Mt Rothwell

The funds sent to Mt Rothwell were used to buy a new fire engine, fire-fighting equipment, a slasher for cutting a firebreak and for providing fire training for employees. Photo: Miroslav Bobek, Prague Zoo

Mt Rothwell is less than an hour’s drive from Melbourne. It is an area of 453 hectares surrounded by robust fences, and it is here that the majority of the population of the southern brush-tailed rock-wallabies or a significant part of the continental population of the eastern barred bandicoot and the eastern quoll have found refuge.

When the fires burst out, it was purportedly the largest feral predator-free ecosystem in Victoria. And yet, two employees and other volunteers at Mt Rothwell were constantly fighting foxes and cats, which pose a deadly threat to their wards. In addition to these predators, they also had to deal with wild rabbits (for this, they used, among other things, two dingos, which are, de facto, also non-native carnivores; however, their ancient ancestors came to Australia with the Aborigines).

One of the species for which Mt Rothwell is a lifeline: the eastern quoll. A significant part of the continental population of these predatory marsupials lives here; in addition, there is a breeding centre for them at Mt Rothwell. Photo: Miroslav Bobek, Prague Zoo

Unlike many other reserves, Mt Rothwell was lucky not to have been affected by the bushfires of 2019/2020. On the contrary, it could receive animals from other places, increasing the number of southern brush-tailed rock-wallabies in this locality to one hundred and fifty—more of them lived there at the time than anywhere else in the world.

Releasing animals at night—including ten southern brush tailed rock-wallabies—brought in to Mt Rothwell by military plane from a Canberra bushfire area in January 2020. Photo: Mt Rothwell archive

However, sooner or later bushfires may also reach here, which would have catastrophic consequences. Therefore, we re¬leased AU$ 82,000 from Prague Zoo’s collection account to prevent bush¬fires and purchase the necessary equipment to fight them.