The Cape Cafe provided a warm and friendly atmosphere for us to learn all about the local western ringtail possums and enjoy freshly made, delicious pizza!
Thank you Dr Bronte Van Helden for the fantastic presentation on the critically endangered western ringtail possums found along the south coast.
We learnt all about their habitat, biology, ecology, the threats to their survival, how they are being managed and how best to safely spot them.
Bronte also discussed her current work looking at the the western ringtail possum stronghold in the Albany urban areas.
Dr Bronte Van Helden
This was followed by Pip’s fabulous presentation about the Torbay Catchment Group’s efforts in helping to protect and learn more about the western ringtail possum. Including presence/absence surveying which TCG has been conducting almost every week for many years, along with twice yearly distance sampling in Cosy Corner and West Cape Howe national park. She also covered the TCG’s findings about the possums distribution and how seasons, rainfall, and flowering vegetation can impact on their whereabouts and the importance of predator management in particular foxes and feral cats.
We then braved the cold night for a spotlight tour hoping to catch a glimpse of a possum or two and were rewarded with several western ringtail possum sightings and a lovely scorpion too.
This event is supported by funding from the Western Australian Government’s State NRM Program
