Photos by Ashlee Benc
A Little Pygmy Possum has been discovered on Kangaroo Island a year after last summer’s devastating bushfires, which were thought to have wiped out nearly ninety percent of the species’ habitat.
The discovery was made during a fauna survey conducted by Kangaroo Island Land for Wildlife, a voluntary, biodiversity conservation program that aims to provide safe havens for plants and animals, and improving habitat.
The Little Pygmy Possum is the world’s smallest possum, generally weighing between seven and ten grams.
The species is generally found in Tasmania, however since the 1960s, has been discovered in Kangaroo Island, and in the Murray-Darling Basin.
Fauna Ecologist Pat Hodgens says this marks the first record of the Little Pygmy Possum post the bushfires.
“To find it surviving was awesome,” says Hodgens.
“Now, we need to do everything we can now to take the steps to ensure it and other Pygmy Possums and species can be protected.”
Over twenty fauna sites have been surveyed by the Kangaroo Island Land for Wildlife program, primarily on the western side of Kangaroo Island.
Once South Australia’s most biodiverse area, Hodgens says the bushfires had a drastic impact on fauna habitat in Kangaroo Island’s west.
“We’ve been doing a lot of work since the fires on a whole lot of different species,” he says, stating there is a particular focus on the Kangaroo Island dunnart population.
The fauna surveys were conducted in collaboration with Zoos SA, to secure an inventory of species, particularly threatened species.
You can find Kangaroo Island Land for Wildlife on Facebook here.
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