How many Hairy-Nosed Wombats are left in the world?

Answer 1

The Northern hairy-nosed wombat is in a lot of trouble and is considered one of the rarest animals in the world. Apart from the intrusion of people into their environment, the drought of the early 1900's was thought to have finished off all Northern hairy-nosed wombats and they were declared extinct until a tiny population of 35 was found in the Epping Forest in 1937.

The Epping Forest National Park was proclaimed in 1971 to protect this last population of Northern hairy-nosed wombats, where they seem to be making a slow recovery.

After some dingo predation and the drought of the 1990s, the population counts are -

1993 - 65 animals

2001 - 85 animals

2003 - 110 animals

2005 - 115 animals

2007 - 138 animals

2010 - 174 animals

These population numbers should not be considered to be exact. They merely reflect the number of animals counted by various groups and organisations, not necessarily the total number of animals living in the habitat.

In 2009, either 5 or 12 animals (depending on who you choose to believe) were relocated to establish a second population. This was done to avoid inbreeding and the safety factor of not having all of the animals in the same immediate area.

As at August 2012, these appear to be the most recent statistics available. Numbers expected to be released later in 2014 suggest there should be more than 200 in Epping Forest National Park, with another 9 in the Richard Underwood Nature refuge near St George.

Answer 2

The Northern hairy-nosed wombat is in a lot of trouble and is considered one of the rarest animals in the world. Apart from the intrusion of people into their environment, the drought of the early 1900's was thought to have finished off all Northern hairy-nosed wombats and they were declared extinct until a tiny population of 35 was found in the Epping Forest in 1937. The Epping Forest National Park was proclaimed in 1971 to protect this last population of Northern hairy-nosed wombats, where they seem to be making a slow recovery. After some dingo predation and the drought of the 1990's, the current population is estimated to be about 110.

Answer 3

The most recent census of Northern Hairy nosed wombats was taken in 2010. At that time, the number of this endangered marsupial was 163. Whilst still a critically low figure, this is a fourfold increase from the population prior to its habitat being protected.