A five-kilometre long electric fence will be built inside Tidbinbilla in an attempt to protect one of the ACT's most threatened species.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The electrified fence will form the boundary of a predator-proof enclosure inside the nature reserve for the critically-endangered southern brush-tailed rock wallaby.
![The ACT government is getting ready to build a predator-proof fence for our mammal emblem, the brush tailed rock wallaby. Picture: Jamila Toderas The ACT government is getting ready to build a predator-proof fence for our mammal emblem, the brush tailed rock wallaby. Picture: Jamila Toderas](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/fdcx/doc745p9y3ovdz3vpseeic.jpg/r0_256_5000_3078_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Details of the $630,000 plan to protect the 35 wallabies that call the nature reserve home have been revealed, after tender documents for the project were released at the beginning of August.
The endangered wallabies will be housed in a 120-hectare area, which will be surrounded by a 1.8 metre high fence that will run for 5.2 kilometres.
Mesh will cover the top of the fence to stop predators, such as feral cats and foxes, from being able to climb over into the area.
Senior wildlife officer at Tidbinbilla, Jennifer Pierson, said the site in the nature reserve was chosen to provide the best area for the endangered rock-wallaby population to expand.
"We worked really hard on the alignment of where the area is ... because the primary goal is to provide a breeding area for the rock-wallabies," Ms Pierson said.
"The site is rich enough with structural complexity for the rocks to be used, but far away from places that they would be able to use to bounce over the fence."
The site within Tidbinbilla will be in an area of the nature reserve not publicly accessible.
In order for the rock-wallaby population to prosper in the fenced-off area, other species will be removed during construction.
Eastern grey kangaroos will be shepherded out of the enclosure before it is fenced off, with rangers conducting patrols for trapped skinks or turtles.
![Jenny Pierson, senior wildlife officer of Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, says the primary goal is to provide a safe area for breeding. Picture: Jamila Toderas Jenny Pierson, senior wildlife officer of Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, says the primary goal is to provide a safe area for breeding. Picture: Jamila Toderas](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/fdcx/doc745pakqu486wgwdxeic.jpg/r0_256_5000_3078_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The measure is similar to one protecting endangered species at Mulligan's Flat, including echidnas and eastern long-necked turtles.
It's hoped the predator-proof fence will allow the wallabies to grow from a current population of 35 to more than 100.
Ms Pierson said the government had taken away lessons from previous predator-proof fence measures to protect the rock-wallabies.
"We've worked closely with Mulligan's Flat and other places that have managed fenced reserves, and there's a number of things to make sure of when determining the predator-proof area," she said.
The nature reserve began a breeding program of the species with just three rock-wallabies in 1996.
The last southern rock-wallaby to be seen in the wild in the ACT was in 1959.
Companies wanting to build the predator-proof enclosure will visit the site in coming days, with the tender process closing on August 22.
The majority of the funds for the project have come from conservation groups, with almost $500,000 being donated by Zoos Victoria, and a further $80,000 from the Threatened Species Commissioner.
It's hoped construction of the predator-proof fence will be completed by the end of the year.