Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby.
"Today a threatened species, the yellow-footed rock-wallaby is one of Australia‘s most charming and attractive marsupials.
Yellow footed rock wallabies are the largest marsupial of the rock-wallaby family of wallabies. Sitting up, they reach a height of about 60 centimetres, and weigh between 6 and 12 centimetres. They are distinguished by their white cheek-stripes; orange ears, forearms, and hind legs; a striped tail; soft, white fur on the belly; and of course, their yellow feet.
The first European to see a yellow-foot was most likely the explorer Edward John Eyre. During his exploration of the Flinders Ranges in 1840, he recorded seeing them in large numbers at Mt Aroona, noting in his journal that ‘they leapt and clambered up among the steep sides of the cliffs in a manner quite incredible.’
In the 1880s, yellow footed rock wallabies were said to occur in ‘droves of 60 or 70’. Tragically, hunting and introduced predators reduced their numbers considerably. Around the turn of the 20th century, tens of thousands of yellow-foots were hunted for ‘sport’ and profit. The beauty of their fur made shooting them profitable.
By 1912, the decline was obvious. The South Australian Parliament passed the Animals Protection Act, forbidding the hunting of yellow-foots for their skins. Yet, even after the hunting stopped, wallaby numbers did not recover as the wallaby competed with habitat destruction and introduced herbivores. Reduced populations now had to deal with feral cats and fox predation and compete with introduced grazers, sheep, rabbits, and feral goats – with whom they share an overlapping diet and enter intense competition in drought.
In the 1970s, conservation efforts were stepped up. In 1975, the South Australia National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) began formulating a management plan for the populations in that state and the wallaby had conservation status. Academics studied the breeding and population patterns of the wallabies, and plans were made to reintroduce a wallaby population with a genetic diversity of captive-bred animals back into the wild.
In the Flinders Ranges, the yellow-footed rock-wallaby was on the verge of extinction, with a population of only around 40 by 1992. Thanks to the elimination of predators and competitors – foxes and goats – they have since bounced back, with more than 1000 living around Brachina Gorge. Similarly, the Gawler Ranges National Park has seen a population of around 6 bounce back into the hundreds, thanks to skilful conservation management.
Despite this encouraging population growth, the yellow-footed rock-wallaby remains a vulnerable species in South Australia, and an endangered species in New South Wales and Queensland."
Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby.
"Today a threatened species, the yellow-footed rock-wallaby is one of Australia‘s most charming and attractive marsupials.
Yellow footed rock wallabies are the largest marsupial of the rock-wallaby family of wallabies. Sitting up, they reach a height of about 60 centimetres, and weigh between 6 and 12 centimetres. They are distinguished by their white cheek-stripes; orange ears, forearms, and hind legs; a striped tail; soft, white fur on the belly; and of course, their yellow feet.
The first European to see a yellow-foot was most likely the explorer Edward John Eyre. During his exploration of the Flinders Ranges in 1840, he recorded seeing them in large numbers at Mt Aroona, noting in his journal that ‘they leapt and clambered up among the steep sides of the cliffs in a manner quite incredible.’
In the 1880s, yellow footed rock wallabies were said to occur in ‘droves of 60 or 70’. Tragically, hunting and introduced predators reduced their numbers considerably. Around the turn of the 20th century, tens of thousands of yellow-foots were hunted for ‘sport’ and profit. The beauty of their fur made shooting them profitable.
By 1912, the decline was obvious. The South Australian Parliament passed the Animals Protection Act, forbidding the hunting of yellow-foots for their skins. Yet, even after the hunting stopped, wallaby numbers did not recover as the wallaby competed with habitat destruction and introduced herbivores. Reduced populations now had to deal with feral cats and fox predation and compete with introduced grazers, sheep, rabbits, and feral goats – with whom they share an overlapping diet and enter intense competition in drought.
In the 1970s, conservation efforts were stepped up. In 1975, the South Australia National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) began formulating a management plan for the populations in that state and the wallaby had conservation status. Academics studied the breeding and population patterns of the wallabies, and plans were made to reintroduce a wallaby population with a genetic diversity of captive-bred animals back into the wild.
In the Flinders Ranges, the yellow-footed rock-wallaby was on the verge of extinction, with a population of only around 40 by 1992. Thanks to the elimination of predators and competitors – foxes and goats – they have since bounced back, with more than 1000 living around Brachina Gorge. Similarly, the Gawler Ranges National Park has seen a population of around 6 bounce back into the hundreds, thanks to skilful conservation management.
Despite this encouraging population growth, the yellow-footed rock-wallaby remains a vulnerable species in South Australia, and an endangered species in New South Wales and Queensland."