This new joey, recently emerged and thriving, represents the next chapter in a carefully managed regional breeding program, led by Zoos SA in collaboration with wildlife organisations across Australasia. While undeniably adorable, this little bilby also carries something powerful: the genes of a critically important founder bilby named Lukkanu.
Where this beautiful bilby’s story began…
“His father was the latest founder we’ve welcomed into the population,” says Jodi Buchecker, Monarto Safari Park’s Species Management Officer and the Species Coordinator for the Greater Bilby across Australasia. “Lukkanu was found by Indigenous rangers up near Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory and has brought invaluable genetic diversity to the program.”
After siring several joeys at Alice Springs Desert Park, Lukkanu transferred to Monarto Safari Park – and this new joey, born to female bilby Gigi, is the first of his offspring to be born at the park. It’s a big win for the species’ genetic health.
“He’s a very healthy little bilby. And he’s going to be one of our key males moving forward, helping to grow and strengthen the population.”
Greater Bilbies are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. In the wild, they are notoriously hard to track due to their remote habitats, burrowing lifestyle, and wide-ranging behaviour.
“Surveys are really hard to do,” Jodi explains. “Bilbies live far apart, they travel long distances, and they spend most of their time in burrows.”
That’s why safe havens like Monarto Safari Park are so critical. The park is one of 14 sites across five states and territories that form a network of predator-free sanctuaries, designed to give the bilby – and many other native species – a fighting chance.
“There are now around 5,000 bilbies in these safe havens, all descended from captive-bred animals,” says Jodi.
Did you know?
With a gestation of just 14 days – one of the shortest of any mammal – bilby joeys spend their first 80 days hidden in the pouch. Once out, they quickly become independent.
“They’re omnivorous – eating bugs and seeds – and their burrows create safe havens for reptiles, rodents and invertebrates,” says Jodi. “Despite their size, they’re ecosystem engineers.”
Monarto Safari Park is home to 13 bilbies, with another two at Adelaide Zoo, where visitors can see these rarely spotted nocturnal marsupials up close. As for this joey, he might stay at Monarto or one day move to another partner institution to contribute to the future of his species.
“Wherever he ends up, his birth is a huge success story,” said Jodi. “It shows what we can achieve when keepers, scientists and Indigenous partners work together. He’s got a big job ahead – but he was born to make a difference.”
