Trail cameras reveal echidna population thriving on restored Clarke Island
Trail cameras show four to five echidnas on Tasmania's Lungtalanana, also known as Clarke Island. This suggests the population is recovering after habitat restoration.
Trail cameras are on Lungtalanana, also known as Clarke Island. It sits off Tasmania's north-east coast.
The cameras captured images of four to five echidnas over the past two years. This shows there is a live population, not just a single animal.
In 2023, trail cameras recorded just two images months apart. The island earned the label "Australia's loneliest echidna".
In September, ranger Tasha Cooper found an echidna in a feral cat trap. It was the first confirmed sighting in decades.
The Aboriginal-led Lungtalanana Restoration Project removes weeds and invasive animals like feral cats. It uses cultural burns to restore the island.
A University of Tasmania expert estimates there could be fewer than a dozen echidnas on the island. This is based on recent sightings.
The 2014 bushfire destroyed 98 per cent of the island's vegetation. But recovery efforts are working.
- 4 to 5 animals
- Echidnas seen in two years
- 8,230 hectares
- Island size
- 98 per cent
- Vegetation destroyed in 2014
- since 2005
- Aboriginal ownership
Why it mattersThe echidna population is recovering. This shows that habitat restoration and predator control can work. Species can come back from the brink. This gives hope for other extinct or near-extinct Australian animals.
AustraliaThis is a win for Tasmania and Aboriginal land management practices, and demonstrates that cultural burning and invasive species removal work for wildlife conservation across Australia.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 2 h ago
