ha safe haven for native species, located four hours outside of Alice Springs.
The individuals – translocated from various populations on South Australia’s mainland and Kangaroo Island – were welcomed by rangers and young people from the Laramba Aboriginal Community, Anmatyerr and Ngalia-Warlpiri/Luritja people, and the AWC team.
“It was a pretty big effort for us,” says AWC ecologist Tim Henderson, who is in charge of Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary’s species reintroduction program. “To catch them from those locations, put them on a charter plane and fly them out here, and then release them into their new home in Newhaven.”
“[The possums] are very important within the landscape from an ecological point of view, and also from a cultural point of view,” says Tim.
“They play an important role culturally. A lot of the local Indigenous people remember possums in their Dreaming stories that are passed down from older generations.”
Cultural connections
The common brushtail possum holds such great cultural significance in Central Australia that the region’s Anmatyerr people have a dedicated dance to the sacred species – Rrpwamper.
Passed down through the generations, Rrpwamper (Possum Dreaming) was performed by members of the Laramba Aboriginal Community to welcome the species back to Country.
“We perform the ceremony to connect possums back to the Land, and connect them back to the People,” explains Anmatyerr Elder Johnny Jack, guardian of the Rrpwamper story. “We are really glad to have possums back on our Country and for people to know the possum again.”
Tim adds, “It’s very special to return such a culturally important animal to the desert.”
Disappearance from Central Australia
Once abundant throughout Central Australia, after colonisation the common brushtail possum suffered the same plight as many native species.
“The decline in populations follows the pattern of most other small-to-medium-sized native mammals,” explains Tim. “The possum became far less common after European settlement, disappearing from most of its former range in inland Australia over the last 40–60 years.
“By the early 2000s, in Central Australia, the possum was restricted to small remnant populations in the ranges near Alice Springs. Surveys coordinated by the Northern Territory government suggest the population may have disappeared entirely from the region as recently as 2012.”
“Australia has the worst mammal extinction rate of anywhere in the world,” adds Pat.
“The main threats to most of our small mammal species, like the brushtail possum, are introduced predators, feral cats and foxes, and also altered fire regimes since Australia was colonised, which has meant that we’re seeing lots more intensive, hot wildfires that are burning out habitat and food trees.”
‘A good recipe for success’
Pat is confident the common brushtail possums will thrive in their new home.
“We know that these guys are very tough. They’re very adaptable,” he says.
“They have a really good chance of establishing within the arid zone, because recently, brushtail possums from Kangaroo Island were reintroduced into a semi-arid zone in the Flinders Ranges National Park. They’ve done incredibly well there; they’ve been reproducing and are really well established.
“They’re going into Newhaven sanctuary, where there are no feral predators, which is obviously the best chance they can have. And Australian Wildlife Conservancy is a world leader with mammal reintroductions into fenced reserves. So there’s a pretty good recipe for success here.”
The possums join seven other species already translocated to Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary – the mala (2017), red-tailed phascogale (2017), brush-tailed bettong (2021), bilby (2022), burrowing bettong (2022), central rock-rat (2022) and golden bandicoot (2023).
“Here at Newhaven we’re aiming to restore the ecology to what it was before feral predators impacted the landscape. Brushtail possums form a part of that historical ecology, and they have an important role to play within the ecosystem,” explains Tim.
“We expect the brushtail possums to eat things like plants, seeds, flowers and fruit, but also feed on things like small reptiles and insects. We also expect them to utilise different shelter sites. Newhaven has a lot of rocky crevices and gullies for them to shelter in. We also have burrowing animals – we’ve got the burrowing bettong and bilbies that establish warren systems within the landscape. Brushtail possums are known to use those warrens as well, and we expect them to do the same here at Newhaven.”
Many of the possums have also been fitted with GPS and VHF radio trackers. “We can track and see how they’re doing over the next couple of months and work out what kind of shelter sites they’re using and where they’re moving around the landscape,” says Tim.
