Efforts to save the greater bilby in Australia ^{CEFR A2}

The greater bilby is an Australian mammal now threatened with extinction. The IUCN Red List classifies it as vulnerable. Before European settlement bilbies lived across about 80 percent of Australia. Today their population is estimated at about 9,000 mature animals. It looks like a mouse but is the size of a rabbit and has large ears.

Several factors reduced bilby numbers. Rabbits introduced by Europeans, and wild cats and foxes, became invasive and harmed bilbies. Habitat loss from land clearing and grazing by cattle and sheep further reduced their areas. Conservation groups run captive breeding, predator-free fenced areas and reintroductions. The Save the Bilby Fund supports breeding projects and awareness campaigns. Some centres have nocturnal houses where visitors can see bilbies, and chocolate bilbies are sold at Easter.