“One of the questions we asked in the study was ‘are the wallabies, Euros and goats competing for the same food source?’” says Adam. “And we found a significant overlap in their diets, with them all eating chenopods (e.g. bluebushes), forbs (e.g. native daisies) and Acacia shrubs.”
The Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby, known as Andu to Adnyamathanha people for which it is a totem species, is Australia’s largest rock wallaby. According to Graeme, it’s also the prettiest in the country.
“The patterning on their tail, the colouration on their face – they’re a stunning animal,” he says.
Once found in arid, rocky landscapes throughout Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia, the species is now limited to a few isolated populations. In 2017, a decade after Bush Heritage purchased Boolcoomatta, the wallabies began to be seen regularly on the reserve for the first time in over 90 years. Much to Graeme’s pleasure, analysis of the scats at Adam’s lab confirms their presence across the reserve.
“Previously, the wallabies had only been seen at one rocky outcrop on Boolcoomatta. But through the scat analysis, we confirmed Yellow-footed Rock- wallabies at two new locations there,” says Graeme.
Of course, it’s what the scats tell us about how to help the wallabies that Graeme really wants to know.
“If you really want to see more Yellow-footed Rock- wallabies on Boolcoomatta we need to address this competition for food that we now know occurs, particularly during times of drought,” he says.