{"id":323124,"date":"2026-03-10T22:13:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T22:13:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/323124\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T22:13:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T22:13:12","slug":"truwana-cape-barren-island-trail-camera-survey-captures-blond-echidnas-white-footed-dunnart-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/323124\/","title":{"rendered":"Truwana\/Cape Barren Island trail camera survey captures blond echidnas, white-footed dunnart and more"},"content":{"rendered":"

Senior ranger Buck Brown knows the sandy beaches and dense bush of truwana\/Cape Barren Island intricately.<\/p>\n

So when he spotted an animal he had never seen before during a controlled burn six years ago, he was shocked.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Buck Brown first saw a white-footed dunnart on the island six years ago. (ABC News: Morgan Timms)<\/p>\n

“I’ve seen all these little marsupials coming out of the long grass \u2026 they started going under the four-wheel drive,” he said.<\/p>\n

He dropped to his hands and knees to pick them up.<\/p>\n

“I managed to catch a couple and put them in the four-wheel drive.”\"A<\/p>\n

An adult white-footed dunnart is less than 10cm long. (Supplied: Truwana Rangers)<\/p>\n

Six years on, a white-footed dunnart has been caught on camera for the first time on the island.<\/p>\n

The tiny, insect-eating marsupial is listed as threatened in New South Wales, and experts estimate there may be fewer than 5,000 left in Tasmania.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A white-footed dunnart is a carnivore, feeding mainly on insects, pictured here at Murramarang National Park on the NSW south coast. (WWF: Vivianna Miritis)<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The white-footed dunnart is found in several states, pictured here on the NSW South Coast. (WWF: Vivianna Miritis)<\/p>\n

Blond echidnas on the islands<\/p>\n

Photos of a blond echidna have also delighted rangers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“It would have been cool to see them in person, but to know we’ve got them is pretty cool,” ranger Shane Hughes said.\"A<\/p>\n

This echidna’s colouring is likely caused by a genetic condition called leucism. (Supplied: Truwana Rangers)<\/p>\n

Nearby Flinders Island also boasts white echidna sightings.<\/p>\n

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Charles Sturt University ecologist Liz Znidersic said the unusual pale colouring was due to an inherited condition called leucism, which causes a partial lack of pigment.<\/p>\n

Albinism causes a total loss of pigment and is extremely rare, while leucism is slightly more common.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Liz\u00a0Znidersic’s major research interests include survey methodologies. (Supplied: Charles Sturt University)<\/p>\n

“It’s an inherited recessive gene,” Dr Znudersic said.<\/p>\n

She said leucism could be more common in the islands’ echidna gene pools compared to mainland Australia.<\/p>\n

Feral cats versus native species<\/p>\n

Truwana\/Cape Barren Island is home to about 80 people, and has been managed entirely by the Aboriginal community since the state government handed the land back in 2005.<\/p>\n

Colonisation drastically changed the ecosystem of the island, with feral cats a major threat to native animals.<\/p>\n

Almost every day, the truwana rangers head out in a ute armed with tins of sardines and metal cages to trap cats.<\/p>\n

Loading…<\/p>\n

Mr Brown said it was rewarding to see the effort pay off.<\/p>\n

“We’re catching 30-odd cats every winter \u2014 that’s making a big dent in the feral cat population,” he said.\"A<\/p>\n

Feral cats pose a huge threat to wildlife wherever they roam. (Supplied: Truwana Rangers)<\/p>\n

A self-described “bird nerd”, Dr Znidersic was also thrilled with images of the Latham’s snipe \u2014 a threatened species that migrates all the way from Japan and Russia to southern Australia.<\/p>\n

It has never been photographed on truwana\/Cape Barren Island.<\/p>\n

“I’m beside myself,” Dr Znidersic said.<\/p>\n

She said the snipe’s presence was proof that Indigenous land management was working.<\/p>\n

“The habitat has to be really great for the Latham’s snipe to rock up and spend its summer,” she said.\"A<\/p>\n

A Latham’s snipe enjoying its summer on the island. (Supplied: Truwana Rangers)<\/p>\n

Collaboration is key<\/p>\n

The truwana\/Cape Barren Island cameras are part of a joint program between the local rangers and the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF).<\/p>\n

Dr Znidersic said collaboration with locals was the key to the initiative’s success.<\/p>\n

“To work very closely with the truwana rangers has been such a wonderful experience,” she said.<\/p>\n

Mr Hughes said the cameras were the first step for the ongoing conservation of rare species.<\/p>\n

“Hopefully, we can protect them and keep them here for the future \u2026 so they never get extinct,” he said.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Shane Hughes hopes projects like this will inspire the next generation to care for country. (ABC News: Morgan Timms)<\/p>\n

And the photos have already inspired his kids to look after their land.<\/p>\n

“Now they’ve seen the photos, they want to go and find [the animals],” Mr Hughes said.<\/p>\n

For Mr Brown, the images were a testament to his island’s uniqueness.<\/p>\n

“I’ve always said to rangers \u2026 you can always learn something every day from walking on country,” he said.<\/p>\n

“The land has always got something to show you.”\"Rangers<\/p>\n

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