Bringing Back the Bandicoots to Frank Smith

Look at the Bandi-cute!

Mrs Todd and the Year 6 YELP group (Youth Environmental Leadership Program) are very excited to announce they have had bandicoot sightings. Mrs Todd was so excited, she was jumping for joy! This was posted on the school facebook page, over 200 likes and shared by 30 people.  Wow!

The group installed motion sensor trail cameras in Frank Smith Park earlier this term and within two days, there was confirmation of bandicoots living in the park!  Dr Elisa Sparrow, an ecologist from Green Adelaide taught us how to set up the camera and the perfect location to capture sightings of this critically endangered animal. 

If you happen to see the cameras on your walk, please leave them alone, as we are collecting data on the bandicoot population.

The group is also working on making posters and flyers, a puppet show for the Coro kindy, a scratch coding game and a quiz to teach school and community members about the importance of bandicoots.

Next term we will be collaborating with the Nature Conservation Society of South Australia and the Bandicoot Superhighway project to build and install some bandicoot bungalows in Frank Smith Park.

Congratulations to Mrs Todd and the Youth Environmental Leadership students Bianca W, Zara F, James A, Alice H, Molly S, Jacob W, Lucas T, Henry H and Dylan B as recipients of a Green Adelaide Grassroots Grant.  This money will be used to purchase motion sensor cameras to track the Southern Brown Bandicoots in Frank Smith Park, making brochures to educate others on the importance of bandicoots and to create artificial habitats – Bandi-bungalows!

These students have worked so hard this year.  They have prepared and presented PowerPoint presentations for sharing assembly and bigger groups, presented at the Nature By Night festival in the October school holidays and entertained JP audiences with a puppet show.

We will continue to work with Dr Elisa Sparrow, ecologist for Green Adelaide and Bandicoot specialist, parents and community members that frequently visit Frank Smith Reserve, members of the Bandicoot Super Highway Project and our Green Adelaide Education Officer Alex to guide us in the right direction.

If you see some bandicoots in Frank Smith, can you let us know?

Stay tuned during 2023 for more information!