The giant marsupial has not been seen in South Australia for 130 years.
An animal was immortalized by a farmer in Beachport, South Australia, that was thought to have been extinct in the area 130 years ago, he writes. Watchman. Frank Bao Ling Tsai While protecting his chickens, he glanced at that person.
The predator took one of the farm’s chickens, but the man managed to take a picture of it before it took off. The farmer did not know what species this brown, white-spotted, long-tailed animal might be, so he contacted nature conservation authorities.
Experts set a trap and managed to catch the animal. As it turned out, there was a giant marsupial preying on chickens.
Ross Anderson According to the game ranger, this is the first official sighting since then. There have been unconfirmed sightings recently, but no one in the area has photographed or carried this species.
The giant marsupial has an endangered status in Australia and a vulnerable status in Tasmania. Based on estimates, only about 14,000 individuals can remain in the wild.
In South Australia, it became extinct due to habitat loss, predators, and competition with cats and foxes. According to Anderson, it is not known where the recently captured individual came from, perhaps it was an escaped animal or a solitary individual that migrated here from afar.
Rangers took the giant marsupial to a vet to examine it for a microchip, as some are kept in captivity. He was treated for scabies before a DNA sample was taken. He is scheduled to be released with time.
Experts plan to use cameras and traps to monitor the possible presence of this species in the area. Local residents have been asked not to set their own traps.
