Easter Bilbies on Australian Shelves Again
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (340019)
Rockingham, Australia
April 4, 2017 7:40am CST
With Easter fast approaching, I feel obliged to write about the Australian bilby. This small burrowing bandicoot was once common over 70% of Australia but it is now close to extinction, thanks to the introduction of rabbits, foxes and feral cats, not to mention human settlement and clearing of the bilbies' habitat.
The Foundation for Rabbit Free Australia (RFA) is a non-profit organisation and aims to raise community awareness of the environmental damage done by the wild rabbit. One of its fund-raising activities is the Easter Bilby campaign. Haigh's Chocolates began making Easter Bilbies in 1993. These have replaced the Easter Bunny and were an immediate hit.
Bilbies are also known as rabbit-eared bandicoots. As can be imagined, they have large ears. They range from 29 to 55cm in length and have compact bodies. They dig up to a dozen burrows a day and have long tails and long silky fur. We were lucky enough to see them at Barna Mia, a wildlife sanctuary close to where our home farm is situated.
Photo courtesy: stephentrepreneur from Adelaide, Australia (I Shot the Easter Bilby!) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
16 people like this
15 responses
@marguicha (223010)
• Chile
4 Apr 17
I can´t say I found the bilbies beautiful. I would prefer a rabbit anytime
. But in my country rabbits were introduced at some time and now they are a pest. They eat young native trees and there is no way to exterminate them. Lovely Easter idea
. But in my country rabbits were introduced at some time and now they are a pest. They eat young native trees and there is no way to exterminate them. Lovely Easter idea2 people like this
@marguicha (223010)
• Chile
4 Apr 17
@JudyEv Same here. And, just as rats, the reproduce very quickly and they have learned to live in the mountains.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (340019)
• Rockingham, Australia
4 Apr 17
@marguicha Rabbits are very adaptable and increase quickly - as you say.
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (180703)
• United States
4 Apr 17
It looks kind of like a cross between a rat, bunny and opposum!
2 people like this
@JudyEv (340019)
• Rockingham, Australia
4 Apr 17
Yes, for food, water and burrows. Also bilbies had no natural predators until foxes and feral cats were introduced.
@JohnRoberts (109846)
• Los Angeles, California
4 Apr 17
That is one funky looking critter. It is like parts of other animals: rabbits, rats, anteater. Is it a marsupial?
2 people like this
@OldRoadsOnceTraveled (331)
•
4 Apr 17
@JohnRoberts I thought of exactly the same trio when I first saw it: rabbit, rat, and anteater.
2 people like this
@Happy2BeMe (99380)
• Canada
4 Apr 17
They are very interesting looking. So they would be approximately the size of a domestic cat?
2 people like this
@epiffanie (11326)
• Australia
5 Apr 17
I haven't seen rabbits around in our garden for the last two or three years now.. maybe the council is doing something to control the rabbit population here ... There's a chocolate factory that is making easter bilbies instead of easter rabbits .. I can't wait to get some ..
1 person likes this
@epiffanie (11326)
• Australia
11 Apr 17
@JudyEv Yes, not so long ago, we saw a fox in our backyard chased by the dog .. I think it was after our neighbour's chooks ..
1 person likes this
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
4 Apr 17
they are super cute, anyone managed to make them pets?
1 person likes this
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
5 Apr 17
@JudyEv I wonder, if you had space, if you could get breeding pairs, to kinda, well not farm them, but you know, help the population along, heh
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (340019)
• Rockingham, Australia
6 Apr 17
@Jessicalynnt There are several quite large areas now that are fenced and all predators exterminated so they have a chance to build up. One of the safe areas is an island off the coast of Western Australia. Some of our zoos have breeding programs too for various endangered animals.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43418)
• Denver, Colorado
4 Apr 17
That is an interesting looking animal.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (340019)
• Rockingham, Australia
5 Apr 17
@teamfreak16 Nobody else wanted those ears!
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43418)
• Denver, Colorado
5 Apr 17
@JudyEv - Put together with spare parts!
1 person likes this
@cavalierscholar (205)
•
5 Apr 17
what an interesting looking creature, too bad they're endangered
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (340019)
• Rockingham, Australia
5 Apr 17
It's a shame isn't it? Lots of our smaller marsupials are doing it tough.
@manasamanu (3746)
• Bangalore, India
4 Apr 17
Its very cute. Its also bad that they are in the edge of distinction. Poor thing it doesn't know that after a few years(if the same situation continues), that people will only know about them by reading and seeing their photos.
1 person likes this
@garymarsh6 (23404)
• United Kingdom
4 Apr 17
It looks like a long nosed rat with big ears! Not very photogenic.Shame they have suffered because of the overseas introduced animals.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (340019)
• Rockingham, Australia
5 Apr 17
They're not the cutest of the marsupials, are they?
