Numbat: Myrmecobiidae

Numbats are a conservation success story. By 1985, so many numbats had disappeared that only two numbat populations remained. At that time they were considered Endangered and likely to become extinct. An effort to increase numbat populations was undertaken that involved the poison baiting of red foxes, a major predator of the numbat. Numbat populations were also moved into other habitats, and numbats that had been raised in captivity were introduced into the wild. These programs have been successful, because there are now nine wild numbat populations and two that live on fenced reserves. In 1994, numbats were upgraded from Endangered to a conservation status of Vulnerable. Although they are still at risk, they are unlikely to become extinct in the immediate future.