Good news!

In a nature reserve in western Victoria, Australia, you can now find a flock of sheep, two livestock guardian dogs, and twenty eastern barred bandicoots, all living together.

The Zoos Victoria Guardian Dog Project is part of the recovery efforts for these bandicoots, who are currently extinct in the wild in mainland Australia. Predation from foxes and cats – both of which are invasive – was a major factor in their decline. But here in the fenced reserve where they have been reintroduced, their canine neighbors help keep them safe. The dogs are bonded to their sheep and have been carefully trained to ignore the nocturnal bandicoots, and everyone benefits from the dogs’ presence deterring would-be predators.

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Part of my new fortnightly(-ish) series of art inspired by semi-recent positive animal news. A closer look is on my ✨ Patreon ✨ in a public post .