Dorcopsis Wallabies

Facts about Dorcopsis Wallabies "Scientific name for Dorcopsis Wallabies is Dorcopsis atrata". The Dorcopsis wallaby is also called "gazelle–faced wallaby". Dorcopsis Wallabies is listed as a Critically Endangered species. Their occurrence can be designated as one in every 38 square miles (100 sq. km). This number is also declining at a faster pace. The Dorcopsis wallaby had been declared as rare species in 1982 and enlisted to vulnerable & Endangered in 1994 & 1996 respectively by IUCN. The main reason behind their vulnerability is hunting and their natural habitat loss.

A total of 1000 to 1800 numbers of Dorcopsis Wallabies are expected to exist. They are basically terrestrial animals found in tropical oak forests of West Papua, Indonesia. The Dorcopsis Wallabies live upon the herbaceous growth on the ground. They also take ferns and mosses as their food. The female Dorcopsis Wallabies give birth to the babies, so they are mammals.

The researchers are not confirmed yet if the Dorcopsis Wallabies exist within the protected areas as all those protected areas don’t possess the exact habitat they typically need to survive. However, studies say that they are seen more frequently after the regulation of hunting activities came into action.

Dorcopsis Wallabies grow up to a size of 2 feet (.60 meters) and a weigh about 11 to 13.2 pounds (5 to 6 kilograms). The Dorcopsis Wallabies are expected to exist in huge numbers around 300 years ago. Indonesia’s economic and agricultural development pushed the forests to be brought down. The forests have been cut down for human use since last 200 years. Researchers have commented upon the Dorcopsis Wallabies adaptation to their natural habitat that led them to extinction in just 200 years. The Dorcopsis Wallabies is one of the few countable ones who haven’t survived a slight change in their habitat.

In Indonesia, the gallery forest is cut down for timber extraction and conversion of the forest for agriculture. This makes the Dorcopsis Wallabies exposed to the outside world and leaves little space for hiding, making them easily available for hunting and being used for bush meat.

Recently IUCN has signed several agreements with Indonesia Govt to put more strict rules and harder penalties against hunting of Dorcopsis wallabies.