Conservationists discover woylies can thrive outside fences in the Wheatbelt again in new groundbreaking study

A study has found threatened woylies can once again thrive in the Wheatbelt, just twelve months after a cohort of the species was moved to a feral predator-free zone.

Woylies, also known as brush-tailed bettongs, are a native Australian animal that was locally wiped out decades ago due to predatory animals.

Studies over recent years have reintroduced the species to enclosed areas inside WA, prompting experts at the Australian Wildlife Conservancy to explore if woylie populations could continue to grow outside a fenced region if feral cat populations were controlled.

The wildlife organisation relocated 147 of the endangered critters to a new area inside Mt Gibson Wildlife Sanctuary in 2025 in order to test their theory — marking the first time in more than a century that the species has been released into the broader Wheatbelt region.

One year later, and experts are thrilled to report that the woylies are thriving inside the Wheatbelt and are even having babies.

Aliesha Dodson, a field ecologist for the AWC, said the team observed woylies more than 100 times on camera and the species had spread across 65km2.

“Early results from this trial are remarkable,” she said.

“It’s the first successful reintroduction of the species to the Wheatbelt outside a fenced area, and its further evidence that woylies are among the native species with the potential to naturally rebuild their populations once the pressures of introduced predators, such as cats, are reduced.”

The reintroduction of the species to WA is just the first phase of the Mammal Restoration Project, the biggest wildlife restoration project of its kind in Australia.

The project hopes to reintroduce 10 locally-extinct animals to the Mt Gibson sanctuary over the next decade.

Regional ecologist Dr Amanda Bourne said managing feral predators is one of the biggest conservationist challenges in Australia.

“These beyond-the-fence releases are not about abandoning fences, they are about building on their successes and using fenced areas as springboards for broader landscape-scale restoration,” Dr Bourne said.

“Beyond the fence, the work is harder. It’s emotionally and physically demanding, complex and inherently risky. But these trials offer one of the few realistic pathways for restoring native mammals and their roles in ecosystems much more broadly across Australia.

“For these animals, safe havens will remain essential for the foreseeable future.”

The project has also resulted in the reintroduction of brushtail possums and western quolls into the Wheatbelt sanctuary.