Once inhabiting the arid and semi arid regions throughout most of Australia the bilby population took a sharp downturn from the early 1900s due to a number of factors including grazing by livestock and rabbits and predation by cats and foxes. By the 1930s they were extinct in South Australia.

In 1994, the South Australian Bilby Recovery Team was formed to coordinate the recovery of the species in South Australia. Initally a captive bilby colony was established at the South Australian Department for Environment and Heritage's breeding facility at Monarto in 1994. Then, following the success of this program, an island in Spencer Gulf was selected for release of the animals to trial the establishment of a self-sustaining wild population. The island was selected because it was free of cats, foxes and rabbits. With a successful captive breeding program and the positive results being obtained from the island program, the Bilby Recovery Team has been able to provide animals for trial release exercises at other sites including Venus Bay Conservation Park, Flinders Ranges National Park, Lincoln/Coffin Bay National Parks and in Western Australia.

Reintroducing the Bilby to South Australia : Department for Environment and Heritage website