Upon arriving in Australia, the British colonists were not particularly impressed with the small and slender marsupials known as Bandicoots. In 1805, one naturalist described them as having an excessively long muzzle, giving them an air of stupidity. They even nicknamed one type the “zebra rat” due to its black-striped rump.

Despite their appearance, the Western Barred Bandicoot, also known as the zebra rat, displayed remarkable survival skills in the harsh outback. Its ability to give birth was triggered by rainfall in the arid desert, and it carried its tiny babies in a backward-facing pouch, allowing mothers to forage for food and seek shelter.

However, these adaptations were not enough to prepare the western barred bandicoot for the changes brought about by colonialism, particularly the introduction of non-native British animals. Cattle and rabbits damaged the delicate desert vegetation, while house cats posed a threat to bandicoots. As a result, several bandicoot species went extinct, and by the 1940s, the western barred bandicoot could only be found on two predator-free islands in Shark Bay.

The Wild Deserts conservation program aims to revive mainland bandicoot populations by using descendants of the Shark Bay Bandicoots. Twenty bandicoots have been imported to a preserve in the Strzelecki Desert, New South Wales. This remote sanctuary presents challenges, with its harsh climate and unpredictable rainfall patterns.

The imported bandicoots reside in fenced areas that have been cleared of invasive rabbits and feral cats. They share the space with bilbies and mulgaras, other rare marsupials, as they learn to evade cats. It remains uncertain whether the predator-naive Shark Bay bandicoots will succeed in this endeavor.

Recent rainfall has led to a boom in bandicoot joeys, increasing the population of the Wild Deserts program to approximately 100. The bandicoots’ constant digging helps trap moisture and facilitates seed germination, contributing to the restoration of the cattle-damaged desert.

The bandicoots have earned a new nickname – “ecosystem engineers” – highlighting their role in shaping and revitalizing the landscape.