SYDNEY, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Exposing mammals bred in captivity to natural predators before releasing them into the wild can improve their chances of survival, Australian research has found.

In a study published on Friday by the University of Western Australia (UWA), researchers looked at how to boost the survival of animals bred in conservation reserves when released into the wild.

Threatened mammals in Australia are commonly bred in conservation havens free of predatory foxes and cats before they are released into wild populations.

Natasha Harrison, lead author of the study from UWA and the WA Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, said that earlier research found that animals bred in the havens lost the traits they need to detect and escape predators.

In the new study, the team investigated if exposing woylies -- small kangaroo-like animals native to Australia -- to a native predator inside the havens would help them keep their anti-predator traits.

"The great news is that it did. We found that woylies that were in havens with chuditch were much more predator-savvy than woylies in havens with no predators," Harrison said.

The team released woylies that were in havens with predators and wild-bred woylies into an area with cats and foxes and monitored their survival over a 10-month period.

Harrison said that the survival rates were the same, indicating that exposure to chuditch maintained the anti-predator traits.

Study co-author Nicki Mitchell from UWA and non-governmental organization the Biodiversity Council said that the study's findings could improve the success of Australia's mammal conservation strategies. ■