Skip to content

Wallaby weigh station

Leanne Hales (Volunteer Coordinator North)
Published 15 Mar 2017 by Leanne Hales (Volunteer Coordinator North)

Wild Mob, Hugo Spooner (owner of Avocet Nature Refuge) and wildlife ecologists from the Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, have pioneered a new approach to threatened species management.

Research shows that 47% of juvenile Flashjacks don’t make it to adulthood, largely due to predation by feral cats. Yet adults Flashjacks can fend for themselves if accustomed to the presence of predators in the wild and their habitat remains healthy and well managed. 

Fencing extensive areas and removing predators from within is incredibly expensive and ultimately will be limited to miniscule areas of Australia. Of course, large predator proof enclosures also have perpetually huge maintenance bills. Derek explains:

"The solution to save the Flashjack is relatively simple. We're protecting juvenile wallabies in a custom-built nursery until they're big enough to avoid being a target.

"While we also continue to control predators and monitor Flashjacks across Avocet Nature Refuge, operating the nursery will boost the adult breeding population and in turn increase total numbers of Flashjacks.

Wild (predator-savvy) females caught nearby are placed inside a 9ha predator-fenced enclosure with a select few lucky males. Young remain there until they reach 3kg. When they reach or exceed that weight, they're released to outside the fence.

Even with volunteer help, regular trapping within the enclosure to capture Flashjacks ready for release is expensive and very time consuming. For this reason we needed to semi-automate the process.

Of all places, we found a solution to this in Antarctica where researchers were using state of the art electronics and information technology. Nail-tails need to drink regularly so a water trough brings them through into the small pen at one end of the nursery enclosure.

At the entrance to this pen we're constructing a weighbridge, connected to a micro-chip scanner (all Flashjacks placed into the nursery are micro-chipped), and a webcam.

As Flashjacks enter the pen they're automatically weighed, identified by their micro-chip and photographed. All this information will then be uploaded to a webpage and can be accessed remotely. When young Flashjacks have reached 3kg they can be trapped and released outside."

Bush Heritage's volunteer program has allowed many of our volunteers to contribute to this compelling project. The picture shows Tom Sjolund (Techie Tom) setting up the gadgetry at the gate, which will be up and running in coming months. 

Others have been helping by trying to round up the last persistent rabbits still in the enclosure, checking the fence for potential breaches, or back on Goonderoo Reserve helping with weeds or predator control

The proximity of Goonderoo and its accommodation, and the volunteer program it supports, is making a valuable and efficient contribution to the project. 

Flashjacks and their young safe inside the nursery. Flashjacks and their young safe inside the nursery.
Wildmob CEO, Derek Ball, releasing a Flashjack during a mark-recapture survey. Wildmob CEO, Derek Ball, releasing a Flashjack during a mark-recapture survey.
Project partners, L to R, Andrew Dinwoodie (EHP Project Officer), property owner Hugo Spooner, Bush Heritage Manager Chris Wilson (back) and Ecologist Murray Haseler with Janelle Lowry (EHP Senior Conservation Officer). Project partners, L to R, Andrew Dinwoodie (EHP Project Officer), property owner Hugo Spooner, Bush Heritage Manager Chris Wilson (back) and Ecologist Murray Haseler with Janelle Lowry (EHP Senior Conservation Officer).
The webcam has captured many shots of Flashjacks in the weighstation, showing they're happy to pass through for their check-up. The webcam has captured many shots of Flashjacks in the weighstation, showing they're happy to pass through for their check-up.
The weighstation in the background will let ecologists know when young Flashjacks are ready for release. The weighstation in the background will let ecologists know when young Flashjacks are ready for release.
Volunteer 'Techie Tom' puts his unique skillset to good use in the development of the weighstation and webcam connection. Volunteer 'Techie Tom' puts his unique skillset to good use in the development of the weighstation and webcam connection.

Related stories

BLOG 27/08/2020

Volunteering in Brigalow country

Regular Queensland-based volunteers Paul and Jo Flint report back on their recent caretaking work at Goonderoo Reserve in Central Queensland.

Read More

BLOG 30/03/2020

Winning the war on weeds

Long-term volunteer and renowned 'King of Cactus', Ian Haverly, describes how we're winning the war on Goonderoo Reserve's sword cactus infestation.

Read More

BLOG 03/05/2019

We love fuzzy bums

At Goonderoo Reserve we have been getting very excited about fuzzy bums. It all started last April when volunteer caretakers, Hazel and Dennis Hanrahan sent through a photo of a very healthy looking koala.

Read More

BLOG 24/01/2019

A month with Flashjacks in the Brigalow

In late 2018 Paul Bateman spent a month at Goonderoo Reserve working as a volunteer caretaker, both on the reserve and helping with the Flashjack (Bridled Nailtail Wallaby) recovery project.

Read More

BLOG 26/09/2018

The king of Sword Cactus

I'd like to introduce you to Ian Haverly, committed Bush Heritage volunteer and undisputed King of Cactus up here in the northern region.

Read More

BLOG 15/08/2018

Birdbath antics at Goonderoo

Reserve-based volunteer placements are often a great opportunity for some citizen science. Many of our volunteers contribute excellent photos and incidental records for our species lists and databases as well as making important submissions to other organisations and projects such as Birdlife Australia and the Atlas of Living Australia.

Read More

BUSHTRACKS 07/12/2017

Coming together for Flashjacks

Bush Heritage volunteers and staff recently had the chance to get up close and personal with Bridled Nailtail Wallabies in what turned out to be a record survey of the translocated population.

Read More

BLOG 30/10/2017

Killing cactus at Goonderoo

Volunteers play an important role in weed control projects across the country. On Goonderoo Reserve in Central Qld, the target species is Sword Cactus (Acanthocereus pentagonus) a tall, columnar cactus that reaches a height of 2-7m. Sword cactus is multi-stemmed and highly spiky. It has the ability to form dense thickets and will dominate a vegetation community to the exclusion of many other plant and animal species.

Read More

BLOG 12/09/2017

Surveying Flashjacks on Avocet

Our volunteer caretakers at Goonderoo play an important role in the recovery of Bridled Nailtail Wallabies (Flashjacks) at neighbouring Avocet Nature Refuge in Central Qld. As part of their weekly caretaker duties, the volunteers conduct fence inspections and check water at the Flashjack nursery. They also support feral animal control, monitoring and weeding projects in the Brigalow habitat that the Flashjacks call home.

Read More

BLOG 15/03/2017

Wallaby weigh station

The Bridled Nail-tail Wallaby (aka Flashjack) is one of Australia's rarest and most endangered macropods - there are only around 300 left in the wild. On Avocet Nature Refuge, neighbouring our Goonderoo Reserve, staff and volunteers have the privilege of supporting innovative work that's successfully boosting breeding numbers in the wild.

Read More

BLOG 04/07/2016

Drones on Goonderoo

I recently spent a few days with volunteers Rosemary Rogers and Geoff Spanner who spent a month on Goonderoo working on weeds and infrastructure. The place, especially around the homestead, is looking way better for it. Geoff is also a photographer and videographer and carries a camera drone (the DJI Phantom 3 to be exact).

Read More

BLOG 21/06/2016

Dirt track detectives at Goonderoo

Volunteers Tony and Vicky Darlington had never heard of 'sand pad monitoring' when they signed up for a stint as caretakers at Goonderoo Reserve in Central Queensland. But with some simple instructions and a little bit of practise they soon got their 'eye in' as dirt-track detectives.

Read More

BUSHTRACKS 11/04/2016

Apples & Androids: The future of wildlife monitoring?

Former video surveillance specialist and Bush Heritage volunteer Tom Sjolund is exploring ways old smartphones could help with wildlife monitoring.Former video surveillance specialist and Bush Heritage volunteer Tom Sjolund is exploring ways old smartphones could help with wildlife monitoring.

Read More
Loading...
{{itemsInCart}} Items - {{formatCurrency(grandTotal)}}