Nine Leadbeater's possums moved into a planted refuge at Haining Farm

Nine Leadbeater's possums are living in a purpose-built forest at Haining Farm, where the Yarra and Don rivers meet. The Guardian reported on November 9, 2026, that the last lowland animals at Yellingbo had fallen to 13, and that Zoos Victoria took the remaining wild possums into Healesville Sanctuary while the refuge was finished. For a few weeks, Dan Harley said, they were effectively extinct in the wild. In late October, nine were released: six lowland, two highland, and one hybrid. More are due to move in during 2027.

Parks Victoria and partners spent eight years planting 900,000 trees, shrubs, and grasses on cleared farmland, and they built a 3.6 kilometre fence meant to let walkers and picnickers in while keeping foxes and feral cats out. The possums went out in pairs and trios. The forest is still young, without old hollows, so the zoo added nest boxes, feeding platforms, and branch runways. Harley said each group is a household and the aim is a neighbourhood. He also said the refuge by itself is not enough: he estimates the lowland animals need at least 220 hectares of suitable habitat. The news is this release of nine. It is not a recovery of the whole species.