article: Australia’s very own nocturnal, rabbit-eared Easter mascot is under threat with bilby numbers becoming dangerously low. The native Australian marsupial once occupied more than 70 per cent of the Australian mainland while now it’s disappeared from around 80 per cent of that area with small populations remaining in Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. Kevin Bradley, CEO of Save the Bilby Fund told Daily Mail Australia that it’s very difficult to pin point the exact number of bilbies left in Australia because of their ‘cryptic’ nocturnal habits. Scroll down for video . The native Australian marsupial once occupied more than 70 per cent of the Australian mainland while now it’s disappeared from around 80 per cent of that area . ‘We know they are extinct in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia with very few bilbies left in Queensland and scattered populations in the Northern Territory and Western Australia’ 'Things aren’t looking great and their future in the wild is very tenuous.’ In recent years the bilby has become an important part of the Australian Easter tradition however, its ties with our Indigenous community dates back much further with bilbies making their way into dream time stories. Mr Bradley said the critters were of 'high significance to traditional land owners' with record of bilby populations dating back '15 million years'. Until recently, Australia had two species of Bilbies- the Greater Bilby and the Lesser Bilby. The Lesser Bilby is already believed to be extinct while the Greater Bilby is classed as ‘endangered’ in Queensland and ‘vulnerable’ nationally. In recent years the bilby has become an important part of the Australian Easter tradition however, its ties with our Indigenous community dates back much further with bilbies making their way into dream time stories. Predators like feral cats and foxes are the biggest threat to the bilby populations while other contributing factors include farm animals destroying bilby habitat and introduced species like rabbits competing with them for food and burrows. Mr Bradley said foxes and feral cats are ‘desimating the population.’ The Australian Wildlife Conservancy said feral cats are the driving force behind the dramatic decline of wildlife across the country with the feral felines killing an estimated 75 million native animals every night. 'I think people are starting to recognise that these animals are having such a devastating effect on many native animal populations.' Mr Bradley said the Federal Government has committed to a National Feral Animal Summit this year that will  focus on creating a plan to address the feral cat issue. In the mean time, the Save the Bilby Fund have developed a captive breeding program and believe that continuing breeding efforts in controlled environments could be they key to saving the endangered marsupial. The Greater Bilby is a nocturnal marsupial with a silky grey and white coat and a long black and white tail. Bilbies have large ears, a long snouts and a great sense of smell that helps them locate food. The bilby is omnivorous and eats bulbs, fruit, seeds, fungi, insects, worms, termintes and even small lizards or spiders. They don’t need regular water because, like koalas, they get most of their water from their food. The Royal Visit: Even the Royal family, pictured, wanted to drop by to get some face time with the native marsupial .
highlights: Bilby numbers are dropping with only around 600 left in Queensland .
  The native marsupial once occupied 70 per cent of the Australian mainland .
  Now, they have disappeared from around 80 per cent of that area .
  Introduced predators like feral cats and foxes are their biggest threat .
  Controlled breeding programs are in place to try and save the Easter icon .
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