Sydney-A rare marsupial that once ran wild in Australia has been reintroduced into New South Wales for the first time in more than a century.

Sightings of bilbies - small nocturnal mammals with long, rabbit-like ears - were last recorded in 1912.

Thirty captive-bred animals were released into a large predator-free enclosure near the town of Narrabri, northwest of Sydney. This is seen as a major victory in efforts to save them from extinction. However, without the protection of a 32km (20 miles) fence they probably would not survive, the BBC's Phil Mercer in Sydney reports.

Bilbies - who feed on plant roots, ants, beetles and spiders - disappeared in New South Wales before the start of World War One following the introduction of predators including cats and foxes.