Northern Hairy-Nosed Wombat Program
The northern hairy-nosed wombat (Lasiorhinus krefftii) is listed as endangered under Queensland’s Nature Conservation Act 1992. Since European settlement, competition for food from introduced grazing animals, such as sheep, cattle and rabbits—particularly during droughts—is believed to have been the main reason for the rapid decline of the species.
In the 1980s it was estimated there were 35 northern hairy-nosed wombats remaining in a small area on Epping Forest National Park in Central Queensland. Since then, dedicated managers and scientists have worked hard to protect and increase the population, and have successfully established a translocated colony at Richard Underwood Nature Refuge near St George in south west Queensland.
At the last census in 2016, there was an estimated population of 240 northern hairy-nosed wombats at Epping Forest National Park. A recent birth at Richard Underwood Nature Refuge brings that colony’s population to 11, so it is estimated there are approximately 250 northern hairy-nosed wombats in the wild. This is a major improvement on the estimated 35 wombats remaining in the 1980s. The search continues to find more suitable habitat to create a third colony to help secure the future for this threatened species.
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