Australia is a country of extraordinary animals. Bilbies, numbats, quolls, potoroos, and Gouldian finches all live nowhere else on Earth. Alongside them run the more familiar kangaroos, wombats, echidnas, and koalas that most Australians grew up watching in the backyard or on a school excursion.

That uniqueness is what makes the loss painful when it happens. And in Australia, loss has been happening faster than anywhere on the planet.

The Scale of the Problem

Since European settlement in 1788, Australia has lost more of its native mammals than any other country in the world. Australian Geographic reported on the Action Plan for Australian Mammals, which found that more than 10% of Australia's endemic land mammal species have gone extinct in just over two centuries, with a further 20% listed as threatened. On average, Australia has lost one or two mammal species every decade since the 1840s.

The causes are largely environmental. Habitat loss through land clearing accounts for a share of the decline. Feral cats and red foxes, both introduced by early settlers, account for another. Bushfire regimes altered by drought and climate change round out a picture where many small ground-dwelling native mammals have simply had nowhere safe to live.

The trend is not fixed. Where practical conservation work is done at scale, native species can recover. The bilby, numbat, woylie, and bridled nailtail wallaby are still with us because organisations have chosen to protect them at the level the threat requires.

The Australian Wildlife Conservancy

The Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) is the largest private, non-profit owner of land for conservation in Australia. Founded in 1991 by Martin Copley, AWC has grown into a network of sanctuaries and partnership sites across the continent, delivering conservation across more than 12.9 million hectares of native habitat.

The scale is remarkable. The AWC estate protects 74% of Australia's terrestrial mammal species, 88% of terrestrial bird species, 54% of reptile species, and 56% of amphibian species. Sanctuaries stretch from the Kimberley and the Top End through Cape York and Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre down to the southwestern forests, taking in some of the most iconic and untouched landscapes on the continent.

AWC's approach is practical rather than symbolic. Feral predator-free fenced sanctuaries, some tens of thousands of hectares in size, keep cats and foxes out so reintroduced native mammals actually survive to breed. Fire management programs replicate the traditional patchwork burning that shaped these landscapes over tens of thousands of years. Weed control and habitat restoration continue year-round. Ecological monitoring by Australia's largest non-government field ecology team informs every intervention.

The result is measurable: some of the largest remaining populations of bilbies, numbats, woylies, bridled nailtail wallabies, Gouldian finches, and purple-crowned fairy-wrens all live inside AWC sanctuaries.

Why the Outback Tails Partnership Exists

Every toy in our Outback Animal Dog Toy range tells the story of a native Australian species — and when you choose Outback Tails, you’re helping us protect the wildlife and wild places that inspired them.

Through our partnerships, we proudly support organisations working to protect Australia’s unique wildlife, including Australian Wildlife Conservancy, Aussie Desert Dogs and the University of Tasmania’s ‘Save the Devil’ appeal.

AWC protects the wildlife that Outback Tails toys are designed around. Buying a Kevin the Koala or a Gertie the Galah toy becomes a small but real contribution to keeping those species safe in the wild. 

Two things happen with every Outback Tails purchase. A dog gets a durable, well-designed piece of gear, and Australian wildlife gets a genuine contribution to its protection.

How to Support Conservation Beyond a Purchase

The most direct way to support wildlife conservation is a donation to the AWC. Every dollar goes to land management, feral animal control, sanctuary construction, and species reintroduction that keeps native animals alive. AWC is a registered charity; donations are tax-deductible.

A few practical steps beyond donation make a genuine difference.

Keep cats indoors, especially at night. Roaming domestic cats kill hundreds of millions of native animals every year in Australia, and the fix is entirely within an owner's control. An enclosed catio, a leash-trained cat, or a cat kept inside overnight all reduce pressure on local wildlife.

Plant native. Backyards, verges, and community gardens planted with native species become food and shelter for local birds, reptiles, and small mammals. Even a single grevillea or bottlebrush becomes a nectar station for honeyeaters. Local council native plant giveaways make it cheap or free to start.

Back Indigenous land management. Traditional cool burning reduces catastrophic fire risk and supports native species in ways European land management historically has not. Community and government programs that fund and learn from Indigenous rangers are worth backing.

Remove weeds where they threaten native habitat. Local Landcare groups run weekend working bees across the country and welcome new volunteers. A morning of weed removal has more direct impact on habitat than most donations ever will.

Choose brands that give back. Outback Tails is one of a growing group of Australian brands where a share of every purchase funds real conservation work. Reading a brand's give-back story before buying is a small habit that shifts consumer spend towards the outcomes buyers actually want.

What Every Small Step Adds Up To

Conservation at the scale AWC operates is not funded by a handful of large donors. It runs on the combined weight of tens of thousands of small contributions from everyday Australians who care about the country's wildlife enough to keep giving, keep planting, keep learning, and keep buying from businesses that share the same values.

For more on the Outback Tails approach to sustainable, thoughtfully designed dog gear, the companion pieces on what conditioner is safe for dogs and what is dog grooming cover natural product choices that align with the values behind the AWC partnership.

Australians can help protect the wild places and animals that make the country special. This month, learn about the AWC's work at australianwildlife.org and consider a donation. Explore the Outback Tails Outback Animal Dog Toy range, where 10% of each sale supports the artist and a further contribution supports AWC. Free shipping Australia-wide on orders over $60. Better toys for the dog, a fair return to the artist, and a real contribution to keeping Australia's wildlife wild.