January 2012

Protecting Australia’s Last Refuge

The Kimberley RegionThe Kimberley Region

The Kimberley Region
Australia’s Kimberley Region is known for its sandstone gorges and rain forests.

Australia has long been home to many unusual animals, such as the kangaroo and the koala. Even more unusual are the animals that live in the Kimberley Region of northwestern Australia. The Artesian Range Wildlife Sanctuary in the Kimberley is home to animals that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. These animals include a small rock wallaby called the monjon and a scaly-tailed possum known as the wyulda. The Artesian Range has also become a refuge for animals that have been pushed out of other parts of Australia. The golden-backed tree rat, the golden bandicoot, and others have found safe haven there.

In April 2011, a non-profit group called the Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) took over the management of the sanctuary. The group was concerned that the Australian government might not do enough to protect the animals there. Scientists from the AWC see the Artesian Range as the “last hope” for many animals. The AWC team is currently working to identify and count all the different kinds of animals in the sanctuary. The team plans on taking a count every year to make sure that none of the animals are disappearing.

Large wildfires are one of the major threats to the animals of the Kimberley Region. The AWC is working with neighboring Aborigine communities to help prevent these fires. The Aborigines are Australia’s original people, who have traditional ways of protecting and caring for the land.

Another threat to the animals of the Kimberley is the invasion of non-native animals. Non-native animals are ones that European settlers brought to Australia. For example, scientists estimate that feral cats kill and eat about one million native animals each day in the Kimberley. Feral cats are housecats that have returned to the wild. Scientists from the AWC are working to keep feral cats and other non-native animals out of the Artesian Range Wildlife Sanctuary. They warn that if people don’t help protect areas like the Artesian Range, more of Australia’s native animals will die out.

Image credit: ©Simon Grosset/Alamy Images

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Question 1
Where is the Artesian Range Wildlife Sanctuary located?





 
Question 2
What kind of animal is the monjon?





 
Question 3
What are feral cats?






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