Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby Husbandry Manual - Marsupial and ...

through 1981. It was listed as Rare again from the 1982 edition to 1995. It then became "Lower
Risk near threatened" (species in the "near threatened" subcategory of the Lower Risk category.
Taxa in this subcategory are "near threatened" in the sense of being close to the threshold of the
Vulnerable category) in 1997 (Olney, 1997).
The species was excluded from the 1984 IUCN Red Data Book because "Recent surveys funded
by WWF Australia have shown there to be a substantial population of this species in the Flinders
Range, South Australia, with evidence of occurrence at over 170 separate sites. It also occurs in
the Gawler Range in South Australia, extending into the Barrier Range in New South Wales and
the Grey Range in Queensland (note: this last reference is to Petrogale x. celeris). It is fully
protected over its range and there is no evidence of a threatened status (Thornback & Jenkins,
1984)."
In 1988, the yellow-footed rock was listed by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Act as
Schedule 12 Part 4 "Fauna in Imminent Danger of Extinction due to the fact that it occurred in
such low numbers that it was believed to be in imminent danger of extinction and survival was
dependent on special protective measures" (Lim et al, 1992).
In the "Endangered Fauna (Interim Protection) Act 1991", the yellow-footed rock wallaby was
considered Schedule 12 Part 1 "Threatened". This was based mainly on assessments of the New
South Wales population having a "reduction of populations to a critical level, drastic reduction
and modification of their habitat, a species in danger of extinction..." Species in Schedule 12
were given greater protection than many other protected species (Lim et al, 1992).
The 1992 Australasian Marsupials and Monotremes: an Action Plan for their Conservation
classified Petrogale xanthopus (no subspecies indicated) as Potentially Vulnerable with a note
that the population in New South Wales was classified as Endangered. Their description of
Potentially Vulnerable was one whose population appeared stable but faced pressures that could
lead the species to become Endangered. Endangered was defined as a species in danger of
extinction and whose survival is unlikely if the causal factors continue operating. This document
also indicated that 50-90% of its geographic range had declined since European settlement
(Kennedy,1992).
The 1996 edition of the IUCN Red Data Book listed Petrogale x. xanthopus as Vulnerable C2a
(a population that is not endangered but is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild in the
medium-term future, population estimated to number less than 10,000 mature individuals
showing a continuing decline observed, projected, or inferred, in numbers of mature indiviuals
and population structure in the form of a severely fragmented population estimated to contain
more than 1,000 mature individuals) (Baillie & Groombridge, 1996) and it remains so listed.
The Australian Species Management Plan (ASMP) listed it as Category 3(1) species in 1998. A
Category 3 is a monitored species with medium level regional management covered by a
studbook to which member institutions may refer and/or by recommendations by the TAG. The
(1) indicates it is being moved toward being a Category 1 species, a Cooperative Conservation
Program Species with a high level of regional management with the captive population managed
as part of a wildlife agency species recovery program (Barlow, 1998). It is currently listed by the
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