Each month we like to highlight good news stories which have caught our eye. This month, read about a tiny population of endangered marsupials and a school that caters to the children of sideshow workers.
Gilbert’s potoroo reintroduced to native habitat
After being brought back from the brink of extinction, the world’s rarest marsupial has been re-introduced into its original habitat. Gilbert’s potoroo was thought to have become extinct in the 1900s, only to be rediscovered in 1994 near Two Peoples Bay in Western Australia.
The wild population was wiped out by a bushfire in 2015. Fortunately, a remaining ‘insurance population’ of 100 potoroos has been nurtured on Bald Island and the Waychinicup National Park from which six of the endangered marsupials have been re-released back into the wild. These individuals have been fitted with GPS trackers and radio transmitters so scientists can monitor their survival. While they are optimistic about the reintroduction of potoroos to Two Peoples Bay, feral predators still pose a threat to the fledgeling wild population
The school for show kids
Agricultural shows are an important date on the calendar for cities and towns all over Australia. The people who operate the rides and attractions at these events lead a unique travelling lifestyle, with multiple generations of some families having grown up amidst the thrills and excitement of sideshow alley. But how do their kids go to school?
With an enrolment of 60 students, The National School for Travelling Show Children (NSTSC) sets up alongside other attractions to cater for the children of sideshow operators. The school gives these children the opportunity to receive a full education while being able to stay with their families as they travel from town to town and state to state.
ABC news: Supplied by Kate Jones
If you’d like to keep up with good news items, researcher profiles, study tips, Library news and much more throughout the new year, make sure you subscribe to our Library Connect blog.
