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Tammar wallaby reintroduction.27/07/2007 00:00:00 October 2006. A third group of 36 rare tammar wallabies have been released in Innes National Park as part of an ongoing project to reintroduce the species previously thought to be extinct on the South Australia mainland. The 36 new wallabies released this week join 18 others, 8 from the previous 2 releases and 10 born in the park. ‘While results from the first 2 releases have not reflected an increasing population size, these animals have now clearly developed survival skills for the Innes environment and form the nucleus from which the population can expand,’ Minister Gago said. ‘All the wallabies are fitted with radio-collars, so their survival and movements can be monitored, and we’ve been able to learn many important lessons about release protocols and ongoing monitoring. ‘This monitoring will provide important data on tammar wallaby survival, body condition, genetics and reproductive output. ‘The significant mortality of the second release group was attributed to the poor conditions which prevailed following the release. This was avoided this time by having the third release in the spring’. Minister Gago said that fox control was also an essential component of the project. A single fox can have a significant effect on the re-introduced tammar wallaby population, while the wallaby population remains at low numbers. The reintroduction of tammar wallabies to Innes National Park is the first stage of a project to reintroduce the species, extinct on mainland South Australia since the 1920s, to at least 2 suitable sites on mainland SA. The program is a joint project with the Australian Department for the Environment and Heritage, Monarto and Adelaide Zoos, and the University of Adelaide.
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