Brushtail Possums welcomed home with a special ceremony by Traditional Owners
The still of Central Australia’s sweeping red desert has been filled with song and dance, as Ngalia Warlpiri/Luritja and Anmatyerr people welcomed home one of the area’s lost species, the Brushtail Possum. The species was driven to extinction in the Red Centre in recent years due to predation by introduced foxes and cats, changing fire regimes and increased frequency of hot, dry weather.
Elders, rangers and young people from the Laramba Aboriginal Community and the Ngalia-Warlpiri/Luritja people joined Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) on Ngalia-Warlpiri and Luritja Country for a reintroduction of the species to AWC’s Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary. Forty possums flew eight hours to Newhaven on a special charter flight from two locations on Kangaroo Island (Western River Refuge and private land at Cygnet Park) and AWC’s Yookamurra Wildlife Sanctuary on the land of Ngarrindjeri Nation in South Australia.
AWC’s conservation team carefully offloaded the possums from the plane and gave them a quick health check before the Laramba people performed a welcoming ceremony. The possums were then released inside Newhaven’s 9,450-hectare introduced predator-free fenced safe haven, where they joined seven other species returned to the Red Centre: the Mala (2017), Red-tailed Phascogale (2017), Brush-tailed Bettong (2021), Bilby (2022), Burrowing Bettong (2022), Central Rock-rat (2022) and Golden Bandicoot (2023).
“It’s very special to return such a culturally important animal to the desert,” said Dr Tim Henderson, AWC Wildlife Ecologist. “While common elsewhere in the country, Brushtail Possums have been on the decline in arid Australia.”
“The decline in Brushtail Possum populations follows the pattern of most other small-medium sized native mammals, taking with them important ecological processes such as seed dispersion. With the possums back on sanctuary, we’re excited to see how they will utilise the landscape and the positive impact they will have on the ecosystem.”
Although once called the ‘common brushtail’, the possum became far less common after European settlement, disappearing from most of its former range in inland Australia over the last 40 – 60 years. By the early 2000s, in central Australia, the possum was restricted to small remnant populations in the ranges near Alice Springs. Surveys coordinated by the Northern Territory Government suggest the population may have disappeared entirely from the region as recently as 2012.
By reintroducing the possums, AWC aims to continue restoring the historical assemblage of mammal species at Newhaven, and the ecological processes associated with the species’ return. The possum reintroduction aims to re-establish a viable, genetically diverse population of Brushtail Possums at Newhaven. Newhaven is expected to have sufficient resources to support a population large enough to persist through anticipated environmental variation and to maintain substantial amount of genetic diversity. This adaptive capacity is important in the face of climate change.
Josepf Schofield, AWC Regional Operations Manager welcomed the species to Central Australia, saying the species’ return is one part of a rich web of linked objectives that are critical for successful long-term, landscape scale conservation.
“Incorporating ancient and continuing traditions, local knowledge, community aspirations and future dreams into conservation projects, creates stories that people are a key part of,” said Josef Schofield AWC Regional Operations Manager. “Being a part of the story develops and supports a sense stewardship. The work at Newhaven – bringing Traditional Custodians, Conservation Land Managers, Indigenous Rangers, ecologists and the broader local community together celebrates this approach.”
“We are really glad to have possums back on our country and for people to know the possum again,” added Anmatyerr elder Johnny Jack, guardian of the Possum dreaming story.
‘Rrpwamper’ (A Possum Dreaming)
The Brushtail Possum is of great cultural significance in Central Australia, particularly to the Anmatyerr people from Laramba Aboriginal Community.
Located two hours outside of Alice Springs and neighbouring Newhaven, a group of elders from Laramba are the guardians of the ‘Rrpwamper’ (Possum Dreaming). Passed down from generation-to-generation, the story is told through song and dance, with storytellers wearing red and white ochre body paint, triangular hats, leaves around the ankles, and feathers across their faces.
The story is an expression of the possum’s journey throughout Central Australia and depicts the species’ once extensive presence in the area. Attendees of the possum reintroduction were fortunate enough to witness ‘Rrpwamper’ in person, which was performed by men from the Laramba community during a possum welcoming ceremony.
“We perform the ceremony to connect possums back to the Land, and connect them back to the People. Younger generations can now learn about the possum through song, dance and stories passed down from their elders,” said Anmatyerr elder Peter Cole, guardian of the possum dreaming story.
Learn more about ‘Rrpwamper’ here, and for more information on Australia’s Brushtail Possum, click here.
Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) is a global leader in conservation, providing hope to Australia’s wildlife with a science-informed, land management partnership model that delivers high impact results. AWC is a national leader in landscape scale conservation land management, reintroductions of threatened species and the establishment of feral predator-free areas.
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