Reintroduction of the greater stick-nest rat (Leporillus conditor) to Heirisson Prong, Shark Bay: an unsuccessful attempt to establish a mainland population

An attempt to re-establish the greater stick-nest rat (Leporillus conditor) on the mainland of Western Australia, after over 60 years of absence, proved unsuccessful despite efforts to mitigate predation. Forty-eight rats were translocated from Salutation Island to Heirisson Prong in Shark Bay between 1999 and 2001, with a focus on creating a predator-free refuge (17 ha) within a larger controlled area (1200 ha). While the rats dispersed beyond the refuge and showed signs of reproduction—with 28 recruits detected over eight years—the population declined steadily. Predation by monitors and small birds of prey within the refuge, along with feral cats outside it, likely contributed to the failure, compounded by an irruption of other rodents that increased predator pressure. Despite better mean condition than source populations, survivorship among later cohorts and recruits was significantly lower, highlighting the challenges of reintroduction in such ecosystems.

Short, J., Richards, J. D., & O’Neill, S. (2017). Reintroduction of the greater stick-nest rat (Leporillus conditor) to Heirisson Prong, Shark Bay: an unsuccessful attempt to establish a mainland population. Australian Mammalogy, 40(2), 269–280. https://doi.org/10.1071/am17046