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Wildlife Research Wildlife Research Society
Ecology, management and conservation in natural and modified habitats
Wildlife Research

Wildlife Research

Volume 51 Number 5 2024

WR23117Where there’s smoke, there’s cats: long-unburnt habitat is crucial to mitigating the impacts of cats on the Ngarlgumirdi, greater bilby (Macrotis lagotis)

Harry A. Moore 0000-0001-9035-5937, Yawuru Country Managers , Bardi Jawi Oorany Rangers , Nyul Nyul Rangers , Nykina Mangala Rangers , Lesley A. Gibson, Martin A. Dziminski, Ian J. Radford 0000-0002-9388-7100, Ben Corey, Karen Bettink, Fiona M. Carpenter, Ruth McPhail, Tracy Sonneman and Bruce Greatwich

Photograph of Yawuru Country Managers showing Ngarlgumirdi scat material in hand.

We studied the impacts of fire-mosaic attributes on the occurrence of Ngarlgumirdi on the Dampier Peninsula. Ngarlgumirdi were more prevalent in areas with higher proportions of habitat that had not burnt for at least 3 years, or had burnt less frequently. Feral cats were less common in these habitats. These results emphasise the importance of reducing fire frequency and protecting long-unburnt vegetation to maintain Ngarlgumirdi habitat, and support a cross-tenure initiative to manage fire more effectively in the region. Photograph by Harry Moore.

Yawuru: Gamba nalgumirdi, marlu manyja yagarrmurungun miliya, Manyjanyurdany gurdirdi warli yingarrbangngaran gangajunu, warligarra waranygabu buru yingarrarlin gangajunu gamba gurlju yirr jaril yagarraman ngarraya. Marlugarriny yagarralangan narlinyurdany jalaluyi janangarru nyamba miliya. Dampiergun juluburu yagarrabaran yirr yagarrabanggan gamba ngurru nalgumirdigarra burugun gamba jarriny ngurru marlu junggu yinganda gurdidiyi wula, buru junggu manyjan wubardujina yinganda yirr marlu manyjan gurdirdi minyaw nyambagun. Nyamba galwaragaja gamba jurrungu yingan yagarramaguran wubardu buruyi junggu yilurran yirr yagarrajalalan buru Marlu jungu yinganngany nalgumirdi, barndany yinamalyjan nganinya yagarragurndin jurrungu nyambagun buru.

The translation of this short summary from English into Yawuru language was provided by the Mabu Yawuru Ngan-ga Language Centre. Yawuru language is a Western Nyulnyulan language spoken by people from the Broome region in Western Australia.

This article belongs to the collection Indigenous and cross-cultural wildlife research in Australia.


A spotted turtle (Clemmys guttata) carrying a GPS tag and radio-transmitter on its resting site in a sphagnum mat.

GPS tags are used to study animal spatial ecology because they can remotely obtain huge numbers of locations without disturbance to animals. We assessed how variation in accuracy of locations from GPS tags affected estimated home-range sizes and inferred macrohabitat use in co-occurring turtles. Canopy cover, ground cover, and submersion underwater reduced the number and accuracy of locations from GPS tags, and data screening increased accuracy of estimates regarding habitat use and home-range size from GPS tag data. Photograph by A. C. Hulbert.

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