�鶹��ý

Skip to content

Life

See the adorable baby numbats offering hope to an endangered species

These baby numbats are among a group of seven to have been spotted across two different wildlife sanctuaries in New South Wales, Australia

By �鶹��ý

15 October 2025

**VIDEO AVAILABLE. CONTACT INFO@COVERMG.COM TO RECEIVE.** A family of four baby Numbats has been caught on camera exploring and playing in the bushlands of New South Wales, a discovery that????????s being hailed as a major win for one of Australia????????s rarest and most charming marsupials. The pint-sized siblings were among seven young Numbats recently sighted at Australian Wildlife Conservancy????????s (AWC) Scotia Wildlife Sanctuary and Mallee Cliffs National Park, where the AWC works hand-in-hand with the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). The surprise sightings have sparked fresh hope for the future of the elusive species ???????? once common across southern Australia but wiped out in NSW decades ago by feral cats and foxes. ???????Babies are always a really special find, particularly for a species as difficult to spot in the wild as the Numbat,??????? said Dr Rachel Ladd, AWC Wildlife Ecologist. ???????Seeing seven young Numbats lets us know that the population is breeding in favourable environmental conditions and becoming more established.??????? Five of the juveniles ???????? including the adorable quadruplets ???????? were found at Mallee Cliffs National Park on Barakandji Country, believed to be the great-great-grandchildren of Numbats reintroduced there in 2020 under a bold AWC and NPWS partnership to bring the species back from the brink. Meanwhile, two more youngsters were spotted darting around logs at Scotia Wildlife Sanctuary, also on Barakandji Country. Experts say these sightings show the population is bouncing back after a severe hit from the 2018????????19 drought in the Lower Murray Darling region. ???????It felt surreal seeing four siblings in the one location,??????? said Michael Daddow, AWC Land Management Officer. ???????They were just cruising around, falling asleep, and playing with each other. The bravest of the lot even ran up to me to check me out before scurrying back ???????? it wasn????????t scared at all.????? — Julie Kern/Australian Wildlife Conservancy

These adorable baby numbats are among a group of seven that have been recently spotted across two different wildlife sanctuaries in New South Wales, Australia. Conservationists are working to reintroduce the species, which has been extinct in the wild in New South Wales for more than 100 years. These sightings raise hopes that one of the world’s rarest marsupials might be making a comeback.

Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox. We'll also keep you up to date with �鶹��ý events and special offers.

Sign up

More from �鶹��ý

Explore the latest news, articles and features

Health

Our dreams become more emotive and symbolic as we approach death

News

Space

How to spot the Lyrid meteor shower tonight

News

Health

People are refusing transfusions from donors vaccinated against covid

News

Twisteddoodles uses Gen Z slang to explain chemistry

Twisteddoodles uses Gen Z slang to explain chemistry

Regulars

1

Neanderthal infants were enormous compared with modern humans

2

The biggest threat to Chernobyl is no longer radiation

3

Exclusive report: Inside Chernobyl, 40 years after nuclear disaster

4

Largest ever map of universe captures 47 million galaxies and quasars

5

The man who crawls into the perilous heart of the Chernobyl reactor

6

Monkeys walk around a virtual world using only their thoughts

7

Collapse of key ocean current may release billions of tonnes of carbon

8

How to spot the Lyrid meteor shower tonight

9

How autoimmune conditions can unexpectedly drive mental illness

10

Antioxidant in mushrooms may target uterus cells to ease period pain