What do your long-eared, furry marsupial friends want for Christmas?
Can you remember what you were doing five years ago? A lot has changed.
In 2021, the pandemic gripped us. State borders stayed closed. Every conversation mentioned RAT tests, lockdowns, or face masks.
We also carried out our last survey of western Queensland’s wild bilby populations. If you read my recent message, you know we urgently need to re-survey our endangered population every five years.
If you’ve already donated to help cover the costs, thank you so much—stay with me! In a minute, you’ll get a chance to ask any bilby-related question you’ve been holding onto. Weird? Wonderful? We’re ready for it.
If you haven’t donated yet, I should let you know I’ve sneaked a peek at the bilbies’ Christmas lists. They only want one thing—not to appear on the extinct species list. That means we need to move ahead with the survey as soon as temperatures drop at the end of summer.
Five years is a long time for a human, but it’s almost a lifetime for a bilby. We urgently need to assess how the increased rainfall and flooding of recent years have affected wild bilby populations.
Many of the adult bilbies we found in our last survey have likely passed away, given their six- to seven-year life expectancy.
But we can’t protect what we can’t locate. The bilby survey is about to become overdue – and their survival depends on us doing it now.
We can’t do it without you.
We also need the expertise of Dr Max Tisschler, who will join our small but mighty team to help carry out the 2026 Bilby Survey.
Dr Max at work: This survey is essential for understanding where conservation efforts are needed most, helping us to act quickly and give the bilbies the best chance of survival.
They’ll head out to remote western Queensland as our Red Dirt Detectives, searching two-hectare plots for bilby scrapings, paw marks, burrows, and droppings, as well as signs of predators. It’s hard work in extreme conditions.
But they can’t set foot out there until we complete the aerial survey. We need to book the local pilot and two trained spotters before we lose our slot – and with costs rising, we can’t afford to wait.
Now, what do you want to know? As a friend and protector of the bilby, you probably have loads of questions for Max. Just press reply and ask. We’ll read every single one, and Max will share the answers soon!
If one of your questions is “Why do we need this survey?” here’s the answer:
In conservation, as little as five years can take a species from vulnerable or endangered to extinct. Australia’s environmental history is full of precious species that vanished in less than five years.
Take Lister’s Gecko—a tiny tree-dwelling lizard from Christmas Island. Humans wiped it out in the wild, and now a breeding program fights to save it from the brink.
The Christmas Island Pipistrelle fared even worse. None have been sighted since 2009. It faced the same threats as the Greater Bilby: habitat loss and invasive predators.
This shows us we cannot take our eyes off the ball. We must use our limited resources wisely to protect our long-eared, furry marsupial friend. Right now, we’re flying blind. If conservation slows—even for a year or two due to lack of funding—our beloved bilby could be lost forever.
Reliable, consistent survey data will help us spot declines in the small, scattered wild bilby populations in western Queensland before it’s too late.
The 2026 Bilby Survey will locate wild bilby populations, check on their health, and measure predator levels.
By donating to the bilbies this Christmas, you’ll support vital conservation work like this and more, helping us act quickly, track progress, and give bilbies the best chance of survival.
What our Red Dirt Detective’s base looks like. No hotels, no backup—just determination, swags, and essential equipment. This is what it takes to find wild bilbies.
Together we can put bilbies back on the map – for good.
Thank you. And don’t forget to reply to email admin@savethebilbyfund.org to send in your question!
Kevin Bradley
CEO
P.S. What’s happened to the wild bilby population in the last five years? We urgently need to find out. With bilby numbers a fraction of what they once were, and their habitat spanning only 15-20% of what it once was, this survey has never been more important.
P.P.S. Please put our long-eared, furry marsupial friend on your Christmas list and send your gift to help us move forward with the Bilby Survey 2026. You’ll help keep the bilby off the extinct species list.