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Tjakura Monitoring Project |
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The Tjakura Project is a population monitoring and survey project based in Watarru. Members of the Watarru community have been actively monitoring populations of Tjakura since 1997 when Mary Pan and Illawanti Ken re-discovered the species.
This year the annual monitoring trip was assisted by Steve McAlpin and Adam Stow from Macquarie University. Three of seven colonies were monitored as a trapping trial. This will continue in October 2009 when Tjakura are more active. One colony remains extinct, however the total extent of one colony has increased and further searching should locate additional Tjakura warrens. Tjakura were trapped from the two active colonies and tail tissue was taken for genetic analysis by the Macquarie University scientists. Genetic information will help to understand whether Tjakura move between colonies and if extinct colonies have moved to new locations. It may also be possible to compare DNA from Tjakura at Watarru with Tjakura caught there in 1997.
 Tjakura Fact Sheet (347.38 kB)
Tjakura Antunymanutjaku Recovery Plan (2.09 MB)
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