Greater Glider Research - Tree Climbing to Research Arboreal Mammals

"Today I got a call about a greater glider, in a small patch of habitat that was due to be cleared that day. It had run out of a tree that had just been cut down, and zoomed up a nearby tree into a shallow hollow. I dropped everything, headed over, zipped up the tree, and caught her. We then relocated her 300m away to the Illawarra escarpment, in a lovely patch of eucalyptus that had plenty of hollows - last picture is her inside a new den. So happy that she was spotted by Laura Loprestii from Lodge Environmental in the nick of time! We suspect that ongoing habitat fragmentation in the Illawarra meant that this glider found herself stuck, alone, in a small remnant patch of habitat for a number of years. We're so happy that she has been given a second chance to live out her life amongst the trees."Ana Gracanin.

At Mont Industrial, our day-to-day is helping Rope Access Technicians, Arborists, Emergency Services Organisations and Tradespeople. Every now and then we get a request that's a bit out of the ordinary and really delivers a feel-good story. Ana Gracanin is a PhD candidate at the University of Wollongong. When she contacted us about her research work on the Greater Glider, we were only too happy to help.

The Greater Glider is collective of three species of arboreal marsupials, meaning that they spend most of their time in the tree canopy. Given their disposition for high rise living, studying the habits of Great Gliders, and capturing them requires accessing the hollows of the tall forest trees that they reside in. While pole and net capture is largely ineffective, Ana and fellow researchers found that tree climbing and hand capture after identifying a Greater Glider's hollow had a 76% success rate. This study, and further research will help to ensure minimised risk to animal welfare and better understanding of arboreal mammals.

You can see more research progress and photos of Greater Gliders at Ana's Instagram @ana_gracanin, and read some of her publications here.

Mont Industrial has access gear for every project. Whether you work on buildings, underground, in trees, or in the bush. With qualified, expert staff, we can help you solve your access problem and provide the gear necessary to get the job done safely. Do you have an access story? Send us an email, or tag us on instagram @montindustrial. Trusted At Height.