This spring, I’ll be chopping off my mop of hair to raise funds and awareness for the Gilbert’s Potoroo (or Ngilgyte), Potorous gilbertii - Australia’s most endangered mammal. This amazing creature is about the size of a small rabbit, similar looking to our better-known quenda/bandicoot, but it has fluffier cheeks and the cutest bulgy eyes. Those who know it well, say this little guy is particularly gentle natured, with super soft, silky fur - aww! It lives right here in Western Australia and is the rarest marsupial in the world! Currently, ~100 individuals remain in four small pockets on the South Coast of WA: Two Peoples Bay, Waychinicup, Bald Island and most recently, Middle Island off Esperance. The Gilbert's Potoroo Action Group (GPAG) are the only not-for-profit organisation solely dedicated to conserving the Gilbert's Potoroo and they need all the help they can get! They help Gilbert’s Potoroo through fundraising for critical conservation actions and equipment (cameras, fencing repairs and transmitters), awareness raising through social media, events and their quarterly newsletter (https://www.potoroo.org/newsletters) and volunteering. I am calling on family, friends and all those who value this unique species, to help support my campaign - every dollar counts! The Big Chop will be happening at the end of September, where my hair will also be 'recycled' to make a wig for someone in need. Let the count-down begin! Photo credit: Dick Walker and GPAG More info on Gilbert's Potoroo: After been thought extinct for over 100 years, the Gilbert's Potoroo was miraculously rediscovered in small numbers in 1994. Gilbert's Potoroos are excellent ecological engineers, assisting with the dispersal of fungal spores that are essential symbionts of many plants. Therefore, protecting this species helps with the protection of a range of other threatened flora and fauna. There are 5 main threats to Gilbert’s Potoroo: 1. Fire: the biggest risk to the population, as seen in 2015, when 90% of Potoroo habitat at Two Peoples Bay was destroyed in a bushfire; 2. Predation (by foxes and cats predominantly but also some risk from native pythons); 3. Inadequate gene flow (genetic management between the populations is critical to ensure the sub-populations do not become inbred); 4. Climate change (warming and drying climate could lead to more frequent and intense bushfires and also possibly reduced supply of the truffle like fungi that make up 94% of the Potoroo’s diet); and 5. Lack of knowledge (which may limit the development and implementation of the best management strategies, such as the impact of climate change on truffle-like fungi, details of habitat use including post-fire recolonisation, causes of Potoroo mortality, etc). For even more info, check out: - Gilbert's Potoroo recovery plan: https://www.dpaw.wa.gov.au/images/plants-animals/threatened-species/gilberts_potoroo_recovery_plan_2016.pdf - Gilbert’s Potoroo Action Group Website https://www.potoroo.org/ - https://cosmosmagazine.com/australia/gilberts-potoroo-back-from-dead/