WORLD FIRST LIVE STREAM OF RARE ENDANGERED GREATER GLIDERS

In a world first, a scientist has set up a live stream from inside the hollow of a pair of endangered greater gliders in a secret location in New South Wales.

People across the globe can now discover the hidden life of an animal many Australians don’t even know exists.

As a bonus, two has become three with a joey climbing onto its mother’s back for the first time on Wednesday 2 October.

The solar-powered live stream is the brainchild of Dr Ana Gracanin who believes educating people is crucial if this adorable creature is to be saved.

Greater gliders were once abundant along Australia’s east coast, but populations have crashed by as much as 80% in the last 20 years due to habitat destruction including land-clearing and logging, as well as bushfires fuelled by a rapidly changing climate.

During the testing phase, Dr Gracanin recorded over 1000 hours of video revealing life inside the hollow. Like many couples there is an occasional disagreement, but mostly they show tenderness and affection toward each other.

“They groom a lot to maintain the fur on their ridiculously fluffy bodies and tails. Otherwise it could get quite matted and resemble dreadlocks. Spending time together is important because they can groom each other in hard to reach spots and it also helps maintain their bond,” Dr Gracanin said of the pair who have likely been together for many years.

“They present their head to their partner, waiting for a head groom, and as this happens they often close their eyes in apparent enjoyment. Who doesn't love a good head scratch?,” she said.

Greater gliders also seem to spend a lot of time scratching. “In 10 years’ studying greater gliders I have detected mites, ticks, fleas and worms. Very little is known about greater glider disease,” Dr Gracanin said.

Key to the live stream was the discovery of a suitable hollow with permanent residents.

“Greater gliders can use more than a dozen hollows. But this one is huge with two chambers. I’ve inspected and studied over 100 different greater glider hollows and this is one of the best. Every time I've looked inside there's been at least two gliders and they appear to be using it every day as a place to sleep,” Dr Gracanin said.

Taking her idea from a concept to a functioning live stream broadcasting from 16 metres above ground in a remote forest has taken over 12 months of hard work for the Australian National University scientist.

The World Wide Fund for Nature-Australia, National Parks Association NSW, Wilderness Australia, and Social Justice Advocates of the Sapphire Coast have supported the project.

Dr Gracanin’s live stream is located in Tallaganda, an area containing one of the last remaining greater glider strongholds.

Recent logging in Tallaganda State Forest sparked outrage over how the prime habitat of a threatened species could be destroyed by Forestry Corp NSW. Its native forest business bulldozes trees mostly to make paper and runs at a loss, subsidised by taxpayers.

Dr Kita Ashman, a WWF-Australia conservation scientist who has worked on greater glider research in Tallaganda, praised Dr Gracanin’s project.

“If we’re going to save greater gliders we need the public to know about them. Ana’s live stream will highlight one of our most adorable and poorly understood animals to a potential audience of millions. We need people power to help save the world’s largest gliding marsupial and all our threatened species. That starts with stronger national environment laws that close loopholes and actually protect our unique species,” Dr Ashman said.

The live stream can be viewed here: https://wwf.org.au/get-involved/greater-glider-live-stream/

WWF-Australia is inviting people accessing the live stream to send a message to their local member of parliament, calling on them to strengthen weak nature laws and provide adequate funding to save threatened species like the greater glider.

Dr Gracanin advises livestream viewers that the greater glider family is in the hollow between dawn and dusk with activity increasing around sunset.