Understand & Protect the Western Pygmy Possum

Where are you pygmy possums!!!!

Over this period a lot of hard work has been done to make nesting boxes for installation, a community day was undertaken where volunteers made an additional 40 boxes which will now be installed in high conservation areas on private land.

The monitoring of the installed boxes continued with no possums as yet, but the regionally endangered yellow-footed antechinus has been using the nesting boxes in a few locations.    

Volunteers who have come and undertook the checking of the boxes have enjoyed seeing the amazing habitat still present and are anticipating the one time we look in a box to see this cryptic species.    

We have a lot of work to come with an additional 100 boxes to be installed before winter, we have had overwhelming responses from private landowners wanting to join the program and have boxes installed. 

Thank you to all the volunteers and supporters of this program.

CVA’s Western Pygmy Possums project is making good progress.

As our understanding of their distribution throughout the Adelaide Mount Lofty Rangers specifically the Fleurieu Peninsula grows, so too, does our appreciation of this tiny marsupial and its very endearing traits.

With the wonderful assistance from our local community, we have been able to install further nesting boxes in 5 new locations which has particularly important with the unseasonable cooler weather during October. Thanks to the support of local landowners and organisations, nesting boxes have been situated in three private properties and two national parks, this brings the new nesting box installation sites to eight. 

An important part of our work is checking that the nesting boxes remain in good condition and monitoring of these little creatures will continue throughout November and December. This is a very beautiful time of year in this area with the flowering plants all in full bloom. It is also a favourite time for the possums as they particularly enjoy feeding nectar and pollen.

It is also the season when possums are in full activity including migration into new territories for breeding. 

Some Interesting facts about the very cute Western Pygmy Possum

• Pygmy possums are a threatened species

• Only 97 recorded sightings have occurred on the Fleurieu Peninsula between 1910 and 2017

• They use small hollows for shelter and breeding

• As many as twelve embryos have been recorded in a pouch

• The young leave the pouch at around 25 days but remain in a nest as they are semi naked and dependent on the mother

• They enter a state of dormancy particularly during cold weather or rain

Thank you for all your wonderful support. Your donations really do make a difference and I look forward to my next report and sharing more interesting information about these incredible furry creatures.

Till then, all the best from everyone here at Conservation Volunteers Australia

Darren Kennedy, State Manager, South Australia