What is Easter Bilby?
[[File:Macrotis lagotis Gould.jpg|thumb|220px|A bilby, Macrotis lagotis.]] The '''[[Easter]] Bilby''' is an [[Australia]]n alternative to the [[Easter Bunny]]. [[Bilby|Bilbies]] are an [[endangered species]] of Australian [[marsupial]]s. Bilby shaped chocolates are sold in many Australian shops to raise money to help protect the bilbies.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://deh.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/publications/tsd05greater-bilby.html |title=Greater Bilby |publisher=Australian Government |accessdate=2007-04-07 |archive-date=2007-01-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070125103406/http://www.deh.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/publications/tsd05greater-bilby.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Author Rose-Marie Dusting wrote a book in 1979 called ''Billy, the Aussie Easter Bilby''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.easterbilby.com.au/Project_material/history.asp |title=Easter Bilby History |first= |last= |work=easterbilby.com.au |year=2011 |accessdate=22 April 2011 |archive-date=20 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110220112913/http://www.easterbilby.com.au/Project_material/history.asp |url-status=dead }}</ref> Some of the money from each book sold goes to helping the bilbies. The Foundation for Rabbit-Free Australia<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rabbitfreeaustralia.org.au/|title=Foundation for Rabbit-Free Australia}}</ref> began to use the Easter Bilby concept in 1991. They wanted to show the damage that [[rabbit]]s do to the Australian environment. The ideas was taken up by an [[Easter egg]] company, Darrell Lea.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.easterbilby.com.au/default.asp|title=Save The Bilby fund|publisher=easterbilby.com.au|access-date=2011-04-13|archive-date=2011-04-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429191229/http://www.easterbilby.com.au/default.asp|url-status=dead}}</ref> They give a portion of their profits to the foundation. Australian children's book author and illustrator [[Irena Sibley]] produced three Easter Bilby books between 1994 and 2000 including the be