{"id":605111,"date":"2026-04-25T06:24:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T06:24:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/605111\/"},"modified":"2026-04-25T06:24:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T06:24:14","slug":"endangered-mountain-pygmy-possum-numbers-climb-at-secret-creek-sanctuary-breeding-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/605111\/","title":{"rendered":"Endangered mountain pygmy possum numbers climb at Secret Creek Sanctuary breeding program"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the past six years, Trevor Evans has seen the number of endangered mountain pygmy possums at his sanctuary increase sixfold.<\/p>\n

The pocket-sized possums are traditionally found on the peaks of the Snowy Mountains, but are being bred at a lower altitude at the Secret Creek Sanctuary in Lithgow in the NSW Central Tablelands to prepare them for the impacts of climate change.<\/p>\n

“We started off with six possums many years ago,” Mr Evans said.<\/p>\n

“We’ve grown the population to about 36. Our work is instrumental [in its survival].”\"Trevor<\/p>\n

Trevor Evans says the mountain pygmy possum is facing extinction. (ABC Central West: Hamish Cole)<\/p>\n

Weighing less than 100 grams, the mountain pygmy possum is Australia’s only hibernating marsupial, spending up to seven months of the year sleeping under the snow.<\/p>\n

There are fewer than 2,000 individual possums living in the wild as a changing climate exposes them to growing threats.<\/p>\n

“They are quite unique, very special, and disappearing,” Mr Evans said.<\/p>\n

“With the loss of snow in the Snowy Mountains, it allows predators to come up in the summer and feed on them.”\"A<\/p>\n

The possums spend seven months of the year hibernating under snow and rocks. (ABC Central West: Hamish Cole)<\/p>\n

Changing habitat<\/p>\n

In collaboration with the University of NSW, the sanctuary is attempting to better prepare the species for living in warmer temperatures by breeding them at an altitude of 1,000 metres.<\/p>\n

The species is usually found above 1,400 metres.<\/p>\n

“Breeding them here at 1,000 metres will help them live through climate change,” Mr Evans said.<\/p>\n

“We are adapting them to lower altitudes, higher temperatures and different mating cycles.<\/p>\n

“They have the opportunity to breed twice in a season. They breed quite readily if you give them the right opportunities.”\"A<\/p>\n

Mountain pygmy possums are found in the Snowy Mountains, but climate change is threatening their habitat. (ABC Central West: Hamish Cole)<\/p>\n

The idea to breed them at a lower altitude came after the discovery of a 25-million-year-old fossil belonging to a direct ancestor in the Riversleigh World Heritage Area<\/a>, north of Mount Isa.<\/p>\n

University of New South Wales biological sciences professor Michael Archer said it showed the species had not always lived in the Snowy Mountains.<\/p>\n

“Every time we see this species in the fossil record, it is always in fossil communities that were cool temperate lowland rainforests, not alpine environments,” Professor Archer said.<\/p>\n

“Every signal to us says they are not in their comfort zone now; they’re struggling to survive by the skin of their teeth.<\/p>\n

“If we could get them back into their ancestral comfort zone, the lowland rainforest, we predict that they will be very happy.”<\/p>\n

\"Mike<\/p>\n

Michael Archer says the mountain pygmy possum is more suited to living in lowland rainforests. (Supplied: UNSW)<\/p>\n

The possums have become reliant on snow coverage, providing insulation for their nests under the rocks.<\/p>\n

Professor Archer said they would be unable to survive in the alpine regions if snow coverage were reduced further by global warming.<\/p>\n

“For these possums, that would be lethal,” he said.<\/p>\n

“If the snow disappears, the wintry cold winds will end up going down into these rock piles and kill the possums.”<\/p>\n

While the colony at Secret Creek Sanctuary will remain in captivity, Mr Evans hoped the population could be used to support efforts to increase numbers in the wild.<\/p>\n

“To be able to breed some from the wild that are currently geographically isolated from each other is a goal,” he said.<\/p>\n

“We would like to breed those and then return those possums to the wild.”<\/p>\n

It is hoped that the possums that return to the Snowy Mountains will be more predator-aware and better able to deal with warmer temperatures.<\/p>\n

Critical research<\/p>\n

During hibernation, the species lives deep under snow and rocks, giving scientists little understanding of the animal’s daily life for much of the year.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The population of mountain pygmy possums at the Secret Creek Sanctuary has grown from six to 36. (ABC Central West: Hamish Cole)<\/p>\n

Mr Evans said observing the marsupials in a controlled environment had been educational.<\/p>\n

“We filmed them mating for the first time. We filmed the little nest that they make when they hibernate in winter,” he said.<\/p>\n

“We get a better understanding of what they’re eating, how they’re surviving, where they actually live, how they nest, and how they hibernate as well.<\/p>\n

“If we understand them, we can help manage them.”\"A<\/p>\n

The Secret Creek Sanctuary in Lithgow is home to hundreds of native animals, including koalas. (ABC Central West: Hamish Cole)<\/p>\n

The Secret Creek Sanctuary has been operating for more than 30 years and contains hundreds of native species, many of which are endangered.<\/p>\n

For Mr Evans, protecting the mountain pygmy possum from extinction had become a critical part of the shelter.<\/p>\n

“It feels really good to be involved,” he said.<\/p>\n

“If we don’t do it, and no-one does, it’s a species that we could lose.<\/p>\n

“We need to [put in] an all-out effort, and the critical thing is funding and support.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For the past six years, Trevor Evans has seen the number of endangered mountain pygmy possums at his…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":605112,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[4253,192,263056,263054,79,263055,5646,263057],"class_list":{"0":"post-605111","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-environment","8":"tag-climate-change","9":"tag-environment","10":"tag-mount-isa","11":"tag-mountain-pygmy-possum","12":"tag-science","13":"tag-secret-creek-sanctuary","14":"tag-snowy-mountains","15":"tag-trevor-evans"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/605111","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=605111"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/605111\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/605112"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=605111"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=605111"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=605111"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}