The Shark Bay bandicoot—also known as the western barred bandicoot or marl—has been successfully reintroduced to north-west New South Wales after disappearing from the region for more than 150 years. Animals released into a predator-free enclosure at the Pilliga are now breeding, turning a carefully managed reintroduction into evidence of a developing wild population.
What animal came back after 150 years?
It was the Shark Bay bandicoot (Perameles bougainville), a small marsupial also called the western barred bandicoot or marl. The animal had vanished from north-west New South Wales for more than 150 years, largely because introduced foxes and cats preyed on it. This was a local reintroduction: the species was not globally extinct.
Shark Bay bandicoots still survived elsewhere, allowing conservation organisations to establish new populations in parts of their former range.
How the Pilliga reintroduction unfolded
| Date | What happened | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) and the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service released 66 Shark Bay bandicoots into a 5,800-hectare fenced area in the Pilliga State Conservation Area. | These animals formed the founder population for the restored site. |
| 2025 | Motion-sensor cameras photographed a female moving with three young. A trapping survey later caught 85 bandicoots, including 44 born in the Pilliga. | The project produced both direct family evidence and a larger numerical check of reproduction. |
| Late 2025–April 2026 | The program expanded to Mallee Cliffs National Park, with 20 animals released in late 2025 and another 40 in April 2026. | The conservation model is being extended to another protected site. |
How scientists know the bandicoots are breeding
A mother and three young on camera
In 2025, a motion-sensor camera recorded a female with three young following her. That image shows more than survival: the reintroduced animals had produced offspring inside the restored area. AWC field ecologist Maisie Duffin described seeing “the photo of the three young bandicoots scurrying to keep up with their mum” as a memorable moment for the field team.
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Locally born animals in the trapping survey
The subsequent survey captured 85 bandicoots. Forty-four—more than half of those caught—were born in the Pilliga rather than released there. In the same survey, 68% of captured females were in breeding condition. Together, those results indicate that reproduction is occurring across the population, not just in a single photographed family.
Why the predator-free fence is central
The Pilliga animals live inside a 5,800-hectare enclosure designed to exclude the introduced foxes and cats that drove the bandicoot’s local disappearance. Removing that pressure gives the marsupials a chance to survive, mature and raise young without the principal predators responsible for their historical decline.
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A fence is not a permanent substitute for a functioning ecosystem. It requires inspections, repairs and ongoing predator monitoring, but it can provide the secure starting conditions needed while a reintroduced population grows.
Where else are Shark Bay bandicoots being released?
AWC has expanded the effort to Mallee Cliffs National Park. Twenty bandicoots were released in late 2025, followed by 40 more in April 2026. AWC reported survival of 87% to 100% among animals released there the previous year. Those figures describe monitored released animals at that site and do not constitute a national population estimate.
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Does this mean the species is no longer endangered?
No. Breeding at Pilliga is a strong early result, but it does not by itself demonstrate that the species is secure across Australia. A self-sustaining population must continue to survive and reproduce over multiple years, while managers maintain predator exclusion, genetic diversity, habitat quality and protection from disease and other threats.
There is also no single current national population total provided by the official accounts of this project. The clearest conclusion is narrower and better supported: Shark Bay bandicoots have re-established at Pilliga, and the presence of locally born animals shows that the reintroduction is progressing beyond simple release-day survival.
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What this comeback shows about reintroductions
- Historical range can be restored locally: a species absent from a region for generations can return when suitable habitat and protection are available.
- Founder numbers matter: the 66-animal Pilliga release created enough breeding adults to establish a monitored population.
- Breeding evidence must be measurable: camera footage, trapping results and the count of locally born animals provide stronger evidence than an isolated sighting.
- Predator control determines feasibility: excluding the foxes and cats that caused the local extinction is fundamental to the project’s design.
- Expansion requires monitoring: Mallee Cliffs adds another population, while survival checks show whether released animals persist after translocation.
AWC Threatened Species Manager David Kelly called the Pilliga breeding result “a promising sign” that the animals may be moving toward a viable, self-sustaining population. That remains a goal being tested by continued monitoring, not a status already proven nationwide.
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