# Australian Wildlife Sanctuary Film Highlights Decade of Rewilding Success

> A new documentary details over ten years of wildlife reintroduction efforts at Australia's Mt Gibson Wildlife Sanctuary, featuring species brought back from mainland extinction.

By PrimaryBrief newsroom · Published 2026-10-18T02:15:24.383388Z
Canonical: https://primarybrief.com/article/australian-wildlife-sanctuary-film-highlights-decade-of-rewilding-success-b0f97526

A 21-minute documentary, "Back to the Bush: Hope and restoration at Mt Gibson Wildlife Sanctuary," premiered in June 2026 at the Wildlife Conservation Film Festival (WCFF), showcasing the Australian Wildlife Conservancy's (AWC) decade-long work to restore wildlife at its Mt Gibson site [1]. The film highlights the reintroduction of species previously extinct on mainland Australia, demonstrating significant conservation achievements [1]. This effort matters to readers because it details successful strategies to combat species extinction, offering a model for biodiversity restoration globally.

## What the records show

The documentary, produced by South Australian filmmaker Brad Leue, focuses on the extensive wildlife restoration efforts at Mt Gibson Wildlife Sanctuary [1]. The film premiered at the Wildlife Conservation Film Festival (WCFF), an organization founded in 2010 by Christopher J. Gervais, dedicated to informing and inspiring audiences about global biodiversity protection [1][5]. The WCFF’s 2026 schedule included events in June at the Cape May Point Arts and Science Center in the United States and in September in Monterrey, Mexico [4][5][7]. Mt Gibson Wildlife Sanctuary is recognized for its rewilding initiatives, which have included bringing back species that were once locally extinct in Australia [1]. Filmmaker Brad Leue stated that the program's success is vital for Australian conservation and serves as a source site for further reintroductions [1].

## The timeline of reintroductions

One significant reintroduction involved Banded Hare-wallabies, a species that vanished from mainland Australia over 100 years ago due to predators like foxes and feral cats [2][13]. These animals made a return to the sanctuary in late 2017, with 60 individuals translocated from Bernier and Dorre Islands to a 7,800-hectare predator-free enclosure near Mt Gibson [2][13]. 

Shark Bay Bandicoots were largely extinct on mainland Australia by the 1940s or early 20th century, surviving only on Bernier and Dorre Islands [15]. A reintroduction program, which included a significant translocation in April 2026, saw 40 Shark Bay Bandicoots moved from Mt Gibson Wildlife Sanctuary to Mallee Cliffs National Park in New South Wales [3]. This species was driven to local extinction by introduced predators such as cats and foxes [3][15][16].

Brushtail Possums had been locally absent or extinct from Western Australia's Wheatbelt region since around the early 20th century [8][12]. Their reintroduction occurred in May 2021, when the Australian Wildlife Conservancy released 49 individuals into the 131,812-hectare Mt Gibson Wildlife Sanctuary [8][12]. Twenty-six of these possums were released inside a 7,800-hectare feral predator-free area, while 23 were released outside the fence in an area where feral cats and foxes were actively controlled [12]. The Brushtail Possum was the ninth species restored to the sanctuary since 2015 [8].

## What changed and for whom

The reintroductions at Mt Gibson Wildlife Sanctuary have brought species back to areas where they had been absent for decades or over a century [2][3][8]. For example, one Brushtail Possum, reintroduced in May 2021, was later detected traveling 40 kilometers into the neighboring Charles Darwin Reserve [8]. The translocation of Shark Bay Bandicoots in April 2026 marked a major step in returning locally extinct mammals to New South Wales, with these bandicoots forming a supplementation of a population at Mallee Cliffs National Park [3]. These efforts contribute to restoring ecological balance in Australian landscapes [3].

## What the Australian Wildlife Conservancy has said publicly

Dr. Greg Holland, AWC Regional Ecologist for southeast Australia, commented on a ten-year partnership between the Australian Wildlife Conservancy and NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, describing it as "groundbreaking" when first announced in 2016 [3]. He stated that the goal of reintroducing 11 locally extinct species across two sites was initially considered "ambitious" [3]. A decade later, he said, "we've proven what long-term collaboration between the private and public sector can deliver for conservation in Australia," and added, "We're incredibly proud of the outcomes over the last 10 years" [3].

## What we could not confirm

We could not confirm the total number of species successfully reintroduced to Mt Gibson Wildlife Sanctuary to date, beyond the nine species mentioned for the Brushtail Possum reintroduction [8]. We also could not confirm the specific distribution or population growth of all reintroduced species within the sanctuary following their release.

## Evidence cited
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7. Wildlife Conservation Film Festival — Cape May Point Arts and Science Center (capemaypointartsandsciencecenter.org) — https://capemaypointartsandsciencecenter.org/events/2026/6/11/wildlife-conservation-film-festival
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