He returns to deep south Australia shaggy bentong after a century of absence from the area in question. It is a rare and especially cute marsupial that resembles a kangaroo but is about the size of a rabbit.

Bethongs, which hop on their hind legs like common kangaroos, lived in more than 60% of Australia, but then fell victim to land clearing (which occurred with the settlement of Europeans on the continent up to two centuries), as well as predators such as cats and foxes.

Today, however, they are returning to South Australia’s York Peninsula after scientists released 120 of them over the course of two years to see if they could survive off the islands or in an environment where they would not be protected from possible attacks from other animals.

New research shows their population is thriving, scientists said today.

Decreased from tens of millions before colonialism to about 12,000-18,000 today, these furry animals have managed to survive living on protected islands in Australia as well as elsewhere in the west.

Small animals, but with a big role

The betonga’s return to South Australia has been helped by an intensive cat and fox activity control program and a permeable fence that limits but does not eliminate the presence of predators on the south side of the peninsula, explains conservationist Derek Derek. Sandow.

These small animals play an important role in Australia’s environment, Sandow told AFP. “They have very strong hind legs, they carry the cubs in a bag like a kangaroo, but they weigh only a kilogram and a half. […] and build their nests under dense vegetation,” the expert explains.

“They dig a lot. A small amount of concrete can carry tons of soil a year. They are digging the ground [και] they create their own little habitats through which water passes and seeds germinate. And for that reason, they are very important to the ecosystem.”

In fact, bentong females have been noted to have an unusual but effective defense mechanism when attacked, Sandow points out.

“To escape, they dodge through the forest at high speed. They are very fast for their size,” said the scientist.

“Terrible Parents”

But females have another defense mechanism: they throw their young out of their pouch, hoping to avoid being chased by another animal that is targeting young petongs.

“They look like terrible parents, but it really works,” Sandow notes, noting that betongs breed quickly, and females often have fetuses ready to drop lower in the pouch if their young fledge or die.

Scientists believe that both betongs and other species could thrive if fox and cat populations are brought under control without necessarily completely eradicating them, Sandow notes.

“We really hope that the hairy betong will be just one of many species that we will be able to bring back and help restore balance in the ecosystem,” the expert emphasizes.

^{Source: AFP.}