Conservationists are concerned about the future for five mammals whose last significant habitat on two Western Australian islands is under threat from drought.
The animals, including the banded hare-wallaby and the burrowing bettong, used to exist across the mainland but are now confined to the Bernier and Dorre Islands in the Shark Bay area.
The Department of Environment and Conservation, which has been monitoring their welfare, says ongoing drought is having a negative impact on breeding and the condition of the animals.
Project manager Colleen Sims says while some of the mammals are kept in captivity elsewhere, climate change could wipe out their last wild populations.
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http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/29/2105126.htm