S1 Episode 25: Tony Friend

We interview  Tony Friend, legendary West Australian mammalogist, from his home in Albany, Australia. Tony talks about almost 40 years of work to save some of West Australia’s iconic and wonderfully-named mammals including species like the Chudditch, Woylie and Dibbler. (And if you want to know what they look like you’ll need to listen!) Tony talks about the rediscovery in the mid 1990s of Gilbert’s Potoroo, a rabbit-sized kangaroo that was thought extinct for 100 years, that was hiding in plain sight. And he describes his role in ensuring that this, the world’s rarest marsupial, survives today.

You can read more here about West Australian mammalwatching. Tony mentions local mammal watcher Jimmy Lamb and his Instagram feed is also well worth a visit. You can learn about Western Australia’s Western Shield program to remove foxes and cats here. Cover art: Noolbenger or Honey Possum by Rob McLean.