Outback golden bandicoots 'rapidly' reproducing in western NSW, after formerly being locally extinctThe first golden bandicoots have been born in NSW's far north-west in 100 years, after formerly being extinct in the region.Key points:- Golden bandicoots have been breeding rapidly in Sturt National Park since being introduced to as part of the Wild Deserts project- There are initiatives in place as part of the project to protect native fauna from feral animals- More native species are set be reintroduced to the area and will be confirmed next yearAs part of the Wild Deserts project, run by the state government and the University of New South Wales, in late May, 27 of the native marsupials were translocated from Western Australia and released in Sturt National Park.Wild Deserts project coordinator Reece Pedler said there had been "incredibly rapid reproduction" since the animals had been released"They have an incredibly short gestation of days or weeks, and most of their development is in the pouch like a joey kangaroo," he said."And because cats hate anything being on their fur they lick it off quite quickly … and now we’ve not been able to find any evidence of the cat," Mr Pedler said."We’re working on getting cat populations in there … so we can start trailing releases of bilbies into an environment where they can be exposed to low levels of feral cats so they can learn what they are," Mr Pedler said."