Ever wonder what kind of animals live in the Outback?
Sure, there are plenty of kangaroos and koalas in Australia, but what other animals call it home? There are numerous creatures that many people aren’t aware of.
Brian the Bettong is one of them. Have you ever heard of a bettong? Most people haven’t, but they are definitely interesting and completely adorable. They are like miniature kangaroos, but they like to cuddle and are small enough to hold.
Brian was rescued after he was tossed out of his mom’s pouch.
A team of biologists was doing a health check on the mom when she became agitated and tossed out the baby. They tried to reunite them but couldn’t. Instead, they decided to raise Brian. They turned him into an ambassador for all the animals living in Australia that a lot of people don’t know about.
Kate Grarock, an ecologist at the Woodlands and Wetlands Trust, a nonprofit group that manages two nature reserves in Australia, said:
“They absolutely bounce around like a kangaroo. They’re pretty darn fast.”
She explained how rare it was for the mom to abandon the baby, adding:
“It doesn’t happen often. We always try to reunite the baby with its mother, but sometimes we can’t.”
Grarock and the other researchers get to study a lot of different animals, including bettongs.
They know that not everyone realizes that there are a lot of different animals in Australia. She said:
“No one has heard of bettongs. We want to help people fall in love with bettongs as much as we have.”
Brian is a lucky little bettong.
He gets fed and cared for every day, and he gets to travel around to different schools, where he helps educate children about the importance of protecting animals and inspires them to learn about the world around them.
When they are being cute and hopping around, bettongs are playing a big role in improving the ecosystem. Grarock explained:
“They also spread truffles around, on their paws and nose and in their poop. The trees and truffles form a symbiotic relationship in which the fungi tap into the root network and extend it. This means the trees can absorb more nutrients and water.”
Brian isn’t the only bettong around; a female is also with the team.
Her name is Berry, but she can be a little feistier than Brian. Grarock said:
“She’s cheeky. As soon as a man comes in the room… bang, ankle bitten.”
The team hopes to educate more people about all the amazing animals that live in Australia. The more people know about them, the more likely they will be to protect them. Some of these animals are endangered and could go extinct. Grarock and the other scientists want to make sure that doesn’t happen. She said:
“There are so many animals in Australia that no one has ever heard of because they’re so threatened. It’d be sad if they became extinct without anyone noticing.”
Grarock, Brian, and the rest of the team are all doing their part to protect animals in Australia.
They hope that their adorable ambassador will be able to make an impact on the lives of many people and draw attention to the other animals who are in need.
Brian also has his own Twitter page, where he shares information and updates on his life. Some of his posts can get a little crazy, but what do you expect from an ornery little bettong? People just can’t get enough of this cute little gardener who loves to eat corn and be held in his free time.
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