“The Bilby is one of Southwest Queensland’s most important marsupials, and an integral part of the Charleville community,” says Shaun Radnedge, mayor of Charleville.
He embodies the passionate spirit of this country town, sharing that the Bilby Brothers chose Charleville as the bilby capital of Australia. The Bilby Brothers, Frank Manthey and Peter Mcrae, spearheaded the effort to build a fence around Currawinya National Park to protect these endangered animals back in 2003.
“The bilby represents the tenacity and endurance that makes Southwest Queensland special, and initiatives like Save the Bilby Fund are helping to bring this iconic animal back from extinction,” Shaun explains.
“As we push towards the 2032 Olympic games, I can think of no better animal to represent Australia as the official games mascot.”
Beautiful bilbies
The bilby is an iconic marsupial known for its long ears and soft grey fur. Often depicted as ‘Australia’s Easter Bunny’, these small animals have a pointy snout, strong limbs, and backwards facing pouches to hold their young. Amazingly, bilby ears can be as much as 66 percent of the body length. These super sensitive tools help bilbies to listen for predators and prey, especially useful due to their poor eyesight.
According to Bush Heritage Australia, while these native animals used to live across 70 percent of Australia, the threat of introduced species and competition for food means they now only inhabit 15 percent of the country.
Bilbies live in a variety of habitats, including grasslands and deserts. As nocturnal animals, they dig burrows up to two metres deep to sleep during the day. This makes them important contributors to their ecosystems, as they turn over around 20 tonnes of topsoil every year.
At night, bilbies reappear to hunt for bulbs, fruit, seeds, insects, termites, small lizards, spiders and more. Most of their moisture comes from food, meaning they can survive long periods of time without permanent water.
Sadly, there used to be two species of bilby in Australia – Macrotis leucura (lesser bilby) and Macrotis lagotis (greater bilby). In the 1950s, the lesser bilby was officially declared extinct, making the greater bilby the only remaining Arid Bandicoot in Australia.
According to Save the Bilby fund, the word ‘bilby’ comes from the Yuwaalaraay word ‘bilba’ which means ‘long nosed rat’.
Australia’s bilby capital
Charleville is home to the largest bilby breeding program in Queensland. Over the last few years, the Save the Bilby Fund has been working hard to welcome more than 50 babies to the sanctuary. The expert team ensures that the bilbies maintain genetic diversity, so they can be sent to other sanctuaries across Australia to support the development of bilby populations overall.
At the Charleville Bilby Experience, visitors can watch the adorable bilbies as they go about their night-time activities in the nocturnal house and learn more about these endangered marsupials by speaking to knowledgeable keepers.
Olympic dreams
Right now, it’s more important than ever to acknowledge the importance of Australian bilbies. Save the Bilby Fund reveals that these marsupials are a ‘flagship species’, meaning their survival can help to save an additional 16 native species. Brush-tailed mulgara and spinifex hopping mice permanently use bilby burrows, with echidnas and sand goannas also seeking shelter in these spacious dugouts sometimes.
With Brisbane already preparing to host a massive Olympic Games in 2032, it comes as no surprise that many people consider the bilby a perfect Olympic mascot. Representing themes of endurance and perseverance, the bilby embodies central values of athleticism. Not to mention, it’s an adorable Aussie icon.
In fact, the North West Queensland Regional Organisation of Councils released a proposal flyer late last year, emphasising a desire to see the bilby as the mascot in the upcoming games. While it may be some time before an official mascot is announced, these 23 local governments believe the bilby is a perfect emblem to represent Australia.
For more information, head to Save the Bilby Fund.
To read about efforts to reintroduce bilbies to mild climate zones, click here.