A series of light-hearted videos are putting the spotlight on human behaviours that cause serious issues for western ringtail possums.
GeoCatch’s western ringtail possum mascot, Western, features in the short videos, to demonstrate how simple changes in behaviour can support possum conservation.
While the videos use humour and slapstick audio and visual effects, they contain important messages for the community.
“Some of our simple day-to-day activities can have hugely detrimental impacts on western ringtail possums,” said GeoCatch project officer Nicole Lincoln.
“In most cases, we don’t know what impact our actions are having on native wildlife.
“Through these videos and ongoing possum education, we hope to increase community awareness about how to live alongside critically endangered species like the western ringtail possum,” she said.
The videos target six simple behaviours that easy for the community to adopt. These include: closing the lid on hot BBQs, leaving water out for wildlife, planting WA Peppermint trees, installing possum boxes, driving carefully at night and keeping pets contained at night at a minimum. They support other GeoCatch possum initiatives like the Pets Away, Possums Play and My Pet, My Community campaigns, Ringtail Tally and Peppies for Possums project.
The videos are available on the GeoCatch YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIhDyKOUjj-L6drbb0IbWQP9aSyq-bOH4
