Deborah Arthurs ‘Extinct' bandicoot returns to the wild – and it's bigger and better than before : At sunset on Phillip Island, 100 eastern barred bandicoots, noses quivering, took their first steps into their new habitat. Once extinct in the wild on mainland Australia, the species is the star of its own comeback show – driven by a world-first genetic rescue programme that has rebuilt a population of more than 2,000 animals. (Picture: James D.