Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Wildlife Bytes 29/2/12

Flying Foxes...Urgent Editorial

Wildlife gropus have belatedly found out that the LNP, if elected in Queensland, will allow fruit farmers to be issued with Crop Mitigation Permits to shoot flying foxes. A campaign against this is about to start, but we urgently need emails sent to the LNP asking them not to allow the issueing of CDP's to shoot Flying Foxes.

If you email Cambell Newman at his electoral office, the email is forwarded onto the State Team’s Policy Unit. Newman's email is newman@lnpqld.org.au

To email the State Opposition Leaders Jeff Seeney, his email is leaderoftheopposition@opposition.qld.gov.au

Opposition Environment spokesperson Andrew Powell is glass.house@parliament.qld.gov.au

Please urgently send them all an email, asking them not to allow the issueing of Crop Destruction Permits for Flying Foxes. Some email content ideas are below.

Early European settlers recorded huge camps of flying-foxes that would blacken the sky when they flew out at dusk. But with large-scale land clearing and killing, flying fox populations have greatly declined. In the 1930s biologist Francis Ratcliffe estimated there were “many millions” of Grey-headed flying-foxes, and that they had already suffered a 50% decline. Now there are far fewer Greys, an estimated 400,000 or so. Because flying-foxes typically don’t breed successfully until they are three and give birth to just one young a year, maintenance of their populations requires high survival rates.

The ripening of many orchard crops (eg. lychees and stone fruits) coincides with the birth season for most flying-foxes. If their mothers are killed in orchards, young flyingfoxes starve to death in the colony.

Another welfare problem is that because of the difficult shooting conditions at night in orchards, a high rate of wounding is inevitable.

Even if all flying-foxes shot in orchards could be killed quickly and humanely, there is no way of preventing the starvation of dependent young. No code of practice can overcome this hurdle.

If a fruitgrower acquires a Permit to shoot 30 flying foxes each night, who is counting the kill? Noone!

Please help the Flying Foxes, send your emails today, and please urgently pass this appeal onto your friends and allies. *WPAA

New Book

This is the webpage for a great new book titled Arktel, the Planet Only Children Could Save which is about how children get together to save their planet, and mirrors the problems that our own planet is facing. It is a beautifully illustrated book for all ages and would make a great gift for children and adults. The author Menkit Prince, is an activist and crusader for the survival of kangaroos and all Australian wildlife and the environment, and needs you help to get this book out there. http://www.planetarktel.com/PlanetArktel/Home.html

Flying Foxes

A plague of about two to three hundred thousand bats has descended on Katherine. The Katherine Sportsground has been closed because falling mahogany branches are a danger.
Mayor Anne Shepherd said all the council can do is wait for the bats to destroy all the branches and wait for the black and red flying foxes to leave. She said the bat faeces "reeks''. The sportsground has four ovals, a BMX track, basketball, tennis and netball courts, a skate park, a children's adventure playground, and an aquatic centre.
AFL is played at the Katherine showgrounds. *NT News

Kangaroos

Hoons have mown down and killed a pregnant kangaroo with car at La Trobe Bendigo. Neil Morgan of Wildlife Rescue Emergency Service was called to the university campus this morning. "In the early hours of the morning, a few people in a car have chased down a group of kangaroos and mown into them in one of the car parks," he said. "It is pretty horrendous. "A female kangaroo is dead. She had a joey at foot and one in the pouch, which I had to euthanase. The one in the pouch was too small to raise." Mr Morgan said a patrolling security guard saw the car hit at least one more kangaroo. "We believe that is injured and could be nearby," he said "Police have been contacted and we will head out there this afternoon (Sunday)." Bendigo Weekly

Climate Change

A changing climate isn't just about floods, droughts and heatwaves. It brings erupting volcanoes and catastrophic earthquakes, says Bill McGuire in London. The idea that a changing climate can persuade the ground to shake, volcanoes to rumble and tsunamis to crash on to unsuspecting coastlines seems, at first, to be bordering on the insane. How can what happens in the thin envelope of gas that shrouds and protects our world possibly influence the potentially earth-shattering processes that operate deep beneath the surface? The fact that it does reflects a failure of our imagination and a limited understanding of the manner in which the different physical components of our planet - the atmosphere, the oceans, and the solid earth, or geosphere - intertwine and interact. *Age
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/environment/climate-change/climate-change-is-set-to-shake-the-earth-20120228-1tzr2.html#ixzz1nio8M0LO

New Kangaroo Patient

A juvenile male kangaroo was found at Buderim, unable to hop and looking very skinny, by a local resident. Neville was transported to The Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital by Kate and James from the Australia Zoo Rescue Unit. Dr Bec checked over Neville and found him to be very weak and unwilling to stand. Neville was also dehydrated, with low levels of blood glucose, and bloated. X-rays revealed no fractures. Dr Bec sedated Neville in order to hook him up to a glucose IV drip. He was also administered pain relief and medication to help ease the bloating, and bottle fed by our veterinary nurses. Neville is currently in a warm joey pouch in the Nursery ICU, and will remain under close observation for the next few days before being transferred to a registered local kangaroo joey carer. AZWH Statistic: On average, more than one macropod is admitted each day, with 34 wallabies and kangaroos treated in January. *AZWH

Tassie Devils

Video footage taken deep in the remote Tarkine wilderness in Tasmania suggests a deadly facial cancer has infected the Tasmanian devil's last healthy, wild stronghold. A devil with a lump on its left cheek was filmed as it gnawed at a carcass. The camera was placed inside a mining lease by environmentalists from the group Code Green who oppose development of a big open cut mine at Mount Lindsay, about 80 kilometres south-west of Burnie. The consultant vet Colette Harmsen said the lesion on the devil's face looked ''very suspiciously'' like devil facial tumour disease, but only pathology would establish it for certain. Transmitted between devils by biting, the disease is described by the geneticist Elizabeth Murchison as the only cancer ever to threaten the survival of an entire species. Dr Murchison recently tracked the disease back to a single female that died more than 15 years ago in Tasmania's north-east. Since then it has travelled between animals across the state, now covering most devil habitat, and killing more than 80 per cent of wild devils, says the Save the Tasmanian Devil program. *Age

Elephants

A partly Australian-funded wildlife rescue foundation whose chief spoke out about the illegal poaching of baby elephants in Thailand has been raided and had 103 animals taken away by Thai parks officials. Several Australian witnesses say many of the animals, including endangered species, were injured during the raids on the Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand centre by up to 100 armed men, some of whom wore balaclavas to hide their identities. The raids over four days followed claims by the organisation's founder and director, Edwin Wiek, that more than half the elephants in tourist camps across Thailand had been illegally caught in the wild when they were young, sometimes by poachers who shot their mothers or other members of their herd that tried to protect them. "I would say between 100 to 250 baby elephants are smuggled from the wild each year," said Mr Wiek, a Dutchman who has worked to protect abused animals in Thailand for years.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/wildlife-centre-raided-after-criticising-tourist-camps-20120226-1twcp.html#ixzz1nYWqGCv9

Penguins

Experts have raised concerns about Perth’s Little Penguin population after deaths reached four times the normal level in the second half of last year. Murdoch University research associate Belinda Cannell said she first noticed a spike in penguin deaths in September. She said members of the public and Department of Environment and Conservation staff found 49 dead penguins in the last six months of 2011 compared to previous years where an average of 12 birds were found. Dr Cannell said the deaths could be attributed to starvation caused by high sea temperatures. “High sea surface temperatures are linked to the strong La Nina conditions and a strong Leeuwin current in the summer of 2010 and 2011,” she said.
“This ‘marine heat wave’ probably led to a decline in the fish stocks that the Little Penguins rely on for food. “Other deaths have been caused by marine craft. We’ve found penguins with severed feet, cuts across their back and broken necks.” Dr Cannel said some penguins have also died from overheating and with predictions for climate change in the South West of Australia indicating warmer temperatures and less rainfall, more penguin deaths could occur. *The West

Fraser Dingoes

Fraser Island National Parks rangers are going to great lengths to retrieve some of the collars that have dropped off island dingoes. The collars were fitted to 18 island dingoes eight months ago to collect data being analysed by researchers at the University of Queensland for important information on dingo behaviour, including population dynamics and their movement during breeding and non-breeding seasons. Environment Minister Vicky Darling said rangers and volunteers were collecting the collars after they automatically released on pre-set dates. The automatic release eliminated any need to recapture the dingo and minimised disturbance of the study group. She said the collars were valuable and could be reused on Fraser Island or elsewhere. "Once the collars stop processing GPS data, the searchers have to rely on a VHF radio signal and sight ... a tough task in rough terrain," she said.
Read more ... http://www.frasercoastchronicle.com.au/story/2012/02/27/remote-release-dingo-collars/

Superquarry

Opponents of a proposed super quarry at Narangba have website where you can post an objection to this monstrosity. http://http://www.nraq.net/

Plovers

A program to monitor and count the rare, hooded plover is underway in the Esperance region to ensure the longevity of the local population. The Esperance Bird Observers Group, along with the Department of Environment and Conservation, is working together to record the numbers of the beach-dwelling bird. The bird observers group says, as it nests on the foreshore, the hooded plover is particularly vulnerable to introduced predators. It says it is important the local community works together to protect the local population from extinction.

Kangaroos

ASK (Australian Society for Kangaroos) is now investigating the accuracy of the Queensland kangaroo population data released by the Queensland government late last year in their Quota Submission Report for Commercially Harvested Macropods in Queensland for 2012. You can view this report and their data here:

http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/wildlife-ecosystems/wildlife/wildlife_permits_and_licences/pdf/2012-quota-submission.pdf

Much to the pleasure of the kangaroo industry the data showed massive increases in kangaroo numbers of up to 60% across the state, which consequently pushed the state quotas for 2012 through the roof, increasing from 1.827,250 in 2011 to a massive 3,103,950 kangaroos to be killed this year alone in QLD. These very suspicious results come after years of propaganda by the kangaroo industry that kangaroo populations will be booming after the floods and will require control. All very convenient arguments to gain support for their failing industry that have now suspiciously been confirmed by the QLD government. However when ASK looked closer at the data we could see some very disturbing results. In around one quarter of the survey blocks, all species of kangaroo including Euros, Eastern Grey's and Red Kangaroos had suspiciously increased by 100% 200% and 300%, which are not only
implausible but biologically and scientifically impossible for kangaroos, who can only have one joey per year. ASK has written to the federal and state environment ministers expressing our concern, however we received the responses we would have expected which were ambivalence and denial. We also contacted the QLD Opposition Environment Minister Andrew Powell who was very supportive of our concerns and proceeded to ask the government questions in parliament about the implausible results. Of course they too got the standard empty denial ridden response so we have fine tuned the question for them and we are hopeful that they will ask a second question before they go to the polls. * From the ASK newsletter.

Become a Wildlife Warrior

By making a one-off donation or joining our monthly giving program you can become part of a global wildlife force that is working hard to preserve our natural environment. Monthly Giving Program; Sign up to become a regular giver for wildlife conservation! Donations start from as little as $2.50 a week and can go to helping our native wildlife at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital. Nearly 100 wildlife emergency calls are received every day at the Hospital, Up to 30 different species are admitted to the hospital every day, Currently around 80 koalas undergoing treatment, Approximately 70% of patients are victims of car accidents or domestic pet attacks, The cost to treat one animal ranges from $100 to thousands of dollars To sign up or find out more please visit http://www.wildlifewarriors.org.au *

Whaling

The long struggle by anti-whaling activists to shake off Japanese pursuit is shifting to New Zealand waters, where the government is warning the whalers away. Sea Shepherd's two ships are seeking refuge in the Auckland Islands, an uninhabited group about 1000 kilometres. south of New Zealand's South Island. The activists steamed there after abandoning plans for the refuelled Bob Barker to meet the Steve Irwin at Tasmania's sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island last weekend. Sea Shepherd leader, Paul Watson, said he decided to shift to New Zealand waters when the whalers' ships ignored Australian government complaints about their latest incursion into waters around Macquarie. The whaling fleet's guard ship, Shonan Maru No. 2, and the harpoon ship Yushin Maru No. 3 were plotted by Sea Shepherd deep inside the Australian 200 nautical mile EEZ around Macquarie on Sunday in their continuing pursuit of the activists. * Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/environment/whale-watch/whaling-conflict-shifts-to-nz-waters-20120228-1tzut.html#ixzz1ninlsEBx

Wildlife trafficking

A Henderson County (US) man is losing his exotic reptile collection worth nearly $50,000 after law officers found dozens of venomous lizards and snakes stashed in a western North Carolina mobile home. Fifty-one-year-old Walter Kidd of Hendersonville pleaded guilty Friday to 30 misdemeanor charges of possessing endangered animals and failing to properly label containers of poisonous snakes. Police seized the reptiles in August after Kidd was bitten by an exotic venomous snake and rushed to a hospital. Officers said the trailer was packed with snakes in plastic containers that represented a potentially lethal situation. Officers said the trailer was packed with snakes in plastic containers that represented a potentially lethal situation. Kidd's attorney said the animals including vipers and Gila monsters were not a danger because they were kept inside his home. The creatures were taken to the State Natural Sciences Museum in Raleigh after being confiscated inside his home. *AP

Fraser Dingoes

Dingo conservationist Jennifer Parkhurst has hit back at plans to shoot or trap dingo-cross dogs at Inskip Point, saying the dingoes were purebred and should be protected. In response to calls from birdwatchers saying dingo-cross dogs had wiped out a substantial number of ground-dwelling birds, Great Sandy Marine Park regional manager Ross Belcher said feral pest numbers would be reduced by Easter. He also said bird numbers would be monitored. Feral pests including foxes, cats and a pack of six feral dogs had all played their part in making vulnerable beach stone-curlews move to Fraser Island, Birds Queensland conservation officer Mike West said. Ms Parkhurst said the feral dogs that Mr West talked about appeared to be purebred dingoes, just a different colour. "People don't understand the significant conservation value of black and tan dingoes, only 17% of dingoes in Australia are black," she said. "Dingoes certainly aren't feral animals - they're native and come in four different colours ginger, black and tan, pure black and white. From my observations the dingoes around Inskip are pure. "It's just part of nature and all part of the ecosystem that is dependent on dingoes to regulate it," she said. It was not just the safety of the dingoes that Ms Parkhurst was worried about, she was concerned a baiting program would impact on other birds, children and pets. "Birds of prey could feed on the carcass of a dead dingo. Anyway in my experience the young dingoes have been skittish, wary and timid. Given another two months the dingoes would disperse... and start their own pack. They won't be here much longer. "After taking bait a dingo could wander anywhere, within reach of a child or a family pet. It could be catastrophic." Mr West said Inskip Point was a special area with rare birds and 96 different species. *Gympie Times

Kangaroos

Mango Hill and North Lakes Environmental Group is calling on Moreton Bay Regional Council to install illuminated warning signs in a bid to reduce the number of kangaroos hit by cars on local roads. The call follows council's recent pledge to install more ``standard'' warning signs. Council figures show two kangaroos were hit in November and one this month. Environmental group leader Dave Norman said while more signage was good news, illuminated signs would be more effective. ``I don't think it really matters how many signs are around as no one seems to ever expect to see a kangaroo across North Lakes Drive,'' Mr Norman said. ``I think people become used to seeing signs and don't realise that here in North Lakes it's not a once-in-a-while experience to see a koala or kangaroo crossing the road. They are very common here, especially in the town centre. ``In the Redland City Council area they have these LED signs for koala crossing areas that are hard to miss.'' Redland City Council Mayor Melva Hobson said in the first month after installation of the signs in 2010, there were no reports of koalas struck by cars where signs were located. ``The moveable flashing LED signs were sometimes placed next to static koala signs because drivers were continuing to speed, resulting in many koala deaths,'' Cr Hobson said. The signs flash up a message and the speed of the vehicle passing through. Moreton Bay Regional councillor Julie Greer (Div 4) said council would look into the benefits of installing LED signs. ``Council will see if these particular signs will be suitable for the Moreton Bay Region,'' Cr Greer said. ``Our community is very passionate about looking after kangaroos, and it is my hope that local residents, motorists and cyclists can continue to enjoy these beautiful animals for many years to come.'' *Quest

Wallaby Killed

A woman who lost control of her dogs, leading to the death of a wallaby, has been fined $2000. Dromana Magistrates’ Court heard that on May 23 last year Rye resident Catherine Davies was walking her dogs off-lead near the Brewster Rd carpark in the Mornington Peninsula National Park when the dogs - both small terriers - ran away from her. Shortly after, two DSE officers responded to a call that two dogs were chasing a wallaby. “Some men surfing in the area saw two dogs chase a wallaby into the surf,” DSE prosecutor Chris Jensen told the court. “The men tried to rescue the wallaby, but it disappeared under a breaking wave and they didn’t see it again. “But later some other surfers saw a dead wallaby floating in the water.” Mr Jensen said Ms Davies told the officers she had been returning home when the dogs ran away from her. She had left to attend an appointment, but left the gates to her property open hoping the dogs would return. It was also revealed during the hearing that one of the dogs had previously killed one of Ms Davies’ son’s guinea pigs.

Lawyer Claire Williams, for Ms Davies, said her client was “terribly distressed” by the incident. “She is an animal lover who was just trying to get her dogs home,” she said. “The dog that she suspected of being the aggressor she took to the pound and surrendered and she also tried to apologise by writing a letter to the surfers (who witnessed the attack), but was unable to get contact details for them.” The court heard Ms Davies was a community-minded person who worked as a volunteer carer at the Southern Peninsula Community Care Centre. Ms Davies was charged under the Wildlife Act with her dog attacking wildlife and a count under the National Parks Act of failing to control her dog in a park. Magistrate Hanz Holzer, in imposing the fine, said the incident was distressing and it was “a situation that was avoidable”. *Mornington Leader

Flying Foxes

To many people the flying foxes that populate trees around the Fraser Coast are nothing but a nuisance, but to Hervey Bay environmentalist John Parsons, they are simply misunderstood. He said people are often poorly educated on the important job the bats do in keeping the environment healthy. Mr Parsons said he has heard a lot of people express concerns about the bat, whether it is because they are annoyed with the excrement they splatter throughout the region as they fly overhead or because of the fear they will spread the hendra virus. The hendra virus concern is what Mr Parsons is most worried about. He says people have to realise that the hendra virus cannot be transmitted to them by the bats - it is transmitted through horses. The horses do catch the virus from bats, but it was up to horse owners to keep food and water supplies under cover and do whatever they could to shield their animals from the virus, Mr Parsons said. And as for the excrement that people found so annoying - he said it was important to realise that the bat played an important role in pollinating through their manure.

He said the excrement helped create stronger trees and bigger leaves, which in turned helped to supply more oxygen. Mr Parsons was confident the more people knew about flying foxes the more they would understand their vital role in keeping the local environment sustainable and was frustrated about efforts to move the flying foxes away from Gayndah. "It's absolutely silly," he said. "You can't move a wild animal." The amount of food available to maintain their group dictated where a flying fox decided to roost, Mr Parsons said. He said farmers who were frustrated by the damage done to their crops by flying foxes could invest in netting, as that was the only way to protect the crops. "In some cases people just don't like animals anyway," he said. "We respect that. If you don't like them fine, but don't kill them." *Fraser Coast Chronicle

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Wildlife Bytes 24/2/12

White Bear

You could be forgiven for thinking it was a polar bear that had wandered off the ice and somehow found itself in a forest. But this golden, almost white, beautifully unique creature is in fact a white variant of the North American black bear known as the spirit bear. The animal, also known as the Kermode bear, lives among more conventional-looking black bears in the dense green forests of British Columbia in Canada.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2101597/The-rare-bear-bunch-Rare-white-black-beast-captured-camera-polar-bear.html#ixzz1mWSY4r8Q

Fundraising Cautions

There are emails and phone calls going around from foreign countries asking for organisational tax ID numbers or ABN's. The emails say they want to make "your organisation" a primary beneficiary and they need to have your complete address and the tax ID number. Be careful..... * WPAA

Snakes

Found by a local resident in a backyard at Little Mountain near Caloundra after being attacked by a pet dog, a Green Tree Snake was transported to The Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital by the Australia Zoo Rescue Unit for specialised treatment. Dr Bec assessed Apple and found multiple puncture wounds over the mid-section of the body. Apple was an otherwise very bright and responsive little snake. Apple the Green Tree Snake was treated by Dr Bec, who administered Apple pain relief and fluids, cleaned the wounds and stitched them closed. Apple is receiving antibiotics to help prevent any infection. Apple is currently in a warm leafy enclosure in the Reptiles ICU, and will remain in care until fully healed and able to be released back into the wild. AZWH Statistic: Over 65 patients have already been admitted in 2012 after falling victim to a domestic animal attack. Please be a responsible pet owner and keep

Frog News

The Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) is preparing to return spotted tree frogs back to the Mount Buffalo National Park in north-eastern Victoria. The species was declared extinct from the area in 1983. The DSE is hoping the release of 260 captive-bred frogs will re-establish the population. * At Springbook in Queensland, an endangered frog not seen for 40 years has been found. The Fleays Barred Frog was found in a National Park. Another vulnerable frog was also found and five near-threatened species. * And a rare Rabb's Fringelimbed Tree Frog whose species is believed to be extinct in the wild has been put down in an Atlanta (US) Zoo after its condition deteriorated. *

Opportunity for Comment, GBR

Disposal of dredge material in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park The Australian Government is proposing to introduce an Environmental Management Charge (EMC) for the disposal of dredge material into the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. A charge is to be determined, from $5 to $15 for each cubic metre of material disposed of into the Marine Park. This charge would be applied to all permissions granted under the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975 that allow such disposal to occur. The charge is proposed to take effect from 1 July 2012 and would apply to all actions from that point onwards. This approach is consistent with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority's general principles that users of the Marine Park contribute to the management of the Marine Park. Revenue from the EMC will contribute to the long-term sustainable management of the Marine Park. For more information, please contact: Adam Smith (07) 4750 00734 or Andrew Skeat (07) 4750 0821 by 23 February 2012.

Kangaroo Video

The documentary Kangaroo Mob shown on ABC on Tuesday night angered and upset many people. While it has some value in showing perhaps a better view of kangaroos than most television does, most viewers seemed to be disappointed. Our concerns were that it showed a lot of John Fletcher's shonky research, (remember him, he was involved in the Belconnen kangaroo kill). But we were also concerned that the narrator stated that landclearing, planting crops and building dams had contributed to plagues of kangaroos, which is quite blatantly wrong. With 5 major river systems across Austalia, lots of billabongs and lagoons, and enough natural grasslands to support 200 or more million kangaroos, they coundnt get anything to eat or drink till we built dams and planted crops? Pull the other leg.....

Possums

A pair of stowaway possums went on a 2000km journey along the east coast after climbing into the back of a removal van. The pair of ringtail possums, named Bill and Ted after the 1989 film Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, travelled from Caulfield to Queensland in the back of a truck. The removal team discovered Bill hiding in a barbecue box at the end of the marathon trek, but did not notice his partner until later. The van delivered the contents to an address north of Brisbane. They were taken to Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, where they were looked over and found to be in good health. They were then flown back to Victoria courtesy of Australian Air Express, which transported the intrepid travellers to the Oakleigh South Wildlife Shelter. Carer Michelle Phillips said it appeared the two young possums had cared for each other during the journey. "There's little doubt that they were in the truck when it first took off," Ms Phillips said. "The ringtails in Victoria are very different from those in Queensland, so they would have struggled to survive if they hadn't been brought back." Ms Phillips said she was surprised the possums had been in such good health on their return to Victoria. "Being juveniles probably helped them, and they handled the whole thing really well," she said. Following a 4000km round journey, Ms Phillips said Bill and Ted would be released in Caulfield next week. * Waverley Leader

Wildlife Park Closed

A native wildlife park at Bass near Westernport Bay has been shut down by the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE). The DSE says the operator was running Wildlife Wonderland without a licence and had been evicted from the property by its owners. DSE spokesman Ryan Incoll says officers are also investigating reports of animals being mistreated. He says Healesville Sanctuary and the RSPCA are taking care of the 130 animals. "Health checks have been done and all the animals have been moved from the park to other locations to look after their care and their welfare," he said. He said the department had sent notifications to the operator several months ago. "There were also a number of visits of our wildlife officers to the park to talk to the operator, to assist with getting that licence but he wasn't in the place and didn't obtain a licence." * ABC

Koalas

The koala, one of Australia’s most-treasured creatures, is in trouble. Faced with habitat loss, climate change and bacterial disease, koalas are being pushed into smaller and smaller regions of the country. In Queensland, the vast state in Australia’s northeastern corner, surveys suggest that from 2001 to 2008, the number of koalas dropped as much as 45 percent in urban areas and 15 percent in bushland. And while climate change and habitat loss are affecting many other uniquely Australian animals, too — from birds and frogs to marsupials like wombats, wallabies and bandicoots — it is a bacterial infection that is worrying many scientists about the fate of the koala. “Disease is a somewhat silent killer and has the very real potential to finish koala populations in Queensland,” said Dr. Amber Gillett, a veterinarian at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital in Queensland.

The killer is chlamydia, a class of bacteria far better known for causing venereal disease in humans than for devastating koala populations. Recent surveys in Queensland show that chlamydia has caused symptoms in up to 50 percent of the state’s wild koalas. The bacteria — transmitted during birth, through mating and possibly through fighting — come in two different strains, neither the same as the human form. Chlamydia causes a host of symptoms in koalas, including eye infections, which can lead to blindness, making it difficult for them to find scarce eucalyptus leaves, their primary food source. The bacteria can also lead to respiratory infections, along with cysts that can make female koalas infertile. The epidemic has been particularly severe in Queensland, where nearly all koalas are infected with koala retrovirus, Gillett said. This retrovirus is an HIV-like infection that suppresses the koala’s immune system and interferes with its ability to fight off chlamydia.

Treating chlamydia in wild koalas is a challenge, Gillett said. The disease is so devastating that only a small percentage of the animals can be treated successfully and returned to the wild. There is no treatment available for koala retrovirus, but researchers are working to test a vaccine that would help prevent further spread of the chlamydia infection.infertile. The epidemic has been particularly severe in Queensland, where nearly all koalas are infected with koala retrovirus, Gillett said. This retrovirus is an HIV-like infection that suppresses the koala’s immune system and interferes with its ability to fight off chlamydia. Treating chlamydia in wild koalas is a challenge, Gillett said. The disease is so devastating that only a small percentage of the animals can be treated successfully and returned to the wild. There is no treatment available for koala retrovirus, but researchers are working to test a vaccine that would help prevent further spread of the chlamydia infection. *New York Times

Ed Comment; A number of housing development proposals recently have been approved in Southern Queensland in koala habitat. On one site, (which is alleged to hold 300 or so koalas) work has already started on clearing for powerlines and access infrastructure. Then another huge project West of Caboolture has just been approved by the Queensland government, to house 60,000 people.....in koala habitat again! Roads and freeways in the area are almost blocked now in peak traffic times...and there are many other issues about this that concern many people. Meanwhile the Federal Environment Minister has once again deferred announcing a decision to protect koalas from the recent Koala Inquiry in Canberra. Why? Because the Queensland government is holding an election, and a poor decision about the koalas (which most wildlife groups expect) would reflect badly on the election campaign. Mind you, if Rudd displaces Gillard next week, the Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke will likely be kicked out anyway.........What did we ever do to deserve the politicians we now have?

Kangaroos

Victorian farmers may soon be able to harvest kangaroos. A report, believed to recommend a change in the state's laws, was handed to the Victorian Government a few weeks ago.
It comes as kangaroos reach record numbers across Australia due to the end of drought. Calls are growing to lift a ban in Victoria on the commercial processing of culled kangaroos. Landholders are able to destroy about 30,000 kangaroos a year in Victoria but while they may take some meat for personal use, they must dispose of the carcasses. The Competition and Efficiency Commission, a branch of the Government's Treasury Department, first recommended a law change in a draft report last year. A second draft report later that year called Securing Victoria's Future Prosperity: A reform agenda did not mention culling. The Weekly Times has learned that lifting of bans on commercial harvesting had been put to government as a "hot spot" reform. The Department of Sustainability and Environment issues Authority to Control Wildlife permits to landholders based on sustainable limits. The commission last year called on the Government to simplify the process for obtaining permits, estimating each permit cost about $480. About three million kangaroos are shot across Australia each year, but Victoria is the only state that does not have a commercial industry. Kangaroo Industry Association chief executive John Kelly said kangaroos could number more than 52 million in a year. "If Victoria changes the law then farmers won't have to do the job, they can ask a commercial service to do it for free," he said. *Weekly Times
Go here to comment and to vote ..... http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/article/2012/02/22/445941_national-news.html



The Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia says kangaroo numbers could reach record numbers within 18 months. Chief executive John Kelly says wet weather has caused a seasonal explosion in numbers. The conditions are similar to those of 2001 when the federal Department of Environment estimated roo numbers could reach more than 50 million. Mr Kelly says high numbers are not unusual, but because of the high Australian dollar and market access problems, kangaroo shooting is no longer viable. Mr Kelly believes kangaroo numbers could reach 52 million by next year. "Running into the next drought when we have record populations of kangaroos, it becomes a real problem," he said. "If there isn't a kangaroo industry there that is controlling the numbers and can reduce the numbers in the face of the next drought, then the agriculture sector is going to find themselves in a very nasty place." (7TVACT) Meanwhile the ABC reports that graziers south of Cunnamulla are reporting goats taking refuge in trees from record floods. Not only is a big body of water heading south from Dirrinbandi, but floodwaters in the Warrego River are now heading towards Bourke in NSW. Livestock manager at Landmark Cunnamulla, Neal Elliott, says a grazier from Mirage Plains, 80 kilometres south of town, has seen some of his goats in the branches of trees. "As the floodwaters are rising they are taking refuge on higher branches. They will probably starve though because the water usually takes a few days to go down again." The town of Cunnamulla itself has fared well with the levy protecting the town from near record flooding. The water has now dropped from 9.95 metres to 7 metres. *

Ed Comment; Kellys statements above are ridiculous of course. Many kangaroos (they can't climb trees ) have been lost in the floods, and chloriod blindness disease from biting insects will kill many more after the floods subside.

Wildlife Trafficking

Four Chinese nationals are facing deportation from Zimbabwe after they were arrested for killing more than 40 rare tortoises for meat, officials say. Animal welfare officials said the men admitted charges of animal cruelty. Investigators found the skeletal remains of 40 endangered Bell's Hinged tortoises, in a raid on the men's house. They also reportedly recovered 13 live tortoises stored in steel drums without water or food. Villagers in Bikita, in south-eastern Zimbabwe, said the reptiles were dropped alive into boiling water. Tortoise meat was also recovered from the house, the Zimbabwe Herald reports. The tortoise is listed as an endangered species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. Local officials say their numbers in the wild have dwindled in recent years. *BBC


Fingerprints have been lifted off exotic snakes and lizards for the first time by NSW Police, after a two-year operation uncovered almost 200 reptiles in suburban homes in Sydney. Dawn raids by police and officers of the Environment and Heritage Office were carried out last week on three addresses across the city. The houses had been converted specifically to keep the reptiles and were likened to hydroponic drugs houses - they looked like normal homes from the outside but were set up for alleged illegal trade. Forensic experts fingerprinted the reptiles at the site of one of the homes. "It is the first time prints have been taken off reptiles in an operation," said Sergeant Cameron Forsyth of the Fingerprint Unit. "The procedure is fairly delicate and groundbreaking research was done before we knew it was possible." The snakes are dusted, like in normal fingerprinting, and the prints then photographed from the reptile. "We first had to establish it could be done without harming the subjects." Sgt Forsyth said only certain species were able to be printed.

The Daily Telegraph understands at least four snakes and lizards were dusted from the 194 reptiles seized. Some of the species seized had never been seen in Australia before and the haul is estimated to be worth in excess of $500,000. Many of the animals were in poor health and were sent to various wildlife centres, Environment and Heritage Office acting CEO Sally Barnes said. "Exotic species found ... included two emerald tree monitors from Papua New Guinea, a boa constrictor, a crested gecko (native to New Caledonia) and four leopard geckoes," Ms Barnes said. "Other animals including hatching geckoes, pythons and turtles were found frozen. Inquiries continue and charges are expected to be laid once the investigation is complete." Frozen rats kept as food were also found. Ms Barnes said some of the animals were in poor health and in some instances the condition of their housing could only be described as "below average". "All reptiles are protected in NSW and it is against the law to remove (them) from the wild," she said. "Illegal trade of wildlife is a serious conservation problem often resulting in mistreatment of animals and grave impacts on the ecosystems they are taken from." * Telegraph

Fraser Island Dingoes

In the past 10 years, dingoes on Fraser Island have attacked people almost 100 times, according to startling figures released by the environment department. Since the current monitoring regime began in 2002, there have been 98 dangerous dingo attacks recorded on the island - and these statistics will no doubt form part of the evidence in the Azaria Chamberlain inquest. Numerous attacks have also occurred before 2002, including a mauling that led to the death of nine-year-old Clinton Gage and injuries to his younger brother in 2001. The Department of Environment and Resource Management compiled the figures following a Chronicle inquiry last week. As Australia waits to hear whether a Northern Territory coronial inquest will categorically absolve the Chamberlains this week of any involvement in their daughter Azaria's disappearance at Uluru in 1980, the release of DERM dingo figures reinforces the Chamberlains' case that a dingo took their nine-week-old baby from their tent more than 30 years ago.

Michael and Lindy Chamberlain (now known as Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton) were convicted in 1981 in relation to Azaria's disappearance. Mrs Chamberlain- Creighton was sentenced to life for murder, but her and her then husband's convictions were later quashed after a 1987 royal commission. Evidence about dingo attacks on Fraser Island is understood to have been submitted to the NT coroner and was instrumental in having a fourth inquest opened. "Encounters - incidents or sightings - that are reported to rangers are added to the dingo's profile," a DERM spokesman said. "Dingoes assessed over time as being dangerous to people are humanely destroyed. "These animals cannot 'unlearn' this behaviour and can quickly become unpredictable and so dangerous that they will, in certain circumstances, seriously maul or kill someone." The NT Coroner Elizabeth Morris is expected to hand down her findings this Friday. *Fraser Coast Chronicle

Ed Comment; Its important to note that the quoted "attacks" include looking sideways at a tourist, curiosity, and just plain being in the wrong pace at the wrong time. Again, this is just very poor reporting in an attempt to demonise the FI dingoes. Once while sleeping in my vehicle on the Island, I rolled out of the back of my vehicle early one morning and bumped into a dingo. This would be classified by DERM as an "attack!" The 4th Chamberlain Inquest has not done any favors to the FI dingoes.

Dingo data from DERM is deceiving..

There has been much ado in the media regarding the re-opening of the Azaria Chamberlain case and the comparison to alleged attacks on Fraser Island. It is understandable that the Chamberlains would like to have a final verdict on the coroners findings and put this matter to rest, but its relevance to Fraser Island is debatable. The Dept. of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) seem intent on convincing potential visitors that Fraser Island dingoes are dangerous and aggressive . The Department has recently issued a statement inferring that there have been close to 100 incidents of dangerous behaviour exhibited by dingoes on Fraser Island since 2002. This statement will not only discourage tourism, but must be challenged as inaccurate and deceiving. It must be understood that an incident, according to DERM, can be as dangerous as an animal "loitering at a recognised visitor site."

Only 4% of reports analysed record actual instances of biting or nipping, these instances are usually provoked by tourists and, for the most part, can be attributed to juvenile play behaviour, not aggression. What do Uluru and Fraser Island actually have in common? According to Michael Chamberlain "within a few weeks of stopping feeding at Uluru our daughter was dead." Prior to QPWS taking control of Fraser Island there was no mention of dingoes attacking humans, but within a year of food sources being removed, harassment of campers was observed. The department even admit hunger to be the actual cause of problem behaviour (Price 1994). Therefore, in both cases, government interference can be attributed to a change in dingo behaviour. This attempt by DERM to vilify the dingo only highlights the mismanagement of Fraser Island and the urgent need for a review of it's flawed and failing management strategy. Hopefully a change in government will bring about the change needed to provide a sustainable future for our unique and iconic Fraser Island dingo.*Media Release, Save Fraser Island Dingoes Inc.


Today, the National Dingo Preservation and Recovery Program expressed its disappointment at the way in which flawed and unreliable data from Queensland’s Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM), relating to alleged dingo attacks on Fraser Island,are being provided as evidence at the Azaria Chamberlain inquest in the Northern Territory. National Dingo Preservation and Recovery Program spokesperson, Dr Ernest Healy, stated today that: ‘DERM has applied a ridiculously loose standard in labeling contact between dingoes and humans on Fraser Island as ‘attacks’ or as ‘dangerous’. The Department has applied a no-tolerance approach to dingo-human contact, whereby virtually any contact at all has been labeled as ‘aggression’ on the part of the dingo. DERM has persisted with categorizing the most trivial forms of contact as aggressive, for which large numbers of high-conservation-value dingoes have been put down.

Dr Healy added: ‘That these flawed records, a product of the mismanagement of the Fraser Island dingo population, should now be used to further vilify the reputation of the dingo in the Azaria Chamberlain case appears self-serving on DERM’s part. One has to wonder if DERM is now using the Azaria Chamberlain inquest to attempt to legitimize its track record of dingo mismanagement on Fraser Island. If so, this situation is one that all Queenslanders should be outraged about.’ That records compiled as a part of the mismanagement of the Fraser Island dingo population should now be used to vilify the dingo in another context highlights the need for a judicial enquiry into Fraser Island dingo management by DERM. A change of government in Queensland in the near future may provide the catalyst for such an enquiry.’ *Ernest Healy, President NDPRP,

Whaling

The online retailing giant Amazon appears to have responded to pressure against whale meat sales on its Japanese language website. The Seattle-based business, which wholly owns its Japanese subsidiary, has a stated policy of prohibiting the sale of unlicensed or illegal wildlife products including endangered species, according to the Environmental Investigation Agency. But EIA found 147 different whale products for sale on amazon.co.jp, including some from listed endangered species, in a December survey. Others came from Japan's legally disputed research whaling program. A check of the site early today using the Japanese symbol for whale meat found dozens of items still listed, but hours afters news of the investigation was published, the same search found no listings. In response to a request for comment from Amazon, a spokeswoman, Mary Osako, said: "The items you referenced are not available for sale."

In the report, Amazon.com's Unpalatable Profits, launched with Humane Society International, the investigators bought eight whale products from Amazon Japan in 2011, including canned whale meat, whale jerky, whale bacon and whale stew. Analysis of some revealed excess mercury levels, and up to one-third lacked a species name on the label. Selling arrangements on Amazon Japan require third-party sellers to pay a 10 per cent commission for food and drink products, including whale products, on top of a 4900 yen ($57) monthly fee, the report said. The products are shipped direct from the seller in Amazon boxes. The groups called on Amazon to enact an immediate corporate-wide policy prohibiting the sale of all cetacean products. *Sydney Morning Herald

Keppel Island

Conservationists have labelled the environmental impact process a farce after comments by Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson that his government backed a $600 million resort and real estate development for central Queensland's Great Keppel Island. Capricorn Conservation Council co-ordinator Michael McCabe said yesterday that Mr Ferguson's statements showed the Government had little regard for its own regulatory process, given the development's EIS process was not complete. Such premature statements showed the decision would be a rubber stamp by the Federal Environment Department and the State Co-ordinator-General's office. Environment Minister Tony Burke said this was not correct because many developments were supported by ministers but it was always understood this was subject to environmental approvals. "Decisions concerning Great Keppel will be made according to national environmental law and statements of support from (Mr Ferguson) put absolutely no improper pressure on those deliberations," Mr Burke said. A spokeswoman for developer Tower Holdings said the draft EIS was the most rigorous environmental assessment conducted on the island and the project had been scaled back by 75 per cent.

Central Queensland is a development hot spot, with proposals for major mining port development at Balaclava Island, the Fitzroy Terminal Project and a Gladstone Ports Corporation proposal for the northern end of Curtis Island. Mr McCabe said he supported the Keppel proposal so long as it stayed within the original resort's footprint. Tower had bought the original resort but closed it, making locals wonder whether the company wanted to be in tourism or simply develop real estate. Tower had already had two major proposals rejected for the site but still wanted to double the size of the marina, build 1050 villas and apartments and use recreational leasehold land. "In anyone's language that's real estate rather than tourism," Mr McCabe said. "We've got great concerns about the amount of dredging needed." Mr McCabe said any decision on such a huge project and the port proposals nearby should be held over until the state and federal strategic assessment of the reef was completed. Seven island resorts have closed during the tourism downturn on Lindeman, Bedarra, Dunk, Long, South Stradbroke and Brampton islands. *Courier Mail

Become a Wildlife Warrior
By making a one-off donation or joining our monthly giving program you can become part of a global wildlife force that is working hard to preserve our natural environment. Monthly Giving Program; Sign up to become a regular giver for wildlife conservation! Donations start from as little as $2.50 a week and can go to helping our native wildlife at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital. Nearly 100 wildlife emergency calls are received every day at the Hospital, Up to 30 different species are admitted to the hospital every day, Currently around 80 koalas undergoing treatment, Approximately 70% of patients are victims of car accidents or domestic pet attacks, The cost to treat one animal ranges from $100 to thousands of dollars To sign up or find out more please visit http://www.wildlifewarriors.org.au *

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Wildlfie Bytes 16/2/12

Leading Story...New Qld Coastal Plan

Billion-dollar port expansions on Queensland's coastline will now be exempt from environmental restrictions. The exemptions from the Queensland Coastal Plan will allow ports greater flexibility to dredge, reclaim land and build canals than other developments along the coast. The plan also exempts port developments from requirements that they not adversely affect the habitat of threatened species, or places that support a "critical life-stage ecological process", such as feeding, brooding or roosting. The plan, which came into effect on Friday, creates a statewide policy to protect against the damaging impacts of climate change, including forecast storm surges and increased intensity of cyclones. Mackay Conservation Group co-ordinator Patricia Julien said the consolidation of local coastal plans into a statewide policy was a "step backwards" as it did not include sufficient local factors. "We were not happy about the ports being excluded," she said. "Everyone should be dealt with under the same rules and regulations. If you get too many exemptions and too many loopholes then what is the point of the policy?"

Ports are rapidly expanding as Queensland's booming coal-seam gas, liquefied natural gas and coal industries ramp up production and export facilities. Abbot Point port is expected to undergo a $9bn expansion to add an extra six terminals, Hay Point will have a $2.5bn overhaul, and Weipa will be upgraded in a $1.3bn development. A UNESCO delegation will inspect Gladstone sites next month amid concerns about the impact of more shipping traffic on the Great Barrier Reef. Greens senator Larissa Waters said Queensland was continually failing to protect the environment, and the coastal plan would not stop "a repeat of the Gladstone harbour environmental disaster" along the coast. A North Queensland Bulk Ports Authority spokeswoman referred questions about the ports' environmental requirements to Queensland's Environment Department. Environment Minister Vicky Darling did not respond to The Australian yesterday. A Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority spokeswoman said ports had been excluded from the environmental park when it was established in 1975 but development activities that could potentially impact on the marine park would be referred to the federal Environment Department. *Network Item


Editorial

A wildlife Rally in Brisbane this week was really well attended. A number of speakers raised many wildlife issues. WPAA spoke briefly too, and the content is below.

It's too late!

If your family, your kids, haven't yet seen a mob of wild red kangaroos, with the big red male kangaroo out in front....it's nearly too late. If your kids haven't yet seen a wild koala in a tree in a forest...its nearly too late. If your kids haven't yet seen a wild native dog, such as the Fraser Island dingo....it's nearly too late. If your kids haven't walked with you through a rainforest, and watched and listened to the birds...it's nearly too late. If your kids haven't yet seen a flock of 100 or so Major Mitchell cockatoos flying into a tree at dusk to roost....it is already too late! If you are lucky, you may see one or two. If your kids havent yet seen a flock of the big, beautiful topknot pigeons that only 20 years ago could be seen in flocks of 50 or more flying along the Queensland coast feeding on the fruits of the vine scrubs....it is already too late! If you are lucky, you may see one, two, or six. If your kids havent yet seen the huge summer swarms of beautiful blue butterflies on the Queensland coastline......... that in the1800's Flinders described as "a living blue carpet over the ocean" .....it is already too late! If you are lucky, you may see a remnant 20 or so.

Anyone that has anything to do with wildlife knows we are losing ourspecies hand over fist. Every species we have is in some sort of trouble...for some that trouble may be some years away, but for many species it is serious trouble now, for other species...well...its just too late! Queensland has the worst wildlife management record of any State. Development at any environmental cost has wiped out habitat for many species. Sadly, that development mania is still hurtling along as though we had another Planet to step onto tomorrow....and of course we havent.

Northlakes, Caloundra South, CSG, Coal mines right across Queensland, two megacities proposed for Sth West Brisbane, giant housing and Industrial developments everywhere......and Gladstone Harbor deliberately trashed to facilitate the Coal Seam Gas Industry.

What we at WPAA expect of the next Government is something we have never seen before in the history of Queensland...we want to see a Government elected that cares about wildlife...a Government that will protect wildlife....those species that are still here anyway. So when you sit down with your family and your kids tonight at dinner, and they ask you if you have ever seen a large flock of Major Mitchell cockatoos, you can say, sorry kids, I never did, and now its too late...its just too late! *WPAA

Kangaroos

Kangaroos have been shot and killed with a bow and arrows in what park rangers are describing as a “distressing” spate of attacks on Mount Ainslie, ACT. Two kangaroos were shot dead by arrows in the area in the past two weeks, and one had to be put down to end its suffering. National Parks, Reserves and Rural Land manager Stephen Hughes said those responsible for the attacks could be charged a range of offences, which could see them face two years in prison and up to $22,000 of fines. “It is very distressing to discover this illegal behaviour which, in addition to the suffering caused to the kangaroos, poses a public safety hazard,” he said. “Mount Ainslie is a high use reserve which is particularly popular with late afternoon and evening walkers, joggers and cyclists.” Police and park rangers have stepped up their monitoring of the area to try and catch the culprits. Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a report via the website at www.act.crimestoppers.com.au. * Canberra Times


A crazed kangaroo has been put down at the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary after it attacked two volunteers. One of the volunteers faces surgery for a broken hip after she and her colleague were attacked by a large male kangaroo. "Alpha Male" kangaroo Spartan kicked the volunteer to the ground on Monday and then turned on a second volunteer who came to her aid. The other volunteer suffered a fractured rib. Sanctuary chief executive officer Jonathan Fisher said Spartan was removed from the paddock and later put down on the advice of veterinarians. He said Spartan "was one of our more docile and much-loved kangaroos'' and that a post-mortem will be carried out to see if there was any reason why the kangaroo attacked. * Gold Coast Bulletin Ed Comment; Readers comments supported the kangaroo.


Chinese visitors received a real taste of Australia during a two-day visit to Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Horsham. The scientists from the Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences at Yunnan Province in far southwest China feasted on barbecued kangaroo as well as touring the site and hearing presentations from DPI staff. During the visit an agreement was made to develop a research project that involves the exchange and characterisation of pulse germplasm for a wide range of traits. It will also involve the development of elite germplasm utilising the latest genetics and genomics techniques, including whole genome sequencing. A major part of the collaboration will involve an exchange of scientists and scientific training. Yunnan is located in the southwest corner of China and borders several countries including Vietnam, Laos and Burma. Its climate can range from tropical to temperate allowing for a range of agricultural activities. The Institute has breeding programs in maize, wheat, rice, beans and legumes. *Stock and Land

Kangaroo Documentary

The new documetary "Kangaroo Mob" will have it's television premier on ABC at 8.30 pm on Tuesday, February 21st. Subtitled "meet the mob of streetsmart kangaroos" moving into Australia's Capital city.

Crows

Residents of a town in south-western Pennsylvania say they are under siege by thousands of crows that won't go away. The crows are hanging out overnight in California, Washington County. Residents and business owners say they are loud and dirty and keeping people inside. One woman stuck a scarecrow in a tree, hoping to chase off her avian occupiers. It did not work. California University of Pennsylvania tried lasers and other measures trying to chase the birds off campus. * AP

Tassie Devils

A Tasmanian woman got the shock of her life early today when she found two Tasmanian devils mating in her garage. Karen Reeves and her son, Brenton Kelly, were woken about 1am to hear a strange noise coming from outside, The Advocate reports. Brenton, 15, looked outside to find two devils growling in the corner of the garage in Somerset on Tasmania's north-west coast. By 3am, the noise increased, so Ms Reeves got out of bed and shooed them out of the garage with a broom. "They were half squealing, half hissing ... the noise got louder and louder," she said. The devils fled the garage, still mating, and were also seen in Somerset's main street. Devil facial tumour disease has ravaged the species, threatening their extinction in the wild. Numbers have plunged by 84 per cent since the cancer first took hold in the late 1990s, according to the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program. *smh.com.au

Koalas

Coolum animal rights activist Jaylene Musgrave has launched a campaign appealing to Sunshine Coast developers to rethink the increase in land clearing from Noosa to Bribie Island. According to the director of Farm Animal Rescue Australia and Sunshine Coast Koala Wildlife Rescue, land on the Sunshine Coast is being rapidly cleared to make way for development. Vegan Warriors, of which Ms Musgrave is a part of, is concerned the clearing will reduce the natural habitat for Coast wildlife. Ms Musgrave has met with the council and the Greens to discuss buy-back alternatives with “no luck”. “There has been no action taken on suggestions to buy back land from developers,” she said. “I have been meeting with (them) to discuss options on incorporating wildlife areas within land marked for clearing, but have had no response. “If we don’t start demanding action, we will be looking at concrete jungles where once many native animals lived.”

She said the pressure on animal carers and the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital was enormous. “There are nearly 90 koalas being cared for at the hospital at any given time and endless surgery to roos and other native wildlife. “The reality is, what we love so dearly about our region, is inevitably disappearing forever.” Ms Musgrave said she held grave concerns for the future of Australian fauna. “Native marsupials struggle to survive with all the odds stacked against them – drought, loss of habitat, encroachment of civilisation, illegal and legal culling by farmers, roadside deaths as well as culling in state forests, parks, reserves, national parks,” she said. “And of course threat from the kangaroo industry which kills close to four million roos nationwide annually to supply meat for export and pet food. “Let’s start making some noise and give our native animals a voice.” *CoolumNews 95% of South East Queenslands natural koala habitat is now gone as a result of land clearing that's making way for new urban dwellings to keep up with what is Australia's fastest growing region. The koala is now in serious danger of disappearing for good. * CoolumNews

Dolphins

At least 264 dead bottlenose dolphins have washed ashore over the past three days on Peru's northern coast, officials said as they seek to discover what killed the marine animals. The dead dolphins were found over a 103 kilometre stretch of sandy beach, said Edward Barriga, an official with Peru's Oceanic Institute (IMARPE). "We have taken samples to determine the cause of death," said Barriga, speaking from the city of Lambayeque, adding that vast quantities of dead anchovies had also been found in the region. The dolphins may have been killed by the impact of off-shore oil exploration and drilling in the region, said Carlos Yaipen with ORCA, a non-governmental group that focuses helping ocean creatures in the south Pacific. The mass dolphin deaths are a "very serious" issue, Yaipen said. The head of a Lambayeque group representing aquafarmers, Jorge Cabrejos, said the anchovies appear to have eaten contaminated plankton, which then sickened the dolphins that ate the small fish. Thirty-four of the world's 81 species of cetaceans swim off the Peruvian shores, 17 of which are dolphins. Of those, the most common is the bottlenose dolphin. *AFP

Leadbeaters Possums

The last three known remaining leadbeater's possums from Lake Mountain, in Victoria, have been rescued and moved to the Healesville Sanctuary. A search of the Lake Mountain area found just three of a colony of around 300 had survived the 2009 bushfires. The one female and two young male possums are the only three being held in captivity anywhere in the world. It is estimated fewer than 1,000 of the possums exist in the wild. *ABC

Peta Action Dismissed

A federal judge has dismissed the bid of animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to free the performing orcas of the Seaworld amusement park. The ruling was made late on Wednesday in a San Diego court. US District Judge Jeffrey Miller ruled that the five whales could not be protected under the 13th Amendment to the US constitution, which bans slavery, because the 1865 measure applies only to humans. "As 'slavery' and 'involuntary servitude' are uniquely human activities, as those terms have been historically and contemporaneously applied, there is simply no basis to construe the 13th Amendment as applying to non-humans," Judge Miller wrote in his ruling. PETA attorney Jeffrey Kerr had argued earlier in the week that invoking slavery ban to free the orcas was "the next frontier of civil rights". Reacting to the judgement on Thursday, PETA said that the case was "historic" and represented "one more step toward the inevitable day when all animals will be free from enslavement for human entertainment." *Age

Marine Pests

They are small, they cling to the bottom of boats or lurk in ballast water, and can wreak havoc on Australia's waterways. The federal government has drawn up a list of most wanted marine pests, which arrive on international vessels and pose a serious environmental threat. Among the alien molluscs trying to muscle in are species such as lady crab or Asian paddle crab; acorn barnacle; colonial sea squirt; black striped mussel; and European zebra mussel. The government is considering new national regulations to lessen the risk of boats carrying such unwelcome tourists, where some vessels deemed high risk would be subject to inspections by biosecurity officers from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. A list of 56 species of concern has been drawn up. *age
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/environment/foreign-molluscs-muscle-in-20120211-1sya7.html#ixzz1mCecBIIu

Ed comment; Its too late, these things are everywhere that overseas vessels go into port. Gladstone Harbor is full of them, and the scientist who was working for the Gladstone Harbor Board was sacked 15 years ago for raising his concerns then. Action should have been taken then, but the matter was pushed under the carpet by the development at any cost Queensland Labor Government. Now its too late.....

Rhinos

A conservation group demonstrating an anti-poaching method for reporters in South Africa accidentally killed the rhinoceros they were using in the demonstration. The rhino, nicknamed Spencer, went into convulsions and died after he was shot with a tranquilizer dart in front of a crush of TV cameras and photographers who had been invited to document an operation to insert a poison capsule into his horn. The private reserve near the capital, Pretoria, calls in veterinarians to sedate rhinos so their horns can be treated with a dye and an insecticide, and tracking and identification devices can be inserted.A male in his mid to late 20s, fairly old for such an animal, could not be revived after being sedated Thursday, said Rhino Rescue Project spokeswoman Lorinda Hern. "The rhino had an unfortunate reaction to the anesthesia," she said. "Every time you dart a rhino, you take a risk that the rhino might not wake up and unfortunately today was one of those days."

Conservation groups insert poison capsules into the horns of rhinos, which release poison into the horn when it is removed from the animal and are meant to render the horn value-less for hunters seeking to sell it on for use in traditional medicine. Conservation groups sometimes remove horns from rhinos to deter poachers, as msnbc.com's Dara Brown reported in the video below. The horns are similar to hair or fingernails, and grow back after several months. South Africa is trying to save black rhinos by having veterinarians cut off their valuable horns before poachers kill them. Msnbc.com's Dara Brown reports. Both anti-poaching procedures require the rhinos to be sedated. A decade ago South Africa, with more than 20,000 rhinos, was losing about 15 animals a year to poachers. But poaching has increased dramatically since about 2007 as the spread of wealth in places like Vietnam and Thailand has enabled more people to buy rhino horn, which is believed to have magical or medicinal properties in some cultures.

In museums across Europe, rhinoceros horns have been the target of thieves at least 30 times this year, as they go for $99,000 per kilo. Europe NBC's Jim Maceda reports. A record 448 rhinos were killed by poachers last year in South Africa, home to the greatest number of the animals. The number was up sharply up from 122 in 2009 and 333 in 2010, according to a report by AllAfrica.com. A majority were killed in the Kruger National Park, which borders on Mozambique, the report said. "It's sad for us; it's the loss of another animal," Hern said, referring to the rhino's death. "It's a death that I still chalk up to poaching." * Msnbc.com .

Shark Finning

Underwater filmmaker and conservationist Ben Cropp is calling for the Australian Government to ban shark fin soup and the export of fins in a bid to save dwindling shark numbers. The Australian Anti Shark Finning Alliance estimates 73 million sharks are killed each year for their fins, with up to 100 million killed in total including casualties of bycatch and long lines. Speaking to TAASFA director Mick Dowers at Port Douglas earlier this month for an upcoming campaign, Mr Cropp said there had been a noticeable decline in shark numbers in recent years. “There are less sharks now, and less big ones – especially the tigers. Places like Batt Reef where we always went to film sharks, we only see a few now,” he said. Mr Cropp said he was “totally against” the practice of taking shark fins. “It’s abhorrent what they do – cutting the fins off and throwing the carcass over, the poor shark is trying to swim and has no fins,” he said.

He added that the Australian Government could stop the trade easily, firstly by banning shark fin soup and secondly by banning the export of shark fins. “There are American states and big hotel chains in Asia that have done it, and we in Australia should set a good example to the rest of the world,” he said. Mr Dowers also questioned the role of shark nets along the New South Wales and Queensland coastlines, especially baited drum lines used from Coolangatta to Cairns. “Shark meshing kills off so many endangered species and it has never been proven that meshing saves lives,” Mr Cropp told him. “The law of averages says there is eventually going to be an attack on a mesh beach, but the trouble we have in stopping it is that it’s ingrained in people psychologically that if the beach is meshed, it’s safe to swim.” *Cairns Post

Shark Nets

Radical (according to news.com.au) conservationists are cutting down or slicing holes in shark nets, putting the lives of swimmers and surfers at risk. Nets are believed to have been damaged with knives on four separate occasions and at least once, at Bondi, the vandals cut the net from its anchors, leaving it washed up at nearby Ben Buckler. Primary Industries Department spokesman Brett Fifield said the Department had investigated vandalism at Bondi, Maroubra, MacMasters Beach on the New South Wales Central Coast and most recently Warriewood on the northern beaches. "These acts of sabotage are senseless. The success of these nets speaks for itself. Slashing a hole in a net reduces their effectiveness," Mr Fifield said. "At the end of the day it's about protecting humans with minimal impact on marine life."

Some conservationists have been waging a bitter campaign against the nets for years, claiming they are also killing large amounts of other marine life, including dolphins, whales and sea turtles. The NSW Greens refused to condemn the attacks yesterday, with MP Cate Faehrmann saying: "Shark nets are indiscriminate killers of harmless marine life and are next to useless in preventing attacks anyway. "The Government should remove them. Given how much harmless marine life are killed in shark nets it's not surprising they have become targets in this way." Glen "Lenny" Folkard, who survived an attack by a 3.1m bull shark while surfing at Redhead Beach four weeks ago, condemned the damaging of the nets.
Mr Folkard said he wondered how the vandals would feel if there was an attack at a beach where they had damaged nets. "You can be against the nets but keep the debate on land," he said. * news.com.au

Orcas

There was a dramatic rescue off the Coromandel Coast (NZ) this afternoon, after an orca became tangled in a crayfish pot. Other orca gathered as the animal called for help. Luckily a local diver managed to cut him free and capture some of the drama on film. Diver Rhys Cochrane came to the rescue after he was alerted by the Department of Conservation this afternoon. “The orca was just below the surface and the cray pot was on the bottom, but in order for him to come up and get air he had to surface and pull the cray pot off the bottom,” says Mr Cochrane. The orca's tail was twisted in a crayfish buoy south of Hahei beach, just a few hundred metres from the shoreline. Orca sightings are common in this area. The animal was tired and distressed when Mr Cochrane arrived, with injuries indicating he had been tied up for some time.

“There were cuts all over the orca's face, down the body and tail; he was bleeding a little bit.” Mr Cochrane dove down to see how to untangle the crayfish pot. “The whole time he was calling; I could hear vivid calls from the orca and just at the end there were five or six orcas including the bull.” A knife was used to cut through the rope, the orca remained still throughout. “He didn't seem to mind, or maybe even knew that I was trying to help him. “The others were fine too, and not reacting like they would be in the wild. Maybe they knew I was helping him.” 3 News.co.nz

Primates

One of the world's smallest primates, the Philippine tarsier, communicates in a range of ultrasound inaudible to predator and prey alike, according to a study published in the British Royal Society's Biology Letters. No bigger than a man's hand, Tarsius syrichta can hear and emit sounds at a frequency that effectively gives it a private channel for issuing warnings or ferreting out crickets for a night-time snack. Only a handful of mammals are known to be able to send and receive vocal signals in the ultrasound range, above 20 kilohertz (kHz), including some whales, domestic cats and a few of the many species of bats. And few of these can squeal, screech or squawk at the same sonic altitudes as the saucer-eyed tarsier, which up to now had been mistakenly described as being ''ordinarily silent,'' researchers found. *Age
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/environment/animals/sound-of-silence-tiny-primates-can-chat-in-ultrasound-20120208-1rewq.html#ixzz1lp99gRQy

Birds

A conservation group is to survey the Galilee Basin, in central western Queensland, to map bird species in the area. Several major coal mines are planned in the basin, including Clive Palmer's $8 billion Waratah Coal project. Last year, an endangered black-throated finch was discovered in the area. Graham Rogers from Bird Life Australia says it is keen to survey all of the proposed mining sites to get a clearer picture of the ecosystem. "It's been very poorly surveyed in the past," Mr Rogers said. "There are a lot of empty gaps there we need to fill in." Mr Rogers says there is an area about 150 kilometres by 100 kilometres that could be subject to mining or rail lines. "We are concerned that if there are valuable areas for birds there, that they don't get damaged," he said. *ABC

Binturongs

A tree-dwelling binturong remains on the loose in the Sunshine Coast hinterland after escaping from Australia Zoo. Binturongs, found in the wild in India, Burma, Malaysia and Indonesia, are odd-looking creatures with shaggy black fur, stiff white whiskers, a small face and intense eyes. They hang from branches by their tail like a monkey, but are more closely related to civets, bears and otters. They mainly eat fruit. An Australia Zoo spokeswoman said the 14kg creature, named Jaya, was discovered missing on January 31. She said Jaya's sister Pip had been found injured, but was recovering well. "Authorities are continuing to assist Australia Zoo staff to locate Jaya safely," the spokeswoman said. "There are no signs to indicate any human involvement in Jaya's disappearance and investigations are ongoing. "Although Jaya is accustomed to human contact, he may now be defensive and scared." Binturongs, sometimes called bearcats, can grow to a metre long and spend most of their time wandering treetops in the dense forests of south-east Asia, using their bushy tails for balance and support. If you see Jaya: Leave him alone and phone 5436 2120.*Courier Mail

Illegal Logging

Australia should join the widening effort to stamp out illegal logging, according to testimony given this week by tropical ecologist William Laurance with James Cook University. Presenting before the Australian Senate's rural affairs committee, Laurance argued that the massive environmental and economic costs of illegal logging worldwide should press Australia to tighten regulations against importing illegally logged timber at home. "Countries like Australia import a lot of timber and wood and paper products, especially from the Asia-Pacific region. Illegal logging is still rife in this region and Australia has a chance here to make some important inroads in the global battle to fight illegal logging and timber theft," Laurance told mongabay.com.
Read more: http://news.mongabay.com/2012/0209-hance_australia_illegallogging.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MongabaycomNews+%28Mongabay.com+news%29#ixzz1lvAcmOO8

New SA Conservation Parks

The State Government will protect magnificent bays on the state's West Coast with two new conservation parks. It is a big win for a local friends group, which has been fighting for more than a decade to save the bays, home to endangered raptors and sea lions. A property with clifftop views of Heart Bay, known to some locals as Bum Bay, was saved from developers when the Native Vegetation Council ruled against clearing the land. Construction had been given the go-ahead by a Council Development Assessment Panel, endorsed by the local Streaky Bay Council. Today, Sustainability, Environment and Conservation Minister Paul Caica will announce two new parks - the Cape Blanche Conservation Park (810ha in size) and the Searcy Bay Conservation Park (870ha), about 25km south of Streaky Bay, between Venus Bay and Point Brown on Eyre Peninsula. Convenor of the Friends of Sceale Bay, Grant Hobson, is thrilled with the outcome.

"It's actually just putting a stamp on that area and saying yes, this is an extremely important wilderness area, it needs to be protected and managed for the future," Mr Hobson said. "It's just a real important, in bold, underlined commitment that they understand and respect and are willing to support long-term planning to preserve those natural heritage assets that have clearly been identified. "It's a big commitment on their part and we really congratulate them for having the conviction to follow it through." Mr Caica said the two new parks added 1680ha to the state's reserve system. "This spectacular area of the Eyre Peninsula contains significant remnant vegetation and provides important habitat for a number of important and iconic species, and the State Government is committed to ensuring the area is protected," Mr Caica said. "The coastal cliffs adjacent to the new conservation parks provide important breeding habitat for the eastern osprey and white-bellied sea-eagle. "Both of these species are listed as endangered under the South Australian National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 and are protected under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act 1999." The Peregrine falcon, which is listed as rare under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972, also lives in the area. *Adelaide Now

Kangaroo Industry

Australia is making a renewed effort this year to lift a 2009 ban on imports of kangaroo meat to Russia. The Federal Consumer Protection Service, which issued the ban after it uncovered cases of bacterial contamination, said Australia is also asking to allow its meat producers to ship other animal products to the newly formed Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, Bloomberg reported. According to data supplied by the Australian Embassy, Russia imported 5,300 tons of kangaroo meat in 2008-09 — the last full 12-month period before the ban went into effect — representing 59 percent of total exports.''This was nothing for the Russian meat market, which, for example, imported a total of up to 800,000 tons of beef in 2009,'' said Sergei Yushin, head of the National Meat Association's executive committee. Nearly all the kangaroo meat was being supplied to the Far East — the Primorye region — and was used in the meat-processing sector, Yushin said. So, Muscovites were denied the chance to taste kangaroo meat sausages.

Kangaroo meat was essential for the Primorye region meat market, Vladivostok-based importer Igor Dorokhov told The Moscow Times. 'I've been in this business since 1998, and until the ban in 2009 was delivering 150 tons to 200 tons per month on average," Dorokhov said. "I would continue this, if supplies of kangaroo meat were allowed. There is not enough meat production in the Primorye region — just 30,000 head of cattle now — it's zero,'' he said. Unlike beef, kangaroo meat was not limited by import quotas. "Now we are forced to work with St. Petersburg and Moscow companies," Dorokhov said. Shipments from Australia directly to Vladivostok cost $4,000 per container, but to get them from Moscow or St. Petersburg to Vladivostok will cost $9,000 per container.Importers say kangaroo meat was cheaper for them than beef. In 2008-09 it cost up to $3.50 per kilogram — 20 cents cheaper then beef.''It means that you can make sausages cheaper with the use of additives and fillers,'' he said. After the kangaroo meat ban, prices on meat products in Primorye region shot up 20 percent.

But local industry experts have doubts about the meat. "Kangaroos are wild animals, in Australia they are like locusts," said Yushin of the meat association. "They damage farms and are shot in fields. We don't know when this meat makes it to meat-packing plants. Our sanitary instructions were not followed on a number of occasions,'' he said. Importer Dorokhov disagrees and told The Moscow Times that a lot of independent laboratory research was done and that nothing harmful was found in the meat. ''This meat for the restaurant segment is exotic — it cannot be called popular," said Nadezhda Kushniryuk, head of The Australian Trade House company. "So there was no panic in the restaurant world in august of 2009" when the meat was banned, she said. But there was interest. Until the ban, the Australia Open restaurant in Moscow offered patrons three different dishes with kangaroo meat, which averaged 700 rubles ($23) in price. ''We sold 50 dishes per month and consumed 10 kilograms of kangaroo meat,'' said Andrei Voropayev, senior chef at Australia Open.

Kangaroo meat is very rich in protein and contains almost no fat. Some meat aficionados say it tastes like wild poultry. Its uniqueness could be the cause of its popularity in Russia. "Kangaroo is exotic and therefore desired. Expensive and unusual are what Russian men desire at the table," said an expat chef working in Moscow. "But, it's hard to cook well," she added. Russia will produce enough meat and milk to increase exports of both by at least 20 percent by 2020, Agriculture Minister Yelena Skrynnik said, Bloomberg reported Tuesday. Meat production is seen rising 23 percent to 1.8 million tons, while milk output will increase 20 percent to 6.5 million tons in 2020, according to an e-mailed statement from Skrynnik, to be given to the Agroferma livestock exhibition in Moscow on Tuesday. The government plans to spend 700 billion rubles ($23 billion) to support Russia's livestock breeding in the period from 2013 and through 2020, she said. *Kangaroo meat is very rich in protein and contains almost no fat. Some meat aficionados say it tastes like wild poultry. Its uniqueness could be the cause of its popularity in Russia. "Kangaroo is exotic and therefore desired. Expensive and unusual are what Russian men desire at the table," said an expat chef working in Moscow. "But, it's hard to cook well," she added.

Russia will produce enough meat and milk to increase exports of both by at least 20 percent by 2020, Agriculture Minister Yelena Skrynnik said, Bloomberg reported Tuesday. Meat production is seen rising 23 percent to 1.8 million tons, while milk output will increase 20 percent to 6.5 million tons in 2020, according to an e-mailed statement from Skrynnik, to be given to the Agroferma livestock exhibition in Moscow on Tuesday. The government plans to spend 700 billion rubles ($23 billion) to support Russia's livestock breeding in the period from 2013 and through 2020, she said. * Moscow times

Read more and comment: http://www.themoscowtimes.com/business/article/kangaroo-meat-may-return-to-russian-tables/452576.html#ixzz1m99Y7a00

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Wildlife Bytes 8/2/12

BRING YOUR POSTERS , HOLD UP YOUR PICTURES OF YOUR NATIVE ANIMAL ON NATIVE ANIMAL LOVERS DAY. JOIN BOB IRWIN IN BRISBANE. http://youtu.be/FYmB9JRs54w

HERE IS A LIST OF THE SPEAKERS ON THE DAY .

Alan Winstanley Earthrace, Australia director of operations, Bob Irwin (briefly then to speak last). Colin Riddell , dugong and sea turtles and M.C. Andrew Powell Shadow Minister for Environment for the LNP , Glen Elmes Past shadow environment minister. Other Speakers; Animals Australias . President Joy Verrinder, Pat OBrien . Kangaroos/wildlife, Mick Dowers. Shark finning Great Barrier Reef , Ray Revill .Queensland dingoes, Meghan Halverson . Koalas in Queensland, Louise Saunders.Flying foxes, Hammy Forrest. President sea bird rescue Queensland, Nicole Mclachlan. Sea shepherd. "In Our Hands project "and Isabel Dow, Animal Liberation Qld .Annette Guice. ALQ President, Michael Beatty QLD RSPCA .But only as support not a speaker (his request), Bob Irwin to speak last (his request) The wrong speakers corner has been quoted previously, its the same address, but 50 metres away and right across the road from the Premiers office ! Follow the Crowd!

Gympie Kangaroo Shooting

The Booral kangaroo matter --- the police officer who shot 20 kangaroos near Gympie did commit a class 2 offence under section 88 NCA 1992 and not the class 4 offence as reported in the paper -- but he hasn't been charged for the class 2 offence. A class 4 offence is just 4 penalty units via an infringement notice ( otherwise the class 4 offence is 100 ...penalty units ). The class 2 offence is 1000 penalty units ( a $100,000.00 fine ) or 1 year imprisonment -- the class 2 offence is to kill ( without a permit ) 10 or more least concern wildlife ----- this fellow is reported to have killed 20 or more least concern wildlife and should have been charged for the class 2 offence. The matter is under Inquiry, but if you haven't yet written, email addys are below. The more complaints they get, the better the outcome.

Police Commissioner,E-mail Address(es): commissioner@police.qld.gov.au Ombudsman, E-mail Address(es): ombudsman@ombudsman.qld.gov.au CMC E-mail Address(es): complaints@cmc.qld.gov.au Minister for Police, Corrective Services and Emergency Services E-mail Address(es): Police@ministerial.qld.gov.au Minister for Environment E-mail Address(es): derm@ministerial.qld.gov.au Jim Reeves (DERM Director General) E-mail Address(es): jim.reeves@derm.qld.gov.au Terry Wall (DERM Regulator) E-mail Address(es):
Terry.Wall@derm.qld.gov.au

Kangaroo Road Kills

Hyatt Regency Coolum resort has asked Sunshine Coast Regional Council for animal crossing signs and a reduced speed limit along parts of David Low Way after several of its twitchy-nosed visitors were killed by cars. At least two eastern grey kangaroos, famously welcome at the resort's golf course, have been killed within the last week. The Hyatt Regency Coolum said it had requested a 60kmh speed limit along its David Low Way frontage. The resort chain informed the Daily of its action yesterday as a Mudjimba woman shared her story of trying to rescue two adult kangaroos involved in two separate hits last week. Jaylene Musgrave said her two young nieces and her nephew were still traumatised by what occurred last Friday at dusk while driving south on David Low Way. * Sunshine Coast Daily, Read more .. http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/story/2009/07/07/coolum-hyatt-acts-kangaroo-deaths/

Rescued

"Rescued!" is an amazing book about 43 wonderful true stories about rescue and rehabilitation of native wildlife. Everyday, animals living in the wild become sick, injured or orphaned. For a variety of reasons - vehicle accidents, dog and cat attacks, posioning, habitat loss, shooting, fires and floods. Fortunately, some of these animals are given a second chance through the remarkable work of wildlife rehabilitators, an amazing group of dedicated volunteers who take needy animals into their care. They arrange for veterinary treatment, and temporarily provide a protected environment until the animal recovers and can be released back into the wild. Rescued! opens a window on the fascinating world of wildlife carers, and features dozens of wonderful true stories about care and treatment given to owls, penguins, dolphins, koalas, flying foxe, platypus, kangaroos, eagles, turtles, echidnas and many other native animals in Australia. These stories show how physically, emotionally, and financially demanding being a wildlife carer really is. They will make you laugh, make you cry, break your heart, make you angry, and help you believe in miracles again. And they may even inspire you to become a wildlife carer yourself!

Visit the "Rescued" Wildlife Rescue Stories facebook page, to view information regarding the book and write your own wildlife rescue story on the groups page, for wildlife carers to read.
http://www.facebook.com/groups/269455039792113/

Platypus

Did you know that platypus still inhabits 26 of the 31 river systems in Victoria?

Duck Shooting

Australian native waterbirds need your help – join the duck rescue team! The Victorian Baillieu government has called another recreational duck shooting season. Once again the Coalition Against Duck Shooting will patrol the wetlands to help waterbirds on the Opening weekend (March 17 & 18) and every subsequent weekend of the 3-month season.
For more information and to join the duck rescue team, please attend one of the Information Meetings to be held on the top floor of Kindness House, 288 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy at 7.30pm sharp on Wednesday 29 February, Monday 5 March or Thursday 8 March or email Lynn trakell_duck@yahoo.com.au for more information.
Please also sign the petition at: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/ban-duck-shooting-in-victoria-australia/

Sea Lions and Penguins

Pups at Seal Bay on Kangaroo Island face a tough battle for survival, new data shows. A third of the way through the breeding season, the mortality rate is about 40 per cent. At last count, the State Government recorded 76 births and 32 deaths. Scientists are investigating causes of death because many are mysterious. They suspect infection with hook worms. Australian sea lion populations have not recovered from harvesting in the same way as New Zealand fur seals. Adult sea lions are known to become entangled in nets used to trap sharks. The Australian Fisheries Management Authority has announced an 18-month closure of gillnet fishing within a section of the Australian sea lion management zone off South Australia. Yesterday the Australian Marine Conservation Society and the Humane Society International praised the authority's response. However, concerns remain that sea lions and dolphins will continue to be drowned in this South Australian shark fishery. *SA news


A shark fishery off South Australia has become the first area to be closed under new rules aimed at protecting australian sea lions. A sea lion's death due to fishing in the zone led to the closure. The rules force closures once a trigger point is reached - in this case, only one death was needed to close Zone A, west of Fowlers Bay. The shark fishery will be closed until May next year. The rules have been introduced by the Australian Fisheries Management Authority and allow for the deaths of a maximum of 15 sea lions per year across seven fishing zones. Environmentalists lobbied for the changes because of their concern about the number of sea lions getting entangled in shark fishing nets. Alexia Wellbelove from the Humane Society International says the zone closure is a significant step. "We're pleased that there's now a process in place so that when there are animals killed that steps can be taken in the management of the fishery to make sure that the deaths are limited," she said. "One death is too many, but at least it shows that the management process is working." *ABC


Meanwhile the SA The Department of Conservation have reassured concerned beachgoers that penguins currently on the south coast of WA, are healthy despite their unusual appearance. The department has received numerous calls from members of the public reporting that the penguins appear scruffy, lethargic and unusually tame, allowing people to approach them. Warren District nature conservation co-ordinator Karlene Bain said despite their unusual appearance and behaviour the penguins were fine and merely moulting. *

Captive Whales

A US Federal judge for the first time in US history heard arguments in a case that could determine whether animals enjoy the same constitutional protection against slavery as human beings. US District Judge Jeffrey Miller called the hearing in San Diego after Sea World asked the court to dismiss a lawsuit filed by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals that names five orcas as plaintiffs in the case. PETA claims the captured killer whales are treated like slaves for being forced to live in tanks and perform daily at its parks in San Diego and Orlando, Fla.
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/environment/animals/were-talking-about-hell-unleashed-whales-sue-sea-world-20120208-1r8p9.html#ixzz1lk1OlIqW

However, while the case would bring publicity to the issue of the rights or interests of "non-human persons", something for which some people have been arguing for a long time, if the case fails and there is then case law history against recognising those rights, that would not be helpful for the cause, the WDCS warned. In the UK, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society senior biologist Philippa Brakes said "I would love to be wrong, and that they find for the orcas in this case, but I doubt very much that's going to happen, and I think it's a strategic error," she said. *U/W Times

Rhinos

British zoos have been warned their rhinos may be attacked by poachers because of the soaring value of their horns in the Asian medicine market. After a rumour that it could cure cancer, the horn is now worth more than $40,000 a kilo, and gangs have been breaking into museums and auction rooms in Britain and Europe to steal trophy rhinoceros heads. The fear is zoos – and live rhinos – may be next. In an unprecedented alert, all 15 British zoos and wildlife and safari parks which hold rhinos – they have 85 animals between them – have been warned by the National Wildlife Crime Unit to tighten security and report anything suspicious to the police at once. "We have warned British zoos to be on their guard against the possibility of being targeted by criminals seeking rhino horn," said the head of the unit, Detective Inspector Brian Stuart. Concern is growing that criminals will try to break into a British zoo at night, kill or tranquillise rhinos, and cut off the horns. The potential profits might be very tempting, as a single big horn could weigh more than 5kg and be worth more than $200,000. The Independent
Read more ... http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/british-zoos-put-on-alert-over-rising-threat-of-rhino-rustlers-6296572.html

Fraser Dingoes

The Fraser Island Dingo, the last remaining pure dingo on the planet, is at the brink of extinction as a result of Queensland Government mismanagement...!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KZCL_khytI&feature=youtu.be

Birds

The critically endangered orange-bellied parrot appears to be moving closer to extinction. Researchers in Melaleuca in south-west Tasmania say the number of birds in the wild is now down to 21, including just eight females. The endangered parrot makes an annual journey to the region for the breeding season. Mark Holdsworth from the orange-bellied parrot recovery team says the drought has contributed to a steady decline in the population. The team is pinning its hopes on a captive breeding program. "You'd expect to have some bad years, unfortunately if you've got a few bad years in a row for a very small population that becomes a serious problem," he said. "We've had to take some bold steps to try and help it out." Photographer Linda Cains is one of many bird watchers who have flown to remote Melaleuca to see the parrot. "That it may be extinct in a few years is just dreadful," she said. The University of Queensland's Hugh Possingham questions whether millions of dollars in government funding should be redirected to save other species instead. "Where they (other species) were cheaper to save, we were more likely to save them and we had a better long run opportunity to save those species in the wild," he said. "One issue is can we save the orange-bellied parrot, the second issue is how do we allocate the limited funds we have across all the species in Australia or Tasmania?" *ABC


WA Museum’s ornithology curator says black cockatoos, which once flocked to the Swan Coastal Plain in tens of thousands, could be extinct within 50 years. “They are iconic large forest cockatoos that were once widespread and common in huge numbers on the Swan Coastal Plain,” Dr Ron Johnstone, who is also an Adjunct Professor at Murdoch University said. “It’s been death by a thousand cuts as the vegetation has been reduced.” He said there were three species - Carnaby’s Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus latirostris), Baudin’s Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus baudinii) and the Forest Red-tailed Black Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus banksii naso) - that nested in tree hollows, and moved south and west after nesting season to feed on nuts, nectar and wood-boring grubs and insects. Prof Johnstone said nuts from the extensive pine plantations (Pinus radiata) introduced in the 1920s and 30s provided a valuable diet replacement for Carnaby’s cockatoos as developers gradually cleared Perth’s banksia heathlands for housing subdivisions. “(When) a lot of the juveniles are just fledged… these areas became a very valuable source of food (which) the birds were able to use up very quickly because the pines are producing cones during the period when they first arrive,” he said.
Prof Johnstone said the destruction of remnant bushland continues. He gave the example of UWA endowment lands in Floreat. *Sciencenetwork
Read more .. http://www.sciencewa.net.au/3786-perth-slowly-devouring-its-black-cockatoo-species.html

Possums

Soaring temperatures are taking their toll on WA's threatened western ringtail possums, which are suffering so badly in the heat they are falling out of trees. Possum protection groups said last week's intense heat caused heat exhaustion in many possums near Busselton. Possum Centre Busselton chairman Uta Wicke, who cares for 14 possums, said hotter summers, climate change and habitat loss were having a dire effect on the animals. "They get very hot and we have situations this last week, with this enormous heat, the hottest Australia Day in Busselton on record, and possums fell out of the trees because they were just so exhausted from the heat and no access to water," she said. Ms Wicke said people living south of Mandurah and north of Augusta could help by leaving water out for possums. "It would be good to leave a shallow ice-cream container, as high up in the tree as possible, so that the animals don't have to come down to the ground," she said. "Either they won't because they know predators are lurking or they will and the next cat or dog has an easy meal." Ms Wicke said the main threat to possums remained habitat loss and she was furious at a plan to cut down 238 peppermint trees for the $117 million redevelopment of Busselton hospital. The Health Department is advertising a draft environmental plan that suggests moving a core population of Busselton's western ringtail possums. Ms Wick said possums were likely to die if they were taken from their homes in healthy old peppermint trees. *TheWest.com.au

Mining Media Plan

Check out the video the mining industry never expected you to see: You simply have to see this video to believe it. This week mining billionaire Gina Rinehart became the largest shareholder in Fairfax, having already bought a stake in Channel Ten. But this new video reveals this move is bigger than one woman’s ambition – it’s part of a coordinated and very deliberate strategy, with climate skeptic ‘Lord’ Monkton seen here advising a room full of mining executives on how the industry must gain control of Australia’s media. Can you help share this video so all Australians understand what's really going on in the mining industry? Check out the video the mining industry never expected you to see:
http://www.getup.org.au/minersmediaplan You simply have to see this video to believe it. *Network Item

Kangaroo Cruelty

Animal welfare activists have called for the harshest possible penalty for a man accused of running over a kangaroo, tying it to the back of a car and dragging it through a country town.
The kangaroo was dragged for up to 2km before the carcass was dumped in Wodonga's main street. A baby joey was also injured. Yesterday, a man charged with animal cruelty over last month's incident did not appear at Wodonga Magistrates' Court. Outside, about a dozen activists urged the court to show no mercy. Australian Society for Kangaroos spokeswoman Fiona Corke said the kangaroo would have endured "immense pain and suffering". "Our wildlife deserves more respect," she said. "It was so incredibly senseless and cowardly. "A message has to be sent that this is not good enough." Persons convicted of aggravated animal cruelty can face a maximum fine of $60,000 and two years' jail. * Network Item

Crocodile Cull

Crocs are turning big bucks for Territory exporters - but wildlife warrior Terri Irwin has slammed the trade as "illegal". "The sustainable consumptive use of wildlife is the single biggest scientific lie that we have faced in modern history," she said. Fashion demand for the leather from the popular Territory reptile has more than doubled the export of protected saltwater crocodile skins to countries like Singapore, France and Italy. About 52,000 skins and skin pieces left Australian shores in 2010 as well as 2559 leather products and 95 garments, the latest data shows. Commercial buyers and collectors also grabbed 2612kg of croc meat, 100kg of oil, 82 teeth, two skulls, two trophies, one body, one egg as well as two live crocs.
The saltwater crocodile is protected and its commercial slaughter outrages wildlife advocates. Trade in threatened and endangered species is controlled by the Federal Government and requires licences and proof that animals are not being snatched from the wild. Australia is also signatory to an international convention monitoring trade around the world.

Wildlife advocates say croc skins are destined for high-end fashion houses, where the overseas elite pay thousands of dollars for authentic croc boots, bags and belts. Data shows that most of Australia's major exports are destined for commercial use. Ms Irwin described the legal trade in wildlife as a lie. "Whether you're looking at whaling, or whether you're looking at arctic fox fur or whether you're looking at snake skins or, in this case, croc skins, it is the biggest lie being perpetuated," she said. Mrs Irwin said government-sanctioned trading was responsible for the illegal market. "If we did not have a legal means for selling wildlife, there could not be an illegal trade," she said. "Not only is it encouraging (illegal trade), it is the laundering device for illegal wildlife." The World Wildlife Fund's Darren Grover agreed that creating a demand for animals products could encourage trafficking. However he said the WWF was not concerned "as long as it can be shown the trade is sustainable".


A crocodile cull could lull people into a false sense of security about safety but safari style hunting is still on the agenda the Chief Minister Paul Henderson has said. Calls for a crocodile cull in the Territory and across the top of Australia have come of the past few weeks. He said the government had double resources with 20 more traps and a new boat and a cull was something than neither federal Liberal or Labor governments had agreed to. "It is still the position of the Territory Government that we support a limited take of crocodiles for safari hunting," he said. But he said crocodile culling could lead to a false sense of security. *NT News

Wildlife Carers

Minister for Environment and Climate Change Ryan Smith said the Victorian Coalition Government has launched a new round of cash grants designed to help the state's dedicated wildlife rehabilitators cover the cost of their important work. Mr Smith said wildlife rehabilitators across Victoria can now apply for grants of up to $5,000 as part of this round of the $1.2 million Wildlife Rehabilitator Grants Program. This round is for $200,000, plus $70,000 for specific organisations. "Our wildlife rehabilitators, shelter operators and foster carers are dedicated to looking after sick or injured animals and many of them are volunteers," Mr Smith said. "This funding will help wildlife rehabilitators cover the cost of veterinary bills, feed, medicine, maintaining enclosures and even training courses.

"The grants are part of a four-year funding package through which the Coalition Government can demonstrate its support for these dedicated people and organisations by helping them cover those costs. "Without these wildlife shelter operators and wildlife foster carers some of our beloved native wildlife would be left without much needed support when they need it the most," Mr Smith said. The grants also include $70,000 in grants to support vital wildlife emergency response institutions; $27,500 to Phillip Island Nature Park, $40,000 to Zoos Victoria and $2,500 to the Dolphin Research Institute. This funding will be made available to the 380 registered wildlife shelter operators and 399 registered foster carers in Victoria. Applications for the grants should be sent to the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE). Applications open on Monday 6 February 2012 and close on Monday 5 March 2012. * Premiers Office

Black Saturday

Yesterday (Monday) was the anniversary of Black Saturday in Victoria. Our Love and prayers go out to the survivors. For the people that would like more information about the 2009 Bush Fire in Victoria Australia. One Wildlife Sanctuary, is Wildhaven Wildlife Shelter at St Andrews, Victoria. It is run by Stella & Alan Reid. On Black Saturday our world changed forever. Wildhaven was totally destroyed - over 800 animals died at and around Wildhaven; all buildings were razed to the ground. Stella was on a fire truck putting out a fire at a neighbours home. Alan was at Wildhaven with the wildlife: animals were running from the fires and from the house as the smoke alarms screeched. As the buildings caught fire and the gas bottles vented, Alan threw open all the doors then followed the animals towards the forest. They were all running, but there was no where to go. Our world was on fire. It took us over a month to collect the bodies of our little ones from around the house, where our little friends had sheltered. There was so much death at Wildhaven our minds could not and never will comprehend that day. We lived in a fog for over a year and sometimes the fog comes back.

The Black Saturday bushfires were a series of bushfires that ignited or were burning across the Australian state of Victoria on and around Saturday, 7 February 2009. The fires occurred during extreme bushfire-weather conditions, and resulted in Australia's highest ever loss of life from a bushfire; 173 people died and 414 were injured as a result of the fires. As many as 400 individual fires were recorded on 7 February. Following the events of 7 February 2009 and its aftermath, that day has become widely referred to as Black Saturday. The fires affected 78 townships and displaced an estimated 7,562 people. Many of those displaced sought temporary accommodation, much of it donated in the form of spare rooms, caravans, tents, and beds in community relief centres. 450,000 ha (1,100,000 acres) burnt The RSPCA estimated that over a million animals perished in the bushfires. Additionally, many of the surviving wildlife suffered from severe burns. For example, large numbers of kangaroos were afflicted with burned feet due to territorial instincts that drew them back to their recently burned and smouldering home ranges. *Network Item


A court in the Victorian capital, Melbourne, has been told an endangered possum species that was devastated by the state’s Black Saturday bushfires will face more trauma if logging of its habitat goes ahead. The bushfires halved the population of Leadbeater’s possums to only 2000, a barrister for an environmental group told the Victorian Supreme Court on today. AAP newsagency says barrister Kristen Walker told the court that the 2009 fires destroyed 45 per cent of the habitat of the possum, which is Victoria’s faunal emblem. As Victorians prepare to mark the third anniversary of Black Saturday, lawyers for the group My Environment began a court battle with state-owned timber company VicForests to halt logging of the possum’s habitat in forest near Toolangi, northeast of Melbourne. The small nocturnal possum is found only in the mountain ash forests of the area. AAP says that in her opening address, Ms Walker told the court that in the areas devastated by the fires there were no possums. She said evidence would show that once a habitat was logged it took more than 100 years before it was again suitable for Leadbeater’s possums to live in. “The plaintiff’s case, Your Honour, is that logging forever changes the forest and the landscape, and that has consequences not only for the trees, but the species that depend on that landscape,” Ms Walker said. Barristers for VicForests will give their opening address when the trial before Justice Robert Osborn continues tomorrow. *AAP

Kangaroos

A local girl suffered shocking injuries in a freak attack by a kangaroo last week. Seven-year-old Regan McGovern walked into her backyard last Wednesday morning to find a kangaroo grazing. After previously patting a kangaroo at a wildlife park, she thought it would be fine to do the same in her own yard. It wasn’t. The kangaroo began to chase Regan around the yard, and after the animal caught her it knocked her to the ground and began to attack by jumping and pressing down on the young girl’s back. Upon hearing her daughter screaming, Regan’s mother Lexi Cubis raced outside and managed to pick up her daughter and ran towards the house. But the kangaroo wasn’t finished, it chased the pair and once again knocked Regan to the ground and began to attack. Two of Mrs Cubis’ friends then came to their aid and were able to distract the animal and allowed time for Mrs Cubis to get her daughter inside the house.

It bounced around the house for another 10 minutes after that,” Mrs Cubis said. “You just don’t think something like this would happen. We’ve been here four years and we’ve never had any trouble with them (kangaroos).” Mrs Cubis said there is a high population of kangaroos around their area on Black’s Rd and Rogers Rd. Regan was taken to hospital and has now returned home, but is scared to go outside. As a result of the attack, Regan suffered a black eye, scratches and bruises on her stomach and back as well as a fractured wrist. Mrs Cubis said she would like to make other parents and children aware that kangaroos can be extremely dangerous animals. “She is scared to go outside now, her sister is as well,” she said. “It frightened everyone in the house.” Glen Innes Examiner


While it may not happen as quickly as the industry hopes, there are strong signs of a resumption of the kangaroo meat trade with Russia this year, after a meeting of biosecurity officers in Berlin last month. Representatives from the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) met with their Russian Rosselkhoznadzor counterparts as part of the International Green Week food and agriculture industry exhibition. According to a statement provided to Queensland Country Life by the Federal Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF), the Russian officials asked to inspect upgrades to Australian processing plants before any trade resumption decision was finalised. "The Russians indicated they are continuing to assess the technical submissions provided to date and would be willing to undertake a technical study visit of the Australian kangaroo meat system in 2012. The timing of this visit is to be confirmed," the statement read.

Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia president and South Australia-based Macro Meats managing director Ray Borda, who was not present at the meeting, said the industry had initially hoped the Russians would allow AQIS to approve the facility upgrades, which would have significantly sped up the approval process. However, he said there were high hopes the Russian trade would be reopened during the next 12 months. "Trade resumption will probably not be quite as quick as we initially expected, but the door is not closed and we are hopeful to see it reopen by the end of the year, with any luck. "But that will all depend on the Russians," Mr Borda said. "From all reports, the meeting went well and the Russians are set to come out to Australia and look at kangaroo premises in the second half of the year."

Mr Borda said his feedback from the meeting was that the Russians had been "highly complimentary" of the Australian certification system and said they appreciated that the industry had made a series of changes to comply with the 2009 audit. "The Russians recognise there have been a lot of changes and are happy to progress and come out here and see the changes first-hand. "We are still very hopeful, but like everyone else, we'd like it to happen yesterday. Nothing will be certain until we return to actually exporting product to Russia." DAFF said it had also provided information to the Chinese on Australian standards for producing kangaroo meat. Queensland Country Life reported last month the department was preparing a document to refute claims of anti-kangaroo meat industry activists. *Qld Country Life

Wildlife Carers

For close to 40 years, Terri Eather has been caring for injured and orphaned wildlife. This Angel of Australia is one of the most respected wildlife carers in this vast country. Spending a day with Terri at her Cornubia home gives you a fair idea of why this disability pensioner is the backbone of saving a plethora of native animal species. Little "Butterfly" is her latest joey to be in her care...yet another orphan who has lost their precious mother to an uncaring driver who didnt stop to attend to this vulnerable baby. With feeds every few hours, sleep is a luxury, but Terri would never stop being a foster mother to our furry friends as well as any sick, injured or orphaned wildlife that crosses her path. Having spent her working life as a police officer seeing the most horrific acts of human depravity and violence and where she was hurt on duty, Terri says she could handle that ... what she can't handle is the barbaric cruelty inflicted on those that cannot fight back and has seen many animals who were beyond her care because of a sickness in society today. She counts Bob Irwin as a dear friend having known him many years because of her voluntary work back in the day that saw the beginning of Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital and was there sitting quietly in the stands when the big boy in khaki was farewelled by the world...another dear friend and one she misses deeply.

With calls coming in from every corner of Australia, this Angel takes it all in her stride giving medical advice akin to something heard in an E.R. room. The main difference is there is no wage for Terri, no grants, no government funding and paying for everything out of a disability pension leaves this proud lady scraping for coins most weeks. Terri jokes, she tries to pay for things with Koala Food Gum Leaves! Her acreage in Cornubia is her sanctuary and when contacted about the hoons speeding up and down outside her home, a local Logan City Councillor wrote to residents requesting they please drive slowly and quietly in the immediate areas as stress from noise can kill wildlife. There also were two 1800 high steel signs in the ground with steel posts and unbelievably, one was stolen and police believe it would have taken the perpetrators over an hour to break the steel post so the sign could be removed. Patience is something Terri has bucketloads of as unfortunately drivers still speed and the hoons are still driving with excess noise. Some lovely neighbours do occasionaly bring her injured wildlife also. Without Terri, there would be far few koalas, roos, birds, lizards, snakes and a range of other native animals able to live another day in their natural habitat...her love is felt in the Aussie bush through and through. * Media release, Vegan Warriors

Koalas

A female koala is in intensive care at Australia Zoo's animal hospital after falling from a tree at a Brendale construction site on Monday. The joey she was carrying in her pouch did not survive the fall. The incident sparked criticism from koala rescue volunteers about the relevance $750-a-day DERM licensed koala spotters and catchers. DERM has acknowledged the incident and while no complaints have been recieved, its environment director Dr Ashley Bunce has commited to contacting council to determine if further action is necessary. An Australia zoo spokeswoman confirmed the five-year-old female koala named Troynina was admitted to the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital after falling about 20m from a tree at Brendale. "A wildlife spotter/catcher working on a residential development land clearing site found the injured koala and transported her to the hospital for treatment," she said.

"Upon arrival, Dr Robyn Stenner assessed the koala and found she was carrying a three to four month old female koala joey in her pouch, who had sadly been killed as a result of the fall. "Troynina suffered head trauma, a fractured finger and multiple bruises. "She is currently in the Mammals ICU and expected to remain in care for the next three to four weeks if there are no further complications." The loss of the young koala's life prompted Jaylene Musgrave of the Sunshine Coast Koala Rescue Service to question the effectiveness of spotters. "Spotter/catchers are required to be on every site where (there is) bulldozing or clearing of any land," she said. "They are also required and paid to check all trees and bush for any wildlife that may being sleeping/living in any flora that is to be removed. "At Brendale the spotter catchers failed to protect the koala and her joey."

"And this is becoming common, we are constantly finding joeys dead everywhere there is clearing for development and its time the developers put their hands in their bulging pockets to help pay for them to be looked after properly both on site and by private volunteer carers who are doing incredible work with no support." Urban Development Industry Association (UDIA) environment coordinator Jasmin Lightbody said member builders paid $80 an hour for spotter/catchers during the day, $110 an hour at night or $750 for a full day of their services. Dr Ashley Bunce, DERM wildlife director said the Brendale incident was being investigated. ``For development on a site in this area, a koala spotter is required to be present,'' he said.
``Koala spotters do not need to have a permit but do need to be suitably experienced. '`Spotters cannot remove a koala it has to be able to move of its own volition. ``Koalas cannot be translocated for anything other than scientific purposes and unapproved translocation is an offence under the Nature Conservation Act 1992. Dr Bruce said DERM had not received any complaints about the incident but will contact the Moreton Bay Regional Council to determine what further action, if any, is required. Courier Mail

Another Injured Koala

Found after being hit by a car at Coomera on the Gold Coast. Transported to the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital for specialised treatment and rehabilitation. Veterinary Assessment: Dr Bec assessed Pheno, with x-rays revealing he had suffered a fractured forearm. He is otherwise a very healthy male koala of unusually old age - he is very lucky to have lived for such a long time in the area in which he was found. Dr Bec administered Pheno pain relief and applied a cast to his forearm to help the fracture heal in place. Pheno was kept in the Mammals ICU under close observation, and has recently moved to a leafy outdoor enclosure. Pheno will remain in care for the next few months while his fracture heals, and will undergo regular physiotherapy to regain movement and climbing skills. He will then be released back into the wild. AZWH Statistic: On average, two koalas are admitted each week after being hit by a car, with 207 treated in 2011. Please slow down! *AZWH

Become a Wildlife Warrior

By making a one-off donation or joining our monthly giving program you can become part of a global wildlife force that is working hard to preserve our natural environment. Monthly Giving Program; Sign up to become a regular giver for wildlife conservation! Donations start from as little as $2.50 a week and can go to helping our native wildlife at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital. Nearly 100 wildlife emergency calls are received every day at the Hospital, Up to 30 different species are admitted to the hospital every day, Currently around 80 koalas undergoing treatment, Approximately 70% of patients are victims of car accidents or domestic pet attacks, The cost to treat one animal ranges from $100 to thousands of dollars To sign up or find out more please visit http://www.wildlifewarriors.org.au *