07/04/2023
The Aussie Easter “Bunny”
For many Australians, the bilby is a species that is only recognisable thanks to a marketing effort by conservation organisations to substitute it as the bearer of Easter choccy in this part of the world.
But what is this strange, rabbit-like creature? How similar are they to introduced bunnies? Similar enough to have been named “rabbit-bandicoots” by early European settlers and similar enough to be enormously impacted by the rabbits they brought with them. The Lesser Bilby was extinct by the end of the 1950s and the only remaining species, the Greater Bilby, remains threatened.
Apart from their appearance and habitat, the bilby is actually very different from the rabbit. For one, they are a marsupial, bearing their young (and presumably Easter treats) in a pouch. This, in itself, reflects a slow and steady approach to breeding that rabbits lack (see phrase: “breed like rabbits”.) Immediately this puts bilbies on the back foot when it comes to competing for habitat – both species create burrows for reproduction, but rabbits’ rapid reproduction will take over a region very quickly. They are frequently pushed out of the prime real estate and come off second best when foraging for food. Like rabbits, bilbies are easy prey for introduced predators, such as cats and foxes. However, unlike rabbits (which breed like rabbits), every bilby lost to such predators impacts the population.
There are some fantastic organisations that are doing great work to preserve this unique Australian species. Because feral species are so established and rampant in our environment, the only true way to ensure the survival of bilbies is to create vast rabbit and predator-proof habitats, where bilbies are able to enjoy a natural existence, breeding and foraging for food without the competition of introduced competition.
We have worked on several eradication programs in sanctuaries that preserve bilbies and other vulnerable native species. We hope that the part we have played ensures Easter chocolate for many more generations of Australian children!
