Swan hit by Jetski
A jet ski rider has been charged after allegedly being caught on video deliberately running down a black swan in a Gold Coast canal. The 19-year-old from Mudgeeraba has been charged with animal cruelty after allegedly running over the bird with his jet ski on a Mermaid Waters canal around 1pm (AEST) on Boxing Day. Senior vet at Currumbin Wildlife animal hospital Michael Pyne said today the swan suffered horrific injuries and a broken wing, but there was a reasonable chance it would survive. "As I understand it, the jet ski had three attempts at hitting the swan and people on the shore saw it happening and had time to get their video camera out and start filming it," he said. "I'm not 100 per cent sure it will live, but its appetite's improving day by day but she's been pretty knocked around so I still wouldn't want to say it's definitely going to live yet, but I'm feeling confident, certainly."
Mr Pyne said the swan was heavily bruised and was being given heavy pain relief medication, and if the wing hadn't taken the brunt of the impact it probably wouldn't have survived. "It's taken off all the feathers, skin, muscle and ligaments - down to the bones of the joint," he said. "The problem is that the ligaments on the outside of the joint have been stripped off which makes the joint very unstable and if it's still unstable in a couple of weeks time we're going to have to look at fusing the bones of the joint together. "It should be able to fly, but not well, however swans can get away with that because they really only float around and only fly to get from one waterway to another and generally the waterway they come from is their territory and we'll look at releasing her back there." The teenager is due to appear in Southport Magistrates Court on on January 21. *SA News
Flying Foxes
Farmers and environmentalists have joined forces to criticise the state government's inaction over the shooting of grey-headed flying foxes. The species is listed as vulnerable by the Commonwealth but hundreds are killed each year by orchardists to prevent the destruction of crops. Some are clipped by shotgun pellets and take a long time to die; others leave behind young that will die of starvation. An independent review of the culling last year found the practice, which is licensed by the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water, to be ethically and legally unacceptable. In June the department received advice it would cost $3.5 million to provide a 50 per cent subsidy for netting to keep flying foxes out of Sydney and central coast orchards. Those affected have become frustrated that the government will not ban culling or come forward with funding for netting. ''They've been consulting now for 2½ years and the bullshit is thicker on the ground now than it was at the start,'' said the treasurer of the NSW Farmers Association, Peter Comensoli. He said farmers wanted to leave culling behind and were ready to fund half the cost of netting and deal with ongoing maintenance.
The NSW Nature Conservation Council and the Humane Society International backed the farmers' bid for help and called on the government to immediately stop issuing licences for the shooting of flying foxes. 'It just strikes me as a rare occasion when all the antagonists are on the same field - I can't understand why the government doesn't take the free brownie points,'' Mr Comensoli said. The Greens MP Cate Faehrmann said the money the government needed to spend was minor given the gravity of the situation, and that the Treasurer, Eric Roozendaal, was playing hardball. ''The government really needs to come forward and just solve this,'' she said. A department spokeswoman said options for full exclusion netting were being discussed with Treasury and the federal government but she could not confirm when a decision would be made. The department has previously estimated it would cost up to $1 million over five years to manage full compliance of shooting licences. *Age
Editorial
International authorities have agreed on stricter shipping conditions in the Great Barrier Reef of Australia, in an effort to prevent further accidents like this year's grounding of a Chinese coal carrier. The accident off the Capricorn Coast smashed coral and caused more than two thousand tonnes of oil to leak into the sea. And there have been other such incidents before that. Now ships travelling through this area will be tracked by radio and satellite and will be required to regularly report on their location and route. Australia's Minister for Transport, Anthony Albanese says he is also looking at tougher penalties for those who break the rules. In our view it's still nowhere near good enough, if they had forced mandatory Australian pilotage thru the GBR reef years ago, the latest accidents may not have occured. Mandatory Australian pilotage is the only way to ensure these incidents wont happen again. The GBR must be the only World Heritasge Area anywhere, that allows Australian unqualified, and non-English speaking cargo boat skippers, to make their own way through such an important area. Hundreds of huge cargo vessels travel the GBR World heritage Area every week, many of them skippered by non-Australian qualified Captains. The new requirements are a feeble attempt by Government to allay public concern, and are simply not good enough to prevent more incidents from happening. *
Reindeer
Norway's 200,000 reindeer are being fitted with reflectors to protect them from being run over. So far about 2,000 of the animals have been fitted with reflective yellow collars or small antler tags, reports the Daily Telegraph. The aim is to reduce the number of car crashes that kill around 500 of the animals each year. "It really works," said Kristian Oevernes, the leader of the project at the Norwegian Public Roads Administration. "This is the first time it (reindeer marking) has happened on this scale." A test drive on a snowmobile showed that marked reindeer were far more visible in the dark than others. About 200,000 reindeer live in Norway, mostly owned by Sami indigenous people who raise them for meat, skins and antlers. Sami herders had tried small experiments to attach reflective tape to the animals but the glue failed in the cold. Finnish herders had also tried a reflective spray, but it reduced the fur's ability to keep out the chill. *OrangeUK
Whaling
Prime Minister Julia Gillard has reiterated the federal government's anti-whaling stance amid reports of Japanese officials accepting whale meat gifts. Japan's Fisheries Agency has admitted its officials accepted gifts of whale meat from the body that runs the country's so-called scientific whaling program, the ABC has reported. Ms Gillard told reporters in Adelaide the Australian government is "completely opposed to whaling", which is why it is taking action through the international courts. "We view whaling as absolutely unacceptable, so I am opposed to it in every circumstance including that circumstance." *AAP
Kangaroos
A rare albino kangaroo has died before rescuers could reach it in the flooded Murray River. The Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service (WIRES) was attempting to rescue the animal this afternoon near the NSW-Victoria border. The "extremely rare" kangaroo was trapped by a strip of land and accessible only by boat. Rescuers had planned to either lift it into a boat or tow it alongside the boat to safety. But WIRES said that when the rescuers reached the land the kangaroo had already died, most likely of hunger and exhaustion. *HeraldSun
Shire of Capel (WA) kangaroo open season declarations have recently been modified to allow farmers and property owners to shoot the animals while they’re on their property. The amendment, made at the last council meeting, has been submitted to the Department of Environment and Conservation for approval. Acting chief executive officer of the Shire Andrew Ross said the council had had plenty of complaints from the community about the amount of kangaroos in the Shire. “The community has a lot of safety concerns – particularly a hazard for driving,” he said. “They have asked that the kangaroos be culled to make the roads safer, as well as prevent damage to the native flora.” The DEC approached the council with three separate options with how to deal with the kangaroo population. At the council meeting they decided to declare a full open season which allows professional shooters and property owners to cull the kangaroos which are on their property without a licence from the DEC. “The only concern we would have is people not understanding the guidelines which are placed on the open season,” Mr Ross said. “Property owners need to make sure they are well informed of the rules before they begin to cull the kangaroos.” *Bunbury Mail
Bats
Scientists and conservation groups are asking the US Fish and Wildlife Service to immediately protect what was the most common bat species in the Northeast just five years ago. The brown bat is being ravaged by white nose syndrome, a fast-moving and deadly illness named for a powdery white fungus that appear on bats’ noses, faces, and wings. The disease has killed more than a million bats in the United States, and scientists say it could wipe out brown bats in the Northeast within 20 years. “The little brown bat is in imminent danger of extinction in its Northeastern core range due to white-nose syndrome, and the species is likely in danger of extinction throughout North America,’’ said Thomas H. Kunz of Boston University, a leading authority on bats. Kunz and other researchers are asking the federal agency to place the animal on the endangered species list as an emergency measure and then assess its population. Kunz and others conducted their own study earlier this year and determined there is a 99 percent chance the brown bat will not sustain a regional population for more than 16 years unless death rates slow. *Boston.com
Some Green Energy May Harm Marine Wildlife
Without maps or GPS, great white sharks travel thousands of miles roundtrip from California to Hawaii or Australia to South Africa. Sea turtles hatched on the beaches of Florida travel the currents of the North Atlantic Gyre to Europe, Africa and South America before heading home. And in one of the most mysterious and epic journeys of all, salmon from the streams and rivers of Alaska and the Pacific Northwest head to sea and swim into the far reaches of the North Pacific before returning to spawn. Scientists increasingly believe these marine creatures and others use the earth's magnetic fields to navigate vast distances. But as the search for green energy turns to the oceans, there are concerns that tidal and wave-powered generators, and the cables that bring their electricity to shore, could interfere with the internal compasses of sea creatures. The fear isn't that the fish and other marine life will get chewed up in revolving turbine blades or other machinery. It's that the generators and the cables to shore produce electromagnetic fields that could interfere with their natural guidance systems, which use the earth's magnetic fields. In addition, there are some worries the machines may produce a low-level hum that interferes with such marine mammals as whales. *ADN.com
Irresponsible Pet Owners Slammed
Irresponsible pet owners are being blamed for the "shocking" number of dog and cat attacks on native wildlife in Australia's eastern states. Almost 17,000 attacks on native animals have been recorded in the past five years by prominent animal welfare groups who say the results are just the tip of the iceberg. The figures only include injured or orphaned animals, and not the many hundreds of thousands which die or go unreported, according to the Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service (WIRES). WIRES general manager Leanne Taylor said most cases are likely to be related to domestic dogs and cats rather than feral animals which usually eat their prey. But the real culprits are people who don't supervise their pets, she said. "Cats and dogs only do what they have evolved to do to survive and that is to hunt their prey for food," she said. "We shouldn't demonise them for doing this but (we) should take the responsibility for their behaviour ourselves." WIRES collated the statistics with Sydney Metropolitan Wildlife Service (SMWS), Wildcare Australia (WA) in Queensland, and Wildlife Victoria (WV).
In a joint statement, the agencies said the figures "add up to a shocking picture of irresponsible pet ownership". They reveal that in Victoria, cats were responsible for 1631 attacks on native animals while 1163 dog attacks were recorded during the five-year period. Nearly 70 koalas were either killed or injured by dogs, WV said. Sixty attacks on kangaroos were recorded, along with 143 attacks on blue-tongue lizards by dogs. More than 1100 possums were injured or killed by cats and dogs. Among them were some of the more rare species including the eastern pygmy possum, Mitchell's hopping mouse and the mountain brushtail. WIRES figures show 10,936 attacks on wildlife for NSW - almost evenly split between cats and dogs - with more than 4700 of those in Sydney alone. That figure jumps to 6646 when SMWS's recorded attacks are included. The organisation also says one of the most attacked animals by cats in Sydney is the ringtail possum.
In Queensland, Wildcare Australia (WA) recorded 1128 dog and cat attacks over the five-year period from December 2005 to November 2010. WA says 318 birds, 486 possums and 134 reptiles were injured, orphaned or killed by cats and dogs, adding that the Gold Coast City Council area "topped the list for irresponsible pet ownership" with a reported 356 attacks. Brisbane City Council followed with 245 and then Logan with 137. WIRES said pet owners can help reduce the number of attacks by preventing their cats and dogs from roaming uncontrolled or unsupervised. "We also recommend people buy or build enclosures for cats so they can get access to outside safely, and with dogs, keep them on-leash on beaches and in wildlife areas," Jilea Carney of WIRES told AAP. Dogs and cats should also be desexed to stem the flow of unwanted animals, she said. The agencies said there are other wildlife groups in each state which would also have their own figures. "You could only imagine what the national figure would be," Ms Carney said. *NineNews
Ed Comment; When we add in the numbers killed on the roads, and in landclearing and moonscaping for Mega Malls and Satelite Cities, wildlife shooting and poisoning, etc, etc, the numbers of wildlife killed across Australia must be enormous. No wonder our wildlife is disappearing........
Elephants
Scientists have confirmed the theory that the African elephant belongs to two separate species - the savanna elephant and the smaller forest elephant. The researchers made the discovery after comparing elephant DNA to that of extinct woolly mammoths and American mastodons. Professor Michael Hofreiter, who specialises in studying ancient DNA at the University of York in England, says he has created a comprehensive elephant family tree by comparing the gene sequences of the African and Asian elephants to the gene sequences of the extinct species. "African forest elephants and African savanna elephants diverged as long ago as mammoths and Asian elephants, so around 5 million years ago or even earlier," he said. "Five million years is almost as long ago as humans and chimpanzees diverged, and I think nobody would make the claim that they are the same species. "What we found is that mammoths and Asian elephants are as distinct from each other as African savanna and African forest elephants, which almost certainly means that the two African elephants are two distinct species." The new family tree helps scientists to better understand the evolutionary history of elephants.
Dr Mike Bunce from Murdoch University, who also specialises in ancient DNA, says one complicating factor is that African elephants can interbreed, which may have an impact on conservation efforts. "It can create hybrids and there's some evidence that that has occurred at some point in the past," he said. "So in the same way that horses and donkeys can interbreed to create mules, African savanna and forest elephants could also potentially interbreed, but may produce fertile offspring. "So this taxonomy is very important in conservation, because if you do not define what a species is, it's very hard to devise a species plan that's able to effectively manage that resource." The research is published today in the journal Public Library of Science. *ABC
Shotguns and Wildlife
Pump-action shotguns are a useful tool for wildlife management on farms, a Kempton farmer says. Don Jones has disagreed with comments by National Coalition for Gun Control chairman Roland Browne in which he describes pump-action shotguns as "military weapons". The Mercury reported yesterday that the coalition was concerned about a proposal to change the guns from a Category C classification to Category A as part of possible changes to the Tasmanian Firearms Act. Mr Jones said re-classifying pump-action shotguns as Category A would give farmers better access to an efficient and humane method of animal control. "They are not a military weapon," Mr Jones said. "Farmers have asked for pump-action shotguns to be put into the same category as pump-action rifles. They are currently in the category with semi-automatics. "Farmers and their employees and recreational hunters who assist in the control of wildlife need this type of firearm to achieve better controls."
Mr Jones said the ability of pump-action shotguns to carry more rounds than a conventional shotgun could make shooting more humane. "A pump-action has a capacity of five rounds. You've got a couple of rounds up your sleeve. If you wound something, you can efficiently dispatch it," he said. Mr Jones said heavy restrictions placed on the use of 1080 poison had left farmers to rely heavily on shooting to control pests. "Firearms are tools of trade for farmers and their employees," he said. "We have to choose between adequate firearms to do the job or ask the Government for the wholesale use of 1080 poison as an alternative. "If people want to get really friendly, they can pay our farmers to keep excess animals."
Veterinary pathologist David Obendorf said while he was not an expert on firearms, he believed the animal welfare implications were no different whether using a pump-action in comparison with a conventional shotgun. Dr Obendorf said accurate shooting was the best means of preventing animal suffering. "It's about the correct calibre shot, being a good marksman and being within range," he said. "The welfare implications are still as paramount." He said shotguns were a problem in the hands of people who did not know how to use them. "I've seen the consequences of animals splattered with gunshot under their skin," he said. "They can die a very slow and lingering death as a result of shooters not getting it right and killing quickly and humanely." Mr Jones said licensed gun owners underwent police checks before being granted their licence. He said responsible gun owners did not pose a threat to the community or the police. "Mr Browne said that pump action shotguns posed an extra danger to police. That is a ridiculous statement and should be ignored," he said. "Making these alterations is in no way watering down the laws affecting gun ownership or control." *Mercury
Chinese Zoos Clampdown
The Beijing State Forestry Administration (SFA) has ordered 53 wildlife parks and zoos that stage animal shows to improve their management after inspections found animals' welfare had not been well protected. The administration also nullified the certifications of seven other parks and zoos that violated laws. The measures came after a nationwide inspection revealed commercial performances have led to animals' frequent abuse and exploitation. The central government has sent six teams to monitor and evaluate 500 wildlife parks and zoos nationwide since October. The inspections found poor management and illegal activities in some zoos and wildlife parks were increasingly causing rare species' deaths. There were also incidents in which animals injured visitors, SFA department of wildlife conservation and nature reserve management director Zhang Xiwu was quoted by Xinhua News Agency as saying.
Some zoos were found unable to provide animals' basic care because of their insufficient profits and others were found to be engaged in illegal wildlife product sales, Zhang told a meeting in Guangzhou on Monday. "Both the security of endangered species and the safety of the public are threatened by improper management," SFA deputy head Yin Hong told Xinhua. An estimated 700 public zoos, wildlife parks and circuses organize animal performances, which attract about 150 million visitors a year. International Fund for Animal Welfare Beijing office campaign manager Hua Ning told China Daily she viewed the restrictions on animal performances as a positive step toward animal rights protection. "I believe many Chinese would be unhappy if they knew the baby tigers they hold in their arms for photos (in some zoos) have had their canine teeth pulled out," Hua said. "The government needs to help zoos and aquariums cancel some performances that entertain visitors but harm animals." It is important the government enforces the restrictions through surprise inspections, Hua said. "In the long run, the government should guide zoos back to the purpose of educating people about nature's beauty and informing the public about how to better protect Earth's magnificent creatures." Administration official Zhang Xiwu said the crackdown on illegal wildlife performances will continue over the long term, although it remained difficult to monitor circuses and individual trainers. *AsiaOne
Birds Killed in Nets
Wildlife biologist Mark Holdsworth believes irresponsible use of netting has resulted in the death of countless marine birds. Mr Holdsworth, of the wildlife management branch of the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment, discovered 10 dead black-faced shags, or cormorants, trapped in a grab-all net while fishing off the sheltered waters of Primrose Sands this week. He managed to save another four shags, which are wholly protected, who were still alive. "The birds were all juveniles, about two months old, and would have been going for one of their first swims," Mr Holdsworth said. "They would have suffered terribly and had probably been there for at least an hour struggling to get free before they drowned. "A few were still alive, we managed to free them and return them to the island." Mr Holdsworth came across the net near the Isle of Caves, just off the coast of Primrose Sands, which was busy with breeding marine birds. "I think in this case it was just ignorance. There are hundreds of birds in that area, but it is worrying," he said.
"If people were close, checking on their nets, they would realise the problem and could move them to a safer area." Mr Holdsworth was concerned the incident was just the tip of the iceberg. "I just happened to be out there yesterday. If I hadn't been, many more birds might have been caught and died slow, painful deaths," he said. Mr Holdsworth said although nets were legal in Tasmania, ideally, none should be used for recreational fishing. "Avoid putting nets out at all, but if people must, they should definitely avoid sea islands where birds nest," he said. "Tasmania is one of the only States in Australia where these sorts of nets are legal." If you find birds trapped in a net, ensure your own safety, pull the net into the boat and free the birds. *Mercury
Goanna Watch
Tis the season for goannas to be jolly. The summer solstice starts the courtship season for Rosenberg’s Goanna. Kangaroo Island is this species last stronghold. Life history studies of Rosenberg’s began on the island in 1966 and continue today under the direction of doctors Brian Green and Peggy Rismiller. Brian retired from CSIRO Div of Ecology and built a home on his much loved Kangaroo Island. Today he is working harder than ever to unravel the mysteries he began studying decades ago. “Rosenberg’s have been a challenge. New field equipment and techniques are giving us opportunities to follow individuals through life. That in itself is a big job. Over 1,000 hatchlings have been given lifetime ID and only eight have been recovered within the study area during the past ten years. We can say that juvenile survival is not high.” On Kangaroo Island summer is when the goannas really start moving. “Some males have home ranges exceeding fifteen square kilometres,” says Dr. Rismiller. “Females stay closer to home because of the heavy energy investment with breeding and egg development.
Digging the incubation chamber in a termite mound takes two or more days and then the female guards the freshly laid eggs for another fortnight before she resumes eating and a normal life.” CVA joined the research team in 1990. Since then they have established and maintained the National Goanna Watch for this threatened species. South Australia CVA Manager Terry Peacock says “Rosenberg’s has become extinct across more than 80% of its pre European settlement range. Understanding the decline of this species is about understanding habitat loss. Healthy habitat and healthy communities is what CVA is about. Our work with the scientist on Kangaroo Island is providing critical data for mainland wildlife managers in areas where Rosenberg’s still manage to survive. On Kangaroo Island this eye catching goanna has become an icon for international travellers.” To learn more about the Island Rosenberg’s population and life studies direct from the scientist, contact Dr. Rismiller on rimac@kin.net.au for an email fact sheet.
The downside of this jolly time for goannas is the significant increase in road deaths that occurs during the holiday season. “Last summer reported road kills along KI sealed roads exceeded 400 individuals.” says Dr. Rismiller. “If you find a road kill, please send a message to me or the NRM office with date and location. This will help us identify where active hotspots are for future education and driver awareness. As a native and threatened species, Rosenberg’s is protected by both state and federal legislation. Deliberately running over one is an offense. Sometimes education, public awareness and involvement can achieve more than laws.” Fresh road kills can help island scientist gather other vital statistics. If you find a fresh casualty, you can take it to the NRM office on Dauncey Street in Kingscote during business hours. They will freeze the specimen along with relevant date and location of collection information. “Your help and interest provides another important piece in the big puzzle of studying the life of Rosenberg’s. Have a safe holiday season and enjoy our unique wildlife.” Thank you from Randy & Rosie Rosenbergs and the team at National Goanna Watch. *The Islander
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Wildlife Bytes 30/12/10
Swan hit by Jetski
A jet ski rider has been charged after allegedly being caught on video deliberately running down a black swan in a Gold Coast canal. The 19-year-old from Mudgeeraba has been charged with animal cruelty after allegedly running over the bird with his jet ski on a Mermaid Waters canal around 1pm (AEST) on Boxing Day. Senior vet at Currumbin Wildlife animal hospital Michael Pyne said today the swan suffered horrific injuries and a broken wing, but there was a reasonable chance it would survive. "As I understand it, the jet ski had three attempts at hitting the swan and people on the shore saw it happening and had time to get their video camera out and start filming it," he said. "I'm not 100 per cent sure it will live, but its appetite's improving day by day but she's been pretty knocked around so I still wouldn't want to say it's definitely going to live yet, but I'm feeling confident, certainly."
Mr Pyne said the swan was heavily bruised and was being given heavy pain relief medication, and if the wing hadn't taken the brunt of the impact it probably wouldn't have survived. "It's taken off all the feathers, skin, muscle and ligaments - down to the bones of the joint," he said. "The problem is that the ligaments on the outside of the joint have been stripped off which makes the joint very unstable and if it's still unstable in a couple of weeks time we're going to have to look at fusing the bones of the joint together. "It should be able to fly, but not well, however swans can get away with that because they really only float around and only fly to get from one waterway to another and generally the waterway they come from is their territory and we'll look at releasing her back there." The teenager is due to appear in Southport Magistrates Court on on January 21. *SA News
Flying Foxes
Farmers and environmentalists have joined forces to criticise the state government's inaction over the shooting of grey-headed flying foxes. The species is listed as vulnerable by the Commonwealth but hundreds are killed each year by orchardists to prevent the destruction of crops. Some are clipped by shotgun pellets and take a long time to die; others leave behind young that will die of starvation. An independent review of the culling last year found the practice, which is licensed by the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water, to be ethically and legally unacceptable. In June the department received advice it would cost $3.5 million to provide a 50 per cent subsidy for netting to keep flying foxes out of Sydney and central coast orchards. Those affected have become frustrated that the government will not ban culling or come forward with funding for netting. ''They've been consulting now for 2½ years and the bullshit is thicker on the ground now than it was at the start,'' said the treasurer of the NSW Farmers Association, Peter Comensoli. He said farmers wanted to leave culling behind and were ready to fund half the cost of netting and deal with ongoing maintenance.
The NSW Nature Conservation Council and the Humane Society International backed the farmers' bid for help and called on the government to immediately stop issuing licences for the shooting of flying foxes. 'It just strikes me as a rare occasion when all the antagonists are on the same field - I can't understand why the government doesn't take the free brownie points,'' Mr Comensoli said. The Greens MP Cate Faehrmann said the money the government needed to spend was minor given the gravity of the situation, and that the Treasurer, Eric Roozendaal, was playing hardball. ''The government really needs to come forward and just solve this,'' she said. A department spokeswoman said options for full exclusion netting were being discussed with Treasury and the federal government but she could not confirm when a decision would be made. The department has previously estimated it would cost up to $1 million over five years to manage full compliance of shooting licences. *Age
Editorial
International authorities have agreed on stricter shipping conditions in the Great Barrier Reef of Australia, in an effort to prevent further accidents like this year's grounding of a Chinese coal carrier. The accident off the Capricorn Coast smashed coral and caused more than two thousand tonnes of oil to leak into the sea. And there have been other such incidents before that. Now ships travelling through this area will be tracked by radio and satellite and will be required to regularly report on their location and route. Australia's Minister for Transport, Anthony Albanese says he is also looking at tougher penalties for those who break the rules. In our view it's still nowhere near good enough, if they had forced mandatory Australian pilotage thru the GBR reef years ago, the latest accidents may not have occured. Mandatory Australian pilotage is the only way to ensure these incidents wont happen again. The GBR must be the only World Heritasge Area anywhere, that allows Australian unqualified, and non-English speaking cargo boat skippers, to make their own way through such an important area. Hundreds of huge cargo vessels travel the GBR World heritage Area every week, many of them skippered by non-Australian qualified Captains. The new requirements are a feeble attempt by Government to allay public concern, and are simply not good enough to prevent more incidents from happening. *
Reindeer
Norway's 200,000 reindeer are being fitted with reflectors to protect them from being run over. So far about 2,000 of the animals have been fitted with reflective yellow collars or small antler tags, reports the Daily Telegraph. The aim is to reduce the number of car crashes that kill around 500 of the animals each year. "It really works," said Kristian Oevernes, the leader of the project at the Norwegian Public Roads Administration. "This is the first time it (reindeer marking) has happened on this scale." A test drive on a snowmobile showed that marked reindeer were far more visible in the dark than others. About 200,000 reindeer live in Norway, mostly owned by Sami indigenous people who raise them for meat, skins and antlers. Sami herders had tried small experiments to attach reflective tape to the animals but the glue failed in the cold. Finnish herders had also tried a reflective spray, but it reduced the fur's ability to keep out the chill. *OrangeUK
Whaling
Prime Minister Julia Gillard has reiterated the federal government's anti-whaling stance amid reports of Japanese officials accepting whale meat gifts. Japan's Fisheries Agency has admitted its officials accepted gifts of whale meat from the body that runs the country's so-called scientific whaling program, the ABC has reported. Ms Gillard told reporters in Adelaide the Australian government is "completely opposed to whaling", which is why it is taking action through the international courts. "We view whaling as absolutely unacceptable, so I am opposed to it in every circumstance including that circumstance." *AAP
Kangaroos
A rare albino kangaroo has died before rescuers could reach it in the flooded Murray River. The Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service (WIRES) was attempting to rescue the animal this afternoon near the NSW-Victoria border. The "extremely rare" kangaroo was trapped by a strip of land and accessible only by boat. Rescuers had planned to either lift it into a boat or tow it alongside the boat to safety. But WIRES said that when the rescuers reached the land the kangaroo had already died, most likely of hunger and exhaustion. *HeraldSun
Shire of Capel (WA) kangaroo open season declarations have recently been modified to allow farmers and property owners to shoot the animals while they’re on their property. The amendment, made at the last council meeting, has been submitted to the Department of Environment and Conservation for approval. Acting chief executive officer of the Shire Andrew Ross said the council had had plenty of complaints from the community about the amount of kangaroos in the Shire. “The community has a lot of safety concerns – particularly a hazard for driving,” he said. “They have asked that the kangaroos be culled to make the roads safer, as well as prevent damage to the native flora.” The DEC approached the council with three separate options with how to deal with the kangaroo population. At the council meeting they decided to declare a full open season which allows professional shooters and property owners to cull the kangaroos which are on their property without a licence from the DEC. “The only concern we would have is people not understanding the guidelines which are placed on the open season,” Mr Ross said. “Property owners need to make sure they are well informed of the rules before they begin to cull the kangaroos.” *Bunbury Mail
Bats
Scientists and conservation groups are asking the US Fish and Wildlife Service to immediately protect what was the most common bat species in the Northeast just five years ago. The brown bat is being ravaged by white nose syndrome, a fast-moving and deadly illness named for a powdery white fungus that appear on bats’ noses, faces, and wings. The disease has killed more than a million bats in the United States, and scientists say it could wipe out brown bats in the Northeast within 20 years. “The little brown bat is in imminent danger of extinction in its Northeastern core range due to white-nose syndrome, and the species is likely in danger of extinction throughout North America,’’ said Thomas H. Kunz of Boston University, a leading authority on bats. Kunz and other researchers are asking the federal agency to place the animal on the endangered species list as an emergency measure and then assess its population. Kunz and others conducted their own study earlier this year and determined there is a 99 percent chance the brown bat will not sustain a regional population for more than 16 years unless death rates slow. *Boston.com
Some Green Energy May Harm Marine Wildlife
Without maps or GPS, great white sharks travel thousands of miles roundtrip from California to Hawaii or Australia to South Africa. Sea turtles hatched on the beaches of Florida travel the currents of the North Atlantic Gyre to Europe, Africa and South America before heading home. And in one of the most mysterious and epic journeys of all, salmon from the streams and rivers of Alaska and the Pacific Northwest head to sea and swim into the far reaches of the North Pacific before returning to spawn. Scientists increasingly believe these marine creatures and others use the earth's magnetic fields to navigate vast distances. But as the search for green energy turns to the oceans, there are concerns that tidal and wave-powered generators, and the cables that bring their electricity to shore, could interfere with the internal compasses of sea creatures. The fear isn't that the fish and other marine life will get chewed up in revolving turbine blades or other machinery. It's that the generators and the cables to shore produce electromagnetic fields that could interfere with their natural guidance systems, which use the earth's magnetic fields. In addition, there are some worries the machines may produce a low-level hum that interferes with such marine mammals as whales. *ADN.com
Irresponsible Pet Owners Slammed
Irresponsible pet owners are being blamed for the "shocking" number of dog and cat attacks on native wildlife in Australia's eastern states. Almost 17,000 attacks on native animals have been recorded in the past five years by prominent animal welfare groups who say the results are just the tip of the iceberg. The figures only include injured or orphaned animals, and not the many hundreds of thousands which die or go unreported, according to the Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service (WIRES). WIRES general manager Leanne Taylor said most cases are likely to be related to domestic dogs and cats rather than feral animals which usually eat their prey. But the real culprits are people who don't supervise their pets, she said. "Cats and dogs only do what they have evolved to do to survive and that is to hunt their prey for food," she said. "We shouldn't demonise them for doing this but (we) should take the responsibility for their behaviour ourselves." WIRES collated the statistics with Sydney Metropolitan Wildlife Service (SMWS), Wildcare Australia (WA) in Queensland, and Wildlife Victoria (WV).
In a joint statement, the agencies said the figures "add up to a shocking picture of irresponsible pet ownership". They reveal that in Victoria, cats were responsible for 1631 attacks on native animals while 1163 dog attacks were recorded during the five-year period. Nearly 70 koalas were either killed or injured by dogs, WV said. Sixty attacks on kangaroos were recorded, along with 143 attacks on blue-tongue lizards by dogs. More than 1100 possums were injured or killed by cats and dogs. Among them were some of the more rare species including the eastern pygmy possum, Mitchell's hopping mouse and the mountain brushtail. WIRES figures show 10,936 attacks on wildlife for NSW - almost evenly split between cats and dogs - with more than 4700 of those in Sydney alone. That figure jumps to 6646 when SMWS's recorded attacks are included. The organisation also says one of the most attacked animals by cats in Sydney is the ringtail possum.
In Queensland, Wildcare Australia (WA) recorded 1128 dog and cat attacks over the five-year period from December 2005 to November 2010. WA says 318 birds, 486 possums and 134 reptiles were injured, orphaned or killed by cats and dogs, adding that the Gold Coast City Council area "topped the list for irresponsible pet ownership" with a reported 356 attacks. Brisbane City Council followed with 245 and then Logan with 137. WIRES said pet owners can help reduce the number of attacks by preventing their cats and dogs from roaming uncontrolled or unsupervised. "We also recommend people buy or build enclosures for cats so they can get access to outside safely, and with dogs, keep them on-leash on beaches and in wildlife areas," Jilea Carney of WIRES told AAP. Dogs and cats should also be desexed to stem the flow of unwanted animals, she said. The agencies said there are other wildlife groups in each state which would also have their own figures. "You could only imagine what the national figure would be," Ms Carney said. *NineNews
Ed Comment; When we add in the numbers killed on the roads, and in landclearing and moonscaping for Mega Malls and Satelite Cities, wildlife shooting and poisoning, etc, etc, the numbers of wildlife killed across Australia must be enormous. No wonder our wildlife is disappearing........
Elephants
Scientists have confirmed the theory that the African elephant belongs to two separate species - the savanna elephant and the smaller forest elephant. The researchers made the discovery after comparing elephant DNA to that of extinct woolly mammoths and American mastodons. Professor Michael Hofreiter, who specialises in studying ancient DNA at the University of York in England, says he has created a comprehensive elephant family tree by comparing the gene sequences of the African and Asian elephants to the gene sequences of the extinct species. "African forest elephants and African savanna elephants diverged as long ago as mammoths and Asian elephants, so around 5 million years ago or even earlier," he said. "Five million years is almost as long ago as humans and chimpanzees diverged, and I think nobody would make the claim that they are the same species. "What we found is that mammoths and Asian elephants are as distinct from each other as African savanna and African forest elephants, which almost certainly means that the two African elephants are two distinct species." The new family tree helps scientists to better understand the evolutionary history of elephants.
Dr Mike Bunce from Murdoch University, who also specialises in ancient DNA, says one complicating factor is that African elephants can interbreed, which may have an impact on conservation efforts. "It can create hybrids and there's some evidence that that has occurred at some point in the past," he said. "So in the same way that horses and donkeys can interbreed to create mules, African savanna and forest elephants could also potentially interbreed, but may produce fertile offspring. "So this taxonomy is very important in conservation, because if you do not define what a species is, it's very hard to devise a species plan that's able to effectively manage that resource." The research is published today in the journal Public Library of Science. *ABC
Shotguns and Wildlife
Pump-action shotguns are a useful tool for wildlife management on farms, a Kempton farmer says. Don Jones has disagreed with comments by National Coalition for Gun Control chairman Roland Browne in which he describes pump-action shotguns as "military weapons". The Mercury reported yesterday that the coalition was concerned about a proposal to change the guns from a Category C classification to Category A as part of possible changes to the Tasmanian Firearms Act. Mr Jones said re-classifying pump-action shotguns as Category A would give farmers better access to an efficient and humane method of animal control. "They are not a military weapon," Mr Jones said. "Farmers have asked for pump-action shotguns to be put into the same category as pump-action rifles. They are currently in the category with semi-automatics. "Farmers and their employees and recreational hunters who assist in the control of wildlife need this type of firearm to achieve better controls."
Mr Jones said the ability of pump-action shotguns to carry more rounds than a conventional shotgun could make shooting more humane. "A pump-action has a capacity of five rounds. You've got a couple of rounds up your sleeve. If you wound something, you can efficiently dispatch it," he said. Mr Jones said heavy restrictions placed on the use of 1080 poison had left farmers to rely heavily on shooting to control pests. "Firearms are tools of trade for farmers and their employees," he said. "We have to choose between adequate firearms to do the job or ask the Government for the wholesale use of 1080 poison as an alternative. "If people want to get really friendly, they can pay our farmers to keep excess animals."
Veterinary pathologist David Obendorf said while he was not an expert on firearms, he believed the animal welfare implications were no different whether using a pump-action in comparison with a conventional shotgun. Dr Obendorf said accurate shooting was the best means of preventing animal suffering. "It's about the correct calibre shot, being a good marksman and being within range," he said. "The welfare implications are still as paramount." He said shotguns were a problem in the hands of people who did not know how to use them. "I've seen the consequences of animals splattered with gunshot under their skin," he said. "They can die a very slow and lingering death as a result of shooters not getting it right and killing quickly and humanely." Mr Jones said licensed gun owners underwent police checks before being granted their licence. He said responsible gun owners did not pose a threat to the community or the police. "Mr Browne said that pump action shotguns posed an extra danger to police. That is a ridiculous statement and should be ignored," he said. "Making these alterations is in no way watering down the laws affecting gun ownership or control." *Mercury
Chinese Zoos Clampdown
The Beijing State Forestry Administration (SFA) has ordered 53 wildlife parks and zoos that stage animal shows to improve their management after inspections found animals' welfare had not been well protected. The administration also nullified the certifications of seven other parks and zoos that violated laws. The measures came after a nationwide inspection revealed commercial performances have led to animals' frequent abuse and exploitation. The central government has sent six teams to monitor and evaluate 500 wildlife parks and zoos nationwide since October. The inspections found poor management and illegal activities in some zoos and wildlife parks were increasingly causing rare species' deaths. There were also incidents in which animals injured visitors, SFA department of wildlife conservation and nature reserve management director Zhang Xiwu was quoted by Xinhua News Agency as saying.
Some zoos were found unable to provide animals' basic care because of their insufficient profits and others were found to be engaged in illegal wildlife product sales, Zhang told a meeting in Guangzhou on Monday. "Both the security of endangered species and the safety of the public are threatened by improper management," SFA deputy head Yin Hong told Xinhua. An estimated 700 public zoos, wildlife parks and circuses organize animal performances, which attract about 150 million visitors a year. International Fund for Animal Welfare Beijing office campaign manager Hua Ning told China Daily she viewed the restrictions on animal performances as a positive step toward animal rights protection. "I believe many Chinese would be unhappy if they knew the baby tigers they hold in their arms for photos (in some zoos) have had their canine teeth pulled out," Hua said. "The government needs to help zoos and aquariums cancel some performances that entertain visitors but harm animals." It is important the government enforces the restrictions through surprise inspections, Hua said. "In the long run, the government should guide zoos back to the purpose of educating people about nature's beauty and informing the public about how to better protect Earth's magnificent creatures." Administration official Zhang Xiwu said the crackdown on illegal wildlife performances will continue over the long term, although it remained difficult to monitor circuses and individual trainers. *AsiaOne
Birds Killed in Nets
Wildlife biologist Mark Holdsworth believes irresponsible use of netting has resulted in the death of countless marine birds. Mr Holdsworth, of the wildlife management branch of the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment, discovered 10 dead black-faced shags, or cormorants, trapped in a grab-all net while fishing off the sheltered waters of Primrose Sands this week. He managed to save another four shags, which are wholly protected, who were still alive. "The birds were all juveniles, about two months old, and would have been going for one of their first swims," Mr Holdsworth said. "They would have suffered terribly and had probably been there for at least an hour struggling to get free before they drowned. "A few were still alive, we managed to free them and return them to the island." Mr Holdsworth came across the net near the Isle of Caves, just off the coast of Primrose Sands, which was busy with breeding marine birds. "I think in this case it was just ignorance. There are hundreds of birds in that area, but it is worrying," he said.
"If people were close, checking on their nets, they would realise the problem and could move them to a safer area." Mr Holdsworth was concerned the incident was just the tip of the iceberg. "I just happened to be out there yesterday. If I hadn't been, many more birds might have been caught and died slow, painful deaths," he said. Mr Holdsworth said although nets were legal in Tasmania, ideally, none should be used for recreational fishing. "Avoid putting nets out at all, but if people must, they should definitely avoid sea islands where birds nest," he said. "Tasmania is one of the only States in Australia where these sorts of nets are legal." If you find birds trapped in a net, ensure your own safety, pull the net into the boat and free the birds. *Mercury
Goanna Watch
Tis the season for goannas to be jolly. The summer solstice starts the courtship season for Rosenberg’s Goanna. Kangaroo Island is this species last stronghold. Life history studies of Rosenberg’s began on the island in 1966 and continue today under the direction of doctors Brian Green and Peggy Rismiller. Brian retired from CSIRO Div of Ecology and built a home on his much loved Kangaroo Island. Today he is working harder than ever to unravel the mysteries he began studying decades ago. “Rosenberg’s have been a challenge. New field equipment and techniques are giving us opportunities to follow individuals through life. That in itself is a big job. Over 1,000 hatchlings have been given lifetime ID and only eight have been recovered within the study area during the past ten years. We can say that juvenile survival is not high.” On Kangaroo Island summer is when the goannas really start moving. “Some males have home ranges exceeding fifteen square kilometres,” says Dr. Rismiller. “Females stay closer to home because of the heavy energy investment with breeding and egg development.
Digging the incubation chamber in a termite mound takes two or more days and then the female guards the freshly laid eggs for another fortnight before she resumes eating and a normal life.” CVA joined the research team in 1990. Since then they have established and maintained the National Goanna Watch for this threatened species. South Australia CVA Manager Terry Peacock says “Rosenberg’s has become extinct across more than 80% of its pre European settlement range. Understanding the decline of this species is about understanding habitat loss. Healthy habitat and healthy communities is what CVA is about. Our work with the scientist on Kangaroo Island is providing critical data for mainland wildlife managers in areas where Rosenberg’s still manage to survive. On Kangaroo Island this eye catching goanna has become an icon for international travellers.” To learn more about the Island Rosenberg’s population and life studies direct from the scientist, contact Dr. Rismiller on rimac@kin.net.au for an email fact sheet.
The downside of this jolly time for goannas is the significant increase in road deaths that occurs during the holiday season. “Last summer reported road kills along KI sealed roads exceeded 400 individuals.” says Dr. Rismiller. “If you find a road kill, please send a message to me or the NRM office with date and location. This will help us identify where active hotspots are for future education and driver awareness. As a native and threatened species, Rosenberg’s is protected by both state and federal legislation. Deliberately running over one is an offense. Sometimes education, public awareness and involvement can achieve more than laws.” Fresh road kills can help island scientist gather other vital statistics. If you find a fresh casualty, you can take it to the NRM office on Dauncey Street in Kingscote during business hours. They will freeze the specimen along with relevant date and location of collection information. “Your help and interest provides another important piece in the big puzzle of studying the life of Rosenberg’s. Have a safe holiday season and enjoy our unique wildlife.” Thank you from Randy & Rosie Rosenbergs and the team at National Goanna Watch. *The Islander
A jet ski rider has been charged after allegedly being caught on video deliberately running down a black swan in a Gold Coast canal. The 19-year-old from Mudgeeraba has been charged with animal cruelty after allegedly running over the bird with his jet ski on a Mermaid Waters canal around 1pm (AEST) on Boxing Day. Senior vet at Currumbin Wildlife animal hospital Michael Pyne said today the swan suffered horrific injuries and a broken wing, but there was a reasonable chance it would survive. "As I understand it, the jet ski had three attempts at hitting the swan and people on the shore saw it happening and had time to get their video camera out and start filming it," he said. "I'm not 100 per cent sure it will live, but its appetite's improving day by day but she's been pretty knocked around so I still wouldn't want to say it's definitely going to live yet, but I'm feeling confident, certainly."
Mr Pyne said the swan was heavily bruised and was being given heavy pain relief medication, and if the wing hadn't taken the brunt of the impact it probably wouldn't have survived. "It's taken off all the feathers, skin, muscle and ligaments - down to the bones of the joint," he said. "The problem is that the ligaments on the outside of the joint have been stripped off which makes the joint very unstable and if it's still unstable in a couple of weeks time we're going to have to look at fusing the bones of the joint together. "It should be able to fly, but not well, however swans can get away with that because they really only float around and only fly to get from one waterway to another and generally the waterway they come from is their territory and we'll look at releasing her back there." The teenager is due to appear in Southport Magistrates Court on on January 21. *SA News
Flying Foxes
Farmers and environmentalists have joined forces to criticise the state government's inaction over the shooting of grey-headed flying foxes. The species is listed as vulnerable by the Commonwealth but hundreds are killed each year by orchardists to prevent the destruction of crops. Some are clipped by shotgun pellets and take a long time to die; others leave behind young that will die of starvation. An independent review of the culling last year found the practice, which is licensed by the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water, to be ethically and legally unacceptable. In June the department received advice it would cost $3.5 million to provide a 50 per cent subsidy for netting to keep flying foxes out of Sydney and central coast orchards. Those affected have become frustrated that the government will not ban culling or come forward with funding for netting. ''They've been consulting now for 2½ years and the bullshit is thicker on the ground now than it was at the start,'' said the treasurer of the NSW Farmers Association, Peter Comensoli. He said farmers wanted to leave culling behind and were ready to fund half the cost of netting and deal with ongoing maintenance.
The NSW Nature Conservation Council and the Humane Society International backed the farmers' bid for help and called on the government to immediately stop issuing licences for the shooting of flying foxes. 'It just strikes me as a rare occasion when all the antagonists are on the same field - I can't understand why the government doesn't take the free brownie points,'' Mr Comensoli said. The Greens MP Cate Faehrmann said the money the government needed to spend was minor given the gravity of the situation, and that the Treasurer, Eric Roozendaal, was playing hardball. ''The government really needs to come forward and just solve this,'' she said. A department spokeswoman said options for full exclusion netting were being discussed with Treasury and the federal government but she could not confirm when a decision would be made. The department has previously estimated it would cost up to $1 million over five years to manage full compliance of shooting licences. *Age
Editorial
International authorities have agreed on stricter shipping conditions in the Great Barrier Reef of Australia, in an effort to prevent further accidents like this year's grounding of a Chinese coal carrier. The accident off the Capricorn Coast smashed coral and caused more than two thousand tonnes of oil to leak into the sea. And there have been other such incidents before that. Now ships travelling through this area will be tracked by radio and satellite and will be required to regularly report on their location and route. Australia's Minister for Transport, Anthony Albanese says he is also looking at tougher penalties for those who break the rules. In our view it's still nowhere near good enough, if they had forced mandatory Australian pilotage thru the GBR reef years ago, the latest accidents may not have occured. Mandatory Australian pilotage is the only way to ensure these incidents wont happen again. The GBR must be the only World Heritasge Area anywhere, that allows Australian unqualified, and non-English speaking cargo boat skippers, to make their own way through such an important area. Hundreds of huge cargo vessels travel the GBR World heritage Area every week, many of them skippered by non-Australian qualified Captains. The new requirements are a feeble attempt by Government to allay public concern, and are simply not good enough to prevent more incidents from happening. *
Reindeer
Norway's 200,000 reindeer are being fitted with reflectors to protect them from being run over. So far about 2,000 of the animals have been fitted with reflective yellow collars or small antler tags, reports the Daily Telegraph. The aim is to reduce the number of car crashes that kill around 500 of the animals each year. "It really works," said Kristian Oevernes, the leader of the project at the Norwegian Public Roads Administration. "This is the first time it (reindeer marking) has happened on this scale." A test drive on a snowmobile showed that marked reindeer were far more visible in the dark than others. About 200,000 reindeer live in Norway, mostly owned by Sami indigenous people who raise them for meat, skins and antlers. Sami herders had tried small experiments to attach reflective tape to the animals but the glue failed in the cold. Finnish herders had also tried a reflective spray, but it reduced the fur's ability to keep out the chill. *OrangeUK
Whaling
Prime Minister Julia Gillard has reiterated the federal government's anti-whaling stance amid reports of Japanese officials accepting whale meat gifts. Japan's Fisheries Agency has admitted its officials accepted gifts of whale meat from the body that runs the country's so-called scientific whaling program, the ABC has reported. Ms Gillard told reporters in Adelaide the Australian government is "completely opposed to whaling", which is why it is taking action through the international courts. "We view whaling as absolutely unacceptable, so I am opposed to it in every circumstance including that circumstance." *AAP
Kangaroos
A rare albino kangaroo has died before rescuers could reach it in the flooded Murray River. The Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service (WIRES) was attempting to rescue the animal this afternoon near the NSW-Victoria border. The "extremely rare" kangaroo was trapped by a strip of land and accessible only by boat. Rescuers had planned to either lift it into a boat or tow it alongside the boat to safety. But WIRES said that when the rescuers reached the land the kangaroo had already died, most likely of hunger and exhaustion. *HeraldSun
Shire of Capel (WA) kangaroo open season declarations have recently been modified to allow farmers and property owners to shoot the animals while they’re on their property. The amendment, made at the last council meeting, has been submitted to the Department of Environment and Conservation for approval. Acting chief executive officer of the Shire Andrew Ross said the council had had plenty of complaints from the community about the amount of kangaroos in the Shire. “The community has a lot of safety concerns – particularly a hazard for driving,” he said. “They have asked that the kangaroos be culled to make the roads safer, as well as prevent damage to the native flora.” The DEC approached the council with three separate options with how to deal with the kangaroo population. At the council meeting they decided to declare a full open season which allows professional shooters and property owners to cull the kangaroos which are on their property without a licence from the DEC. “The only concern we would have is people not understanding the guidelines which are placed on the open season,” Mr Ross said. “Property owners need to make sure they are well informed of the rules before they begin to cull the kangaroos.” *Bunbury Mail
Bats
Scientists and conservation groups are asking the US Fish and Wildlife Service to immediately protect what was the most common bat species in the Northeast just five years ago. The brown bat is being ravaged by white nose syndrome, a fast-moving and deadly illness named for a powdery white fungus that appear on bats’ noses, faces, and wings. The disease has killed more than a million bats in the United States, and scientists say it could wipe out brown bats in the Northeast within 20 years. “The little brown bat is in imminent danger of extinction in its Northeastern core range due to white-nose syndrome, and the species is likely in danger of extinction throughout North America,’’ said Thomas H. Kunz of Boston University, a leading authority on bats. Kunz and other researchers are asking the federal agency to place the animal on the endangered species list as an emergency measure and then assess its population. Kunz and others conducted their own study earlier this year and determined there is a 99 percent chance the brown bat will not sustain a regional population for more than 16 years unless death rates slow. *Boston.com
Some Green Energy May Harm Marine Wildlife
Without maps or GPS, great white sharks travel thousands of miles roundtrip from California to Hawaii or Australia to South Africa. Sea turtles hatched on the beaches of Florida travel the currents of the North Atlantic Gyre to Europe, Africa and South America before heading home. And in one of the most mysterious and epic journeys of all, salmon from the streams and rivers of Alaska and the Pacific Northwest head to sea and swim into the far reaches of the North Pacific before returning to spawn. Scientists increasingly believe these marine creatures and others use the earth's magnetic fields to navigate vast distances. But as the search for green energy turns to the oceans, there are concerns that tidal and wave-powered generators, and the cables that bring their electricity to shore, could interfere with the internal compasses of sea creatures. The fear isn't that the fish and other marine life will get chewed up in revolving turbine blades or other machinery. It's that the generators and the cables to shore produce electromagnetic fields that could interfere with their natural guidance systems, which use the earth's magnetic fields. In addition, there are some worries the machines may produce a low-level hum that interferes with such marine mammals as whales. *ADN.com
Irresponsible Pet Owners Slammed
Irresponsible pet owners are being blamed for the "shocking" number of dog and cat attacks on native wildlife in Australia's eastern states. Almost 17,000 attacks on native animals have been recorded in the past five years by prominent animal welfare groups who say the results are just the tip of the iceberg. The figures only include injured or orphaned animals, and not the many hundreds of thousands which die or go unreported, according to the Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service (WIRES). WIRES general manager Leanne Taylor said most cases are likely to be related to domestic dogs and cats rather than feral animals which usually eat their prey. But the real culprits are people who don't supervise their pets, she said. "Cats and dogs only do what they have evolved to do to survive and that is to hunt their prey for food," she said. "We shouldn't demonise them for doing this but (we) should take the responsibility for their behaviour ourselves." WIRES collated the statistics with Sydney Metropolitan Wildlife Service (SMWS), Wildcare Australia (WA) in Queensland, and Wildlife Victoria (WV).
In a joint statement, the agencies said the figures "add up to a shocking picture of irresponsible pet ownership". They reveal that in Victoria, cats were responsible for 1631 attacks on native animals while 1163 dog attacks were recorded during the five-year period. Nearly 70 koalas were either killed or injured by dogs, WV said. Sixty attacks on kangaroos were recorded, along with 143 attacks on blue-tongue lizards by dogs. More than 1100 possums were injured or killed by cats and dogs. Among them were some of the more rare species including the eastern pygmy possum, Mitchell's hopping mouse and the mountain brushtail. WIRES figures show 10,936 attacks on wildlife for NSW - almost evenly split between cats and dogs - with more than 4700 of those in Sydney alone. That figure jumps to 6646 when SMWS's recorded attacks are included. The organisation also says one of the most attacked animals by cats in Sydney is the ringtail possum.
In Queensland, Wildcare Australia (WA) recorded 1128 dog and cat attacks over the five-year period from December 2005 to November 2010. WA says 318 birds, 486 possums and 134 reptiles were injured, orphaned or killed by cats and dogs, adding that the Gold Coast City Council area "topped the list for irresponsible pet ownership" with a reported 356 attacks. Brisbane City Council followed with 245 and then Logan with 137. WIRES said pet owners can help reduce the number of attacks by preventing their cats and dogs from roaming uncontrolled or unsupervised. "We also recommend people buy or build enclosures for cats so they can get access to outside safely, and with dogs, keep them on-leash on beaches and in wildlife areas," Jilea Carney of WIRES told AAP. Dogs and cats should also be desexed to stem the flow of unwanted animals, she said. The agencies said there are other wildlife groups in each state which would also have their own figures. "You could only imagine what the national figure would be," Ms Carney said. *NineNews
Ed Comment; When we add in the numbers killed on the roads, and in landclearing and moonscaping for Mega Malls and Satelite Cities, wildlife shooting and poisoning, etc, etc, the numbers of wildlife killed across Australia must be enormous. No wonder our wildlife is disappearing........
Elephants
Scientists have confirmed the theory that the African elephant belongs to two separate species - the savanna elephant and the smaller forest elephant. The researchers made the discovery after comparing elephant DNA to that of extinct woolly mammoths and American mastodons. Professor Michael Hofreiter, who specialises in studying ancient DNA at the University of York in England, says he has created a comprehensive elephant family tree by comparing the gene sequences of the African and Asian elephants to the gene sequences of the extinct species. "African forest elephants and African savanna elephants diverged as long ago as mammoths and Asian elephants, so around 5 million years ago or even earlier," he said. "Five million years is almost as long ago as humans and chimpanzees diverged, and I think nobody would make the claim that they are the same species. "What we found is that mammoths and Asian elephants are as distinct from each other as African savanna and African forest elephants, which almost certainly means that the two African elephants are two distinct species." The new family tree helps scientists to better understand the evolutionary history of elephants.
Dr Mike Bunce from Murdoch University, who also specialises in ancient DNA, says one complicating factor is that African elephants can interbreed, which may have an impact on conservation efforts. "It can create hybrids and there's some evidence that that has occurred at some point in the past," he said. "So in the same way that horses and donkeys can interbreed to create mules, African savanna and forest elephants could also potentially interbreed, but may produce fertile offspring. "So this taxonomy is very important in conservation, because if you do not define what a species is, it's very hard to devise a species plan that's able to effectively manage that resource." The research is published today in the journal Public Library of Science. *ABC
Shotguns and Wildlife
Pump-action shotguns are a useful tool for wildlife management on farms, a Kempton farmer says. Don Jones has disagreed with comments by National Coalition for Gun Control chairman Roland Browne in which he describes pump-action shotguns as "military weapons". The Mercury reported yesterday that the coalition was concerned about a proposal to change the guns from a Category C classification to Category A as part of possible changes to the Tasmanian Firearms Act. Mr Jones said re-classifying pump-action shotguns as Category A would give farmers better access to an efficient and humane method of animal control. "They are not a military weapon," Mr Jones said. "Farmers have asked for pump-action shotguns to be put into the same category as pump-action rifles. They are currently in the category with semi-automatics. "Farmers and their employees and recreational hunters who assist in the control of wildlife need this type of firearm to achieve better controls."
Mr Jones said the ability of pump-action shotguns to carry more rounds than a conventional shotgun could make shooting more humane. "A pump-action has a capacity of five rounds. You've got a couple of rounds up your sleeve. If you wound something, you can efficiently dispatch it," he said. Mr Jones said heavy restrictions placed on the use of 1080 poison had left farmers to rely heavily on shooting to control pests. "Firearms are tools of trade for farmers and their employees," he said. "We have to choose between adequate firearms to do the job or ask the Government for the wholesale use of 1080 poison as an alternative. "If people want to get really friendly, they can pay our farmers to keep excess animals."
Veterinary pathologist David Obendorf said while he was not an expert on firearms, he believed the animal welfare implications were no different whether using a pump-action in comparison with a conventional shotgun. Dr Obendorf said accurate shooting was the best means of preventing animal suffering. "It's about the correct calibre shot, being a good marksman and being within range," he said. "The welfare implications are still as paramount." He said shotguns were a problem in the hands of people who did not know how to use them. "I've seen the consequences of animals splattered with gunshot under their skin," he said. "They can die a very slow and lingering death as a result of shooters not getting it right and killing quickly and humanely." Mr Jones said licensed gun owners underwent police checks before being granted their licence. He said responsible gun owners did not pose a threat to the community or the police. "Mr Browne said that pump action shotguns posed an extra danger to police. That is a ridiculous statement and should be ignored," he said. "Making these alterations is in no way watering down the laws affecting gun ownership or control." *Mercury
Chinese Zoos Clampdown
The Beijing State Forestry Administration (SFA) has ordered 53 wildlife parks and zoos that stage animal shows to improve their management after inspections found animals' welfare had not been well protected. The administration also nullified the certifications of seven other parks and zoos that violated laws. The measures came after a nationwide inspection revealed commercial performances have led to animals' frequent abuse and exploitation. The central government has sent six teams to monitor and evaluate 500 wildlife parks and zoos nationwide since October. The inspections found poor management and illegal activities in some zoos and wildlife parks were increasingly causing rare species' deaths. There were also incidents in which animals injured visitors, SFA department of wildlife conservation and nature reserve management director Zhang Xiwu was quoted by Xinhua News Agency as saying.
Some zoos were found unable to provide animals' basic care because of their insufficient profits and others were found to be engaged in illegal wildlife product sales, Zhang told a meeting in Guangzhou on Monday. "Both the security of endangered species and the safety of the public are threatened by improper management," SFA deputy head Yin Hong told Xinhua. An estimated 700 public zoos, wildlife parks and circuses organize animal performances, which attract about 150 million visitors a year. International Fund for Animal Welfare Beijing office campaign manager Hua Ning told China Daily she viewed the restrictions on animal performances as a positive step toward animal rights protection. "I believe many Chinese would be unhappy if they knew the baby tigers they hold in their arms for photos (in some zoos) have had their canine teeth pulled out," Hua said. "The government needs to help zoos and aquariums cancel some performances that entertain visitors but harm animals." It is important the government enforces the restrictions through surprise inspections, Hua said. "In the long run, the government should guide zoos back to the purpose of educating people about nature's beauty and informing the public about how to better protect Earth's magnificent creatures." Administration official Zhang Xiwu said the crackdown on illegal wildlife performances will continue over the long term, although it remained difficult to monitor circuses and individual trainers. *AsiaOne
Birds Killed in Nets
Wildlife biologist Mark Holdsworth believes irresponsible use of netting has resulted in the death of countless marine birds. Mr Holdsworth, of the wildlife management branch of the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment, discovered 10 dead black-faced shags, or cormorants, trapped in a grab-all net while fishing off the sheltered waters of Primrose Sands this week. He managed to save another four shags, which are wholly protected, who were still alive. "The birds were all juveniles, about two months old, and would have been going for one of their first swims," Mr Holdsworth said. "They would have suffered terribly and had probably been there for at least an hour struggling to get free before they drowned. "A few were still alive, we managed to free them and return them to the island." Mr Holdsworth came across the net near the Isle of Caves, just off the coast of Primrose Sands, which was busy with breeding marine birds. "I think in this case it was just ignorance. There are hundreds of birds in that area, but it is worrying," he said.
"If people were close, checking on their nets, they would realise the problem and could move them to a safer area." Mr Holdsworth was concerned the incident was just the tip of the iceberg. "I just happened to be out there yesterday. If I hadn't been, many more birds might have been caught and died slow, painful deaths," he said. Mr Holdsworth said although nets were legal in Tasmania, ideally, none should be used for recreational fishing. "Avoid putting nets out at all, but if people must, they should definitely avoid sea islands where birds nest," he said. "Tasmania is one of the only States in Australia where these sorts of nets are legal." If you find birds trapped in a net, ensure your own safety, pull the net into the boat and free the birds. *Mercury
Goanna Watch
Tis the season for goannas to be jolly. The summer solstice starts the courtship season for Rosenberg’s Goanna. Kangaroo Island is this species last stronghold. Life history studies of Rosenberg’s began on the island in 1966 and continue today under the direction of doctors Brian Green and Peggy Rismiller. Brian retired from CSIRO Div of Ecology and built a home on his much loved Kangaroo Island. Today he is working harder than ever to unravel the mysteries he began studying decades ago. “Rosenberg’s have been a challenge. New field equipment and techniques are giving us opportunities to follow individuals through life. That in itself is a big job. Over 1,000 hatchlings have been given lifetime ID and only eight have been recovered within the study area during the past ten years. We can say that juvenile survival is not high.” On Kangaroo Island summer is when the goannas really start moving. “Some males have home ranges exceeding fifteen square kilometres,” says Dr. Rismiller. “Females stay closer to home because of the heavy energy investment with breeding and egg development.
Digging the incubation chamber in a termite mound takes two or more days and then the female guards the freshly laid eggs for another fortnight before she resumes eating and a normal life.” CVA joined the research team in 1990. Since then they have established and maintained the National Goanna Watch for this threatened species. South Australia CVA Manager Terry Peacock says “Rosenberg’s has become extinct across more than 80% of its pre European settlement range. Understanding the decline of this species is about understanding habitat loss. Healthy habitat and healthy communities is what CVA is about. Our work with the scientist on Kangaroo Island is providing critical data for mainland wildlife managers in areas where Rosenberg’s still manage to survive. On Kangaroo Island this eye catching goanna has become an icon for international travellers.” To learn more about the Island Rosenberg’s population and life studies direct from the scientist, contact Dr. Rismiller on rimac@kin.net.au for an email fact sheet.
The downside of this jolly time for goannas is the significant increase in road deaths that occurs during the holiday season. “Last summer reported road kills along KI sealed roads exceeded 400 individuals.” says Dr. Rismiller. “If you find a road kill, please send a message to me or the NRM office with date and location. This will help us identify where active hotspots are for future education and driver awareness. As a native and threatened species, Rosenberg’s is protected by both state and federal legislation. Deliberately running over one is an offense. Sometimes education, public awareness and involvement can achieve more than laws.” Fresh road kills can help island scientist gather other vital statistics. If you find a fresh casualty, you can take it to the NRM office on Dauncey Street in Kingscote during business hours. They will freeze the specimen along with relevant date and location of collection information. “Your help and interest provides another important piece in the big puzzle of studying the life of Rosenberg’s. Have a safe holiday season and enjoy our unique wildlife.” Thank you from Randy & Rosie Rosenbergs and the team at National Goanna Watch. *The Islander
Monday, December 20, 2010
Wildlife Bytes 21/12/10
Wombats
Up to 60 volunteers are struggling to save wombats trapped in their burrows by floodwaters. A team of Victorian volunteers drove through the night on Friday to help in the operation again yesterday. The team of workers is losing hope of finding any wombats alive as time goes on. Wombat Awareness Organisation founding director Brigitte Stevens said she and the volunteers had already pulled 113 bodies from flooded burrows. "As time goes on and they're starting to float more, we'll get more little bodies," Ms Stevens said. Two have been pulled out alive since the floods almost two weeks ago, but both had to be euthanased. Ms Stevens said she hoped some had found air pockets in their burrows and had survived. "It's overwhelming," she said. "We're just trying to give them a second chance. All the other burrows (we haven't got to) are covered with millions of litres. We just can't do anything." She said volunteers had been working for up to 18 hours a day.
The Victorian SES has loaned a water pump to Wildlife Victoria for the rescue - the first time the SES has been involved in a wildlife disaster rescue. It is also the first time the WAO or Wildlife Victoria has been involved in a flood rescue operation. Wildlife Victoria volunteers are trained to respond to bushfires, and helped animals in the aftermath of the Black Saturday fires. Ms Stevens said it would take another week to pump the water from known burrows on public land. The next concern for surviving wombats would be pneumonia, she said. Ms Stevens said she did not know how many wombats could be trapped in the region, or how many may have died. The pool the group was pumping out yesterday sat about burrows that were home to about 17 wombats which Ms Stevens had cared for in the past. It was the second day they had been pumping that pool. The WAO is currently caring for 17 resident wombats, most of which are too sick to be released into the wild. Adelaide Now
Controlled Burning Condemned
Increasing controlled burning in the Mallee to meet a Bushfires Royal Commission recommendation would threaten the long-term survival of the region's native wildlife, a scientific study has found. Birdlife including the Mallee emu-wren and black-eared miner, both of which are endangered, and threatened marsupials such as the western pygmy possum, face a dramatic loss of habitat if the commission's advice to triple the rate of prescribed burning to 5 per cent of public land each year is followed. ''Of course there is a need for prescribed burning to protect life and property, and to reduce the risk of large bushfires, but a blanket application of the 5 per cent target proposed by the royal commission ignores ecological subtleties in areas like the Mallee,'' said Mike Clarke, associate professor at La Trobe University's zoology department. ''The 5 per cent figure was based on foothill forest areas like the Dandenongs and Kinglake where people have settled, but it's not ecologically sustainable in areas like the Mallee.''
A four-year study, led by Professor Clarke and Professor Andrew Bennett of Deakin University, found large parts of the Mallee have not burned for between 20 and 140 years. Flora in these parts has reached a maturity essential for certain species to thrive. It takes at least 40 years for a tree hollow to begin to form in the Mallee, and at least 20 years for spinifex to become high-quality habitat. ''Such slow-developing resources highlight the importance of specifically providing for their availability in fire management planning,'' the study's authors write. If 5 per cent of public land in the Mallee were burnt each year, without burning the same area twice, it would take 20 years to burn it all. Between 1972 and 2007, typically 1.1 per cent of the Mallee burnt each year, whether through bushfire or prescribed burning. In that time there were three big fires that burnt more than 100,000 hectares, and less than 3 per cent of the region experienced more than one fire. Professor Clarke said the Baillieu government needed to respect the unique characteristics of the Mallee in managing fire risk. "'The new government should have a science-based approach to burning, with a target worked out region by region, not a simplistic blanket-wide application of 5 per cent,'' Professor Clarke said. The government has promised to meet the commission's 5 per cent target by 2014, a tripling of previously prescribed levels to about 390,000 hectares a year. *Age
Editorial
It appears that any plans to overhaul the EPBC Act have been put on hold by the new Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke. The Hawke Review into the EPBC Act began in 2008, and Government approval was expected in 2010. The Hawke Review recommended 71 alterations to the EPBC Act. While former Environment Minister Peter Garrett had produced a document for Cabinet to consider, the Federal Election and subsequent change of the Environment Minister, put everthing on hold. Minister Tony Burke has recently said ''I've wanted to look over the recommendations for change with a fresh set of eyes … and I won't be able to declare particular reforms that we're taking up until we have developed a government position.'' In political double speak, that means Burke will certainly reject many of the recomendations made in the Garrett Report. The Federal Government had already rejected several of the Hawke recomendations, including reform of regional forestry agreements, and for an interim ''trigger'' that would allow the minister to reject or amend projects emitting too many greenhouse gases. Wildlife protection never got a mention. It's now likely that the badly needed reform of the EPBC Act will be watered down yet again, to allow vested interest groups to progress development at "whatever the environmental costs". * WPAA
Dolphins
Lifesavers suspect a knife was used to slice apart a baby dolphin found dead off the Gold Coast. An IRB team warning two boats to move on from the bathing area off Surfers Paradise saw the 1m-long dolphin about 12.20pm yesterday. Surf Lifesaving Queensland Gold Coast duty officer Ryan Knight said lifesavers were confronted with a gruesome scene when they found the dolphin about 300m offshore. "The dolphin was lying upside down. They picked it up and took it back to shore," Mr Knight said. "It had a cut on the chest about 30 to 40cms in length. It basically had been filleted like a fish. "The wound was fresh. The dolphin was still bleeding. Our patrol members said it was a quite disturbing thing to witness. We're pretty sure it was done by humans." Lifesavers moved the carcass to Sea World for its marine staff to examine and were contacting Water Police to investigate. *Courier Mail
Gliders
Meet the latest victims of Sydney's housing crisis - the feathertail glider. Once common in the city, there are concerns the gliders have been pushed to Sydney's fringes by overdevelopment and reckless pet owners. According to Taronga Zoo, sightings are rare and experts believe we may be on the verge of them disappearing. "There's simply not enough places for these little guys to live," said Paul Davies from the zoo's Australian Fauna Unit. Mr Davies said they had been receiving reports of feathertail gliders living in letterboxes. This, he said, "was a sign there weren't enough tree hollows because of growing housing development". The zoo is worried for the future of Sydney's small marsupial, which measures only 65mm to 80mm. The other threat comes from cats: "When pets roam at night they might see a feathertail glider. If they do they kill it." He was worried the marsupial could go the way of the coin that once carried its image. "The feathertail glider used to featured on the 1c coin and it would be a real shame to have them to go the same way," he said. *Daily Telegraph
Disgusting Food
We happened to be surfing the Internet the other day, and found a list of the World's best restuarant dishes for 2010. Surprisingly, there were no kangaroo dishes, athough the website did feature such disgusting dishes such as Pan-fried sheep testicles, Spiced pig’s blood at blood temperature with potatoes and cockles, and Sausage with snails. But no kangaroo, emu, or possum. It appears warm spiced pigs blood is more interesting for those diners who put no value on their bodies. http://www.gourmettraveller.com.au/dishes-of-the-year-2010.htm
Koalas
'The Senate Inquiry into the status, health and sustainability of Australia's koala' has to recieve all Submissions before February the 8th 2011. Anyone can submit to Senate inquiry. The more submissions the Senate Environment, Communications and the Arts References Committee receives in relation to the risks to our koala population, the better the chances of having the koala deemed “vulnerable” in accordance with the EPBC Act. If we are to protect the koala we all must act now, and you can make your submission online at the following address: http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/ec_ctte/koalas/index.htm
Albatross
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says a short-tailed albatross, once thought extinct, has laid its first-ever egg on Eastern Island in the Midway atoll. The breeding pair, who have been taking turns warming the egg, previously had both been branded. Identifying rings around the mother and father show both birds were born on Torishima Island, 3,000 miles west of Eastern Island, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported Sunday. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service administers Eastern Island which is part of the Midway atoll. In 2000 a Japanese non-profit called The Oceanic Wildlife Society was allowed to place 16 decoys on Midway to help the birds form a new colony. Environmentalists have endeavored to get the albatross there to form pairs by putting out detailed models of the birds and playing recorded bird cries on Torishima Island, one of the other hoped-for breeding sites, the newspaper reported. Short-tailed albatross were thought to have become extinct between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, due to overhunting for their feathers which were used in women's hats. * UPI.com
Ants
New research has indicated that leaf cutter ants, who spend their whole lives cutting pieces of leaf for growing an edible fungi in the ant nest, change their jobs when they get older and their "teeth" wear out. Then they slow down and can no longer cut the pieces of leaf out. So they are retired to be a leaf carrier, and they spend the last part of their lives carrying the leaf pieces underground to the fungi gardens. Just like humans when they get older, senior ants can still contribute to society. *
Climate Change
A number of Sydney suburbs will be inundated regularly because of climate change-driven sea-level rises, threatening homes and community infrastructure worth billion of dollars by the end of the century, new projections show. In the first detailed attempt to study the impacts of sea-level rises on low-lying coastal areas and help local government planning, the government has released high-resolution maps that show the areas in Sydney and the central coast most under threat from sea-level rises. Sydney suburbs facing significant danger of inundation, even with limited rises, include Caringbah, Kurnell, Cromer and Manly Vale. Significant parts of Newcastle and the central coast are also potentially in harm's way. Last year the government released data revealing that an estimated 247,600 buildings valued at $63 billion could be damaged or lost due to sea-level rises. In the same data, up to 62,400 homes in NSW - worth $18.7 billion - were estimated to be under threat from inundation, mainly in the local government areas of Lake Macquarie, Gosford Wyong, Wollongong, Shoalhaven and Rockdale. The maps released yesterday also include projections for low-lying areas in other heavily populated centres, including Melbourne, Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Perth. *SMH Read more,
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/rising-sea-levels-will-swamp-parts-of-sydney-20101215-18yak.html
Kangaroos
The Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia says the Northern Territory is missing out on millions of dollars by refusing to commercially harvest kangaroos. It says for five years the Territory Government has refused to even allow a feasibility study into the benefits of setting up a commercial kangaroo industry. The association's John Kelly says the Government is concerned it would be too expensive to set up legislation to monitor the industry. "The Territory is missing out on potential income, a potential industry, a sustainable industry, a natural and native industry," he said. Currently roo meat is exported to 56 countries and Mr Kelly says a deal with China could increase national sales by up to 40 per cent next year. Mr Kelly says the Government needs to do a study into the potential industry. "The Northern Territory has a resource in kangaroos. I believe that's reasonably substantial but until the Northern Territory Government does a survey they have no idea how large that resource is," he said. *ABC Comment here http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2010/12/20/202021_ntnews.html
Australian Geographic have produced a Report criticisng the two recent Thinkk reports, claiming kangaroo meat is still safe to eat for Christmas. You can comment here....
http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/journal/kangaroo-meat-still-a-safe-option-for-christmas.htm
Birds
Australia is known for its rich bird life but the cost of colonisation on the country's birds is becoming clearer. A new study has found that one species of bird and five sub-species that were listed as critically endangered a decade ago, actually vanished between 20 and 70 years ago. Every decade, experts review the status of Australia's birds based on the observations of birdwatchers around the country. There has been no sign of the six types of birds in trouble. "We were worried about these birds when we last reviewed their status 10 years ago," Professor Stephen Garnett from Charles Darwin University said. "Sadly, no sign of them has turned up in the last decade. "A number have been targeted searches for them in just the right habitat for quite long periods of time but have still not found them." The birds now thought to be extinct are: the white-breasted white-eye from Norfolk Island, a type of pied currawong from the Grampians, a type of thick-billed grass wren from near Alice Springs, the hooded robin from the Tiwi Islands, the spotted quail thrush from near Adelaide, the southern star finch from the east coast of Australia "It's about a 25 per cent increase in the number of types of birds that have gone extinct since European settlement in Australia," Professor Garnett said. The researchers will recommend the birds be internationally listed as extinct. *ABC
Slider Turtles Found
Four red-eared slider turtles have been seized by Victorian officials in the past six weeks, prompting fears someone may be breeding them. One was found at Ferntree Gully yesterday, and others have been discovered at Aberfeldie, Healesville and Attwood. Staff at a Ferntree Gully kindergarden contacted the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) after discovering their pet was in fact a pest. They breed prolifically and eat native frogs and fish. The turtles are an aggressive, introduced pest. They have yellow stripes on their face and red stripes behind each ear and can carry a type of tuberculosis and salmonella. DSE spokesman Ken Larner says the number of turtles found recently makes them believe someone is breeding them. Anyone who sees one of these turtles is urged to report it to the state government on 136 186. *ABC
Polar Bears
The Canadian government is embarking on a process to put a price on polar bears in hopes of protecting the endangered animal. A recent study that suggests there is still a slim chance to save the animals from global warming. Researchers say the polar bear population this year appears to be in even worse shape than last year. So Ottawa is hiring a private company to consider how much the bears are worth as a national icon, to tourism and just by existing. At stake is whether to list them as a species at risk. Researchers have predicted that by the year 2050, only a third of the world's 22,000 polar bears might be left. And recent efforts in the US to protect the bears suffered a setback when an international conservation watchdog ruled they were not endangered enough to need a worldwide trade ban. A new study released this week, suggests the bear's fate from climate change is not yet sealed, but their future is clearly in the hands of policy makers. *ABC
Spiders
They're fat, they're hairy and they love smelly sneakers. Feisty funnel-web spiders are making a surprise appearances in NSW this summer, lured out of hiding by the wet weather and seeking refuge around suburban homes. They aren't the only danger lurking in the suburbs - snakes love the hot and humid weather, particularly the highly venomous eastern brown snake and more common red-bellied black snake Australian Reptile Park spider expert Julie Mendezona said funnel-webs usually emerged in autumn but increased ground moisture may have triggered an early breeding season. "The males are going out at night looking for females to mate with because it is usually too hot in the day," she said. "They can sometimes get a bit disoriented and can't find their way back to where they started so they'll just hide anywhere, which can be in shoes left outside. The species' habit of ending up in swimming pools is of particular concern at this time of year, as they can survive underwater for more than 24 hours inside a bubble of air. There are about 40 different funnel-webs in Australia, but Ms Mendezona said the Sydney funnel-web, found from Nowra to Newcastle and west to Lithgow, was "the main offender". No one has died from a funnel-web bite since an antivenom was developed in 1981, but it is still one of the world's most deadly species. Ms Mendezona said the Australian Reptile Park needed more spiders for venom milking and urged anyone who found a funnel-web to capture it safely, if possible. The park's website, reptilepark.com.au, has details of how to catch the spiders and drop-off points. * Daily Telegaph
Tassie Devils
The effort to have an insurance population of healthy Tasmanian devils has been given a boost. In parts of Tasmania up to 90 per cent of the devil population has been wiped out by a contagious cancer-like facial tumour disease. The Devil Island Program has seen the development of three enclosures at sites around Tasmania and the establishment of a fourth free range enclosure has begun. Legislative councillor Kerry Finch says the enclosures are designed to protect healthy devils from contracting the deadly disease. "There's a lot of research that is going on and of course there needs to be a lot of money that needs to be raised to put into these projects," he said. "So we're constantly working away at that; we have volunteers who are getting the interest of the general public and the general public have absolutely been fantastic." Mr Finch says preparations are underway to move healthy devils to the area. "So we just need to make sure that we move as fast as we possibly can to establish this insurance population," he said. "Because if they become extinct in the wild we need to make sure we've got this gene pool of animals available that will be the survivors that will be able to take the species on into the future." *ABC
Whaling
NZ Foreign Minister McCully warns anti-whaling protesters that Japanese ships will be armed and says activists must take care The government is warning anti-whaling protesters that Japan is taking a strong stand to prevent any action against them this year, after clashes last season. Last year, Pete Bethune, the New Zealand skipper of the Ady Gill which was destroyed in a collision with the Shonan Maru, climbed aboard the Japanese vessel in an attempt to serve a citizen's arrest on its captain. He was arrested and taken to Japan where he stood trial. The Greens want the government to do everything it can to keep anti-whaling protesters safe on the seas this summer, including sending offshore patrol vessels to the Southern Ocean but Foreign Minister Murray McCully has ruled that out. He is warning activists that Japanese whaling ships will have armed officers on board this season and says it's up to protesters to keep themselves safe.
"We've got information to suggest that the intent of the protesters is to take a fairly robust approach. It's a recipe that causes me considerable concern which is why I keep reminding people of the need for them to observe the law of the sea in regard to the safety of human beings." However, Green MP Gareth Hughes says more needs to be done and sending ships would provide Japan with a strong signal. "If a ship is able to go it should be sent because what we're talking about is people's lives on the high sea. Also I believe we can legitimately question New Zealand's commitment this year towards whale conservation." The government has announced it won't join Australia in taking court action against Japan's whaling programme but will have input into the case. Australia is applying to the United Nations' highest court, the International Court of Justice, to stop Japan's co-called 'scientific whaling.'.NewstalkZB
The Japanese whaling fleet has come under more pressure to abandon its annual hunt in the Southern Ocean this summer. Conservation groups have accused the country of breaching an injunction issued by the Federal Court two years ago by undertaking its annual whale hunt this summer. The Japanese whaling fleet is currently on its way south and this year its quota includes more than 1,000 whales. The injunction, secured by Humane Society International in January 2008, argues the hunt in Australia's Antarctic territorial waters is illegal. The Federal Government's case also calls into question Japan's scientific whaling program. It has been lodged in the International Court of Justice, but it could take years before the matter is heard. "In the face of that, Japan is just carrying on regardless, as if there's no court case, there's no international condemnation of their so-called scientific whaling which we all know is a sham," HSI's Alexia Wellbelove said. Ms Wellbelove says last year's hunt included pregnant females, and the slaughter is an act of bad faith that flies in the face of international condemnation. "Well according to the cruise reports that the Japanese publish and present to the IWC meeting, 185 females were pregnant and that's 69 per cent of all the females caught were either pregnant or lactating and we just think that's really gruesome," she said. "These animals are trying to breed and it's a brutal killing and it's totally unnecessary." *ABC
Indigenous Hunting
New laws to stop unnecessarily cruel hunting practices being used on Dugong and Turtles were proposed by the LNP in Cairns today. Opposition and LNP Leader John-Paul Langbroek and Shadow Environment Minister Jack Dempsey today released a draft regulation which would make it illegal for anyone exercising traditional hunting rights to wound, mutilate, torture or unnecessarily prolong the death of any animal. Mr. Langbroek said the draft regulation, if adopted, would close a loophole that had allowed some individuals to abuse the traditional hunting allowances and subject dugong and turtles to prolonged, excruciating deaths. “My former Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability Glen Elmes raised this matter in Parliament earlier this year and brought my attention to a graphic YouTube video which showed a turtle being kept alive while its flippers and meat were cut off.” Mr. Langbroek said. “This video is sickening and raises serious questions about the treatment of these animals by some individuals.” “This behaviour is not acceptable and new regulations could provide a stronger legal framework to discourage this practice.” Mr. Langbroek said.
Mr. Dempsey said the Bligh Labor Cabinet could adopt the animal cruelty regulations without having to take it before Parliament. “Keeping a turtle alive while it is cut up or letting a dugong bake to death in the sun is a practice that should be outlawed.” Mr. Dempsey said. “No-one is calling for a ban on all traditional hunting but we must consider the long-term survival of these species and the treatment of these animals — this cruelty is simply not necessary.” Mr. Dempsey said. The draft regulation will be available to be viewed on Mr. Langbroek’s website – www.jplangbroek.com – and feedback can be provided via the website or by emailing Mr Dempsey at bundaberg@parliament.qld.gov.au Mr. Langbroek was accompanied in Cairns today by Mr. Dempsey, Mr. Elmes and newly appointed Shadow Minister for North Queensland Andrew Cripps. *Network News
Up to 60 volunteers are struggling to save wombats trapped in their burrows by floodwaters. A team of Victorian volunteers drove through the night on Friday to help in the operation again yesterday. The team of workers is losing hope of finding any wombats alive as time goes on. Wombat Awareness Organisation founding director Brigitte Stevens said she and the volunteers had already pulled 113 bodies from flooded burrows. "As time goes on and they're starting to float more, we'll get more little bodies," Ms Stevens said. Two have been pulled out alive since the floods almost two weeks ago, but both had to be euthanased. Ms Stevens said she hoped some had found air pockets in their burrows and had survived. "It's overwhelming," she said. "We're just trying to give them a second chance. All the other burrows (we haven't got to) are covered with millions of litres. We just can't do anything." She said volunteers had been working for up to 18 hours a day.
The Victorian SES has loaned a water pump to Wildlife Victoria for the rescue - the first time the SES has been involved in a wildlife disaster rescue. It is also the first time the WAO or Wildlife Victoria has been involved in a flood rescue operation. Wildlife Victoria volunteers are trained to respond to bushfires, and helped animals in the aftermath of the Black Saturday fires. Ms Stevens said it would take another week to pump the water from known burrows on public land. The next concern for surviving wombats would be pneumonia, she said. Ms Stevens said she did not know how many wombats could be trapped in the region, or how many may have died. The pool the group was pumping out yesterday sat about burrows that were home to about 17 wombats which Ms Stevens had cared for in the past. It was the second day they had been pumping that pool. The WAO is currently caring for 17 resident wombats, most of which are too sick to be released into the wild. Adelaide Now
Controlled Burning Condemned
Increasing controlled burning in the Mallee to meet a Bushfires Royal Commission recommendation would threaten the long-term survival of the region's native wildlife, a scientific study has found. Birdlife including the Mallee emu-wren and black-eared miner, both of which are endangered, and threatened marsupials such as the western pygmy possum, face a dramatic loss of habitat if the commission's advice to triple the rate of prescribed burning to 5 per cent of public land each year is followed. ''Of course there is a need for prescribed burning to protect life and property, and to reduce the risk of large bushfires, but a blanket application of the 5 per cent target proposed by the royal commission ignores ecological subtleties in areas like the Mallee,'' said Mike Clarke, associate professor at La Trobe University's zoology department. ''The 5 per cent figure was based on foothill forest areas like the Dandenongs and Kinglake where people have settled, but it's not ecologically sustainable in areas like the Mallee.''
A four-year study, led by Professor Clarke and Professor Andrew Bennett of Deakin University, found large parts of the Mallee have not burned for between 20 and 140 years. Flora in these parts has reached a maturity essential for certain species to thrive. It takes at least 40 years for a tree hollow to begin to form in the Mallee, and at least 20 years for spinifex to become high-quality habitat. ''Such slow-developing resources highlight the importance of specifically providing for their availability in fire management planning,'' the study's authors write. If 5 per cent of public land in the Mallee were burnt each year, without burning the same area twice, it would take 20 years to burn it all. Between 1972 and 2007, typically 1.1 per cent of the Mallee burnt each year, whether through bushfire or prescribed burning. In that time there were three big fires that burnt more than 100,000 hectares, and less than 3 per cent of the region experienced more than one fire. Professor Clarke said the Baillieu government needed to respect the unique characteristics of the Mallee in managing fire risk. "'The new government should have a science-based approach to burning, with a target worked out region by region, not a simplistic blanket-wide application of 5 per cent,'' Professor Clarke said. The government has promised to meet the commission's 5 per cent target by 2014, a tripling of previously prescribed levels to about 390,000 hectares a year. *Age
Editorial
It appears that any plans to overhaul the EPBC Act have been put on hold by the new Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke. The Hawke Review into the EPBC Act began in 2008, and Government approval was expected in 2010. The Hawke Review recommended 71 alterations to the EPBC Act. While former Environment Minister Peter Garrett had produced a document for Cabinet to consider, the Federal Election and subsequent change of the Environment Minister, put everthing on hold. Minister Tony Burke has recently said ''I've wanted to look over the recommendations for change with a fresh set of eyes … and I won't be able to declare particular reforms that we're taking up until we have developed a government position.'' In political double speak, that means Burke will certainly reject many of the recomendations made in the Garrett Report. The Federal Government had already rejected several of the Hawke recomendations, including reform of regional forestry agreements, and for an interim ''trigger'' that would allow the minister to reject or amend projects emitting too many greenhouse gases. Wildlife protection never got a mention. It's now likely that the badly needed reform of the EPBC Act will be watered down yet again, to allow vested interest groups to progress development at "whatever the environmental costs". * WPAA
Dolphins
Lifesavers suspect a knife was used to slice apart a baby dolphin found dead off the Gold Coast. An IRB team warning two boats to move on from the bathing area off Surfers Paradise saw the 1m-long dolphin about 12.20pm yesterday. Surf Lifesaving Queensland Gold Coast duty officer Ryan Knight said lifesavers were confronted with a gruesome scene when they found the dolphin about 300m offshore. "The dolphin was lying upside down. They picked it up and took it back to shore," Mr Knight said. "It had a cut on the chest about 30 to 40cms in length. It basically had been filleted like a fish. "The wound was fresh. The dolphin was still bleeding. Our patrol members said it was a quite disturbing thing to witness. We're pretty sure it was done by humans." Lifesavers moved the carcass to Sea World for its marine staff to examine and were contacting Water Police to investigate. *Courier Mail
Gliders
Meet the latest victims of Sydney's housing crisis - the feathertail glider. Once common in the city, there are concerns the gliders have been pushed to Sydney's fringes by overdevelopment and reckless pet owners. According to Taronga Zoo, sightings are rare and experts believe we may be on the verge of them disappearing. "There's simply not enough places for these little guys to live," said Paul Davies from the zoo's Australian Fauna Unit. Mr Davies said they had been receiving reports of feathertail gliders living in letterboxes. This, he said, "was a sign there weren't enough tree hollows because of growing housing development". The zoo is worried for the future of Sydney's small marsupial, which measures only 65mm to 80mm. The other threat comes from cats: "When pets roam at night they might see a feathertail glider. If they do they kill it." He was worried the marsupial could go the way of the coin that once carried its image. "The feathertail glider used to featured on the 1c coin and it would be a real shame to have them to go the same way," he said. *Daily Telegraph
Disgusting Food
We happened to be surfing the Internet the other day, and found a list of the World's best restuarant dishes for 2010. Surprisingly, there were no kangaroo dishes, athough the website did feature such disgusting dishes such as Pan-fried sheep testicles, Spiced pig’s blood at blood temperature with potatoes and cockles, and Sausage with snails. But no kangaroo, emu, or possum. It appears warm spiced pigs blood is more interesting for those diners who put no value on their bodies. http://www.gourmettraveller.com.au/dishes-of-the-year-2010.htm
Koalas
'The Senate Inquiry into the status, health and sustainability of Australia's koala' has to recieve all Submissions before February the 8th 2011. Anyone can submit to Senate inquiry. The more submissions the Senate Environment, Communications and the Arts References Committee receives in relation to the risks to our koala population, the better the chances of having the koala deemed “vulnerable” in accordance with the EPBC Act. If we are to protect the koala we all must act now, and you can make your submission online at the following address: http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/ec_ctte/koalas/index.htm
Albatross
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says a short-tailed albatross, once thought extinct, has laid its first-ever egg on Eastern Island in the Midway atoll. The breeding pair, who have been taking turns warming the egg, previously had both been branded. Identifying rings around the mother and father show both birds were born on Torishima Island, 3,000 miles west of Eastern Island, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported Sunday. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service administers Eastern Island which is part of the Midway atoll. In 2000 a Japanese non-profit called The Oceanic Wildlife Society was allowed to place 16 decoys on Midway to help the birds form a new colony. Environmentalists have endeavored to get the albatross there to form pairs by putting out detailed models of the birds and playing recorded bird cries on Torishima Island, one of the other hoped-for breeding sites, the newspaper reported. Short-tailed albatross were thought to have become extinct between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, due to overhunting for their feathers which were used in women's hats. * UPI.com
Ants
New research has indicated that leaf cutter ants, who spend their whole lives cutting pieces of leaf for growing an edible fungi in the ant nest, change their jobs when they get older and their "teeth" wear out. Then they slow down and can no longer cut the pieces of leaf out. So they are retired to be a leaf carrier, and they spend the last part of their lives carrying the leaf pieces underground to the fungi gardens. Just like humans when they get older, senior ants can still contribute to society. *
Climate Change
A number of Sydney suburbs will be inundated regularly because of climate change-driven sea-level rises, threatening homes and community infrastructure worth billion of dollars by the end of the century, new projections show. In the first detailed attempt to study the impacts of sea-level rises on low-lying coastal areas and help local government planning, the government has released high-resolution maps that show the areas in Sydney and the central coast most under threat from sea-level rises. Sydney suburbs facing significant danger of inundation, even with limited rises, include Caringbah, Kurnell, Cromer and Manly Vale. Significant parts of Newcastle and the central coast are also potentially in harm's way. Last year the government released data revealing that an estimated 247,600 buildings valued at $63 billion could be damaged or lost due to sea-level rises. In the same data, up to 62,400 homes in NSW - worth $18.7 billion - were estimated to be under threat from inundation, mainly in the local government areas of Lake Macquarie, Gosford Wyong, Wollongong, Shoalhaven and Rockdale. The maps released yesterday also include projections for low-lying areas in other heavily populated centres, including Melbourne, Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Perth. *SMH Read more,
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/rising-sea-levels-will-swamp-parts-of-sydney-20101215-18yak.html
Kangaroos
The Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia says the Northern Territory is missing out on millions of dollars by refusing to commercially harvest kangaroos. It says for five years the Territory Government has refused to even allow a feasibility study into the benefits of setting up a commercial kangaroo industry. The association's John Kelly says the Government is concerned it would be too expensive to set up legislation to monitor the industry. "The Territory is missing out on potential income, a potential industry, a sustainable industry, a natural and native industry," he said. Currently roo meat is exported to 56 countries and Mr Kelly says a deal with China could increase national sales by up to 40 per cent next year. Mr Kelly says the Government needs to do a study into the potential industry. "The Northern Territory has a resource in kangaroos. I believe that's reasonably substantial but until the Northern Territory Government does a survey they have no idea how large that resource is," he said. *ABC Comment here http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2010/12/20/202021_ntnews.html
Australian Geographic have produced a Report criticisng the two recent Thinkk reports, claiming kangaroo meat is still safe to eat for Christmas. You can comment here....
http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/journal/kangaroo-meat-still-a-safe-option-for-christmas.htm
Birds
Australia is known for its rich bird life but the cost of colonisation on the country's birds is becoming clearer. A new study has found that one species of bird and five sub-species that were listed as critically endangered a decade ago, actually vanished between 20 and 70 years ago. Every decade, experts review the status of Australia's birds based on the observations of birdwatchers around the country. There has been no sign of the six types of birds in trouble. "We were worried about these birds when we last reviewed their status 10 years ago," Professor Stephen Garnett from Charles Darwin University said. "Sadly, no sign of them has turned up in the last decade. "A number have been targeted searches for them in just the right habitat for quite long periods of time but have still not found them." The birds now thought to be extinct are: the white-breasted white-eye from Norfolk Island, a type of pied currawong from the Grampians, a type of thick-billed grass wren from near Alice Springs, the hooded robin from the Tiwi Islands, the spotted quail thrush from near Adelaide, the southern star finch from the east coast of Australia "It's about a 25 per cent increase in the number of types of birds that have gone extinct since European settlement in Australia," Professor Garnett said. The researchers will recommend the birds be internationally listed as extinct. *ABC
Slider Turtles Found
Four red-eared slider turtles have been seized by Victorian officials in the past six weeks, prompting fears someone may be breeding them. One was found at Ferntree Gully yesterday, and others have been discovered at Aberfeldie, Healesville and Attwood. Staff at a Ferntree Gully kindergarden contacted the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) after discovering their pet was in fact a pest. They breed prolifically and eat native frogs and fish. The turtles are an aggressive, introduced pest. They have yellow stripes on their face and red stripes behind each ear and can carry a type of tuberculosis and salmonella. DSE spokesman Ken Larner says the number of turtles found recently makes them believe someone is breeding them. Anyone who sees one of these turtles is urged to report it to the state government on 136 186. *ABC
Polar Bears
The Canadian government is embarking on a process to put a price on polar bears in hopes of protecting the endangered animal. A recent study that suggests there is still a slim chance to save the animals from global warming. Researchers say the polar bear population this year appears to be in even worse shape than last year. So Ottawa is hiring a private company to consider how much the bears are worth as a national icon, to tourism and just by existing. At stake is whether to list them as a species at risk. Researchers have predicted that by the year 2050, only a third of the world's 22,000 polar bears might be left. And recent efforts in the US to protect the bears suffered a setback when an international conservation watchdog ruled they were not endangered enough to need a worldwide trade ban. A new study released this week, suggests the bear's fate from climate change is not yet sealed, but their future is clearly in the hands of policy makers. *ABC
Spiders
They're fat, they're hairy and they love smelly sneakers. Feisty funnel-web spiders are making a surprise appearances in NSW this summer, lured out of hiding by the wet weather and seeking refuge around suburban homes. They aren't the only danger lurking in the suburbs - snakes love the hot and humid weather, particularly the highly venomous eastern brown snake and more common red-bellied black snake Australian Reptile Park spider expert Julie Mendezona said funnel-webs usually emerged in autumn but increased ground moisture may have triggered an early breeding season. "The males are going out at night looking for females to mate with because it is usually too hot in the day," she said. "They can sometimes get a bit disoriented and can't find their way back to where they started so they'll just hide anywhere, which can be in shoes left outside. The species' habit of ending up in swimming pools is of particular concern at this time of year, as they can survive underwater for more than 24 hours inside a bubble of air. There are about 40 different funnel-webs in Australia, but Ms Mendezona said the Sydney funnel-web, found from Nowra to Newcastle and west to Lithgow, was "the main offender". No one has died from a funnel-web bite since an antivenom was developed in 1981, but it is still one of the world's most deadly species. Ms Mendezona said the Australian Reptile Park needed more spiders for venom milking and urged anyone who found a funnel-web to capture it safely, if possible. The park's website, reptilepark.com.au, has details of how to catch the spiders and drop-off points. * Daily Telegaph
Tassie Devils
The effort to have an insurance population of healthy Tasmanian devils has been given a boost. In parts of Tasmania up to 90 per cent of the devil population has been wiped out by a contagious cancer-like facial tumour disease. The Devil Island Program has seen the development of three enclosures at sites around Tasmania and the establishment of a fourth free range enclosure has begun. Legislative councillor Kerry Finch says the enclosures are designed to protect healthy devils from contracting the deadly disease. "There's a lot of research that is going on and of course there needs to be a lot of money that needs to be raised to put into these projects," he said. "So we're constantly working away at that; we have volunteers who are getting the interest of the general public and the general public have absolutely been fantastic." Mr Finch says preparations are underway to move healthy devils to the area. "So we just need to make sure that we move as fast as we possibly can to establish this insurance population," he said. "Because if they become extinct in the wild we need to make sure we've got this gene pool of animals available that will be the survivors that will be able to take the species on into the future." *ABC
Whaling
NZ Foreign Minister McCully warns anti-whaling protesters that Japanese ships will be armed and says activists must take care The government is warning anti-whaling protesters that Japan is taking a strong stand to prevent any action against them this year, after clashes last season. Last year, Pete Bethune, the New Zealand skipper of the Ady Gill which was destroyed in a collision with the Shonan Maru, climbed aboard the Japanese vessel in an attempt to serve a citizen's arrest on its captain. He was arrested and taken to Japan where he stood trial. The Greens want the government to do everything it can to keep anti-whaling protesters safe on the seas this summer, including sending offshore patrol vessels to the Southern Ocean but Foreign Minister Murray McCully has ruled that out. He is warning activists that Japanese whaling ships will have armed officers on board this season and says it's up to protesters to keep themselves safe.
"We've got information to suggest that the intent of the protesters is to take a fairly robust approach. It's a recipe that causes me considerable concern which is why I keep reminding people of the need for them to observe the law of the sea in regard to the safety of human beings." However, Green MP Gareth Hughes says more needs to be done and sending ships would provide Japan with a strong signal. "If a ship is able to go it should be sent because what we're talking about is people's lives on the high sea. Also I believe we can legitimately question New Zealand's commitment this year towards whale conservation." The government has announced it won't join Australia in taking court action against Japan's whaling programme but will have input into the case. Australia is applying to the United Nations' highest court, the International Court of Justice, to stop Japan's co-called 'scientific whaling.'.NewstalkZB
The Japanese whaling fleet has come under more pressure to abandon its annual hunt in the Southern Ocean this summer. Conservation groups have accused the country of breaching an injunction issued by the Federal Court two years ago by undertaking its annual whale hunt this summer. The Japanese whaling fleet is currently on its way south and this year its quota includes more than 1,000 whales. The injunction, secured by Humane Society International in January 2008, argues the hunt in Australia's Antarctic territorial waters is illegal. The Federal Government's case also calls into question Japan's scientific whaling program. It has been lodged in the International Court of Justice, but it could take years before the matter is heard. "In the face of that, Japan is just carrying on regardless, as if there's no court case, there's no international condemnation of their so-called scientific whaling which we all know is a sham," HSI's Alexia Wellbelove said. Ms Wellbelove says last year's hunt included pregnant females, and the slaughter is an act of bad faith that flies in the face of international condemnation. "Well according to the cruise reports that the Japanese publish and present to the IWC meeting, 185 females were pregnant and that's 69 per cent of all the females caught were either pregnant or lactating and we just think that's really gruesome," she said. "These animals are trying to breed and it's a brutal killing and it's totally unnecessary." *ABC
Indigenous Hunting
New laws to stop unnecessarily cruel hunting practices being used on Dugong and Turtles were proposed by the LNP in Cairns today. Opposition and LNP Leader John-Paul Langbroek and Shadow Environment Minister Jack Dempsey today released a draft regulation which would make it illegal for anyone exercising traditional hunting rights to wound, mutilate, torture or unnecessarily prolong the death of any animal. Mr. Langbroek said the draft regulation, if adopted, would close a loophole that had allowed some individuals to abuse the traditional hunting allowances and subject dugong and turtles to prolonged, excruciating deaths. “My former Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability Glen Elmes raised this matter in Parliament earlier this year and brought my attention to a graphic YouTube video which showed a turtle being kept alive while its flippers and meat were cut off.” Mr. Langbroek said. “This video is sickening and raises serious questions about the treatment of these animals by some individuals.” “This behaviour is not acceptable and new regulations could provide a stronger legal framework to discourage this practice.” Mr. Langbroek said.
Mr. Dempsey said the Bligh Labor Cabinet could adopt the animal cruelty regulations without having to take it before Parliament. “Keeping a turtle alive while it is cut up or letting a dugong bake to death in the sun is a practice that should be outlawed.” Mr. Dempsey said. “No-one is calling for a ban on all traditional hunting but we must consider the long-term survival of these species and the treatment of these animals — this cruelty is simply not necessary.” Mr. Dempsey said. The draft regulation will be available to be viewed on Mr. Langbroek’s website – www.jplangbroek.com – and feedback can be provided via the website or by emailing Mr Dempsey at bundaberg@parliament.qld.gov.au Mr. Langbroek was accompanied in Cairns today by Mr. Dempsey, Mr. Elmes and newly appointed Shadow Minister for North Queensland Andrew Cripps. *Network News
Monday, December 6, 2010
Wildlife Bytes 7/12/10
Protect our Mountain
Estelle Carrall on behalf of Cynthia Dungay Dates writes:
In the Worimi nation, in a town called Bulahdelah about one hour north of Newcastle, is a sacred mountain. This mountain is a hugely significant place; it also has many significant sites. In the year 2000 the Roads and Traffic Authority of NSW announced that they had plans to build a new section of highway which would be blasted up to 25 metres deep through this sacred mountain which would desecrate this revered place and destroy its significant sites. Despite Aboriginal opposition since this route option was first announced, and despite the fact that there are other, cheaper, safer and non-culturally destructive options available, the RTA have continued to pursue this route for the Bulahdelah Pacific Highway upgrade.
It has been 10 years now since the RTA announced they were planning to locate the highway through the mountain but they only started work on the mountain less than a year ago. In August 2009 an application was made under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984 for protection of the mountain before RTA had even started any clearing work, but the government has been stalling this application and didn’t accept it until four months ago. Then they said that the public notice for it would be in the press soon, but they are still holding it up today. Since the application was first made, many cultural icons have been destroyed including artifact scatter, around 20 scarred trees and other sacred trees, but people are still fighting to save this sacred place and its remaining sites.
Even though this application could potentially save this sacred mountain and its sites, the RTA are still allowed to continue destroying it despite the fact that this application has been accepted by the Federal Government and a decision has not yet been made by the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, the Hon Tony Burke MP, whether or not to protect it under Section 10 of the Act. Ms Cynthia Dungay-Dates, who is the applicant for the Section 10 and a custodian for the mountain, said: “Thousands of years of culture, heritage and tradition are imbedded in this place and although what the RTA have done so far is absolutely terrible, if they are allowed to continue things will be much, much worse. The mountain must be protected; this place is far too important to have it destroyed. It’s a place where our ancestors have come, where we have come, where our children then grandchildren will come, and it is vitally important that this place is protected, not only for us but for future generations.”
There are no reasons why this application shouldn’t have been accepted sooner and there are no reasons why it shouldn’t be put through to the stage for public comment now. The government is also refusing to publish the public notice for the application in the National Indigenous Times and the Koori Mail and the request for a five week submission period; this will mean that many people will not get a chance to hear about it or by the time they do, with the government only granting a two week submission period (which is the minimum), it will be too late for them to submit. In a previous Section 10 Application for the Sacred Mountain, Peter Garrett, the former Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts, refused to make a declaration under the Section 10, stating that he found that only the top of the mountain was significant! Ms Dungay Dates said “that’s simply not true - the whole mountain is sacred, not just the top. Saying that it is not, is like going to a church and saying only the cross on the top is sacred and you can destroy the rest!” All the sites listed in these applications are and/or were right in the path of the highway route. We now hope that when the application is finally put through, Tony Burke will succeed where Peter Garrett failed, and will protect this place, as due process calls for. If not, a hugely significance place of Aboriginal culture heritage and tradition will be lost forever. *Network Item
Seals
Twenty-three seals, including eight newborn pups, have been found clubbed to death on the Kaikoura (NZ) coast. The bashed seals were found on Wednesday by Department of Conservation contractors at the Ohau Point seal colony, about 22km north of Kaikoura township. Some of the pups killed were just a few days old. The dead seals also included 13 females and two bulls. Other live seals had injuries suggesting they had also been struck, the Department of Conservation (DoC) said. New Zealand fur seals are protected by law and it is an offence to kill or harm them. Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson called on anyone with information on the attack to contact authorities. "I'm beyond appalled," Mrs Wilkinson said. "This isn't just a random act of violence. To go around and club 23 seals to death over a number of days is very deliberate and you have to question the state of mind of someone who can carry out such a cruel and abhorrent attack." She said DOC was determined to catch the offenders. "I call on the public to help out. If you know who did this or have suspicions then turn them in. New Zealanders hate this sort of behaviour and we need to send a message that we're not going to put up with it."
Under the Marine Mammals Protection Act 1978 there are penalties of up to six months' imprisonment or a fine of up to $250,000 for killing or harming fur seals or other marine mammal plus a further fine of up to $10,000 for every marine mammal the offence was committed against. DoC South Marlborough area manager Dave Hayes said the condition of the dead seals suggested whoever was behind the seal attacks had carried it out over a number of days. "Some of the dead seals appear to have been killed a week ago; others look to have been killed around a week or so beforehand. "This is a callous and cowardly attack on seals, especially newborn pups, unable to defend themselves against someone striking them with a bat or similar club-like object. "The smashed skulls of several dead seals we examined suggest they may have died in one forceful blow to the head indicating it was a person or persons of some strength who carried out the attacks." Seal pups from the Ohau Point colony have in recent recent years been hanging out at the Ohau Stream waterfall pool between April and November, while their mothers head out to sea. Between 100 to 200 pups have been seen up the stream at the pool.
Mr Hayes said Ohau Point was visited by thousands of people every year and visitors enjoyed watching seal pups in the nearby Ohau Stream. "It is deeply disappointing to see such a lack of respect and appreciation for these captivating marine mammals that are an important part of Kaikoura's internationally-renowned marine wildlife tourism," he said. "The Ohau Stream waterfall pool has particularly become a major attraction being visited by around 5000 people a month in the eight months or so of the year seal pups from the Ohau Point colony gather there. "People have great pleasure in seeing the young pups playfully cavorting at the pool. The eight young pups killed in this attack might have been among them in four to five months' time had they not been killed. Mr Hayes said antagonism towards seals sometimes came from the "misplaced belief" they were competing for fish caught for human consumption. "That isn't the case. Research on Kaikoura seals indicates the seals primarily eat lantern fish which are not sought after in fishing. The Kaikoura District Mayor Winston Grey described the attack as "beyond belief".
He said the region's wildlife is an important part of the district's tourism industry. "The town is busy with people - they're here to see our marine wildlife." Mr Grey said the spot is a popular tourist destination and the majority of people know to keep their distance. "They've been here for hundreds of years. Most people do not approach them." A Department of Conservation spokesperson said attacks on seals were rare, with only three of four reported nationally each year. It was unusual to have this many animals killed, she said. DoC recommends staying at least 20m away from seals at all times. Last month Harley McKenzie, a 20-year-old Southland man with a history of violence and a previous conviction for animal cruelty, was jailed for four months for his role in an attack on a leopard seal in October last year in which fist-sized stones were thrown at the seal and it was dragged around a beach by its tail. Two other men were fined $5000 and $7000 respectively for their part in the attack. In 2005, All Black Andrew Hore and friends Hamish Wilson and Matthew O'Connell were each fined $2500 after they shot at seals, killing one, on the Otago coast. Prior to the arrival of Europeans about two million fur seals lived around the New Zealand coast, but in the early 1800s they were nearly wiped out in Kaikoura and other areas due to hunting. Seals were given full protection by the New Zealand government in 1849. *NZ Herald
Editorial
There are some things happening within and around the kangaroo Industry. We understand the Russian government have confirmed they will not be importing kangaroo meat, unless certain conditions are met, none of which can physically be met. We've also heard that China is not very keen to import kangaroo meat, but are interested in wild donkeys, not so much for the meat, but for the skins, which can be treated and turned in a supposed aphrodisiac. With the loss of the Russian market, and shooters not being able to access properties in NSW because of the rain, kangaroos are being seen more often in the NSW shooting zones. This doesnt nessesarily mean that the populations are increasing, but that the kangaroos may be experiencing less harassment, and moving closer to small rural towns. Meanwhile, two valuable new Kangaroo Reports are now on the Thinkk website at http://www.thinkkangaroos.uts.edu.au The policy report states (among many things) that there are potential illegalities in killing joeys and that females should not be killed. The ecology report states that increased consumption of kangaroo meat by humans is likely to place kangaroo populations at risk.
One Thinkk report finalises that; Over the last decade in Australia, the Federal and State governments have approved an annual commercial kill of some four to six million kangaroos and wallabies each year. On average three million kangaroos are actually ‘harvested’/killed. Around three hundred thousand young at foot and 800,000 pouch young are either killed or left to die each year as collateral of the commercial industry. In addition, around 200,000 kangaroos and wallabies are killed for non-commercial reasons each year. A further unknown number are killed without government authorisation. This is the largest land-based slaughter of wildlife in the world. This report provides an analysis of the law and policy governing the killing of kangaroos. It provides an historical outline of kangaroo killing in Australia and examines the reasons for and against the kill. The report describes and analyses the legislative and regulatory framework governing the killing of kangaroos, in order to assist policymakers understand an area which is complex and often misunderstood. The conclusion of this report is that the current widespread commercial and non-commercial killing of kangaroos has yet to be proven necessary. Governments do not provide any clear justification for the killing such as through a proper consideration of the reasons for and against control. State governments once treated kangaroos as agricultural pests yet today they are treated as a resource. These practices result in poor welfare outcomes for many kangaroos and joeys and may pose a risk to Australia’s sustainability. *Thinkk
Meanwhile, in a rock bottom television program, Digital Spy reports that Stacey Solomon successfully ate kangaroo vagina in last night's I'm A Celebrity Rank Banquet trial. The former X Factor finalist swallowed all three of her unusual jungle dishes, winning her campmates three main course meals. Solomon was in hysterics while eating the animal genitalia after fellow contestant Shaun Ryder called it "kangaroo p***y". Speaking afterwards, the singer said: "The kangaroo vagina was the worst, it was very hairy - she could have sorted herself out first!" Her other dishes included pig's brain and cockroach mead. Ryder also ate all three of his dishes, which included baked tarantula, kangaroo's testicle and fish eye. The Happy Mondays star even complimented the tarantula dish, claiming that it tasted like beef jerky. "Definitely like a pub snack," he said. Jenny Eclair only managed two of her dishes, passing up the chance to eat kangaroo eye. However, she did win two starters for the team by swallowing crocodile anus and a fermented duck egg. Speaking about her last dish, the comic said: "It tasted like eggy, cheesy and ancient armpit. As if some monstrous chicken laid a massive egg and kept it in the armpit of a rotting witch." * We have to wonder if they belong to a good medical benefits scheme, or are they just stupid?
Fraser Dingoes
The Hervey Bay Dingo Day planned for last Sunday had to be postponed until this Saturday the 11th of December because of the weather. The Dingo Day will at Dayman Park, Hervey Bay, and features the World famous candle art, entertainment, sausage sizzle, skydivers, indigenous dancers and singers, raffles, alltogether a really spectacular day to help the Fraser Island dingoes. *
Feral Fish
An Illinois fishing company is helping to tackle the Asian carp invasion by marketing them as a delicious culinary treat to food companies in China. Big River Fish Company, based in Pearl, Illinois, decided that instead of lamenting the way that Asian carp were taking over Great Lakes fishing areas, they would turn it into a profitable business opportunity. Achieving sizes of up to 4-feet in length and 100 pounds each, carp destroy ecosystems by gorging themselves, and starving out other species. Ross Harano, the international marketing director for Big River Fish Co., said that by marketing the fish as "wild" and "unpolluted" they've be able to attract attention of high-end restaurants looking to augment their fish selection. Of course, the Great Lakes are home to their fair share of pollution, but they're relatively clean when compared to Chinese waters. In June, the Associated Press reported that, for the first time ever, a 20-pound bighead carp was caught by a fisherman in Illinois's Lake Calumet, on the South Side of Chicago--beyond the electric fences meant to keep them out, and only six miles from Lake Michigan. The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation recently pledged $500,000 to find environmental solutions to prevent this ravenous species from threatening the Great Lakes' ecosystem and jeopardizing the region's $7 billion annual sports fishing industry. The Big River Fish Company recently received $2 million in federal funding to expand its processing plant after securing a contract with a company in China for 30 million pounds of carp meat (NPR).
Penguins
Seven little penguins from the endangered colony at Manly have been found dead and a dog attack has been blamed for at least some of the massacre. The penguins - three breeding pairs and a chick - were found dead on the Harbour shoreline at Federation Point near Oceanworld. Three penguins were found dead on Friday, one on Saturday and another three on Sunday. Preliminary results from a post mortem examination at Taronga Zoo of three of the birds discovered on Friday found they had apparently been killed by a dog. Dogs had been banned from the foreshore at Federation Point to try to protect the penguins which dig their nests there, separate from other breeding areas at Manly. The National Parks and Wildlife Service has appealed for witnesses who may have been in the area last Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Manly's little penguins are the last mainland breeding colony in New South Wales. *Daily Telegraph
Climate Change
Climate change is expected to cause sea levels to rise -- at least in some parts of the world. Elsewhere, the level of the ocean will actually fall. Scientists are trying to get a better picture of the complex phenomenon, which also depends on a host of natural factors. When presented as a globe, the Earth looks as round and smooth as a billiard ball. To anyone standing on a beach, the ocean looks as flat as a pancake. But perception is deceptive. "In reality, the water in the oceans wobbles all over the place," says oceanographer Detlef Stammer. He isn't talking about waves, but large-scale bulges and bumps in the sea level. Stammer, who is the director of the Center for Marine and Climate Research at the University of Hamburg, is familiar with the incorrect notions that lay people have, which is why he likes to present them with two numbers to shatter their illusions. "In the Indian Ocean, the sea level is about 100 meters (330 feet) below the average, while the waters around Iceland are 60 meters above the average." *Read more http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,732303,00.html
Flying Foxes
The Charters Towers Regional Council, south-west of Townsville in north Queensland, says it will resubmit an application to have thousands of bats moved from the town centre early this week. A protest rally was held last month, calling on the State Government to move the bats which are roosting in the town's main park. Charters Towers Mayor Ben Callcott says despite assurances that Queensland Sustainability Minister Kate Jones would meet him to discuss the matter, he is yet to hear from her. "It's an absolute difficult struggle," he said. "I would like to see the Government become mature enough to have a look at this legislation and change it but they are adamant that that's not going to happen. "They wants us to work within the existing legislation and that is almost impossible. "I've met Kate Jones personally and I would hope that she might talk to me directly on these things - that's what I wish her to do. "It hasn't happened on the last couple of occasions and I'm not totally satisfied with it." *ABC
Asian Crow Sighted
An Asian bird capable of killing calves and kid goats is on the loose in North Queensland after reaching Australia by boat. Biosecurity Queensland has enlisted the help of birdwatchers to find an Indian house crow, seen in Innisfail almost eight weeks ago. Birds Australia North Queensland secretary Ivor Preston said he spotted the pest being hassled by native species at Flying Fish Point on October 11th. Mr Preston, who has seen house crows in their native Malaysia and Vietnam, said he knew the bird was not local, but was shocked once he realised its identity. A Biosecurity Queensland spokeswoman said the crow, which hails from central Asia, is considered a "major pest". It is working with local authorities and birdwatchers to find the pest which, if not caught, could have a devastating effect on the state's agriculture. "The pest is known to raid crops such as wheat, maize and sunflower as well as causing severe damage to vegetables and fruit crops including mango, guava, pawpaw, fig, apple, pear, grape and stone fruit," she said. A national animal pest alert says the house crow can kill animals. "The house crow will attack and kill poultry, new-born calves and kid goats," the alert reads.*
Beavers
As many as 20 feral beavers that have been released illegally or escaped from private collections in Tayside (Scotland) are to be trapped by wildlife authorities. The beavers currently loose in parts of Tayside are to be recaptured after a decision following agreement between members of the National Species Reintroduction Forum. According to the authorities, the animals are to be recaptured because it is illegal to allow their escape or release into the wild and because their welfare may be at risk. There was no consultation with local people; there was no licence issued for their release; there is no monitoring of their welfare; and there is no certainty that they are the appropriate species of beaver for Scotland. The beavers will be rehoused in Zoos. *
Guard Donkeys
A rural lobby group says an increasing number of farmers are turning to donkeys to ward off wild dogs. It is an idea that has been laughed at, but farmers are increasingly using the animals to protect their stock from being mauled to death. Wild dogs are causing widespread damage to Queensland's livestock industry costing about $67 million a year. AgForce president Brent Finlay says farmers are increasingly using guard animals like donkeys or alpacas to protect their sheep and cattle. "The problem is still increasing, it's still out of control and people will use whatever they can to control wild dogs," he said. Mr Finlay says donkeys are a sensible part of reducing the attacks. "Guard animals complement the trapping, the shooting, the baiting programs that are out there already, people are using donkeys," he said. Gwynneth Poulton breeds donkeys near Agnes Waters north of Bundaberg and says she has not been able to supply enough of them to meet demand. "People are becoming more, instead of laughing at you for having donkeys, they're saying, 'gee i'm hearing they're good guard animals'," she said. Ms Poulton says for farmers at the end of their tether, it is worth giving donkeys a ride. "They'd say 'what good is a donkey' but now people are finding out that there is more than just heehaw," she said. *ABC
Seals
Authorities are warning sightseers to keep a safe distance from seals after three people were bitten at a seal colony off the coast of Sorrento. The Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) senior wildlife officer Glenn Sharp says two tourists and a diver off a charter boat last week were bitten by seals sitting on the Chinaman's Hat in Port Phillip Bay. "Australian fur seals are big creatures with sharp teeth and can be aggressive, particularly during summer, if people get too close to them or they think people are going to feed them," Mr Sharp said. "A bite from an Australian fur seal can cause serious injuries and the only way to reduce the risk of being bitten is to keep your distance." Mr Sharp said there was no indication the three people who suffered bites had been trying to feed or had come too close to the marine mammals. "It's unusual for seals to bite, but acts as a reminder that people need to aware seals are wild animals." He said a distance of at least five metres should be observed. * 9News
Kangaroos and Toxoplasmosis
A new law passed inthe US Senate recently is S.510, which is supposed to be about food safety, but in reality is more about restricting the supply of fresh food. An interesting component of S.510 is that out of the 1,809 people who die in America every year from food-borne pathogens (CDC estimate), only a fraction die from the manufacturer's contamination of fresh produce. By far the majority of food poisoning is caused by the consumption of spoiled processed foods, dead foods and animal-human transmission of pathogens. For example, one of the largest food-borne killers according to the CDC is Toxoplasma gondii, a disease that people acquire from cat feces coming into contact with their food, and is also widely found in kangaroo and other game meat. Toxoplasmosis is a condition of special concern to pregnant women. Salmonella poisoning accounts for 553 deaths a year in the US. Salmonella has been widely found in kangaroo meat produced for human consumption, in kangaroo meat purchased in major supermarkets across Australia. An interesting sideline is that data presented by Maplight.org, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization, shows that big industry groups and large food producers spent millions of dollars buying off Congressmen to garner support for the Bill. According to Maplight.org, Senators that supported the Bill, and were responsible for approving the bill, received nearly $10 million in political contributions from Industry interest groups that also supported the bill.
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/030587_Senate_Bill_510_Food_Safety.html#ixzz16tB7UcIZ
Read more about kangaroo meat and toxoplasmosis here http://www.kangaroo-protection-coalition.com/kangaroos-toxoplasmosis.html
Wildlife organisations and residents are outraged by a permit issued to NMIT to shoot 300 kangaroos in Eden Park. The permit, issued by the Department of Sustainability and Environment, is for the 320-hectare NMIT Northern Lodge training centre on Glen Robbins Court in Eden Park. Wildlife Victoria rescuer Narelle Smith, who was contacted by concerned residents notified about the culling, called the move "a cop-out" and said shooting kangaroos was ineffective and inhumane. "I say without a doubt that the culling system doesn't work, there needs to be a property management plan put in place," Ms Smith said. NMIT said up to 1500 kangaroos were damaging fences, grapevines, native flora and fauna and disturbing the natural habitat at the training centre, used primarily for the school's equine and racing studies. "If we're going to survive economically we have to do it," NMIT faculty of earth sciences associate director Wayne Pappin said. The DSE's policy of culling kangaroos is being challenged by kangaroo research group THINKK, based at the University of Technology in Sydney, which released a research report suggesting there is little scientific evidence to justify culling. The report found that kangaroos rarely compete with livestock for food and do little damage to the environment. The DSE said the permit had been issued after the applicant submitted a kangaroo management plan to minimise animal welfare concerns, manage pasture and protect biodiversity in the area. Ms Smith said the DSE didn't want to consider other options, such as relocation or sterilisation, as they were too expensive."There needs to be an independent body overseeing wildlife, as I don't think the DSE are working for the best interests or our wildlife," Ms Smith said. * Northern Weekly
Comment here http://www.northernweekly.com.au/news/local/news/general/eden-park-roo-cull-has-neighbours-hopping-mad/2017374.aspx
Albino Kookaburras
ITt's a rare double act - two blue-winged albino baby kookaburras have shown up at a wildlife sanctuary at Ravenshoe in far north Queensland. Eagles Nest Wildlife Hospital founder Harry Kunz, who is caring for the pair, believes they are the only ones in captivity in Australia. "No one I have spoken to has ever heard of, or seen albino blue wing kookaburras before. There are a few albino laughing kookaburras around but not the blue-winged variety – so these guys are extremely rare." Mr Kunz said albino birds rarely live long in the wild because they have no camouflage and are an easy target. *Cairns Post
Birds
Flooding in the New South Wales central west has led to the Macquarie Marshes experiencing their best conditions in 10 years. The Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water says around 50,000 hectares of land in the marshes are currently flooded and if the wet weather continues the floodwaters could surpass the record of 150,000 hectares set 11 years ago. The Conservation Officer, Debbie Love, says more than 35,000 waterbirds including ibis, egrets and cormorants are breeding and are expected to remain in the wetlands until next April. But she says the current flooding is not enough to repair years of damage from the drought. "There's been a lot of changes over the last 20 to 30 years and loss of wetland vegetation," she said. "We're starting to see some re-establishment in areas that have been degraded, the marsh is capable of recovery, it's just whether the seasons and our capacity to deliver water will be sufficient to really return the marshes to a more resilient state." She says the rain needs to continue in the long term. "The amount of water that we have been able to deliver to the marsh either through environmental flows or through the rainfall that brought tributary flows into the system has meant that the wettest areas of the marsh are looking quite healthy and it's those areas on the margins, the next zone out, that we're really starting to see some changes in now with the bigger (flood) events that are lasting longer." *ABC
Fishing
Commercial fishermen have defended themselves against claims they are "raping, pillaging and plundering'' reefs off southeast Queensland beaches, saying sharks eat more baitfish than they catch. The Courier-Mail revealed yesterday recreational anglers had accused federally registered long-line tuna fishermen of launching night raids on reefs less than a kilometre off the Gold Coast and harvesting precious local fish stocks. The Federal Government has revealed one Southport-based long-line operation has taken five tonnes of baitfish so far this year, but tuna fishermen say the amount is ``a drop in the ocean''. ``The sharks of North Straddie would eat more than that,'' said Mooloolaba-based fisherman Gary Heilmann, who serves on a tuna fishing industry advisory committee. ``The recreational guys going out in their tinnies catching all the snapper would be doing more damage.'' Mr Heilmann admitted Fisheries Queensland received ``a lot'' of complaints about commercial fishermen coming in close to catch baitfish. But he said the baitfish were in ``prolific'' numbers and most long-line fishermen used frozen bait caught interstate. However, Mr Heilmann said that long-line fishermen acknowledged their incursion into inshore areas popular with recreational anglers was a sensitive issue and the industry was discussing trade-offs with the State Government. This could involve an agreement to stop taking live bait in return for an easing of catch restrictions on certain fish species. Mr Heilmann rejected suggestions New Zealand long-liners were targeting local reefs. He said local fishermen were probably confused as a long-line boat baitfishing on Palm Beach reef this week had a NZ-sounding name and may have had Kiwi crew on board. An Australian Fisheries Management Authority spokesman said only Australian-flagged vessels were allowed to fish for tuna and swordfish off the east coast. *Courier Mail
Gidgee Bugs
Scientists say there is not much known about the gidgee bugs being reported in big numbers in Queensland's central-west, but they are not a pest and only a nuisance. The Longreach Aquatic Centre had problems with hundreds of thousands of bugs clogging a swimming pool earlier this week after they were attracted by bright lights. Queensland Museum spokeswoman Christine Lambkin says the big numbers are due to the excellent season. She says the museum is asking for specimens of the insects because little is known about them. "It would appear that they are possibly members of a genus called cepaloplatus and it's a type of true bug," she said. "Most people would commonly refer to them as a stink bug. "It's interesting also that that genus is not reported anywhere as occurring in these sorts of numbers." She says they bugs do not pose a big risk to people. "They can actually bite but all they are really doing is giving you a little nip because they think you are a plant," she said. "They are testing out whether or not you are a good feed - they certainly won't have any effect on you if they do give you a little nip. "As far as we know, they are not a crop pest but they are definitely a nuisance because of the numbers you've got at the moment." *ABC
Another Mass Extinction?
Australian scientists fear the planet is on the brink of another mass extinction as ocean dead zones continue to grow in size and number. More than 400 ocean dead zones - areas so low in oxygen that sea life cannot survive - have been reported by oceanographers around the world between 2000 and 2008. That is compared with 300 in the 1990s and 120 in the 1980s. Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (CoECRS) and from the University of Queensland, says there is growing evidence that declining oxygen levels in the ocean have played a major role in at least four of the planet's five mass extinctions. "Until recently the best hypothesis for them was a meteor strike," he said. "So 65 million years ago they've got very good evidence of the cretaceous exctinction event. "But with the four other mass extinction events, one of the best explanations now is that these periods were preceded by an increase of volcanic activity, and that volcanic activity caused a change in ocean circulation. "Just as we are seeing at a smaller scale today, huge parts of the ocean became anoxic at depth. "The consequence of that is that you had increased amounts of rotten egg gas, hydrogen sulfide, going up into the atmosphere, and that is thought to be what may have caused some of these other extinction events."
Professor Hoegh-Guldberg says up to 90 per cent of life has perished in previous mass extinctions and that a similar loss of life could occur in the next 100 years. "We're already having another mass extinction due to humans wiping out life and so on, but it looks like it could get as high as those previous events," he said. "So it's the combination of this alteration to coastlines, climate change and everything, that has a lot of us worried we are going to drive the sixth extinction event and it will happen over the next 100 years because we are interfering with the things that keep species alive. "Ocean ecosystems are in a lot of trouble and it all bears the hallmarks of human interference. "We are changing the way the Earth's oceans work, shifting them to entirely new states, which we have not seen before." He says while it is impossible to predict the future, in a century from now the world will be vastly different. "A world without the Great Barrier Reef, where you don't have the pleasure of going to see wild places any more," he said. "We might be able to struggle on with much lower population densities, but ultimately it won't be the world we have today. "The idea of walking in the Daintree will be a forgotten concept because these changes have occurred."
Scientists say ocean dead zones, which vary in size from one square kilometre to 70,000 square kilometres, have been found all over the world. Particular hotspots include the Gulf of Mexico, off Namibia in the South Atlantic, in the Bay of Bengal, in the Baltic, the Black Sea, the tropical South Pacific, off China and south-eastern Australia. "We're seeing an expansion of areas of the ocean which are very low in oxygen and also very low in nutrients," Professor Hoegh-Guldberg said. "Climate change is driving changes to water circulation - so winds, strange weather patterns, have a consequence for how the ocean turns over and aerates and so on, and it's the winds which are delivering a lot of organic compounds into the deep sea. "At the same time we are putting a lot of fertiliser off coastlines, those sorts of things are incubating these deep water anoxic zones. "So it's the combination of those two things that are having a big change on how the ocean works." He says organic matter building up in the sea is a huge problem. "You get enormous amounts of organic carbon building up at depth, bacteria then likes to break down that organic matter and bacteria uses up the oxygen," he said. "So then what you get is a substantial drop in oxygen - that then has the consequences for fishers, for the productivity of coastlines and so on."
Associate Professor Mark McCormick, also of CoECRS and from James Cook University, says low oxygen levels increase stress on fish. "We know from our recent work that increases in stress result in deformities, leading to poorer survival of fish larvae," he said. "It has also been found they can cause fish to have smaller ovaries, produce fewer eggs, so larvae are also smaller and less likely to survive." Professor Hoegh-Guldberg says the problem is not as significant in Australia as other parts of the world, but that it is heading along the same, destructive path. "We've been altering coastal areas, delivering nutrients into the ocean, and of course you see the Great Barrier Reef, which has been quite damaged due to nutrient run-off," he said. "But the point is that our activities on land have a big influence on what goes on in the oceans and now we are starting to reap the harvest of those changes." He says the heart and lungs of the planet are being tampered with. "We are starting to see changes in the ocean's ability to produce oxygen and to produce food and produce all of the ecosystem's services that are so important to not only us, but all of the other organisms on the planet," he said. "It's mucking around with the heart and lungs of the planet - that's essentially what the oceans are, a huge respiratory system. "We damage them, the consequences could be very serious." Professor Hoegh-Guldberg says while the dead zones may only exist in pockets of ocean today, it will affect a far greater area in the future unless steps are taken to reduce the impact of human activities on the world's oceans and their life. *ABC
Whaling
The Federal Government's willingness to crack down on illegal whaling will be tested if Sea Shepherd's newest and only Australian registered vessel is rammed or attacked by Japanese whalers. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society today launched its new interceptor vessel Gojira, named after the widely-feared monster of Japanese film known in English as Godzilla. The non-for-profit organisation's director Jeff Hansen said the Gojira will be a game-changer in this year's fight against illegal Japanese whaling as it can out-run harpoon vessels. "This vessel can out-run any Japanese vessel, so it means we'll have the element of surprise and we can find the factory ship," Mr Hansen said. "The factory ship is the one we're after and if we can find it, we can shut down whaling. "We save 10 to 12 whales a day by blocking the slipway on the factory ship so really this vessel is going to play a huge part in shutting down the Japanese whaling fleet for the entire summer."
The Gojira set off from Fremantle today to join the Steve Irwin and Bob Barker in Hobart before leaving on December 2 to defend the Southern Ocean whale sanctuary. Its captain, Locky MacLean, said having the fast, new vessel combined with Japanese whalers still to leave port, it was anticipated Sea Shepherd would be able to stop all whales from being slaughtered this year. "If we can get down there before they do we can stop them straight off the bat which would be a big blow to the whaling industry down there," Mr McLean said. "Last year we followed them for 45 days and during the 45 days they didn't kill a single whale. If we can do that again this year and be there right when they get there, we've got a full quota on our side." The Gojira is Sea Shepherd's first Australian registered vessel, with Fremantle as designated as home port, and will have Australian citizens on board.
In January the crew of Sea Shepherd's protest boat the Ady Gil claimed they were rammed by a Japanese whaling ship in the Southern Ocean but New Zealand authorities found both vessels were at fault. Mr Hansen said the Federal Government would be tested in its response if a similar incident occurred with the Gojira. "We hope the Australian Government, if there's any issues down there, that they will step up and defend a vessel that's named and birthed as a home port in Australia and has Australian citizens on board," he said. "We hope the Australian Government will have the guts to take on the whalers." *News.com.au
Read more: http://www.news.com.au/national/japanese-whalers-to-be-chased-by-godzilla/story-e6frfkvr-1225962906703#ixzz16tgb3SyQ
Road Carnage in Victoria
Eight koalas have been hit by cars in the past month near the town of Gisborne, 10 kilometres north-west of the Melbourne boundary. The latest victim, a five-year-old female dubbed Bess, was found blind and stumbling in circles in the middle of the Gisborne road to Bacchus Marsh on Tuesday of last week. Wildlife rescuers say horrific injuries to native animals have become commonplace since intensive housing development in the country town and the neighbouring Melbourne growth suburb of Sunbury. As The Age revealed last week, suburban-style development now stretches far beyond the official urban growth boundary into rural towns, from Drouin in Gippsland to Wallan on the Northern Highway and Bacchus Marsh in the west. Melbourne could grow even bigger under the incumbent Baillieu government, which promised before the state election to review the urban growth boundary every two years to ensure there is 20 to 25 years' worth of land supply for housing.
The Department of Planning and Community Development would conduct the biennial audit of land in Melbourne, Geelong and major regional centres, and ''only recommend [urban growth boundary] expansion if population and housing demand projections determine it necessary''. Macedon Ranges Wildlife Network co-ordinator Fiona Corke said the new government should educate residents on the urban fringe about how to coexist with wildlife and keep buffer zones between housing and habitat. The network blames urban sprawl for the increased workload of its rescuers, who have been called out attend to more than 1100 distressed koalas, kangaroos, wombats, possums, echidnas and birds so far this year. The number has risen steadily from 715 animals in 2007. ''The landscape is home to many species of wildlife and not just a cheap place to buy a house and land package and commute back to Melbourne,'' Ms Corke said. ''More housing means more cars and more cat and dog attacks. 'The carnage and displacement of our native wildlife is horrific and it's getting much, much worse.''
The network will soon launch a website, funded by Macedon Ranges Shire, to survey the number of koalas with help from the public. Residents in the Yarra Valley, Hepburn, Moorabool and Mornington Peninsula shires have also reported a similar trend of wildlife deaths and injuries. Children in Mount Eliza were moved last month to post handmade signs on roadsides asking motorists to slow down and be alert to animals. East Trentham wildlife carer Linda Healy is now caring for Bess and another koala that was struck just days later on the same Gisborne road. She said Bess still could not see well and clawed defensively in the air at loud noises and shadows. 'But she's eating well and depending on whether she recovers her vision, she will be released.'' *Age
Kangaroos and Lumpy Jaw
Kangaroos living in captivity all over the world are known to suffer from “lumpy jaw disease,” which results in periodontal diseases, severe gingivitis and abscesses which may lead to death in high percentages. However, scientists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have now developed an innovative medicine in the form of topical applied varnish to treat periodontal diseases in kangaroos – thus increasing the survival rate from gum disease to 100 percent. The quality of the captive diet as well as environmental stress often leads to development of periodontal diseases in kangaroos, which has severe ramifications. Four years ago, at the Gan Guru zoo in Israel, an outbreak of the disease led to the death of about forty percent of the zoo’s kangaroos. Without proper treatment, a kangaroo that becomes ill will soon lose its appetite, starve and will die within a short space of time. The high mortality rate from the illness results in dwindling populations — compounding the already low reproduction rates among the kangaroos and low survival rates of baby kangaroos.
Existing treatment of periodontal diseases for kangaroos requires forced insertion of an antibiotic by anesthetic or by force several times a day, followed by solitary confinement of the animal to prevent cross infection of other animals. This treatment modality only increases the pressure subjected to the kangaroo and, as one can imagine, it is not easy to force-feed a kangaroo that weighs on average between 70 kg and 80 kg. This means that many of the kangaroos don’t benefit from the treatment and therefore may die from the illness. The innovative varnish treatment for periodontal diseases in kangaroos was developed by Prof. Michael Friedman of the School of Pharmacy at the Hebrew University’s Faculty of Medicine, Prof. Doron Steinberg of the Faculty of Dental Medicine and Dr. Eran Lavy of the Koret School of Veterinary Medicine at the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment. The treatment combines disinfectant agents, embedded in a polymeric matrix, and is based on the principle of sustained release of the drug from the varnish. The attending veterinarian applies the drug on the affected areas in the kangaroo’s mouth. “The disinfectant materials are released gradually over several days, thereby increasing the effectiveness of the treatment of inflammation,” says Prof. Friedman.
The researchers hypothesized that by using a version of the medicine that they developed, which is commonly used for treating oral diseases in humans, many kangaroos can be saved. The study, whose results were published recently in the Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine, was conducted over three years among kangaroos in Gan Guru at Kibbutz Nir David and at the Tisch Family Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem, in collaboration with veterinarians Dr. Meytal Bakal-Weiss and Dr. Nili Avni-Magen. Treatment proved to be successful: All the kangaroos in which periodontal disease was detected early on and which were treated with the novel sustained release varnish made a complete and a speedy recovery from the disease.
“The new treatment is easier to implement compared to the current available treatment, because it doesn’t require continued force-feeding over time, and it doesn’t have side-effects as the current oral/systemic dosage form,” explains Prof. Steinberg. “The delayed release mechanism greatly reduces the rate of suffering of the animal, leads to quick recovery and enables rapid return to the group, a fact which is of crucial importance in wild animal and zoo medicine.” The new treatment is good news for cats and dogs too. Most dogs aged four and above have, in one form or another, various dental problems. Like kangaroos, even dogs have severe periodontal infections that can lead to systemic diseases. In a recent study among dozens of dogs, it was found that the proposed application of a sustained release dental varnish is also effective in treating canine dental disorders.
“The new treatment can also be applied to other animals suffering from dental diseases and gingivitis, thereby reducing their suffering and long term of treatments,” says Dr. Lavy. The researchers are now examining ways to integrate food supplements into the medicine to make it tastier for dogs. As this oral problem is not confined only to Israel, the researchers have been approached by veterinarians from zoos in other countries to use this novel application in kangaroos and other animals as well. The animal application has been patented by Yissum – the Hebrew University’s technology transfer company – and is being offered for commercialization. Partners are now being sought to develop the treatment for wild animals and pets. *JWire.com.au
Green Iguanas
Iguanas are a variety of reptiles, which are mostly found all over Central and South America. There is a green breed of iguanas, that is commonly seen in Paraguay, Brazil, Mexico and Caribbean Islands. Green iguana is the favorite of hunters, but it is not yet considered as imperiled species. Hunters prefer to catch the large female iguanas. Green iguana is recognized as “Bamboo Chicken” and is a favorite delicacy for many people. The green iguana normally grows between 4 to 6 feet or longer. Their tail constitutes almost half of their total length. In spite of being green they have a dominant black stripe on the body. They have a monochromatic green color. Their green shade is different from bright green or grayish and dull green. Their skin is rough like a rasp and they have pointed scurfs on their back. They possess big claws and long fingers and can effortlessly grasp and climb up trees and rocks.
Green iguanas mostly live in the rainforests in tropical regions particularly in places having lower altitudes and approachable water bodies like rivers and streams. They spend most of their time in the forest generally at a height of forty to fifty feet from ground. Besides their rigid claws and large fingers, young iguanas have several admirable features. The iguanas have a very sharp sense of hearing, smell and sight. Their tail is their defensive measure. It is pointed at the end. When they sense any danger they flick the tail high up in the air. Often the vultures will get a chance and snatch the tail off. It can grow again without impairment. These animals have very tough skin, which can ward off scratches or cuts and it is also resistant to water. The skin pigmentation is helpful to the smaller iguanas as they can hide by camouflaging themselves. Often when they are threatened by predators, young iguanas will jump from the trees into the water. They are fabulous swimmers as well. Over and above these qualities, the baby green iguanas are very strong. They jump and fall from the height of 40 to 50 feet without any sign of injury. The male iguanas are found with a flap called dewlap on their skin. They impress the female iguana with this flap. Also, their dewlap is useful to scare the predator. They use dewlaps to look bigger in size. They have another peculiar quality that they can store the fat below their neck or jaws for a very long time, especially during those times of scarcity of food. * WPAA
Seals
Twenty-three seals, including eight newborn pups, have been found clubbed to death on the Kaikoura (NZ) coast. The bashed seals were found on Wednesday by Department of Conservation contractors at the Ohau Point seal colony, about 22km north of Kaikoura township. Some of the pups killed were just a few days old. The dead seals also included 13 females and two bulls. Other live seals had injuries suggesting they had also been struck, the Department of Conservation (DoC) said. New Zealand fur seals are protected by law and it is an offence to kill or harm them. Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson called on anyone with information on the attack to contact authorities. "I'm beyond appalled," Mrs Wilkinson said. "This isn't just a random act of violence. To go around and club 23 seals to death over a number of days is very deliberate and you have to question the state of mind of someone who can carry out such a cruel and abhorrent attack." She said DOC was determined to catch the offenders. "I call on the public to help out. If you know who did this or have suspicions then turn them in. New Zealanders hate this sort of behaviour and we need to send a message that we're not going to put up with it."
Under the Marine Mammals Protection Act 1978 there are penalties of up to six months' imprisonment or a fine of up to $250,000 for killing or harming fur seals or other marine mammal plus a further fine of up to $10,000 for every marine mammal the offence was committed against. DoC South Marlborough area manager Dave Hayes said the condition of the dead seals suggested whoever was behind the seal attacks had carried it out over a number of days. "Some of the dead seals appear to have been killed a week ago; others look to have been killed around a week or so beforehand. "This is a callous and cowardly attack on seals, especially newborn pups, unable to defend themselves against someone striking them with a bat or similar club-like object. "The smashed skulls of several dead seals we examined suggest they may have died in one forceful blow to the head indicating it was a person or persons of some strength who carried out the attacks." Seal pups from the Ohau Point colony have in recent recent years been hanging out at the Ohau Stream waterfall pool between April and November, while their mothers head out to sea. Between 100 to 200 pups have been seen up the stream at the pool.
Mr Hayes said Ohau Point was visited by thousands of people every year and visitors enjoyed watching seal pups in the nearby Ohau Stream. "It is deeply disappointing to see such a lack of respect and appreciation for these captivating marine mammals that are an important part of Kaikoura's internationally-renowned marine wildlife tourism," he said. "The Ohau Stream waterfall pool has particularly become a major attraction being visited by around 5000 people a month in the eight months or so of the year seal pups from the Ohau Point colony gather there. "People have great pleasure in seeing the young pups playfully cavorting at the pool. The eight young pups killed in this attack might have been among them in four to five months' time had they not been killed. Mr Hayes said antagonism towards seals sometimes came from the "misplaced belief" they were competing for fish caught for human consumption. "That isn't the case. Research on Kaikoura seals indicates the seals primarily eat lantern fish which are not sought after in fishing. The Kaikoura District Mayor Winston Grey described the attack as "beyond belief".
He said the region's wildlife is an important part of the district's tourism industry. "The town is busy with people - they're here to see our marine wildlife." Mr Grey said the spot is a popular tourist destination and the majority of people know to keep their distance. "They've been here for hundreds of years. Most people do not approach them." A Department of Conservation spokesperson said attacks on seals were rare, with only three of four reported nationally each year. It was unusual to have this many animals killed, she said. DoC recommends staying at least 20m away from seals at all times. Last month Harley McKenzie, a 20-year-old Southland man with a history of violence and a previous conviction for animal cruelty, was jailed for four months for his role in an attack on a leopard seal in October last year in which fist-sized stones were thrown at the seal and it was dragged around a beach by its tail. Two other men were fined $5000 and $7000 respectively for their part in the attack. In 2005, All Black Andrew Hore and friends Hamish Wilson and Matthew O'Connell were each fined $2500 after they shot at seals, killing one, on the Otago coast. Prior to the arrival of Europeans about two million fur seals lived around the New Zealand coast, but in the early 1800s they were nearly wiped out in Kaikoura and other areas due to hunting. Seals were given full protection by the New Zealand government in 1849. *NZ Herald
Humans and Wildlife
Generally humans are bad news for wild spaces and creatures, and we appear to be good for nothing else besides procreating with as much ease as falling off a log. But in this piece, I'm going to celebrate the fact that some adaptable creatures never had it so good until humans appeared on the scene. No, it's not just the crows, rats and cockroaches which have us to thank for their ever increasing numbers. Take leopards. For a long time we thought that these animals ought to live in the forest. “That's where they belong, of course” say the wise. If any was unfortunate enough to be seen outside, we said, “Poor thing. It's lost its home or perhaps it has no food in the forests.” So like the Good Samaritan we trapped the creature and transferred it to a forest we determined was appropriate for its survival. Recent research shows that these animals are not lost, nor are they randomly straying; the farmlands are what they call home. Where there are no forests, they hide in sugarcane fields. Where there are no monkeys or deer to eat, they survive on free-ranging livestock, stray dogs and feral pigs.
There are many places across the country where leopards don't even know what a forest is nor have they ever seen a wild deer. Similar is the case of three of the commonest venomous snakes of India: cobras, kraits, and Russell's vipers. Farmlands are rich not just with grain but also fat rats and mice who build intricate burrows. Rodent-eating snakes get plenty of prey and a place to stay when the surrounding fields are flooded. Thanks to our super-abundance of rats and mice there are many more of these snakes in farmlands than in any forest. And sarus cranes, the world's tallest flying birds, breed and raise their young in the mosaic of rice fields and wetlands of Uttar Pradesh!
Over the last decade, vultures have been in sharp decline, poisoned by the veterinary anti-inflammatory drug for livestock, diclofenac. But prior to the crisis, these birds were seen by the hundreds because of our habit of leaving animal carcasses out in the open. Vultures are the ultimate cleaning machines, able to strip the flesh from dead animals in minutes. In cities, we are used to seeing stray dogs rummaging in the garbage but in their heyday, the avian scavengers ruled these stinky refuse piles. In some cities such as Bangalore and Mysore, black kites have taken over and where there is water, brahminy kites. Mysteriously, vultures never crossed the Palk Strait to colonise Sri Lanka. On a recent visit to the island nation, Rom and I pointed and gasped at a variety of creatures that locals take for granted. Obese water monitor lizards filled the niche of vultures by lording over the garbage dumps. Star tortoises thrive in farmlands and are perhaps the only tortoises in the world to be called a pest as they chomp on succulent tomatoes!
In some parts of Sri Lanka, man's activities have benefited even elephants. Wherever one-crop, rain-fed agriculture is practised (in areas with elephants), the pachyderms thrive on regenerating weeds in the fallow season. Researchers say that if not for these rich, human-created feeding grounds, Sri Lanka would not support such high densities of elephants. In and around Yala National Park in Sri Lanka's deep South, are numerous irrigation ponds where hundreds of mugger crocodiles live. Thanks to the ancient people who once grew rice here, this tiny part of the country holds more of these reptiles than anywhere in the vast subcontinent of India. In all these instances, farming practices accidentally combined with farmers' tolerance to create an animal-rich landscape. With a little more focussed effort outside of forests and sanctuaries, we could do so much for the creatures that are a bit more finicky in their requirements for survival. *Janaki Lenin, The Hindu
Wildlife Pets
They arrive in the US from Amazon rainforests, central African savannahs and south Asian jungles, crated passengers in the cargo holds of airliners. Spitting cobras, common death adders, Zanzibar dwarf geckos, green iguanas, chinchillas, emperor scorpions and hundreds of other non-native species enter the United States each year to serve the demand for unusual pets. A lot of time has gone into an unsuccessful campaign to clear the Everglades of Burmese pythons, just one of the non-native species to find a congenial home in Florida. But the federal government continues to allow wide-open imports of a vast range of wildlife, conducting few screenings for disease and permitting most shipments to enter without inspection. A report on wildlife imports by the Government Accountability Office last month found "gaps that could allow the introduction of diseases into the United States." A Sun Sentinel review of live wildlife import records from 2004 through April of 2010 found that the United States imported these animals:
More than 739,000 rodents, despite warnings from the federal Centers for Disease Control and prevention that rodents can transmit to humans diseases such as hantavirus, bartonella and typhus. Nearly 20,000 venomous snakes, including 632 puff adders, 113 black mambas and 357 king cobras. More than 1.2 million green iguanas, as well as 39,673 Nile monitor lizards and 20,806 Burmese pythons.
A bill in Congress would have restricted imports to those species that had been approved as harmless, but an outcry from wildlife owners and the pet industry defeated it. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is completing the process to declare the Burmese python and eight other big snakes injurious species, which would end imports except for zoos and a few other purposes. "If the federal government had listed the Burmese python as injurious 20 years ago, we wouldn't have had this problem," said Beth Preiss, exotic pets director for the Humane Society of the United States. "It may be too late to stop the invasion of the Everglades, but it's not too late to stop it in the rest of the U.S." But the pet industry and hobbyist groups have fought back. They note that a cold snap last year killed a lot of the Everglades pythons. They say import limits represent an extreme response to problems caused by a few species. And they say tough restrictions would cost jobs and undermine a beneficial pastime that fosters in children an appreciation of science and nature. "A lot of children spend hours in front of the TV and the computer and have very little contact with nature," said Jamie Reaser, vice president of environmental policy for the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council, a trade group. "So I think it's very important children have the opportunity to learn about animals and the environment." *SunSentinel
Estelle Carrall on behalf of Cynthia Dungay Dates writes:
In the Worimi nation, in a town called Bulahdelah about one hour north of Newcastle, is a sacred mountain. This mountain is a hugely significant place; it also has many significant sites. In the year 2000 the Roads and Traffic Authority of NSW announced that they had plans to build a new section of highway which would be blasted up to 25 metres deep through this sacred mountain which would desecrate this revered place and destroy its significant sites. Despite Aboriginal opposition since this route option was first announced, and despite the fact that there are other, cheaper, safer and non-culturally destructive options available, the RTA have continued to pursue this route for the Bulahdelah Pacific Highway upgrade.
It has been 10 years now since the RTA announced they were planning to locate the highway through the mountain but they only started work on the mountain less than a year ago. In August 2009 an application was made under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984 for protection of the mountain before RTA had even started any clearing work, but the government has been stalling this application and didn’t accept it until four months ago. Then they said that the public notice for it would be in the press soon, but they are still holding it up today. Since the application was first made, many cultural icons have been destroyed including artifact scatter, around 20 scarred trees and other sacred trees, but people are still fighting to save this sacred place and its remaining sites.
Even though this application could potentially save this sacred mountain and its sites, the RTA are still allowed to continue destroying it despite the fact that this application has been accepted by the Federal Government and a decision has not yet been made by the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, the Hon Tony Burke MP, whether or not to protect it under Section 10 of the Act. Ms Cynthia Dungay-Dates, who is the applicant for the Section 10 and a custodian for the mountain, said: “Thousands of years of culture, heritage and tradition are imbedded in this place and although what the RTA have done so far is absolutely terrible, if they are allowed to continue things will be much, much worse. The mountain must be protected; this place is far too important to have it destroyed. It’s a place where our ancestors have come, where we have come, where our children then grandchildren will come, and it is vitally important that this place is protected, not only for us but for future generations.”
There are no reasons why this application shouldn’t have been accepted sooner and there are no reasons why it shouldn’t be put through to the stage for public comment now. The government is also refusing to publish the public notice for the application in the National Indigenous Times and the Koori Mail and the request for a five week submission period; this will mean that many people will not get a chance to hear about it or by the time they do, with the government only granting a two week submission period (which is the minimum), it will be too late for them to submit. In a previous Section 10 Application for the Sacred Mountain, Peter Garrett, the former Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts, refused to make a declaration under the Section 10, stating that he found that only the top of the mountain was significant! Ms Dungay Dates said “that’s simply not true - the whole mountain is sacred, not just the top. Saying that it is not, is like going to a church and saying only the cross on the top is sacred and you can destroy the rest!” All the sites listed in these applications are and/or were right in the path of the highway route. We now hope that when the application is finally put through, Tony Burke will succeed where Peter Garrett failed, and will protect this place, as due process calls for. If not, a hugely significance place of Aboriginal culture heritage and tradition will be lost forever. *Network Item
Seals
Twenty-three seals, including eight newborn pups, have been found clubbed to death on the Kaikoura (NZ) coast. The bashed seals were found on Wednesday by Department of Conservation contractors at the Ohau Point seal colony, about 22km north of Kaikoura township. Some of the pups killed were just a few days old. The dead seals also included 13 females and two bulls. Other live seals had injuries suggesting they had also been struck, the Department of Conservation (DoC) said. New Zealand fur seals are protected by law and it is an offence to kill or harm them. Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson called on anyone with information on the attack to contact authorities. "I'm beyond appalled," Mrs Wilkinson said. "This isn't just a random act of violence. To go around and club 23 seals to death over a number of days is very deliberate and you have to question the state of mind of someone who can carry out such a cruel and abhorrent attack." She said DOC was determined to catch the offenders. "I call on the public to help out. If you know who did this or have suspicions then turn them in. New Zealanders hate this sort of behaviour and we need to send a message that we're not going to put up with it."
Under the Marine Mammals Protection Act 1978 there are penalties of up to six months' imprisonment or a fine of up to $250,000 for killing or harming fur seals or other marine mammal plus a further fine of up to $10,000 for every marine mammal the offence was committed against. DoC South Marlborough area manager Dave Hayes said the condition of the dead seals suggested whoever was behind the seal attacks had carried it out over a number of days. "Some of the dead seals appear to have been killed a week ago; others look to have been killed around a week or so beforehand. "This is a callous and cowardly attack on seals, especially newborn pups, unable to defend themselves against someone striking them with a bat or similar club-like object. "The smashed skulls of several dead seals we examined suggest they may have died in one forceful blow to the head indicating it was a person or persons of some strength who carried out the attacks." Seal pups from the Ohau Point colony have in recent recent years been hanging out at the Ohau Stream waterfall pool between April and November, while their mothers head out to sea. Between 100 to 200 pups have been seen up the stream at the pool.
Mr Hayes said Ohau Point was visited by thousands of people every year and visitors enjoyed watching seal pups in the nearby Ohau Stream. "It is deeply disappointing to see such a lack of respect and appreciation for these captivating marine mammals that are an important part of Kaikoura's internationally-renowned marine wildlife tourism," he said. "The Ohau Stream waterfall pool has particularly become a major attraction being visited by around 5000 people a month in the eight months or so of the year seal pups from the Ohau Point colony gather there. "People have great pleasure in seeing the young pups playfully cavorting at the pool. The eight young pups killed in this attack might have been among them in four to five months' time had they not been killed. Mr Hayes said antagonism towards seals sometimes came from the "misplaced belief" they were competing for fish caught for human consumption. "That isn't the case. Research on Kaikoura seals indicates the seals primarily eat lantern fish which are not sought after in fishing. The Kaikoura District Mayor Winston Grey described the attack as "beyond belief".
He said the region's wildlife is an important part of the district's tourism industry. "The town is busy with people - they're here to see our marine wildlife." Mr Grey said the spot is a popular tourist destination and the majority of people know to keep their distance. "They've been here for hundreds of years. Most people do not approach them." A Department of Conservation spokesperson said attacks on seals were rare, with only three of four reported nationally each year. It was unusual to have this many animals killed, she said. DoC recommends staying at least 20m away from seals at all times. Last month Harley McKenzie, a 20-year-old Southland man with a history of violence and a previous conviction for animal cruelty, was jailed for four months for his role in an attack on a leopard seal in October last year in which fist-sized stones were thrown at the seal and it was dragged around a beach by its tail. Two other men were fined $5000 and $7000 respectively for their part in the attack. In 2005, All Black Andrew Hore and friends Hamish Wilson and Matthew O'Connell were each fined $2500 after they shot at seals, killing one, on the Otago coast. Prior to the arrival of Europeans about two million fur seals lived around the New Zealand coast, but in the early 1800s they were nearly wiped out in Kaikoura and other areas due to hunting. Seals were given full protection by the New Zealand government in 1849. *NZ Herald
Editorial
There are some things happening within and around the kangaroo Industry. We understand the Russian government have confirmed they will not be importing kangaroo meat, unless certain conditions are met, none of which can physically be met. We've also heard that China is not very keen to import kangaroo meat, but are interested in wild donkeys, not so much for the meat, but for the skins, which can be treated and turned in a supposed aphrodisiac. With the loss of the Russian market, and shooters not being able to access properties in NSW because of the rain, kangaroos are being seen more often in the NSW shooting zones. This doesnt nessesarily mean that the populations are increasing, but that the kangaroos may be experiencing less harassment, and moving closer to small rural towns. Meanwhile, two valuable new Kangaroo Reports are now on the Thinkk website at http://www.thinkkangaroos.uts.edu.au The policy report states (among many things) that there are potential illegalities in killing joeys and that females should not be killed. The ecology report states that increased consumption of kangaroo meat by humans is likely to place kangaroo populations at risk.
One Thinkk report finalises that; Over the last decade in Australia, the Federal and State governments have approved an annual commercial kill of some four to six million kangaroos and wallabies each year. On average three million kangaroos are actually ‘harvested’/killed. Around three hundred thousand young at foot and 800,000 pouch young are either killed or left to die each year as collateral of the commercial industry. In addition, around 200,000 kangaroos and wallabies are killed for non-commercial reasons each year. A further unknown number are killed without government authorisation. This is the largest land-based slaughter of wildlife in the world. This report provides an analysis of the law and policy governing the killing of kangaroos. It provides an historical outline of kangaroo killing in Australia and examines the reasons for and against the kill. The report describes and analyses the legislative and regulatory framework governing the killing of kangaroos, in order to assist policymakers understand an area which is complex and often misunderstood. The conclusion of this report is that the current widespread commercial and non-commercial killing of kangaroos has yet to be proven necessary. Governments do not provide any clear justification for the killing such as through a proper consideration of the reasons for and against control. State governments once treated kangaroos as agricultural pests yet today they are treated as a resource. These practices result in poor welfare outcomes for many kangaroos and joeys and may pose a risk to Australia’s sustainability. *Thinkk
Meanwhile, in a rock bottom television program, Digital Spy reports that Stacey Solomon successfully ate kangaroo vagina in last night's I'm A Celebrity Rank Banquet trial. The former X Factor finalist swallowed all three of her unusual jungle dishes, winning her campmates three main course meals. Solomon was in hysterics while eating the animal genitalia after fellow contestant Shaun Ryder called it "kangaroo p***y". Speaking afterwards, the singer said: "The kangaroo vagina was the worst, it was very hairy - she could have sorted herself out first!" Her other dishes included pig's brain and cockroach mead. Ryder also ate all three of his dishes, which included baked tarantula, kangaroo's testicle and fish eye. The Happy Mondays star even complimented the tarantula dish, claiming that it tasted like beef jerky. "Definitely like a pub snack," he said. Jenny Eclair only managed two of her dishes, passing up the chance to eat kangaroo eye. However, she did win two starters for the team by swallowing crocodile anus and a fermented duck egg. Speaking about her last dish, the comic said: "It tasted like eggy, cheesy and ancient armpit. As if some monstrous chicken laid a massive egg and kept it in the armpit of a rotting witch." * We have to wonder if they belong to a good medical benefits scheme, or are they just stupid?
Fraser Dingoes
The Hervey Bay Dingo Day planned for last Sunday had to be postponed until this Saturday the 11th of December because of the weather. The Dingo Day will at Dayman Park, Hervey Bay, and features the World famous candle art, entertainment, sausage sizzle, skydivers, indigenous dancers and singers, raffles, alltogether a really spectacular day to help the Fraser Island dingoes. *
Feral Fish
An Illinois fishing company is helping to tackle the Asian carp invasion by marketing them as a delicious culinary treat to food companies in China. Big River Fish Company, based in Pearl, Illinois, decided that instead of lamenting the way that Asian carp were taking over Great Lakes fishing areas, they would turn it into a profitable business opportunity. Achieving sizes of up to 4-feet in length and 100 pounds each, carp destroy ecosystems by gorging themselves, and starving out other species. Ross Harano, the international marketing director for Big River Fish Co., said that by marketing the fish as "wild" and "unpolluted" they've be able to attract attention of high-end restaurants looking to augment their fish selection. Of course, the Great Lakes are home to their fair share of pollution, but they're relatively clean when compared to Chinese waters. In June, the Associated Press reported that, for the first time ever, a 20-pound bighead carp was caught by a fisherman in Illinois's Lake Calumet, on the South Side of Chicago--beyond the electric fences meant to keep them out, and only six miles from Lake Michigan. The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation recently pledged $500,000 to find environmental solutions to prevent this ravenous species from threatening the Great Lakes' ecosystem and jeopardizing the region's $7 billion annual sports fishing industry. The Big River Fish Company recently received $2 million in federal funding to expand its processing plant after securing a contract with a company in China for 30 million pounds of carp meat (NPR).
Penguins
Seven little penguins from the endangered colony at Manly have been found dead and a dog attack has been blamed for at least some of the massacre. The penguins - three breeding pairs and a chick - were found dead on the Harbour shoreline at Federation Point near Oceanworld. Three penguins were found dead on Friday, one on Saturday and another three on Sunday. Preliminary results from a post mortem examination at Taronga Zoo of three of the birds discovered on Friday found they had apparently been killed by a dog. Dogs had been banned from the foreshore at Federation Point to try to protect the penguins which dig their nests there, separate from other breeding areas at Manly. The National Parks and Wildlife Service has appealed for witnesses who may have been in the area last Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Manly's little penguins are the last mainland breeding colony in New South Wales. *Daily Telegraph
Climate Change
Climate change is expected to cause sea levels to rise -- at least in some parts of the world. Elsewhere, the level of the ocean will actually fall. Scientists are trying to get a better picture of the complex phenomenon, which also depends on a host of natural factors. When presented as a globe, the Earth looks as round and smooth as a billiard ball. To anyone standing on a beach, the ocean looks as flat as a pancake. But perception is deceptive. "In reality, the water in the oceans wobbles all over the place," says oceanographer Detlef Stammer. He isn't talking about waves, but large-scale bulges and bumps in the sea level. Stammer, who is the director of the Center for Marine and Climate Research at the University of Hamburg, is familiar with the incorrect notions that lay people have, which is why he likes to present them with two numbers to shatter their illusions. "In the Indian Ocean, the sea level is about 100 meters (330 feet) below the average, while the waters around Iceland are 60 meters above the average." *Read more http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,732303,00.html
Flying Foxes
The Charters Towers Regional Council, south-west of Townsville in north Queensland, says it will resubmit an application to have thousands of bats moved from the town centre early this week. A protest rally was held last month, calling on the State Government to move the bats which are roosting in the town's main park. Charters Towers Mayor Ben Callcott says despite assurances that Queensland Sustainability Minister Kate Jones would meet him to discuss the matter, he is yet to hear from her. "It's an absolute difficult struggle," he said. "I would like to see the Government become mature enough to have a look at this legislation and change it but they are adamant that that's not going to happen. "They wants us to work within the existing legislation and that is almost impossible. "I've met Kate Jones personally and I would hope that she might talk to me directly on these things - that's what I wish her to do. "It hasn't happened on the last couple of occasions and I'm not totally satisfied with it." *ABC
Asian Crow Sighted
An Asian bird capable of killing calves and kid goats is on the loose in North Queensland after reaching Australia by boat. Biosecurity Queensland has enlisted the help of birdwatchers to find an Indian house crow, seen in Innisfail almost eight weeks ago. Birds Australia North Queensland secretary Ivor Preston said he spotted the pest being hassled by native species at Flying Fish Point on October 11th. Mr Preston, who has seen house crows in their native Malaysia and Vietnam, said he knew the bird was not local, but was shocked once he realised its identity. A Biosecurity Queensland spokeswoman said the crow, which hails from central Asia, is considered a "major pest". It is working with local authorities and birdwatchers to find the pest which, if not caught, could have a devastating effect on the state's agriculture. "The pest is known to raid crops such as wheat, maize and sunflower as well as causing severe damage to vegetables and fruit crops including mango, guava, pawpaw, fig, apple, pear, grape and stone fruit," she said. A national animal pest alert says the house crow can kill animals. "The house crow will attack and kill poultry, new-born calves and kid goats," the alert reads.*
Beavers
As many as 20 feral beavers that have been released illegally or escaped from private collections in Tayside (Scotland) are to be trapped by wildlife authorities. The beavers currently loose in parts of Tayside are to be recaptured after a decision following agreement between members of the National Species Reintroduction Forum. According to the authorities, the animals are to be recaptured because it is illegal to allow their escape or release into the wild and because their welfare may be at risk. There was no consultation with local people; there was no licence issued for their release; there is no monitoring of their welfare; and there is no certainty that they are the appropriate species of beaver for Scotland. The beavers will be rehoused in Zoos. *
Guard Donkeys
A rural lobby group says an increasing number of farmers are turning to donkeys to ward off wild dogs. It is an idea that has been laughed at, but farmers are increasingly using the animals to protect their stock from being mauled to death. Wild dogs are causing widespread damage to Queensland's livestock industry costing about $67 million a year. AgForce president Brent Finlay says farmers are increasingly using guard animals like donkeys or alpacas to protect their sheep and cattle. "The problem is still increasing, it's still out of control and people will use whatever they can to control wild dogs," he said. Mr Finlay says donkeys are a sensible part of reducing the attacks. "Guard animals complement the trapping, the shooting, the baiting programs that are out there already, people are using donkeys," he said. Gwynneth Poulton breeds donkeys near Agnes Waters north of Bundaberg and says she has not been able to supply enough of them to meet demand. "People are becoming more, instead of laughing at you for having donkeys, they're saying, 'gee i'm hearing they're good guard animals'," she said. Ms Poulton says for farmers at the end of their tether, it is worth giving donkeys a ride. "They'd say 'what good is a donkey' but now people are finding out that there is more than just heehaw," she said. *ABC
Seals
Authorities are warning sightseers to keep a safe distance from seals after three people were bitten at a seal colony off the coast of Sorrento. The Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) senior wildlife officer Glenn Sharp says two tourists and a diver off a charter boat last week were bitten by seals sitting on the Chinaman's Hat in Port Phillip Bay. "Australian fur seals are big creatures with sharp teeth and can be aggressive, particularly during summer, if people get too close to them or they think people are going to feed them," Mr Sharp said. "A bite from an Australian fur seal can cause serious injuries and the only way to reduce the risk of being bitten is to keep your distance." Mr Sharp said there was no indication the three people who suffered bites had been trying to feed or had come too close to the marine mammals. "It's unusual for seals to bite, but acts as a reminder that people need to aware seals are wild animals." He said a distance of at least five metres should be observed. * 9News
Kangaroos and Toxoplasmosis
A new law passed inthe US Senate recently is S.510, which is supposed to be about food safety, but in reality is more about restricting the supply of fresh food. An interesting component of S.510 is that out of the 1,809 people who die in America every year from food-borne pathogens (CDC estimate), only a fraction die from the manufacturer's contamination of fresh produce. By far the majority of food poisoning is caused by the consumption of spoiled processed foods, dead foods and animal-human transmission of pathogens. For example, one of the largest food-borne killers according to the CDC is Toxoplasma gondii, a disease that people acquire from cat feces coming into contact with their food, and is also widely found in kangaroo and other game meat. Toxoplasmosis is a condition of special concern to pregnant women. Salmonella poisoning accounts for 553 deaths a year in the US. Salmonella has been widely found in kangaroo meat produced for human consumption, in kangaroo meat purchased in major supermarkets across Australia. An interesting sideline is that data presented by Maplight.org, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization, shows that big industry groups and large food producers spent millions of dollars buying off Congressmen to garner support for the Bill. According to Maplight.org, Senators that supported the Bill, and were responsible for approving the bill, received nearly $10 million in political contributions from Industry interest groups that also supported the bill.
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/030587_Senate_Bill_510_Food_Safety.html#ixzz16tB7UcIZ
Read more about kangaroo meat and toxoplasmosis here http://www.kangaroo-protection-coalition.com/kangaroos-toxoplasmosis.html
Wildlife organisations and residents are outraged by a permit issued to NMIT to shoot 300 kangaroos in Eden Park. The permit, issued by the Department of Sustainability and Environment, is for the 320-hectare NMIT Northern Lodge training centre on Glen Robbins Court in Eden Park. Wildlife Victoria rescuer Narelle Smith, who was contacted by concerned residents notified about the culling, called the move "a cop-out" and said shooting kangaroos was ineffective and inhumane. "I say without a doubt that the culling system doesn't work, there needs to be a property management plan put in place," Ms Smith said. NMIT said up to 1500 kangaroos were damaging fences, grapevines, native flora and fauna and disturbing the natural habitat at the training centre, used primarily for the school's equine and racing studies. "If we're going to survive economically we have to do it," NMIT faculty of earth sciences associate director Wayne Pappin said. The DSE's policy of culling kangaroos is being challenged by kangaroo research group THINKK, based at the University of Technology in Sydney, which released a research report suggesting there is little scientific evidence to justify culling. The report found that kangaroos rarely compete with livestock for food and do little damage to the environment. The DSE said the permit had been issued after the applicant submitted a kangaroo management plan to minimise animal welfare concerns, manage pasture and protect biodiversity in the area. Ms Smith said the DSE didn't want to consider other options, such as relocation or sterilisation, as they were too expensive."There needs to be an independent body overseeing wildlife, as I don't think the DSE are working for the best interests or our wildlife," Ms Smith said. * Northern Weekly
Comment here http://www.northernweekly.com.au/news/local/news/general/eden-park-roo-cull-has-neighbours-hopping-mad/2017374.aspx
Albino Kookaburras
ITt's a rare double act - two blue-winged albino baby kookaburras have shown up at a wildlife sanctuary at Ravenshoe in far north Queensland. Eagles Nest Wildlife Hospital founder Harry Kunz, who is caring for the pair, believes they are the only ones in captivity in Australia. "No one I have spoken to has ever heard of, or seen albino blue wing kookaburras before. There are a few albino laughing kookaburras around but not the blue-winged variety – so these guys are extremely rare." Mr Kunz said albino birds rarely live long in the wild because they have no camouflage and are an easy target. *Cairns Post
Birds
Flooding in the New South Wales central west has led to the Macquarie Marshes experiencing their best conditions in 10 years. The Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water says around 50,000 hectares of land in the marshes are currently flooded and if the wet weather continues the floodwaters could surpass the record of 150,000 hectares set 11 years ago. The Conservation Officer, Debbie Love, says more than 35,000 waterbirds including ibis, egrets and cormorants are breeding and are expected to remain in the wetlands until next April. But she says the current flooding is not enough to repair years of damage from the drought. "There's been a lot of changes over the last 20 to 30 years and loss of wetland vegetation," she said. "We're starting to see some re-establishment in areas that have been degraded, the marsh is capable of recovery, it's just whether the seasons and our capacity to deliver water will be sufficient to really return the marshes to a more resilient state." She says the rain needs to continue in the long term. "The amount of water that we have been able to deliver to the marsh either through environmental flows or through the rainfall that brought tributary flows into the system has meant that the wettest areas of the marsh are looking quite healthy and it's those areas on the margins, the next zone out, that we're really starting to see some changes in now with the bigger (flood) events that are lasting longer." *ABC
Fishing
Commercial fishermen have defended themselves against claims they are "raping, pillaging and plundering'' reefs off southeast Queensland beaches, saying sharks eat more baitfish than they catch. The Courier-Mail revealed yesterday recreational anglers had accused federally registered long-line tuna fishermen of launching night raids on reefs less than a kilometre off the Gold Coast and harvesting precious local fish stocks. The Federal Government has revealed one Southport-based long-line operation has taken five tonnes of baitfish so far this year, but tuna fishermen say the amount is ``a drop in the ocean''. ``The sharks of North Straddie would eat more than that,'' said Mooloolaba-based fisherman Gary Heilmann, who serves on a tuna fishing industry advisory committee. ``The recreational guys going out in their tinnies catching all the snapper would be doing more damage.'' Mr Heilmann admitted Fisheries Queensland received ``a lot'' of complaints about commercial fishermen coming in close to catch baitfish. But he said the baitfish were in ``prolific'' numbers and most long-line fishermen used frozen bait caught interstate. However, Mr Heilmann said that long-line fishermen acknowledged their incursion into inshore areas popular with recreational anglers was a sensitive issue and the industry was discussing trade-offs with the State Government. This could involve an agreement to stop taking live bait in return for an easing of catch restrictions on certain fish species. Mr Heilmann rejected suggestions New Zealand long-liners were targeting local reefs. He said local fishermen were probably confused as a long-line boat baitfishing on Palm Beach reef this week had a NZ-sounding name and may have had Kiwi crew on board. An Australian Fisheries Management Authority spokesman said only Australian-flagged vessels were allowed to fish for tuna and swordfish off the east coast. *Courier Mail
Gidgee Bugs
Scientists say there is not much known about the gidgee bugs being reported in big numbers in Queensland's central-west, but they are not a pest and only a nuisance. The Longreach Aquatic Centre had problems with hundreds of thousands of bugs clogging a swimming pool earlier this week after they were attracted by bright lights. Queensland Museum spokeswoman Christine Lambkin says the big numbers are due to the excellent season. She says the museum is asking for specimens of the insects because little is known about them. "It would appear that they are possibly members of a genus called cepaloplatus and it's a type of true bug," she said. "Most people would commonly refer to them as a stink bug. "It's interesting also that that genus is not reported anywhere as occurring in these sorts of numbers." She says they bugs do not pose a big risk to people. "They can actually bite but all they are really doing is giving you a little nip because they think you are a plant," she said. "They are testing out whether or not you are a good feed - they certainly won't have any effect on you if they do give you a little nip. "As far as we know, they are not a crop pest but they are definitely a nuisance because of the numbers you've got at the moment." *ABC
Another Mass Extinction?
Australian scientists fear the planet is on the brink of another mass extinction as ocean dead zones continue to grow in size and number. More than 400 ocean dead zones - areas so low in oxygen that sea life cannot survive - have been reported by oceanographers around the world between 2000 and 2008. That is compared with 300 in the 1990s and 120 in the 1980s. Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (CoECRS) and from the University of Queensland, says there is growing evidence that declining oxygen levels in the ocean have played a major role in at least four of the planet's five mass extinctions. "Until recently the best hypothesis for them was a meteor strike," he said. "So 65 million years ago they've got very good evidence of the cretaceous exctinction event. "But with the four other mass extinction events, one of the best explanations now is that these periods were preceded by an increase of volcanic activity, and that volcanic activity caused a change in ocean circulation. "Just as we are seeing at a smaller scale today, huge parts of the ocean became anoxic at depth. "The consequence of that is that you had increased amounts of rotten egg gas, hydrogen sulfide, going up into the atmosphere, and that is thought to be what may have caused some of these other extinction events."
Professor Hoegh-Guldberg says up to 90 per cent of life has perished in previous mass extinctions and that a similar loss of life could occur in the next 100 years. "We're already having another mass extinction due to humans wiping out life and so on, but it looks like it could get as high as those previous events," he said. "So it's the combination of this alteration to coastlines, climate change and everything, that has a lot of us worried we are going to drive the sixth extinction event and it will happen over the next 100 years because we are interfering with the things that keep species alive. "Ocean ecosystems are in a lot of trouble and it all bears the hallmarks of human interference. "We are changing the way the Earth's oceans work, shifting them to entirely new states, which we have not seen before." He says while it is impossible to predict the future, in a century from now the world will be vastly different. "A world without the Great Barrier Reef, where you don't have the pleasure of going to see wild places any more," he said. "We might be able to struggle on with much lower population densities, but ultimately it won't be the world we have today. "The idea of walking in the Daintree will be a forgotten concept because these changes have occurred."
Scientists say ocean dead zones, which vary in size from one square kilometre to 70,000 square kilometres, have been found all over the world. Particular hotspots include the Gulf of Mexico, off Namibia in the South Atlantic, in the Bay of Bengal, in the Baltic, the Black Sea, the tropical South Pacific, off China and south-eastern Australia. "We're seeing an expansion of areas of the ocean which are very low in oxygen and also very low in nutrients," Professor Hoegh-Guldberg said. "Climate change is driving changes to water circulation - so winds, strange weather patterns, have a consequence for how the ocean turns over and aerates and so on, and it's the winds which are delivering a lot of organic compounds into the deep sea. "At the same time we are putting a lot of fertiliser off coastlines, those sorts of things are incubating these deep water anoxic zones. "So it's the combination of those two things that are having a big change on how the ocean works." He says organic matter building up in the sea is a huge problem. "You get enormous amounts of organic carbon building up at depth, bacteria then likes to break down that organic matter and bacteria uses up the oxygen," he said. "So then what you get is a substantial drop in oxygen - that then has the consequences for fishers, for the productivity of coastlines and so on."
Associate Professor Mark McCormick, also of CoECRS and from James Cook University, says low oxygen levels increase stress on fish. "We know from our recent work that increases in stress result in deformities, leading to poorer survival of fish larvae," he said. "It has also been found they can cause fish to have smaller ovaries, produce fewer eggs, so larvae are also smaller and less likely to survive." Professor Hoegh-Guldberg says the problem is not as significant in Australia as other parts of the world, but that it is heading along the same, destructive path. "We've been altering coastal areas, delivering nutrients into the ocean, and of course you see the Great Barrier Reef, which has been quite damaged due to nutrient run-off," he said. "But the point is that our activities on land have a big influence on what goes on in the oceans and now we are starting to reap the harvest of those changes." He says the heart and lungs of the planet are being tampered with. "We are starting to see changes in the ocean's ability to produce oxygen and to produce food and produce all of the ecosystem's services that are so important to not only us, but all of the other organisms on the planet," he said. "It's mucking around with the heart and lungs of the planet - that's essentially what the oceans are, a huge respiratory system. "We damage them, the consequences could be very serious." Professor Hoegh-Guldberg says while the dead zones may only exist in pockets of ocean today, it will affect a far greater area in the future unless steps are taken to reduce the impact of human activities on the world's oceans and their life. *ABC
Whaling
The Federal Government's willingness to crack down on illegal whaling will be tested if Sea Shepherd's newest and only Australian registered vessel is rammed or attacked by Japanese whalers. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society today launched its new interceptor vessel Gojira, named after the widely-feared monster of Japanese film known in English as Godzilla. The non-for-profit organisation's director Jeff Hansen said the Gojira will be a game-changer in this year's fight against illegal Japanese whaling as it can out-run harpoon vessels. "This vessel can out-run any Japanese vessel, so it means we'll have the element of surprise and we can find the factory ship," Mr Hansen said. "The factory ship is the one we're after and if we can find it, we can shut down whaling. "We save 10 to 12 whales a day by blocking the slipway on the factory ship so really this vessel is going to play a huge part in shutting down the Japanese whaling fleet for the entire summer."
The Gojira set off from Fremantle today to join the Steve Irwin and Bob Barker in Hobart before leaving on December 2 to defend the Southern Ocean whale sanctuary. Its captain, Locky MacLean, said having the fast, new vessel combined with Japanese whalers still to leave port, it was anticipated Sea Shepherd would be able to stop all whales from being slaughtered this year. "If we can get down there before they do we can stop them straight off the bat which would be a big blow to the whaling industry down there," Mr McLean said. "Last year we followed them for 45 days and during the 45 days they didn't kill a single whale. If we can do that again this year and be there right when they get there, we've got a full quota on our side." The Gojira is Sea Shepherd's first Australian registered vessel, with Fremantle as designated as home port, and will have Australian citizens on board.
In January the crew of Sea Shepherd's protest boat the Ady Gil claimed they were rammed by a Japanese whaling ship in the Southern Ocean but New Zealand authorities found both vessels were at fault. Mr Hansen said the Federal Government would be tested in its response if a similar incident occurred with the Gojira. "We hope the Australian Government, if there's any issues down there, that they will step up and defend a vessel that's named and birthed as a home port in Australia and has Australian citizens on board," he said. "We hope the Australian Government will have the guts to take on the whalers." *News.com.au
Read more: http://www.news.com.au/national/japanese-whalers-to-be-chased-by-godzilla/story-e6frfkvr-1225962906703#ixzz16tgb3SyQ
Road Carnage in Victoria
Eight koalas have been hit by cars in the past month near the town of Gisborne, 10 kilometres north-west of the Melbourne boundary. The latest victim, a five-year-old female dubbed Bess, was found blind and stumbling in circles in the middle of the Gisborne road to Bacchus Marsh on Tuesday of last week. Wildlife rescuers say horrific injuries to native animals have become commonplace since intensive housing development in the country town and the neighbouring Melbourne growth suburb of Sunbury. As The Age revealed last week, suburban-style development now stretches far beyond the official urban growth boundary into rural towns, from Drouin in Gippsland to Wallan on the Northern Highway and Bacchus Marsh in the west. Melbourne could grow even bigger under the incumbent Baillieu government, which promised before the state election to review the urban growth boundary every two years to ensure there is 20 to 25 years' worth of land supply for housing.
The Department of Planning and Community Development would conduct the biennial audit of land in Melbourne, Geelong and major regional centres, and ''only recommend [urban growth boundary] expansion if population and housing demand projections determine it necessary''. Macedon Ranges Wildlife Network co-ordinator Fiona Corke said the new government should educate residents on the urban fringe about how to coexist with wildlife and keep buffer zones between housing and habitat. The network blames urban sprawl for the increased workload of its rescuers, who have been called out attend to more than 1100 distressed koalas, kangaroos, wombats, possums, echidnas and birds so far this year. The number has risen steadily from 715 animals in 2007. ''The landscape is home to many species of wildlife and not just a cheap place to buy a house and land package and commute back to Melbourne,'' Ms Corke said. ''More housing means more cars and more cat and dog attacks. 'The carnage and displacement of our native wildlife is horrific and it's getting much, much worse.''
The network will soon launch a website, funded by Macedon Ranges Shire, to survey the number of koalas with help from the public. Residents in the Yarra Valley, Hepburn, Moorabool and Mornington Peninsula shires have also reported a similar trend of wildlife deaths and injuries. Children in Mount Eliza were moved last month to post handmade signs on roadsides asking motorists to slow down and be alert to animals. East Trentham wildlife carer Linda Healy is now caring for Bess and another koala that was struck just days later on the same Gisborne road. She said Bess still could not see well and clawed defensively in the air at loud noises and shadows. 'But she's eating well and depending on whether she recovers her vision, she will be released.'' *Age
Kangaroos and Lumpy Jaw
Kangaroos living in captivity all over the world are known to suffer from “lumpy jaw disease,” which results in periodontal diseases, severe gingivitis and abscesses which may lead to death in high percentages. However, scientists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have now developed an innovative medicine in the form of topical applied varnish to treat periodontal diseases in kangaroos – thus increasing the survival rate from gum disease to 100 percent. The quality of the captive diet as well as environmental stress often leads to development of periodontal diseases in kangaroos, which has severe ramifications. Four years ago, at the Gan Guru zoo in Israel, an outbreak of the disease led to the death of about forty percent of the zoo’s kangaroos. Without proper treatment, a kangaroo that becomes ill will soon lose its appetite, starve and will die within a short space of time. The high mortality rate from the illness results in dwindling populations — compounding the already low reproduction rates among the kangaroos and low survival rates of baby kangaroos.
Existing treatment of periodontal diseases for kangaroos requires forced insertion of an antibiotic by anesthetic or by force several times a day, followed by solitary confinement of the animal to prevent cross infection of other animals. This treatment modality only increases the pressure subjected to the kangaroo and, as one can imagine, it is not easy to force-feed a kangaroo that weighs on average between 70 kg and 80 kg. This means that many of the kangaroos don’t benefit from the treatment and therefore may die from the illness. The innovative varnish treatment for periodontal diseases in kangaroos was developed by Prof. Michael Friedman of the School of Pharmacy at the Hebrew University’s Faculty of Medicine, Prof. Doron Steinberg of the Faculty of Dental Medicine and Dr. Eran Lavy of the Koret School of Veterinary Medicine at the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment. The treatment combines disinfectant agents, embedded in a polymeric matrix, and is based on the principle of sustained release of the drug from the varnish. The attending veterinarian applies the drug on the affected areas in the kangaroo’s mouth. “The disinfectant materials are released gradually over several days, thereby increasing the effectiveness of the treatment of inflammation,” says Prof. Friedman.
The researchers hypothesized that by using a version of the medicine that they developed, which is commonly used for treating oral diseases in humans, many kangaroos can be saved. The study, whose results were published recently in the Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine, was conducted over three years among kangaroos in Gan Guru at Kibbutz Nir David and at the Tisch Family Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem, in collaboration with veterinarians Dr. Meytal Bakal-Weiss and Dr. Nili Avni-Magen. Treatment proved to be successful: All the kangaroos in which periodontal disease was detected early on and which were treated with the novel sustained release varnish made a complete and a speedy recovery from the disease.
“The new treatment is easier to implement compared to the current available treatment, because it doesn’t require continued force-feeding over time, and it doesn’t have side-effects as the current oral/systemic dosage form,” explains Prof. Steinberg. “The delayed release mechanism greatly reduces the rate of suffering of the animal, leads to quick recovery and enables rapid return to the group, a fact which is of crucial importance in wild animal and zoo medicine.” The new treatment is good news for cats and dogs too. Most dogs aged four and above have, in one form or another, various dental problems. Like kangaroos, even dogs have severe periodontal infections that can lead to systemic diseases. In a recent study among dozens of dogs, it was found that the proposed application of a sustained release dental varnish is also effective in treating canine dental disorders.
“The new treatment can also be applied to other animals suffering from dental diseases and gingivitis, thereby reducing their suffering and long term of treatments,” says Dr. Lavy. The researchers are now examining ways to integrate food supplements into the medicine to make it tastier for dogs. As this oral problem is not confined only to Israel, the researchers have been approached by veterinarians from zoos in other countries to use this novel application in kangaroos and other animals as well. The animal application has been patented by Yissum – the Hebrew University’s technology transfer company – and is being offered for commercialization. Partners are now being sought to develop the treatment for wild animals and pets. *JWire.com.au
Green Iguanas
Iguanas are a variety of reptiles, which are mostly found all over Central and South America. There is a green breed of iguanas, that is commonly seen in Paraguay, Brazil, Mexico and Caribbean Islands. Green iguana is the favorite of hunters, but it is not yet considered as imperiled species. Hunters prefer to catch the large female iguanas. Green iguana is recognized as “Bamboo Chicken” and is a favorite delicacy for many people. The green iguana normally grows between 4 to 6 feet or longer. Their tail constitutes almost half of their total length. In spite of being green they have a dominant black stripe on the body. They have a monochromatic green color. Their green shade is different from bright green or grayish and dull green. Their skin is rough like a rasp and they have pointed scurfs on their back. They possess big claws and long fingers and can effortlessly grasp and climb up trees and rocks.
Green iguanas mostly live in the rainforests in tropical regions particularly in places having lower altitudes and approachable water bodies like rivers and streams. They spend most of their time in the forest generally at a height of forty to fifty feet from ground. Besides their rigid claws and large fingers, young iguanas have several admirable features. The iguanas have a very sharp sense of hearing, smell and sight. Their tail is their defensive measure. It is pointed at the end. When they sense any danger they flick the tail high up in the air. Often the vultures will get a chance and snatch the tail off. It can grow again without impairment. These animals have very tough skin, which can ward off scratches or cuts and it is also resistant to water. The skin pigmentation is helpful to the smaller iguanas as they can hide by camouflaging themselves. Often when they are threatened by predators, young iguanas will jump from the trees into the water. They are fabulous swimmers as well. Over and above these qualities, the baby green iguanas are very strong. They jump and fall from the height of 40 to 50 feet without any sign of injury. The male iguanas are found with a flap called dewlap on their skin. They impress the female iguana with this flap. Also, their dewlap is useful to scare the predator. They use dewlaps to look bigger in size. They have another peculiar quality that they can store the fat below their neck or jaws for a very long time, especially during those times of scarcity of food. * WPAA
Seals
Twenty-three seals, including eight newborn pups, have been found clubbed to death on the Kaikoura (NZ) coast. The bashed seals were found on Wednesday by Department of Conservation contractors at the Ohau Point seal colony, about 22km north of Kaikoura township. Some of the pups killed were just a few days old. The dead seals also included 13 females and two bulls. Other live seals had injuries suggesting they had also been struck, the Department of Conservation (DoC) said. New Zealand fur seals are protected by law and it is an offence to kill or harm them. Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson called on anyone with information on the attack to contact authorities. "I'm beyond appalled," Mrs Wilkinson said. "This isn't just a random act of violence. To go around and club 23 seals to death over a number of days is very deliberate and you have to question the state of mind of someone who can carry out such a cruel and abhorrent attack." She said DOC was determined to catch the offenders. "I call on the public to help out. If you know who did this or have suspicions then turn them in. New Zealanders hate this sort of behaviour and we need to send a message that we're not going to put up with it."
Under the Marine Mammals Protection Act 1978 there are penalties of up to six months' imprisonment or a fine of up to $250,000 for killing or harming fur seals or other marine mammal plus a further fine of up to $10,000 for every marine mammal the offence was committed against. DoC South Marlborough area manager Dave Hayes said the condition of the dead seals suggested whoever was behind the seal attacks had carried it out over a number of days. "Some of the dead seals appear to have been killed a week ago; others look to have been killed around a week or so beforehand. "This is a callous and cowardly attack on seals, especially newborn pups, unable to defend themselves against someone striking them with a bat or similar club-like object. "The smashed skulls of several dead seals we examined suggest they may have died in one forceful blow to the head indicating it was a person or persons of some strength who carried out the attacks." Seal pups from the Ohau Point colony have in recent recent years been hanging out at the Ohau Stream waterfall pool between April and November, while their mothers head out to sea. Between 100 to 200 pups have been seen up the stream at the pool.
Mr Hayes said Ohau Point was visited by thousands of people every year and visitors enjoyed watching seal pups in the nearby Ohau Stream. "It is deeply disappointing to see such a lack of respect and appreciation for these captivating marine mammals that are an important part of Kaikoura's internationally-renowned marine wildlife tourism," he said. "The Ohau Stream waterfall pool has particularly become a major attraction being visited by around 5000 people a month in the eight months or so of the year seal pups from the Ohau Point colony gather there. "People have great pleasure in seeing the young pups playfully cavorting at the pool. The eight young pups killed in this attack might have been among them in four to five months' time had they not been killed. Mr Hayes said antagonism towards seals sometimes came from the "misplaced belief" they were competing for fish caught for human consumption. "That isn't the case. Research on Kaikoura seals indicates the seals primarily eat lantern fish which are not sought after in fishing. The Kaikoura District Mayor Winston Grey described the attack as "beyond belief".
He said the region's wildlife is an important part of the district's tourism industry. "The town is busy with people - they're here to see our marine wildlife." Mr Grey said the spot is a popular tourist destination and the majority of people know to keep their distance. "They've been here for hundreds of years. Most people do not approach them." A Department of Conservation spokesperson said attacks on seals were rare, with only three of four reported nationally each year. It was unusual to have this many animals killed, she said. DoC recommends staying at least 20m away from seals at all times. Last month Harley McKenzie, a 20-year-old Southland man with a history of violence and a previous conviction for animal cruelty, was jailed for four months for his role in an attack on a leopard seal in October last year in which fist-sized stones were thrown at the seal and it was dragged around a beach by its tail. Two other men were fined $5000 and $7000 respectively for their part in the attack. In 2005, All Black Andrew Hore and friends Hamish Wilson and Matthew O'Connell were each fined $2500 after they shot at seals, killing one, on the Otago coast. Prior to the arrival of Europeans about two million fur seals lived around the New Zealand coast, but in the early 1800s they were nearly wiped out in Kaikoura and other areas due to hunting. Seals were given full protection by the New Zealand government in 1849. *NZ Herald
Humans and Wildlife
Generally humans are bad news for wild spaces and creatures, and we appear to be good for nothing else besides procreating with as much ease as falling off a log. But in this piece, I'm going to celebrate the fact that some adaptable creatures never had it so good until humans appeared on the scene. No, it's not just the crows, rats and cockroaches which have us to thank for their ever increasing numbers. Take leopards. For a long time we thought that these animals ought to live in the forest. “That's where they belong, of course” say the wise. If any was unfortunate enough to be seen outside, we said, “Poor thing. It's lost its home or perhaps it has no food in the forests.” So like the Good Samaritan we trapped the creature and transferred it to a forest we determined was appropriate for its survival. Recent research shows that these animals are not lost, nor are they randomly straying; the farmlands are what they call home. Where there are no forests, they hide in sugarcane fields. Where there are no monkeys or deer to eat, they survive on free-ranging livestock, stray dogs and feral pigs.
There are many places across the country where leopards don't even know what a forest is nor have they ever seen a wild deer. Similar is the case of three of the commonest venomous snakes of India: cobras, kraits, and Russell's vipers. Farmlands are rich not just with grain but also fat rats and mice who build intricate burrows. Rodent-eating snakes get plenty of prey and a place to stay when the surrounding fields are flooded. Thanks to our super-abundance of rats and mice there are many more of these snakes in farmlands than in any forest. And sarus cranes, the world's tallest flying birds, breed and raise their young in the mosaic of rice fields and wetlands of Uttar Pradesh!
Over the last decade, vultures have been in sharp decline, poisoned by the veterinary anti-inflammatory drug for livestock, diclofenac. But prior to the crisis, these birds were seen by the hundreds because of our habit of leaving animal carcasses out in the open. Vultures are the ultimate cleaning machines, able to strip the flesh from dead animals in minutes. In cities, we are used to seeing stray dogs rummaging in the garbage but in their heyday, the avian scavengers ruled these stinky refuse piles. In some cities such as Bangalore and Mysore, black kites have taken over and where there is water, brahminy kites. Mysteriously, vultures never crossed the Palk Strait to colonise Sri Lanka. On a recent visit to the island nation, Rom and I pointed and gasped at a variety of creatures that locals take for granted. Obese water monitor lizards filled the niche of vultures by lording over the garbage dumps. Star tortoises thrive in farmlands and are perhaps the only tortoises in the world to be called a pest as they chomp on succulent tomatoes!
In some parts of Sri Lanka, man's activities have benefited even elephants. Wherever one-crop, rain-fed agriculture is practised (in areas with elephants), the pachyderms thrive on regenerating weeds in the fallow season. Researchers say that if not for these rich, human-created feeding grounds, Sri Lanka would not support such high densities of elephants. In and around Yala National Park in Sri Lanka's deep South, are numerous irrigation ponds where hundreds of mugger crocodiles live. Thanks to the ancient people who once grew rice here, this tiny part of the country holds more of these reptiles than anywhere in the vast subcontinent of India. In all these instances, farming practices accidentally combined with farmers' tolerance to create an animal-rich landscape. With a little more focussed effort outside of forests and sanctuaries, we could do so much for the creatures that are a bit more finicky in their requirements for survival. *Janaki Lenin, The Hindu
Wildlife Pets
They arrive in the US from Amazon rainforests, central African savannahs and south Asian jungles, crated passengers in the cargo holds of airliners. Spitting cobras, common death adders, Zanzibar dwarf geckos, green iguanas, chinchillas, emperor scorpions and hundreds of other non-native species enter the United States each year to serve the demand for unusual pets. A lot of time has gone into an unsuccessful campaign to clear the Everglades of Burmese pythons, just one of the non-native species to find a congenial home in Florida. But the federal government continues to allow wide-open imports of a vast range of wildlife, conducting few screenings for disease and permitting most shipments to enter without inspection. A report on wildlife imports by the Government Accountability Office last month found "gaps that could allow the introduction of diseases into the United States." A Sun Sentinel review of live wildlife import records from 2004 through April of 2010 found that the United States imported these animals:
More than 739,000 rodents, despite warnings from the federal Centers for Disease Control and prevention that rodents can transmit to humans diseases such as hantavirus, bartonella and typhus. Nearly 20,000 venomous snakes, including 632 puff adders, 113 black mambas and 357 king cobras. More than 1.2 million green iguanas, as well as 39,673 Nile monitor lizards and 20,806 Burmese pythons.
A bill in Congress would have restricted imports to those species that had been approved as harmless, but an outcry from wildlife owners and the pet industry defeated it. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is completing the process to declare the Burmese python and eight other big snakes injurious species, which would end imports except for zoos and a few other purposes. "If the federal government had listed the Burmese python as injurious 20 years ago, we wouldn't have had this problem," said Beth Preiss, exotic pets director for the Humane Society of the United States. "It may be too late to stop the invasion of the Everglades, but it's not too late to stop it in the rest of the U.S." But the pet industry and hobbyist groups have fought back. They note that a cold snap last year killed a lot of the Everglades pythons. They say import limits represent an extreme response to problems caused by a few species. And they say tough restrictions would cost jobs and undermine a beneficial pastime that fosters in children an appreciation of science and nature. "A lot of children spend hours in front of the TV and the computer and have very little contact with nature," said Jamie Reaser, vice president of environmental policy for the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council, a trade group. "So I think it's very important children have the opportunity to learn about animals and the environment." *SunSentinel
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