Pip, Milo, and Brimi: The Endangered Gliders Capturing Hearts and Changing Minds
In a secret hollow high up in the forests of Tallaganda, New South Wales, a quiet revolution in wildlife science is taking place—live streamed in high definition. The stars? Not celebrity chefs or outback survivalists, but a family of greater gliders: Pip, Milo, and their joey Brimi.
Since October last year, these furry aerial acrobats have become the unexpected darlings of a global audience tuning in to the world’s first livestream from inside a greater glider hollow.
This livestream isn’t just another cute animal cam—though it does deliver endless “aww” moments. It’s a scientific breakthrough, a conservation rallying cry, and possibly the coziest reality TV on the internet.
With over 10,000 hours of collective viewing logged by nature lovers across Australia, the UK, US, Germany, Canada, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Denmark, Ireland, and Italy, it’s clear that Pip and her nocturnal clan have hit the big time.
And it all began when Dr Ana Gracanin from the Australian National University installed a camera inside an old-growth tree hollow on private land. What she and her team captured was something no scientist—or Netflix exec—had seen before.
Home Tree: Greater Glider Livestream in Tallaganda, Australia
A Tail of Discovery
Until now, greater gliders were believed to lack a prehensile tail, the kind that can grasp and carry objects. But thanks to the livestream, that myth has been upended by a simple yet astonishing act of parenting.
“Milo, the dad, was caught on camera using his tail to carry eucalyptus stems into the hollow,” said Dr Gracanin. “We’d never seen that before. Then Brimi took their first bites, one tiny nibble at a time, leaving little chew marks behind like a proud toddler learning to eat solids.”
What’s more, the footage offered rare proof of paternal care—another first for this species. Turns out, Milo’s not just a pretty tail.
Home Is Where the Hollow Is
Inside the tree hollow, viewers have watched Pip, Milo, and Brimi cuddle, groom, and even play—behaviour that challenges the long-standing belief that greater gliders are solitary creatures. The livestream has revealed a rich social life unfolding nightly, a hidden world of whispers, rustling leaves, and the slow unfurling of eucalyptus-fed dreams.
It’s not just charming—it’s critical.
“Greater gliders rely entirely on large hollows to shelter and raise their young,” said WWF-Australia conservation scientist Dr Kita Ashman. “Destroy hollow-bearing trees and you destroy greater gliders. It’s that simple.”
And destroy we have. In Tallaganda State Forest and other parts of NSW, native forest logging continues—despite public promises of creating a Great Koala National Park, despite the plummeting numbers of greater gliders (down by up to 80%), and despite the government’s own hardwood logging operation losing nearly $90 million in just four and a half years.
“Yes, we’re losing money. But worse—we’re losing species,” Dr Ashman added.
Dr Kita Ashman, Threatened Species & Climate Adaptation Ecologist, WWF-Australia standing amongst logging destruction. Photo supplied WWF.
WWF-Australia, Wilderness Australia, and South East Forest Rescue surveyed Tallaganda State Forest in NSW, identifying several trees likely used as dens by endangered greater gliders. The surveys followed a stop-work order issued by the Environment Protection Authority after logging activity was discovered near the body of a deceased greater glider, found just metres from the site.
Brimi, Born of the Night
Brimi, whose name means “night” in the language of the Biripi people, emerged from Pip’s pouch on October 2 and has since grown from a fragile pink jellybean to a glorious, fluff-tailed gliding youngster who shares their father’s colour pattern: black fur with a snowy belly. Viewers cheered as Brimi took their first steps—or rather, climbs—onto Pip’s back, then learned to snack, play, and nuzzle under the watchful eyes of their doting parents.
“It’s magical,” one viewer wrote in the livestream chat. “This is my favourite reality TV show.”
But unlike the Bachelor, what’s at stake here is real.
ACT Independent Senator David Pocock and WWF-Australia CEO Dermot O’Gorman fly over logging sites in Tallaganda State Forest, NSW. The forest is one of the last remaining strongholds for the endangered greater glider.
A Call to Action
The project is supported by WWF-Australia, the National Parks Association of NSW, Wilderness Australia, and the Social Justice Advocates of the Sapphire Coast. But it’s also powered by everyday people—citizens who watch, learn, and share the story of Pip, Milo, and Brimi with the wider world.
“If people enjoy watching these animals, they can help protect them,” Dr Gracanin said. “Support conservation groups. Speak up for native forests. Every bit of awareness helps.”
With every rustle, every grooming session, every eucalyptus leaf delivered with a twitch of Milo’s underestimated tail, this livestream peels back the bark on a deeper truth: we’re not just observers—we’re participants. And we’ve been given front-row seats to a drama that’s playing out in real-time, with extinction on one side and protection on the other.
So tune in, fall in love, and then get loud. Pip, Milo, and Brimi are watching—and so is the world.
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