The juvenile Numbats were born earlier this year and have been cared for behind-the-scenes, growing strong enough to survive in the wild. 

In the coming weeks, the Numbats will be released into Dryandra Woodland National Park, a reserve two hours from Perth that is managed by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. 

Radio collars were carefully fitted onto the Numbats to enable researchers to continue monitoring the marsupials movements and breeding activity. Each juvenile also had its paw, nose and head measurements taken. 

With these Numbats nearing their wild release, the Zoo has already begun efforts for next year's season. 

A new breeding male, named Miro, arrived from Dryandra this month. The wild Numbat has been munching through termites and the Zoo's special termite custard as he settles in. 

In the coming months, the Zoo's experts will match him with a female in the hopes of more breeding success next year, before he is eventually re-released back into the wild. 

Miro's arrival ensures the Zoo's successful breeding program maintains genetic diversity and longevity. 
Perth Zoo is the only zoological institution in the world breeding these endangered and unique marsupials.

For more than three decades, Perth Zoo experts and DBCA scientists have carefully honed the program to ensure its continued success. 

Within the Zoo's Numbat breeding facility, the animals are provided a naturalistic environment and a species-specific termite diet that closely mimics what they would have in the wild - setting them up for the best chance for life beyond our Zoo gates. 

Since 1993, more than 320 Zoo-born Numbats have been released into the wild, helping to grow populations from an estimated 300 to now more than 2000.

Numbats are one of several WA native species being bred or reared at Perth Zoo, as part of collaborative efforts within DBCA. 

Perth Zoo's Numbat Breeding Timeline

January - Matings occur and most young are born in late January. The joeys start life looking like tiny pink jelly beans. 



February - Males are separated from females. Females are checked, and if joeys are present the mothers are weighed. 

March -  Mothers have an 8-week weigh-in. 

April - Joeys grow but are still only slightly larger than a jellybean. Each joey attaches to a teat and is hidden by the mother's belly hair and skin folds. 

May/June - Young grow and are visible hanging from their mother's teats. 



July - Young are too big for mother to hold and are deposited into a safe underground chamber. 

August/September - Numbats start to become independent and may emerge from the burrow. They learn to eat termites. 



October - Young are weaned away from mother and separated from each other. 



November - Young are prepared for wild release with radio collars. Additional termite mounds are brought in for them to forage on. 

December - Breeding pairs are matched to start the cycle again