9 September
2006 - National Bilby Day, held on the second
Sunday in September every year, is a chance to
celebrate and learn about one Australia's cutest
and most vulnerable marsupials, the iconic bilby.
"Australians are incredibly
lucky to live in one of the most megadiverse countries
on the planet," Senator Campbell, Australian
Minister for the Environment and Heritage said.
"As we come to the end
of National Threatened Species Week, I encourage
all Australians to pause and consider how to preserve
this heritage, including the future of our precious
bilbies."
Bilbies are about the size of
a small cat and have soft, blue-grey fur, a distinctive
white-tipped tail, have long, highly sensitive
ears and a pointed snout.
"Australians may be more
familiar with the chocolate versions of the bilby,
which are sold at Easter as a native alternative
to the usual bunny rabbits," Senator Campbell
said.
Before European settlement bilbies could be found
across more than 70 per cent of the Australian
mainland, however, they are now limited to small
pockets in Queensland, the Northern Territory
and Western Australia.
The dramatic decline in bilby
numbers over the last 100 years has been driven
by land use change and threats posed by introduced
species such as foxes and feral cats.
National Bilby Day was launched by Senator Campbell
last year.
In 2006 National Bilby Day will
be celebrated this Sunday (10 September) by Australians
in a variety of ways, including the home of the
Save the Bilby Fund in Charleville, Queensland
will host a National Bilby Day Weekend with markets,
a choir fireworks and the famous 'Bilby Brothers',
Frank Manthey and Peter McRae.
"There are many ways
Australians can make a difference to the future
of our threatened plants and animals, rangeing
from responsible pet ownership to joining a local
conservation group – all actions, no matter how
small, still count," Senator Campbell said.
Rob Broadfield
