Save the Bilby Fund
From October 2007 to March 2008 funds collected from the Don’t Bag the Environment program were donated to the Save the Bilby Fund. The Save the Bilby Fund was set up by conservationists Frank Manthey OAM and the late scientist Peter McRae to raise money to help put a stop to the steady decline of this delightful marsupial.
Bilbies, or rabbit-eared bandicoots, were common in many different habitats throughout Australia until European settlement. Hunting by dingoes, foxes and feral cats has meant that bilby populations now only occur in the isolated arid and semi-arid areas of Western Australia, Northern Territory and Queensland.
The Save the Bilby Fund supports the three main aims of the National Recovery Plan for bilbies:
– to support research into the biology and ecology of the species to identify the reasons for population and distribution decline.
– to direct management efforts towards addressing threatening processes.
– to re-establish populations, based on the biological knowledge gained through the research.
To date, much work has been done, but there is still more help needed. To do your bit or to learn more about this unique Australian mammal get in contact with the Save the Bilby Fund today.
Pic is Frank Manthey and friend.