The second Sunday of September is National Bilby Day in Australia.
Background
National Bilby Day was officially launched in 2005 and the celebrations are held on the second Sunday of September.
Bilbies, or rabbit-bandicoots, are desert-dwelling marsupial omnivores; they are members of the order Peramelemorphia. At the time of European colonisation of Australia, there were two species. The lesser bilby became extinct in the 1950s; the greater bilby survives but remains endangered. It is currently listed as a vulnerable species.
The term bilby is a loanword from the Yuwaalaraay Aboriginal language of northern New South Wales, meaning long-nosed rat. It is known as dalgite in Western Australia, and the nickname pinkie is sometimes used in South Australia. The Wiradjuri of New South Wales also call it “bilby.”
Save the Bilby Fund
Save the Bilby Fund is committed to the recovery of wild populations of bilby and saving the species from extinction. The Fund undertakes direct action in bilby conservation and engages community support through education and raising awareness.
Find out more: savethebilbyfund.org