Cats, fire and small mammals on the Tiwi Islands

Many animals have disappeared from large areas of Northern Australia. Animals that were once widespread, such as possums and bandicoots, now only occur in small areas. A lot of work has been done to try and figure out what is causing these animals to disappear. People now think that the main reasons are too many hot fires and feral cats. Compared to other areas, the animals on the Tiwi Islands seem to be doing well. But we were worried that important animals like possums (wuninga) and bandicoots (kipopi) might also disappear from the Tiwi Islands. So, in 2013, we started a project to learn more about Tiwi animals, and to make sure Tiwi animals remain healthy.