Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Wildlife Bytes 27/7/10

Wildlife MiniBytes

From the Editor;

We are still having some troubles with our IT servers, last week we noted that links in Wildlife Bytes only work if cut and pasted into your browser. We are working on fixing this.

Fraser Island Dingoes

Save the Fraser Island Dingoes organisation is having a Dingo Charity dinner at Hervey Bay on the 4th September, at the Hervey Bay RSL Function room. For Reservations phone 41241979, great guest artists, including Keri McInerney, Stevie T, Riverhead with special guest Mark Nuske, k'gari performers and more! Tickets are $50 each or $90 for a couple.

Wolves

A national US environmental group is asking the federal government to keep Endangered Species Act protections for wolves in the Great Lakes and Rocky Mountains until wolves have returned across much more of the U.S. The Center for Biological Diversity filed a petition Tuesday with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service asking the agency to scrap efforts to end federal protections for wolves in regions where they have strong populations and instead form a national recovery plan for the big predator. The petition cites scientific data that concludes gray wolves can and should be recovered in “multiple, connected populations throughout the U.S.’’ before they can be considered truly recovered under the Endangered Species Act. * Duluth News Tribune
Read more http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/174205/

Deep Sea Exploration

July 2010. Scientists from the Queensland Brain Institute have used high-tech equipment to capture underwater creatures at depths not documented from before. Using deep-sea cameras and instrument platforms new to Australia, prehistoric six-gilled sharks, giant oil fish, swarms of crustaceans and many unidentified fish were caught on camera 1,400m below sea level at Osprey Reef, 350km northeast of Cairns. The team, led by Professor Justin Marshall, captured the sea creatures using special low-light sensitive, custom-designed remote controlled cameras, which sat on the sea floor. *Wildlife Extra
Read more http://www.wildlifeextra.com.au/go/news/australian-deep.html#cr

Kangaroo Shooters Fined

Two men have been fined $3500 without conviction after shooting a kangaroo on a private property earlier this year. Blowhard man Matthew Schultz, 20, and Creswick's Andrew Owen, 21, appeared in the Ballarat Magistrate's Court yesterday charged with hunting and killing protected wildlife. The incident happened on February 24 in a harvested pine plantation next to Creswick Forest Resort. Magistrate Kay Robertson placed both men on good behaviour bonds. Schultz was ordered to pay $2000 to the court fund and Owen $1500. *The Courier

Bears

A Colorado teen said a bear got into his empty car, honked the horn and sent it rolling into a thicket with the animal still inside. Ben Story said he and his family had been sound asleep in their Larkspur home, about 50 kilometres south of Denver, during the joyride early Friday (US time). `I was in bed and my mum and dad came rushing in saying, `Did you lock your car today?','' he said. `My dad's like, `It's gone.' At that point I was freaking out, and he said, `It's a bear. There is a bear trapped in the car'.'' Ben, 17, said the bear got into the car through an unlocked door and knocked the shifter into neutral, which sent it rolling backwards. He believed the door slammed shut when the car jolted to a stop, trapping the bear inside. Neighbours had called 911 but it took deputies two hours to find a way to get the bear out. Nobody was hurt, and the Colorado Department of Wildlife will keep an eye on the bear to make sure it doesn't return to the area. *Sunday Telegraph

Wildlife Trafficking

A Bulgarian tried to smuggle six kangaroos and more than 50 birds from the Netherlands into his homeland, Austrian border officials have revealed. Officials in Nickelsdorf, Burgenland, on the Austrian-Hungarian border said today (Fri) they stopped the lorry during a traffic check campaign yesterday. "The man told us he bought the six kangaroos and 52 rare birds we found inside his lorry for 980 Euros in the Netherlands," a spokesman said, adding that a "terrible stench" hit the officers when they opened its ramp. The driver confessed plans to sell the animals in his homeland. He was put in custody after failing to present documents approving the legality of the purchase. His live cargo was handed over to a nearby animal shelter after the tormenting 1,300-kilometre ride. A local vet described the dehydrated animals’ condition as "serious" as many of them showed bruises. "One peacock endured the journey in a 10-centimetre high cage," he said. *Austrian Independent

Otters

Asia's most endangered otter, a species not seen in the wild in Borneo for a decade, has been caught on camera for the first time. Researchers using camera traps photographed the elusive hairy-nosed otter in the Deramakot forest in Malaysia's Sabah state last year, but it took some time to confirm its identity. The otter had not been seen in Sabah for a century. The last specimen known in Borneo was an animal found killed by a car in 1997 in Brunei, the oil-rich kingdom on Borneo — an island shared by Malaysia and Indonesia. "This is great news for Sabah and shows yet once again how unique and fortunate we are in terms of our wildlife and nature," said the director of Sabah's Wildlife Department, Laurentius Ambu. *Age

Maria Island Kangaroo Kill

The Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service has had decades to come up with alternatives to shooting kangaroos and wallabies on Maria Island. Now it has just finished the cull of 600 forester kangaroos, Bennetts wallabies and pademelons, we are seeking a commitment from the State Government to move away from culling. The Tasmanian Conservation Trust urges the Government to immediately implement two actions which will at least reduce the number of animals which are culled and the frequency of culls. Fence off the large areas of former farming land which provide an unnaturally rich food source for these animals (the surrounds of Darlington and Point Lesueur). Small numbers of wallabies can be left inside the fence at Darlington to keep the grass mowed around the historic buildings, which is a legal responsibility, and the remainder of the fenced area can be rehabilitated back to bush, further reducing the unnatural food source. Humanely remove forester kangaroos through a staged program of desexing. This will make more room for the wallabies and prevent the kangaroos suffering. Due to their strong preference for grass and large body size, forester kangaroos put great pressure on the islands food resources while also suffering the most during periods of drought. Desexing will be costly but only for a few years. No animals need die or suffer through this process. Kangaroos were introduced to Maria Island and if better managed on mainland Tasmania, we should have no fears for their survival. If kangaroos are taken out off the island, maybe it can sustain the population of wallabies. This would need to be carefully monitored but it is interesting that culling does not take place in the southern part of the island where their are wallabies but no kangaroos. * Peter McGlone, Director, Tasmanian Conservation Trust

Monkeys

A man has been stopped at an airport in Mexico for carrying 18 small monkeys in a girdle under his t-shirt. Roberto Cabrera arrived at Mexico City's international airport on a commercial flight from Lima, Peru, but authorities noticed a suspicious bulge in his clothes and conducted a body search, the Public Safety Department said in a statement. They say that Cabrera, 38, was carrying the six-inch baby titi monkeys in pouches attached to the girdle. Two of the monkeys were dead, reports the Metro. Cabrera, who was arrested on charges of trafficking an endangered species, told authorities he had been carrying the monkeys in a suitcase, but decided to put them in his girdle instead 'so the X-rays wouldn't hurt them'. *Orange.uk.com

Stradbroke Island

The Queensland Government said on Monday it was sticking by its plan to phase out the island's 50-year-old mining industry over the next 17 years. Conservationists say it should be closed now, not in 17 years time. Of course this has outraged a few sandmine workers living on the Island, but anyone flying into Brisbane can see this monstrosity from the air, and there is no doubt it should have been closed years ago. *WPAA

Dugong

Authorities in northern Queensland are asking for the public's help to catch those responsible for the deaths of dugongs found caught in a commercial fishing net. The Boating and Fisheries Patrol were told of dead dugongs floating in Bowling Green Bay, south of Townsville. When staff went to the area they found two dugongs trapped in the fishing net. Parks and Wildlife Service spokesman Terry Harper says it looked like someone tried to sink the animals with makeshift anchors. "We are talking with other fisherman who operate in the area to try and identify the responsible person," he said. Mr Harper does not believe there is any connection with the Indigenous hunting in the area and the current incidents. He says in the last four months five more dugongs were found dead in illegal fishing nets off the coast of Cairns. Opposition environment spokesman Greg Elmes says the region's waterways need better policing, and says more rangers are needed in north Queensland to help cut the number of dugong deaths. *ABC

Crocodiles

A group of fearless wild pigs went for a dip in the Adelaide River - a body of water well-known for its bustling saltwater crocodile population. As the six pigs were crossing the river, a saltie was dozing on the bank. But instead of getting ready to go hunting for his prey, the lazy reptile continued his afternoon nap. When he realised that his potential lunch was passing by, the croc rushed in the water like a flash. "Everything happened really quick," witness Murray Pettit, of Humpty Doo, said. The 66-year-old Aussie Adventure Tours guide was on a jumping croc cruise with one of his groups when he witnessed the unexpected show. "The pigs were just about to scramble up the bank into the undergrowth when the croc came into the water," Mr Pettit said. "It was amazing how fast the croc went from his sunny spot at the bank to the pigs in the water. "It was a spectacular race between life and death." The race was won by the pigs. Every single one of them made it safe and sound. NT news

Barking Owls

Dr Schedvin is in the bush tonight studying the habitat and prevalence of the owl - also known as the ''screaming woman owl'' because of a high pitched screech it can make - in an area hit hard by bushfire and drought in recent years. She is studying 205 sites in Victoria's north-east, some in the national park near Chiltern. She has seen owls at 10 per cent of these locations, but had hoped to find more. ''Barking owls are like a flagship species for a whole range of other fauna in the landscape and a range of biodiversity,'' she says. ''So if you can support barking owls the chances are that you're going to be supporting a whole range of other species.'' Read More.... http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/expert-gives-a-hoot-and-shines-a-light-on-a-species-20100725-10qkz.html

European Wasps

In Tasmania a war has been declared on introduced European wasps (sometimes called Waikato wasps, where they first appeared in NZ ) that wreaked havoc on fruit and wine industries this year. The insects ate their way through millions of dollars worth of produce, all but wiping out some crops and vintages. Experts say a concerted effort between Government and the community is needed to stop them reproducing further and inflicting even more damage this year. *WPAA

Wallabies

A central Queensland wildlife carer has released endangered wallabies into an outback national park to try to ensure their survival. Nine bridled nailtail wallabies have been sent to the Idalia National Park near Blackall. Wildlife carer Tina Janssen says the wallabies have been bred on a property at Marlborough, north of Rockhampton, where another 14 new born joeys are also being prepared for release. Ms Janssen says the wallabies appear to be doing well in their new home. "So far it's good news that they did very well in the translocation out to Idalia and settled into their pre-release pen and hopefully they'll do well and they'll breed very soon," she said. "They're of breeding age when we put them out there. "Some of them have radio collars, so we'll be able to track them and see what their activity is and see what's happening with them." Ms Janssen says the wallabies breed fairly easily despite their endangered status. "As long as they're kept properly in captivity, they're given the right nutrition and right enclosures," she said. "We're very careful with the genetics because the numbers are low - they kind of breed themselves and raise their young and do very well." *ABC

Gorillas

A gorilla family in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been leaving its natural home - the forests of Virunga - tempted out by the easy-picking food of the maize growers nearby. It is proving difficult for rangers from Virunga National Park to distract them - and after a while any noise or commotion is ignored as the gorillas tuck into their easily-won corn feast. It is not the first time that gorillas and other animals have been known to leave Virunga to ravage crops. The most recent case was with Mukunda, who had to be anaesthetised and taken back to Virunga. Wildlife Extra ran a report of the daring relocation of the silverback, which was captured on video. Now proposals for an electric fence are being considered, running the fencing along the edge of the park's Gorilla Sector. This would not only keep in the gorilla but also elephants and the buffalo. Recently, locals killed another buffalo that had ventured out of the park. Electric fencing has already been erected in the northern part of the park, where there had been enormous problems with elephants damaging crops. Now rangers hope they can get the funding to do the same in the southern part of Virunga. *Wildlife Extra


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Kangaroos

Australia’s kangaroo meat industry is fighting an attempt to have its products banned from the European Union. Animal rights campaigners, who’ve already succeeded in prohibiting the importation of seal products, have turned their attention to what they call “the largest land-based wildlife slaughter in the world”. They claim the killing of the animals is cruel, and the processing of meat unhygienic; the industry denies both. Every year up to four million kangaroos are shot for their meat and skins. By law, hunting is only done at night when the marsupials are more docile, and an easier target. Sky News was given rare access to one hunter in Cooma, New South Wales. Greg Davison, who says he has shot around 80,000 kangaroos during the past two decades. “I think shooting is a very humane business when it comes to the meat industry. "Our animals are standing out in the paddock in their natural environment, and before they know it they’re - for the lack of a better term - dead, and there’s no stress or suffering.”

The powerful spotlight on his truck picked out groups of kangaroos around 200 metres away. He took careful aim with his high powered rifle, pulled the trigger, and a kangaroo slumped to the ground. It was a female. And it’s what happened next that sickens animal rights groups. Greg drove up to the body of the mother, plucked the baby joey from her pouch, and smashed its head against his truck, killing it instantly. He then threw the body aside. A bullet had hit the adult kangaroo in the head - a clean kill. Shots to the torso would mean the carcass would not be suitable for meat processing. The hunter decapitated it, removed its feet, and gutted it, discarding the entrails. The innards and the joey would be left for scavengers such as foxes and birds to pick over.

Bernard Brennan from Animal Liberation in Canberra says “I don’t know how you can call bashing a baby’s head in with a blunt instrument or against the towbar of a car humane.” They estimate that 440,000 joeys die in this way every year. Others who escape the hunter are unlikely to survive for long. Greg Davison says “Fellas that do shoot female kangaroos have to dispatch that offspring as quickly and as painlessly as possible. A lot of shooters don’t believe that they live. If you let a joey go out of the pouch, most of the time they’re too young to let go. And even if it’s still reliant on its mother it won’t survive on its own.” Male kangaroos are bigger, but Mr Davison says it would be wrong to create an imbalance by not shooting females.

But killing joeys is an emotive issue; Mr Brennan from Animal Liberation told Sky News it was comparable to the clubbing of seal cubs in Canada. “It’s more graphic because it’s on the white ice and you see the blood flow, whereas in Australia it’s basically exactly the same thing we’re doing except that it’s in paddocks in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night, where no-one can see. The world crucifies Canada for what they do to seals and yet we’re doing exactly the same thing, killing babies like that here in Australia.” The group has commissioned a lengthy report which also criticises the standards of hygiene in the industry. The carcasses are stored in chillers close to where the animals have been shot, and once a week a refrigerated truck collects them and transports them for processing.

The temperature is closely monitored, but Greg Davison admits that hunting in their natural habitat makes the job difficult. “There’s always a dust issue in the bush, there’s no two ways about that, but I think we can get it to a point where it’s very clean.” But the industry suffered a major blow last year when Russia banned imports of kangaroo meat because of concerns about hygiene. Mr Davison says it was a wake up call to improve standards. The threat to the industry from future bans has led to an online petition being established. Supporters say it is the ultimate in healthy, free range meat, and is less stressful to the animal than being herded into an abattoir for slaughter.

Curiously, even though the Australian government has been at the forefront of efforts to stop whale hunting by Japan, most Australians seem disinterested in efforts to protect their national symbol. Farmers see the kangaroos as pests who feed on grazing land for cattle and sheep, and it’s estimated there are up to 25 million kangaroos, allowing up to 15% to be killed every year without a threat to their long term survival. Bernard Brennan says of all the animal rights issues he campaigns on, the one which arouses most public opposition, is the attempt to stop kangaroo hunting. *Sky News

Ed Comment; The campaign to ban kangaroo products in the European Union is progressing well, with several groups and many individuals involved. It's no wonder the kangaroo killing Industry is worried, they know what they are doing is wrong, they know how badly the Russian ban has decimated their "Industry", and they appear to be just waiting for the other shoe to drop! If it wasnt for Coles and Woolworths selling the meat in their Supermarkets, the Industry would collapse tomorrow.


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Dingoes

The fate of Australia's ancient dingo was sealed almost 30 years ago after five simple words - "a dingo took my baby" - forged an image of fierce, wild killers. The raging war by farmers and pastoralists to protect their livestock against wild dogs and generations of crossbreeding with domestic dogs has decreased the dingo gene pool by as much as 30 per cent, now classifying them as vulnerable on the threatened species list. The death of baby Azaria Chamberlain in 1980 was the most publicised dingo attack. Now, a group of passionate dog lovers are working to dispel the common misconceptions surrounding dingoes. "Many myths and fallacies surround the dingo, diminutive and naturally timid creatures that will favour 'flight' over 'fight' any day," WA Dingo Association president Darren Griffiths said. "They are gentle, loving and affectionate. Dingoes are not the 'baby-eating monsters' as they are often wrongly portrayed."

Labelling themselves as dingo conservationists, Mr Griffiths and group vice-president Leigh Mullan own two pure-bred dingoes - Loxie and 12-month-old Wylie which was rescued at just four weeks old after its parents were shot. Stepping up their fight to save dingoes, the pair recently bred their first litter in captivity. Mr Griffiths and Mr Mullan say the use of steel-jawed traps - which cause prolonged pain to dingoes until they died - was cruel and inhumane and should be banned and replaced with rubber padded soft-hold traps. "We understand the issues of stock predation but there are issues of needing to protect dingoes as well," Mr Mullan said. *WA News


The Opposition says a survey of dingoes on Fraser Island off Queensland's south-east coast does not indicate the dogs are healthy. It was thought there were between 100 and 200 dingoes on the island. The Government last week tabled the interim report for stage one of a study during a budget estimates hearing at Parliament House. It shows the dingo population on the island is larger than thought, with rangers tagging 231 dingoes and about a third of the population yet to be caught and tracked. Opposition sustainability spokesman Glen Elmes says there needs to be greater public involvement in the Government's Fraser Island dingo population study. Mr Elmes says it is a flimsy document that raises more questions than it answers. "A healthy population would be far more than 200," he said. "What you need to be able to do is have a gene pool that's deep enough that will stop a situation where you've got siblings mating with each other and a real risk of breaking down the genetics within the breed on Fraser Island." Mr Elmes says he doubts the interim report provides an accurate picture. "Until you start to include locals who live on Fraser Island, the people who represent the various groups on Fraser Island, as well as Indigenous people, you're not going to get a true and accurate look at the way in which the populations of dingoes on Fraser Island are split up," he said. *ABC

Ed Comment; Glen's quite right of course, and the so-called study the Government is doing is being done by the same people who are responsible for the Fraser Island dingo "management plan". Of course they would claim the dingoes are okay!


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Harbor Dredging

A $500 million plan to dredge Gladstone Harbour to cope with the massive LNG ships has been given the green light by the State Government. The decision is likely to ignite a David and Goliath battle, pitching the tiny community of South End, on Curtis Island, against some of Australia's biggest companies and the State Government. Residents claim their small piece of Queensland paradise will eventually be destroyed by the massive gas industry to be built there and the dredging that is needed to get ships in and out of port. With barely 100 beach houses and shacks, South End barely rates a mention, even in the nearby city of Gladstone, but its residents, led by Cheryl Watson, say they don't trust the State Government or some of the country's biggest companies to maintain the island. Curtis Island will be home to the multibillion-dollar liquified natural gas complex that will process coal seam gas from the Surat Basin for export.

But to do so, a section of the island will be hived off for development, with up to 55 million cubic metres dredged from the harbour floor to reclaim 400ha. It will impact 6000ha of seabed and 1600ha of seagrass that is home to dugongs, turtles and dolphins. Save Curtis Island spokesman Geoff Bonney said LNG was just the beginning. "The previous plans for Curtis Island had all sorts of industry there. This will be just the first industry,'' he said. The Government has designated an environmental buffer zone between the residents and the LNG plants and Gladstone Ports Corporation has promised to have offsets for the dredging impacts. But Mrs Watson and her neighbours don't believe a word of it. ``It's not South End we are fighting for. It's the island and the harbour,'' she said. ``We reckon we will still be able to enjoy (our home) for the rest of our lives but what about or grandkids. We're fighting for them, too. ``There's no way the Government would allow something like this on Stradbroke.'' The issue is a slow burning topic in the industrial city of Gladstone, where the issue of jobs is paramount and the LNG industry could provide as much as 18,000 during construction. *Courier Mail


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Coal Seam Gas Fiasco

The State Government has admitted the science behind the potential $50 billion coal seam gas industry isn't good enough, throwing down the gauntlet to the industry to fix it or go. As farmers and environmentalists protested against the Government's gas plans for Roma and the Surat Basin yesterday, Natural Resources Minister Stephen Robertson said the companies had to "answer some fundamental questions'' to assure the community that their procedures had good scientific backing. "The science is not complete and that is why the Co-ordinator General was so thorough and put those 1200 conditions on the projects,'' Mr Robertson said. A prime concern is the impact the industry will have on groundwater, particularly the Great Artesian Basin, which supplies water to farmers and residents of inland Queensland. The coal seam gas process includes pumping gas from underground coal seams but that also means water and salt come to the surface.

Mr Robertson said that if the companies did not meet the conditions then licences to operate would be withheld. "Unless these companies demonstrate environmental sustainability and they can operate in an environmentally safe way then they won't get a licence to operate and they will not gain the acceptance of the community in which they wish to work,'' he said. "As the landholders have pointed out if you get it wrong it could have long-term consequences.'' Premier Anna Bligh faced an angry 100-strong crowd at Roma yesterday, with the Basin Sustainability Alliance calling for an independent review into all coal seam gas projects. Ms Bligh said the Government was committed to ensuring new coal gas industries met with a "great deal of rigour''. "This is a great opportunity for new wealth and prosperity, but we need to get it right,'' she said. Gas and petroleum industry spokesman Matthew Paul said there was "enough science there that we don't expect a lot of impact on the aquifers''. "(But) you can't make a 100 per cent guarantee that something won't happen,'' he said. Meanwhile, tests from bores near Cougar Energy's UCG plant in Kingaroy have come back within drinking water guidelines. *Courier Mail

Ed. Comment, The Queensland Government is bluffing of course, they wouldnt dare tell the gas Industry to go away. But this issue is symptomatic in Queensland. Any development gets the go-ahead long before any adverse effects are known. This development should never have been allowed to proceed, when public concerns had already been raised over the probable water contamination. Farmers in the area have had their bores contaminated from the gas drilling and burning, and cattle and crops are affected. Latest tests show the contamination is "within guidelines". Even so, we hope you havent been eating meat or vegetables from the Roma and Surat Basin area Queensland. *


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Hunting

The deer hunters in military-style camouflage walk down a track in Sydney's water catchment area, rifles in hand. But little do they know their illegal trespassing near Warragamba Dam has been caught on film - by secret surveillance cameras hidden in the trees. And it's this evidence that will lead to them being fined $300 each for trespassing, two of 40 people and businesses caught and fined in the first 12 months of the motion-sensor cameras' operation. The cameras have uncovered the secret life of some of our most pristine wilderness and the lawbreakers who threaten it, from illegal hunters and fishers to absestos dumpers potentially contaminating the city's water supply. In the first 12 months of the cameras' operation, 40 people and businesses have been caught and fined. More serious offences are referred to the police.

It is understood that pig and deer hunters often break into the prohibited area. There were also six people caught fishing and eight caught trail bike riding. On a more sinister scale, a pile of dumped asbestos was found in the area and a nearby landowner was caught discharging sediment-laden water into a local waterway. And a tourist company was slapped with a $1500 fine for installing illegal toilet facilities that disposed of sewage into an open pit near a waterway. The cameras also caught more innocent trespassers, including five swimmers, nine bushwalkers and even three people on rollerblades. However Water Minister Phil Costa said even the most seemingly harmless activities could contaminate Sydney's drinking water and hobbies such as hunting could put lives at risk.

"These people might think their actions are harmless but they could be putting drinking supplies of more than 4.5 million people at risk," Mr Costa said. "Illegal entry and activities such as trail bike riding, horse riding and four wheel driving damages vegetation, causes erosion and can have a negative impact on water quality and biodiversity." Mr Costa said bushwalking, mountain bike riding, camping, hunting, fishing and swimming were also illegal in prohibited access areas as they could affect water quality. "Illegal dumping, clearing vegetation illegally, drug cultivation and polluting waterways can also have a negative impact on drinking water quality," he said. "Most recently, two men were fined after they were caught trespassing in the restricted drinking water catchment lands with a firearm. "These hunters are putting the lives of the SCA staff - who regularly patrol the area - at risk." *Daily Telegraph


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New political party, Animal Justice Party

The time has come for animals to have a voice in the political arena. Animal Rights/Welfare is the next social justice movement and everyone can be a part of it. Please go to this website below to see how you can make a difference. Help end the suffering and become a voice for those without one. http://www.animaljusticeparty.org/About_the_AJP.html There you will find forms for both NSW and Federal memebrship. At this point no memebership fee is payable, and its important to get 750 members for the ANIMAL JUSTICE PARTY to be registered as a political party. Other States will follow. It is important you fill in your name exactly as it appears on the Electoral Roll, otherwise your application will be invalid. You can download membership forms from the website. Please post to this address only... Animal Justice Party, P.O. Box 3126, Blakehurst 2221, Sydney NSW http://www.animaljusticeparty.org/About_the_AJP.html The animals need you......


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Thinking about Wildlife?

Who’s going to watch over our wildlife when you no longer share their World? Well, we are! The Wildlife Protection Association of Australia Inc. will continue to forcefully lobby governments to do better with wildlife management, and by taking them to Court if necessary. We are currently working on developing eLearning projects, so students can become aware of the importance of our wildlife living in a safe and secure natural environment. After you have looked after your family and friends in your Will, think about wildlife.

A bequest to the Wildlife Protection Association of Australia Inc. will ensure that we can continue to take a leading role in protecting and conserving our precious wildlife. None of the donations we receive are diverted to "administration". Every dollar we get through bequests or donations for wildlife hits the ground running!

Talk to your solicitor, or if writing your own Will, add the words "I bequeath to The Wildlife Protection Association of Australia Inc. for the purpose of protecting wildlife in Australia (a specified sum), or (specified items including land or vehicle), or (the residue of my estate) or (percentage of my estate) free of all duties, and the receipt of the President, Secretary or other authorised WPAA officer for the time being shall be a complete and sufficient discharge for the executor(s)." You can also phone me for a confidential chat, as to how a bequest can help us work to protect our wildlife, when you are no longer able to. * Pat O’Brien, WPAA 07 54941890