Australian Wildlife Conservancy
In the battle of ‘native wildlife vs introduced invaders’, it’s the native species that are winning at North Head Sanctuary in Sydney where Australia’s small Bush Rats are successfully reclaiming their territory from gangs of invasive Black Rats.
Results from recent wildlife surveys found that the population of Black Rats at North Head has decreased from an estimated 112 in 2019 to 29 in 2020. The decline continued in May 2021, when only eight Black Rats were captured during a survey of 250 hectares at the sanctuary. Australian Wildlife Conservancy delivers conservation science projects including survey work such as this at North Head Sanctuary which is managed by Sydney Harbour Federation Trust. The significant decrease in Black Rats is directly linked to the reintroduction of 170 Bush Rats between 2014 and 2016, which were released as part of a unique initiative to use native wildlife to outcompete a foreign species and act as a biological control.