Kanyana bilby breeding program
Picture: Bilby twins | Credit: Kanyana Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre
Bilbies are currently being bred in several captive breeding facilities around Australia. One of these is located at the Kanyana Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre at Lesmurdie.
The Kanyana breeding program is conducted under the guidance of the W.A. Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA), and is part of the Zoo and Aquarium Association (ZAA) Australasian Species Management Program. Animal pairings within the bilby colony and transfers into and out of the colony are conducted in accordance with recommendations made by the ZAA bilby studbook keeper, who maintains genetic records for all the bilbies in the captive population and provides advice to all the bilby breeding facilities around Australia.
The Kanyana bilby breeding colony continues to make a significant contribution to the national bilby breeding program for this iconic Australian threatened species. Bilbies born at Kanyana have been transferred throughout Australia to other captive breeding centres and release sites. Three Kanyana bred bilbies were transferred to other locations this year, including a female called Jindam who was transferred to the Perth Zoo for breeding.
June Butcher AM, Founder of the Kanyana Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre is a WA Parks Ambassador. She sees the commitment of the centre’s volunteers as the key to the success of the Kanyana breeding program.
“One of our volunteers, Leslie Polomka, has been with the program since the beginning,” she said. “Her most recent success was the arrival of twins (see photo).”
For more information on the Kanyana program and how you can help:
https://kanyanawildlife.org.au/breeding/bilby-breeding-program/
