Eastern bettongs are coming back to NSW after disappearing from the mainland more than a century ago, with a founding population of up to 40 coming from the ACT’s Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary, where they were reintroduced more than a decade ago.

NSW Environment Minister James Griffin says the pint-sized marsupials from the kangaroo family will soon be released into western Sydney’s Yiraaldiya National Park – a 555-hectare feral predator-free national park.

“The last eastern bettong disappeared from mainland Australia in the 1920s, surviving only in Tasmania,” Mr Griffin said on Thursday.

“This upcoming release will mean we’ve returned 11 species that were once extinct in NSW back into our national parks, a globally significant outcome.”

Their return is part of a program to “rewild” ecosystems across NSW that have been decimated by predators such as foxes and feral cats, which are estimated to kill more than 1.8 billion native animals every year.

“Releasing these bettongs is an exciting new chapter for Sydney’s wildlife, paving the way for the reintroduction of koalas, antechinus, bandicoots and locally extinct reptiles,” Mr Griffin said.

Yiraaldiya is one of seven feral predator-free rewilding sites, covering more than 65,000 hectares of NSW national parks.

Eastern bettongs play a critical role in digging and aerating soil in their search for food, helping return bushland to its original state.

The initial founding population of up to 40 bettongs being introduced to Yiraaldiya will come from Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary in the ACT.

It is hoped the combined population across all three NSW feral predator-free sites will  grow to more than 1000 in the next decade.

By Maureen Dettre in Sydney

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