Ground-breaking ‘breaking ground’ has begun at WildArk’s Mongo Valley Wildlife Sanctuary!

The 1,500 hectare property is located in the Byron Bay hinterland of NSW at Upper Mongogarie. It was acquired by Aussie Ark three years ago, in partnership with the Australian Reptile Park, WildArk and Re:wild.

The property was once an old cattle farm and heavily impacted by logging and invasive weeds. But it is also ecologically rich, with huge escarpment areas and mixed native foliage including semi tropical bushland.

Aussie Ark is determined to return it to its pre-colonial pristine state. It has already planted over 43,000 native trees on site, erected nesting boxes and conducted intensive weed management.

Now it’s time for the most challenging project yet…feral proof fencing! And it’s not any old fence!

Aussie Ark Managing Director Liz Gabriel oversaw operations with fencing contractors Flanagan Fencing & Rural Contracting, who will work for over six months on this project alone.

“The fence will be over two metres tall, and almost 10 kilometres in length,” Ms Gabriel said. “To keep the feral predators out of the new Sanctuary, the fence also includes an apron of wire on the ground to prohibit digging and an umbrella of fencing at the top to prevent climbing! The last step will be fortification with electrified wire.”

All this is necessary to secure the Sanctuary for future Aussie Ark’s breeding and rewilding programs. Following the highly successful model of the organisation’s famous Barrington Wildlife Sanctuary, most of the property will be dedicated to the protection, breeding and rewilding of endangered native species including the Koala, Spotted-tail Quoll and Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby.

Some of these species naturally occur at the Mongo Valley Wildlife Sanctuary already, but their future isn’t secure until the fencing is complete. So it’s all systems go!

To help WildArk complete fencing the Mongo Valley Wildlife Sanctuary and turn it into the wildlife oasis it has dreamed and planned, please donate now.