Rufous bettongs are fascinating creatures

All wildlife that come into our care are special, and circumstances leading to their
predicament is often very sad. With orphaned young coming through our WILVOS 5441
6200 Hotline it is often the result of the death of the mother, meaning future generations
are gone.
Last week a very fragile little Rufous Bettong arrived as an orphan after his mother was
killed by a car. It must have been freezing for him out there on that very chilly night.
Weighing only 165 grams, there wasn’t much to keep him warm. His fur was more like
sparse hair and wouldn’t have offered much warmth. For his tiny size he made a lot of
growly noises, no doubt due to his obvious distress and hunger.
Though the Rufous Bettong is the largest of the bettong species, they have no chance
against cats, dogs, foxes, and brutal habitat destruction. With extinction looming, the
Eastern Bettong, Burrowing Bettong, Brush-tailed Bettong and the Northern Bettong are
now dependent on conservation organizations providing habitat and protection for added
introduced bettong populations on reserves. The extinction of so many of our marsupial
species is not an issue of which Australia can be proud.
Meanwhile, Rusty the fascinating Rufous Bettong is putting on weight and deciding that he
likes to have a short attempt at hopping around at 2am after his bottle. He isn’t the most
co-ordinated animal but he is working on it!
For such a small macropod, they do develop very quickly, being weaned and dependent
before six months. In comparison, an Eastern Grey Kangaroo of the same age is not even a
kilogram in weight and is just getting fine fur.
Be aware of the unique native animals that surround us, and protect them against our
failings!
Donna Brennan Wildlife Volunteers Assoc Inc (WILVOS) PO Box 4805 Sunshine Coast Mail
Centre Q 4560 PH 5441 6200 www.wilvos.org.au