Western Australia's drying climate is bad news for our western swamp tortoises, and scientists have moved fast in another bid to save them from extinction.
The tortoises are Australia's most endangered reptile - and scientists are now worried that their Perth wetlands are in danger of drying out.
Working with Perth Zoo, the scientists have moved 25 of the swamp tortoises, which were bred in captivity, to a new home at Meerup, close to Northcliffe and Augusta in the southwest of the state.
"Researchers have identified suitable sites for the assisted colonisation trial and in doing so have taken into consideration current and future climate scenarios and the impact on tortoises and egg development," Dr Gerald Kuchling from the Department of Parks and Wildlife said.
The few swamp tortoises left in the wild live in two wet clay swamps in the Swan Valley, but Dr Kuchling and his team are worried these could dry out by 2050, which would mean the end of those colonies.
There are hopes that the new colony at Meerup will survive because forecasts say that the South West will stay wetter than Perth in the years to come.
The Meerup tortoises have been fitted with radio tracking devices to enable scientists to follow their development.
They'll be compared to another 11 tortoises which were released at an existing site on the Moore River Nature Reserve.
"The released western swamp tortoises will be monitored in collaboration with University of Western Australia students during the 12-month trial," Dr Kuchling said.
The western swamp tortoise was considered extinct until a small colony was discovered in the Swan Valley in the 1950s. They have been on the "endangered list" ever since.
