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Kangaroo Island in South Australia is known as a spectacular sanctuary for wildlife.Ben Goode/Handout

Wide-eyed, I watch as a cluster of kangaroos nibble on lush green grasslands that seem to stretch to the horizon. Feeling my presence, one kangaroo perks upright with curled forepaws, eyes me curiously and then hops away to join friends farther afield. This is my first time spotting a kangaroo in the wild on Kangaroo Island (though certainly not my last), and as I absorb my surroundings, I’m taken aback.

Around me, charred twigs peek out from the tops of fluffy green bushes like thorny crowns, hinting at the catastrophic bushfires that swept the same landscape in 2019-20, wiping out more than 95 per cent of the natural habitat and affecting more than 100 wildlife species. Now, only two years later, the regenerative capacity of the trees is astounding, the new growth standing at half the height of the trees that stood there before them. Natural regeneration has resulted in a fascinating recovery of the island’s flora and fauna, and with the help of hard-working humans, Kangaroo Island has shifted from a region that is surviving to one that is thriving, ready to welcome visitors once more.

Kangaroo Island – Australia’s third-largest island – is known as a spectacular sanctuary for wildlife, and during my three-day wildlife tour led by Exceptional Kangaroo Island, I’m able to get up close with its various creatures while ensuring they remain safe. From the endangered dunnart, to the elusive echidna, to the cuddly koala, wildlife species are a spectacular sight – if you’re lucky enough to spot them. Here’s how, and what the region is doing to protect them.

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Sheep graze on farmland on on Kangaroo Island in South Island.Andrew McIntosh/Ocean Photography/Handout

The first stop: Cygnet River Valley

Open pastures and meandering trails make up the Cygnet Valley region, and as our van cruises across a field on private farmland, we encounter a hungry herd of grazing sheep that chase us, assuming our car is their feeding truck and eager to eat. The property bumps up against sprawling bushland, and Dr. Peggy Rismiller, an environmental psychologist who has been studying echidnas for more than 30 years and is known as a global expert on the animals, feels most at home here.

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Heidi Groffen holds a Kangaroo Island dunnart, a mouse-like marsupial that was thought to be near extinction.Handout

Sometimes referred to as “spiny anteaters,” echidnas are prickly, porcupine-like monotremes (egg-laying mammals). Their ancestors roamed the Earth with dinosaurs, and they can be found today on Kangaroo Island – although they can be tough to track down. In fact, finding individual echidnas was one of the greatest challenges faced by Rismiller, as they do not respond to baits, sounds or lures. Echidnas are a threatened species, in large part because of overhunting and declining natural resources, but in South Australia, the short-beaked variety are common. This is because more than a third of the island is protected as a nature reserve for wildlife. When the bushfires hit, the species’ ability to use torpor – a physiological process of lowering body temperature, heart rate, respiration and metabolism – kept them safe as they burrowed and hid in the ground.

Always on the move, echidnas are elusive, so a bush walk with Rismiller doesn’t guarantee a sighting. They can be spotted along walking paths or the side of the road, and if you’re lucky enough to see one, Rismiller suggests you “never crowd around it, get down very close to the ground, and be very quiet.” She notes that echidnas have extremely sensitive hearing and awareness, and, if startled, they may dig in and not move – sometimes for hours. “Seeing an echidna in the wild is a magical event.”

The next stop: Western River Refuge

A drive along a rust-coloured dirt road takes us to the Western River Refuge – a joint project between the Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC), Kangaroo Island Land for Wildlife, and private landholders on the island. The project was established after the bushfires and includes a 369-hectare feral predator-free safe haven, which protects a suite of endemic and endangered wildlife, such as the Kangaroo Island dunnart – a mouse-like marsupial that was thought to be near extinction.

Heidi Groffen, Kangaroo Island Land for Wildlife program manager, walks us through survey sites while explaining the importance of preserving the highly threatened dunnart. “Prior to the bushfires, little was known about the species, so much so that we thought their range was very restricted,” Groffen explains. “After the fires, we were able to analyze the stomach contents of feral cats in the area, which revealed the remains of several dunnarts. This was proof that cats were preying on the dunnarts, their already small population swiftly declining as a result.”

Through the creation of protected shelter tunnels, camera trap monitoring, feral-cat control efforts, and thanks in large part to the continuing funding from the Australian Government’s Wildlife and Habitat Bushfire Recovery program, these tiny creatures just might have a chance of evading extinction.

As the region continues to recover from the bushfires, volunteer opportunities, such as tree planting and camera monitoring, will hopefully result in spotting a live dunnart on camera as it navigates its way through the bushland. “Volunteers love getting out in nature, and knowing that their efforts are truly helping to protect the species from predation and loss of habitat, it’s very rewarding,” Groffen shares.

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Organizations such as the National Parks and Wildlife Service of South Australia have worked to relocate injured and orphaned koalas to Cleland Wildlife Park for care after the brutal bushfires that wiped out 85 per cent of the koala habitat on Kangaroo Island.Brad Leue/Handout

The final stop: Cleland Wildlife Park

More than 60,000 koalas were lost during the bushfires, and on my visit to Kangaroo Island I’m fortunate to see dozens out in the wild doing what they do best – napping on trees and snacking on eucalyptus leaves. On my return to Australia’s mainland, a visit to Cleland Wildlife Park in Adelaide Hills takes my infatuation with the cuddly creatures to the next level. There, with the guidance of Ashleigh Hunter, senior wildlife keeper, I’m able to hold a koala in my arms.

Cleland is one of only a few places in Australia where people can cuddle a koala, and the staff at the park take great care in ensuring the koalas are comfortable. From restricting the duration of the hold to feeding the koala sweet eucalyptus leaves (a favourite treat) during the cuddle, it’s clear that the animal’s safety is of utmost importance as they work to simultaneously promote and save its precious population.

Spread over 80 acres, the site is surrounded by Cleland National Park, allowing for regular visits from wild animals and birds – such as blue wrens, the endangered southern brown bandicoot and kangaroos – that call the area home. Large walk-through enclosures and wide-open spaces allow for most animals to roam freely, save for the koalas, which take refuge in a protected space within the park’s grounds.

While chlamydia is one of the biggest threats to koalas Australia-wide, after the brutal bushfires that wiped out 85 per cent of the koala habitat on Kangaroo Island, organizations such as the National Parks and Wildlife Service of South Australia and the staff and volunteers of the Hanson Bay Wildlife Sanctuary have worked to relocate injured and orphaned koalas to Cleland Wildlife Park for care. These animals are a resource to better understand the captive management of koalas and the role of captive populations in koala conservation, and while the animals will not be released back to the island because of biosecurity concerns, they are well cared for in their purpose-built outdoor enclosure.

For visitors who want to give back, the park offers volunteer opportunities where guests can help with animal food preparation and flora protection and regeneration. Several times a year, they host the Cleland Blitz, a volunteer day that combines fun with hard work for guests of all ages. Activities include cleaning kangaroo paddocks and pruning and planting the property’s landscape while picking up skills and making new friends. Also, the Friends of Cleland National Park raises funds to support the work of their volunteer programs and a portion of all entry fees goes toward the work of Koala Life, an organization that promotes koala conservation and research.

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