About the Rare Tammar Wallaby!

The Tammar Wallaby, with smaller and finer features than the Kangaroo, is abundant on Kangaroo Island, off the Coast of South Australia. By comparison, mainland populations are extinct in southeastern Australia with a small population in Western Australia. Tammar wallabies are frequently seen at night along the Kangaroo Island roads, where vehicle lights easily dazzle them. Only cautious and attentive driving will prevent wallaby road kills and damage to the vehicle.

It is found on offshore islands on the South Australian and Western Australian coast. It is classified as vermin on Kangaroo Island, where it sometimes seasonally breeds in large numbers and some scientists claim it damages the echidna habitat on the island. However, like all macropods, it can control it's breeding when food and water is scarce.

M. e. eugenii from mainland South Australia - this subspecies was driven to extinction on the mainland due to land clearing, shooting and poisoning by farmers, and predation by cats and foxes.

However, the Tammar had been introduced to Kawau Island in New Zealand in the 1800s. This island population is considered a pest species in New Zealand - but has provided an ideal source of animals for reintroduction to their native habitat. In New Zealand they are treated very badly, as introduced animals they have no protection.

Shotgun shoot-fests are regularly held to reduce numbers. They have also been exported from New Zealand to Asia and are sold in Asian petshops as pets.

Just recently a small colony of Tammar wallabies was discovered in a remote area only a few hours drive from Sydney.

M. e. derbianus inhabits Western Australia (and some islands).

M. e. decres, the Darma or Dama Wallaby, is the species on Kangaroo Island, South

Australia. This wallaby's small size of approx 8kg, similar to a large cat, and ease of keeping in captivity makes it a popular zoo animal.

Some Australian scientists claim to have found a compound in the milk of the Tammar Wallaby called AGG01 which has the potential to be a ‘miracle cure’ and just as revolutionary as penicillin.

AGG01 is a protein and in laboratory testing AGG01 has been 100 times more effective than penicillin, killing over 99% of the pathogenic bacteria (both gram-positive and gram–negative) and fungus that it was incubated with, including Salmonella, Proteus vulgaris and golden staphylococcus.