India, May 14 -- Bilbies bred in a sanctuary in Dubbo have provided researchers with vital clues about how they would fare in temperate Australia where they once thrived.

A study of greater bilbies at Taronga Western Plains Zoo has provided some new ideas about how bilbies would cope if reintroduced to temperate areas of Australia where they once roamed.

Today the bilby is a threatened native marsupial that is restricted to areas where introduced predators are excluded or intensively managed. The beloved animal, often referred to as Australia's answer to the Easter Bunny, has not lived within the temperate zone of their former range - southeastern and southwestern Australia - for more than 100 years.

Since European settlement, bilbies ...