Interesting piece about a intentionally-protected animal losing its own ability to protect itself.
Natasha Harrison is a PhD candidate at the University of Western Australia who has dedicated her research to woylie conservation.
Her recent study looked at whether anti-predator strategies used by woylies changed after being havened.
Surprisingly, across the span of only 10 years, the havened woylies had lost much of their anti-predator strategies.
With their protective instincts gone, the havened woylies would be less suitable for reintroduction into the wild - a crucial step in successful conservation.
Natasha's future research will examine if woylies can relearn anti-predator strategies.
In the meantime, Natasha suggests conservation managers should expose havened woylies to a controlled level of predators.