West Australians are being asked to help save the shy and timid numbat which were once found all over southern Australia but are now confined to two sub-populations in the South West.
A new citizen-science project launched by WWF Australia and Zooniverse has called on Western Australians to submit records of sightings they find on the Zooniverse website.
Researchers will be able to use the power of people to more accurately gauge existing numbat populations and identify opportunities to help their numbers thrive.
The project has been led by PHD student Anke Seidlitz, with oversight from WWF researcher Merril Halley, in a collaborative partnership between WWF Australia, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions and Murdoch University, with support from Coles.
Two months ago the numbat status was upgraded to endangered and it is estimated there are only 1000 of these native creatures left in existence.
The small carnivorous marsupial natives are found in the Dryandra and Warren regions.
Predatory species like cats and foxes has seen the numbat’s population in steep decline throughout past decades which has put them in danger of being gone forever.
