The Fair Dinkum Characters
The new Summer range of toddlers wildlife shirts, shorts, and singlets are now avaliable on the Fair Dinkum Characters website at http://www.fairdinkum-characters.com too late for Christmas unfortuntely. The Dinkums are Ambassadors for the Wildlife Protection Association of Australia Inc. Watch for them playing in a Shopping Centre near you!
Koalas
Australian scientists have called for an overhaul of the national reserves system and better funding for wildlife research after a global report listed koalas among 10 species to be ''hardest hit'' by climate change. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature the world's top conservation body ranks koalas with polar bears, emperor penguins, Arctic foxes, clownfish and leatherback turtles on a ''hit list'' of climate casualties. Canberra times, Read more...... http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/koalas-among-hardest-hit/1706757.aspx?storypage=0
Dingoes
Authorities have closed two beach campsites on Queensland's Fraser Island because of a threat posed by two packs of aggressive dingoes. The Department of Environment and Resource Management closed off One Tree Rocks and Cornwells campsites on the southern end of the popular tourist destination. DERM spokesman Terry Harper said rangers were closely monitoring several dingoes that had been behaving aggressively toward people. "There have been two groups of juvenile dingoes seen circling and entering these two campsites near Lake Wabby over the past few weeks," Mr Harper said in a statement. "We believe they present an unacceptable risk to visitor safety at this location." The sites can accommodate up to 200 people. Mr Harper said affected campers had been notified and told they could be accommodated at other sites on the island. People caught feeding or making food available to dingoes face penalties of up to $4000. *Brisbane Times
Wildlife Poaching
A man accused of strapping 15 live lizards to his chest to get through customs at Los Angeles International Airport has pleaded not guilty to federal charges. Michael Plank of Lomita, Calif., entered his plea Monday to a count of smuggling wildlife into the United States, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says Plank was returning from Australia in November when customs agents found two geckos, two monitor lizards and 11 smaller lizards fastened to his body. Authorities say the lizards' value totals more than $8,500. All Australian reptiles are strictly regulated, and authorities say Plank had no permit for them. AP
Bats
The die-off of bats across the US Northeastern states is now so severe that federal wildlife officials consider it "the most precipitous decline of North American wildlife caused by infectious disease in recorded history." Since 2006, when hibernating bats in a cave in New York state were found coated with a chalky fungus, the so-called white-nose syndrome affecting bats has hopscotched from New Hampshire to West Virginia, sometimes wiping out entire caves of bats in a single winter. Finding a remedy for the condition before the die-off reaches the huge bat habitats of Tennessee and Kentucky is considered vital because individual bats eat thousands of insects a night, providing a critical balance for nature. Read More.....http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-tc-nw-bats-1222-1223dec22,0,2907502.story
Media Watch Tip offs
Media Watch tries to monitor some of the major media outlets but there's no way their small team can keep track of all the media's crazy and unethical behaviour or even all the stories that are just plain wrong. They rely on tip-offs from our audience for many of the stories. So if you know something about the media that they should know drop them a line. Give them as much detail as you can about where and when the story was published or broadcast. Tell them what's gone on and what's gone wrong. And give them some contact details so they can check the details and send their thanks. Confidentiality is guaranteed. Email: mediawatch@your.abc.net.au Mail: Media Watch, GPO Box 9994, In your Capital City, Telephone: 02 8333 4454Fax: 02 8333 4962 *Media Watch
Kung fu Monkeys
A Chinese man who trained monkeys martial arts to entertain shoppers was shocked when they turned the tables on him. Lo Wung's taekwondo monkeys have become a regular feature outside a shopping centre in Enshi, Hubei province, where they were trained to show off their martial arts skills on each other. But one quick-thinking monkey saw his chance when Lo slipped - and caught him with a perfect flying kung fu kick to the head. The rest then joined in the affray. Hu Luang, 32, who caught the incident on camera, said: "I saw one punch him in the eye - he grabbed another by the ear and it responded by grabbing his nose. "They were leaping and jumping all over the place - it was better than a Bruce Lee film." At one point the monkey trainer grabbed a staff to hit the monkeys, only to find himself facing a stick-brandishing monkey that cracked him over the head. Lo only managed to get the monkeys under control by tangling them up in the rope that had been used to stop them running off. *Network Item
Kangaroos
A vicious attack on a kangaroo at Marlee Reserve last week was labelled senseless by a fauna authority. The male kangaroo was found dead with an arrow about 20cm long in its stomach at the Parklands reserve last Thursday at 7.30am by a Meadow Springs woman walking her dog. The arrow was shot three-quarters of the way into kangaroo’s stomach, rupturing its bowel. Department for Environment and Conservation fauna re-locater Allison Dixon said this would have caused it a slow and agonising death. “What did he do to deserve this? He did nothing,” Ms Dixon said. “This kind of cruelty is unnecessary, disgraceful and abhorrent behaviour. “For a human being to do this is deplorable.” The arrow was taken for evidence and investigations are continuing. * Mandura Mail
At least three kangaroos have been shot with crossbows in Parklands, north of Mandurah during the past two weeks. RSPCA spokesman Richard Barry says two of the animals have been euthanased while a third remains in the area with an arrow embedded in its hind leg. Mr Barry says help is needed to find any more injured animals and identify the offenders. He says the RSPCA is working with the Department of Conservation and City of Mandurah rangers to find the injured kangaroos. *ABC
Apparently new American born NSW Premier Kristina Keneally, according to the NSW Sunday Telegraph, tucked into a KANGAROO MEAT PIE with bush tomato sauce to prove she is a fair dinkum aussie. *Network Item
Kangaroos in Preston Beach set to be culled by the Shire of Waroona could be saved after the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) asked the Shire to use 'non-lethal options' to remove them from the area. The cull was prompted by Preston Beach Golf Club members, who claim kangaroos were damaging the fairways and threatening users of the course. The Shire of Waroona has since requested the DEC issue a licence for the cull. But a letter from the DEC to the Shire of Waroona suggested the Shire use non-lethal options as an alternative to shooting them. *BigPond News
Graziers in western Queensland say the huge numbers of kangaroos infesting their properties are costing them tens of thousands of dollars per year. Grazier Stephen Tully says he saw about 2,500 kangaroos on his property in western Queensland in just one night. He estimates kangaroo over-grazing is costing him about $30,000 per year and says lowering the size limits for culling would help. "Anything in plague proportions is a pest and should be treated as so," he said. AgForce's Jo Hall agrees farmers should be able to have greater power to control kangaroos on their properties. "The limited numbers that you can take out under the damage mitigation permits is not having any effect on the overall population," she said. Ms Hall says she will raise her concerns with the Environmental Protection Agency. *ABC
The drought has hit yet another sector, with low numbers forcing NSW authorities to stop shooters harvesting grey kangaroos. The ban, in the Griffith Kangaroo Management Zone, is a further blow to Riverina shooters as they already struggle to find numbers to fill a diminishing market. A few years ago, many chillers operated in the Riverina with as many as 30 people employed in some western Riverina towns shooting kangaroos. But with the suspension of the Russian market earlier this year due to contamination fears, demand has stalled. The lack of demand is reflected in the number of tags issued by the NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water, which said the use of tags this year had been low.
Despite the smaller numbers of tags issued, shooters have been stopped from harvesting eastern grey and western grey kangaroos in the Griffith zone, a 100,000 sq km area, which covers much of the Riverina. DECCW kangaroo management program manager Nicole Payne said populations of grey kangaroos in the zone had "fallen substantially". The sole remaining full-time kangaroo shooter in the Hillston area, Bob Brittle, said it would take all his skills to fill even the relatively small requirement of 100 kangaroos for his buyer each week. "It will be frustrating as we will have to drive by grey kangaroos and only shoot the reds," he said. The latest restrictions add to the hardship in the industry already caused by the suspension of the Russian market for roo meat, which the Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia says has resulted in the loss of 2500 jobs in regional areas. *Weekly Times
Farmers in northern Australia say a plague of kangaroos is overrunning their properties. They have said it is causing tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage. Recent heavy rainfall in parts of Queensland has prompted large numbers of marsupials to flock to the newly green countryside. Further south, however, a long-standing drought has forced authorities to suspend the culling of kangaroos in parts of New South Wales. In outback Queensland, grazier Stephen Tully said his sheep farm had been invaded by thousands of kangaroos.
Recent rains have brought his brown fields back to life. The prospect of a lush meal has proved to be irresistible to mobs of marsupials, which have been munching their way through the vegetation. "It's grass that we need to feed to our own stock but it's also grass. If that grass goes, environmentally it's terrible. We see dust. When the wind comes up our dust goes to Brisbane. That's the stuff that we want to try and stop," Mr Tully said. It is not only wet weather that has boosted marsupial numbers but also Russia's suspension of kangaroo meat imports earlier this year because of hygiene concerns. The decision means fewer animals are being hunted under licence.
The mayor of the Murweh Shire in western Queensland, Mark O'Brien, is keen for the trade to clean up its act and drive out rogue operators. "It's one of those industries that we describe out here as alternate economic engines that we've been looking for to replace a very quickly declining sheep and wool industry. When we open it up again, the cowboys will find that they won't be able to sell the product," he explained. While kangaroo populations may have increased sharply in Queensland, officials in New South Wales say a severe drought has caused numbers of two species - eastern and western greys - to fall significantly. A temporary ban on hunting has been imposed in a 100,000 sq km (38,610 sq miles) area near the town of Griffith. Animal rights campaigners believe Australia's kangaroos are on the brink of extinction. They dispute government figures that estimate there are about 25 million of these furry pouched creatures spread across the continent. *BBC
Puckapunyal
"No Defence for our suffering kangaroos" Wildlife Victoria is outraged over the current kangaroo cull at the Puckapunyal Military base near Seymour in Victoria, questioning whether non lethal methods have even been applied. Spokesperson for Wildlife Victoria Manfred Zabinskas said "Culling is fast becoming an old fashioned and inhumane approach to wildlife management. Kangaroos fleeing gunfire are at increased risk of injuries such as getting caught in fencing in their bid to escape and because the fences are electrified this poses a horrific death." As an experienced wildlife rescuer and carer of 13 years Mr. Zabinskas has observed many kangaroos in grief and said "These kangaroos will be traumatised by the experience, they form extremely strong social bonds within their mob and this will leave them grieving for their mate or missing family members.
Joeys can become separated from their mothers during the panic and spend weeks crying out in their desperate attempt to reunite with their mums. Many of those mums won’t be there after the cull. This inhumane practice must stop; it is no longer acceptable to the Australian and international public." As Department of Defence or the Department of Sustainability and Environment is yet to confirm the number of kangaroos killed Wildlife Victoria volunteer rescuers have been working with the Australian Society for Kangaroos in patrolling the perimeter roads ready to rescue any kangaroos that may become victim to fence entanglements or road trauma and provide them with immediate medical care. For further comment, Manfred Zabinskas 0438 681 501 Fiona Corke, 0432 403 994 Wildlife Victoria Media Release
Flying Foxes
I know that you are all busy but never too busy to help the bats! It will take less than 10 mins to copy and paste the pro-forma letter below in to an email and press send. The bats in the RBG need you (and me) to get as many people as possible to submit comments to Botanic Gardens Trust in relation to the draft Public Environment Report that BGT are currently preparing for submission to DEWHA. Please circulate this amongst your friends and relations and encourage them to put in submissions. The BGT is making similar requests of its supporter groups. The PER process requires that submissions are made to the BGT. The BGT are obligated to provide copies of any submissions received to DEWHA so your submissions will not get lost. We would appreciate it if you would also spend a copy to epbc.watch@sent.com Submissions must be made before 5pm on 23rd December, so there’s plenty of opportunity to get the message out there as far and wide as possible. Submissions need to be sent to perfeedback@rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au To respond by post, write to Flying-fox Relocation PER Feedback, Royal Botanic Gardens, Mrs Macquaries Road, Sydney NSW 2000 We’ve provided a letter below that you can simply copy into an email and send. If you would like to add to this that is even better. Please remember to keep everything you say factual and polite. We want to make it hard for DEWHA to approve the action. Letters that are rude or make wild claims are unlikely to influence any decision. Stick to the facts and your submission can make a difference! Reference: 2008/4646To: perfeedback@rbgsyd.nsw.gov.auCC: epbc.watch@sent.com To Whom It May Concern: Re: Draft Public Environment Report The grey-headed flying-fox camp at the Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens is a camp critical to the survival of this threatened species by the criteria defined in the Draft National Recovery Plan for the Grey-headed Flying-fox. In addition, of all the camps in Sydney, it is the least likely to be affected by heat stress in the event of high temperatures and low humidity. It is also within 5km of a year-round source of high quality food. In the draft Public Environment Report, the Botanic Gardens Trust has: • failed to show how it will replace this high-quality roosting habitat with habitat of equal quality. • failed to provide evidence to support their claim that the animals dispersed from the will join other existing camps in the Sydney metropolitan region. • not indicated how it will ensure that only 7,000 flying-foxes join the camp at Ku ring gai Flying- fox Reserve, nor how it will stop bats going to the other Sydney based camps, given that all other camp managers have indicated they do not have capacity for additional animals. • not presented any evidence showing that stress-based abortions only occur in the third trimester of pregnancy. • presented no evidence to show that females who abort do so only, or even predominantly, in a roost site• failed to demonstrate that checking campsites for aborted foetuses is an effective method of detecting stress related abortions. • acknowledged that some roost sites cannot be monitored for abortions. • failed to recognise the difficulties associated with using binoculars to determine the presence of dependant young bats when wrapped under their mothers’ wings in a group of roosting animals• failed to address the developmental stages of the GHFF in their planning. There is a time period during which the young fly out with the rest of the camp but remain nutritionally dependant on their mothers but do not remain with her whilst she forages. Mother and young only re-establish contact the next day when they both return to a common roost location. • indicated that it intends to conduct afternoon sleep disturbance despite peer-reviewed research showing that this is the time of day when GHFF sleep the most. • not provided any research to show the effect on GHFF of sleep deprivation • not provided any research to show the effect of smoke inhalation of smoke on GHFF. • not demonstrated how their research will take account of the transitory nature of the GHFF –the animals being observed at any given time are likely not to be only the animals that were in the initial cohort. The BGT have not indicated how they will monitor the impact of the dispersal on animals that leave the dispersal area. I urge that the BGT abandon this proposed dispersal because the loss of a high-quality camp and the effects of dispersal are likely to have a significant impact on grey-headed flying-foxes. Yours sincerely, Cc. epbc.watch@sent.com Network Item
EPBC Act review
On 30 October 2009, Dr Allan Hawke presented his Final Report for the Independent Review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth) (EPBC Act) – ‘The Australian Environment Act: Report of the Independent Review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999’ – to the Hon Peter Garrett AM MP, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts.
Following our email earlier today, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts presented the Final Report for the Independent Review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth) (EPBC Act) — The Australian Environment Act: Report of the Independent review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 – to Parliament today, as required by section 522A of the Act. The aim of the Report is to review the performance of the Act and, consistent with the objective of protecting the environment and biological diversity and maintain ecological processes, to recommend reforms that:
promote the sustainability of Australia's economic development; reduce and simplify the regulatory burden; ensure activities under the Act represent the most efficient and effective ways of achieving desired environmental outcomes; and are based on an effective federal arrangement.
The Report proposes an integrated reform plan revolving around the following nine core elements:
redraft the Act to better reflect the Australian Government’s role, streamline its arrangements and rename it the Australian Environment Act; establish an independent Environment Commission to advise the government on project approvals, strategic assessments, bioregional plans and other statutory decisions; invest in the building blocks of a better regulatory system such as national environmental accounts, skills development, policy guidance, and acquisition of critical spatial information; streamline approvals through earlier engagement in planning processes and provide for more effective use and greater reliance on strategic assessments, bioregional planning and approvals bilateral agreements; set up an Environment Reparation Fund and national ‘biobanking’ scheme; provide for environmental performance audits and inquiries; create a new matter of national environmental significance for ‘ecosystems of national importance’ and introduce an interim greenhouse trigger; improve transparency in decision-making and provide greater access to the courts for public interest litigation; and mandate the development of foresight reports to help government manage emerging environmental threats.
The Report’s 71 recommendations are aimed at implementing this plan. The Australian Government is now giving consideration to its response. The Report addresses a broad range of issues across the entirety of the EPBC Act’s operation, and is available at: http://www.environment.gov.au/epbc/review/index.html. Dr Hawke has also prepared a series of fact sheets outlining key recommendations and reforms. These are also available on the Review’s website. The Minister’s media release is available at: http://www.environment.gov.au/minister/garrett/2009/index.html. Thank you for your interest in the Review. Kind regards, EPBC Act Review Secretariat *Network Item
Reindeer
This holiday season caribou — also called reindeer — are struggling as never before. They are starving as they desperately try to dig up the food that is just out of reach. And because of changing temperatures, they are being swept to their deaths in rushing rivers. In fact, populations of caribou have plummeted almost 60% in just three decades. And now, a new report states that global warming is to blame. They are unable to access food. As global warming causes warmer temperatures in the Arctic, more rain is falling when it should be snow. When rain falls on snow that is on the ground, it creates a thick layer of ice. This prevents caribou from “digging” through to reach food on the ground. The extra ice makes feeding increasingly more difficult, if not impossible, leaving the reindeer exhausted and starving. They are drowning in unfrozen rivers. Reindeer follow the same carefully chosen migration path every year. But as global warming melts ice on the rivers earlier and earlier, they are forced to try to swim across rivers that are usually frozen over. Tragically, many calves are too weak to keep up with the rushing waters and are swept to their death. *NWF
Manatees
As many as 419 manatees have been found dead since January 1st, which is the highest number on record for a calendar year. The decade will end on a low note for conservationists working to protect Florida's endangered population of manatees, as the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Fish and Wildlife Research Institute documented 419 manatee carcasses in state waters so far this year, the most for any year since record-keeping began in 1974. That number accounts for 12.5% of the entire population, clearly an unsustainable rate. Most of the deaths could be directly attributed to human causes, with boat strikes constituting as much as 30% of the fatalities, which alone is three times greater than natural causes. One of the reasons that manatees are so slow and docile is that they have no natural predators, which means that their biggest threat comes from human development. Aside from boat strikes, manatees are routinely crushed or drowned in canal locks, hurt and entangled by fishing line and hooks, and they are highly vulnerable to deadly blooms of "red tide" algae. Meanwhile, most of the natural deaths this year were blamed on colder than average waters, leading to a high mortality rate among infant manatees.Aside from the bad news at the end of this decade, the overall manatee population is believed to have increased slightly over the last several decades, with a reasonably stable population of just over 3,500. But developers and the boating industry have been lobbying for loosened restrictions in recent years, which could continue to threaten the conservation of these subtly charismatic mammals in years to come. Toreport a dead or distressed manatee, you can call the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922). *MNN
Tortoise wins race of her life
IN A last-minute reprieve, the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water has decided not to kill an endangered tortoise its officers had said they would destroy today. The African spurred tortoise, the only one of its kind in Australia, was left in front of the Australian Reptile Park near Gosford this month. It was healthy and attached to its box was a simple note: ''Please take care of me.'' But when the zoo contacted the state authorities to begin the process of quarantine for the tortoise, it was told it would have to be killed. Disease was a concern. The reptile's origin was unknown. 'This is an illegally internationally trafficked animal,'' the department said.
Rangers were to arrive today to take the tortoise. Yesterday its keepers were saying their final goodbyes. It was domesticated and they had grown attached to it. 'I can't understand it,'' the zoo's general manager, Mary Rayner, told the Herald. ''There are quite a few tears at the thought of this happening. We can't stop the rangers. They will request the animal and they will take it.'' But then the department changed its mind. After being contacted by the Herald, a spokesman telephoned the zoo to say the tortoise was safe. "'We're so excited and so thankful,'' the tortoise's keeper, Liz Vella, said. ''She is a very affectionate tortoise.'' Zoo staff have called the tortoise Libby, short for Liberty. She is likely to be in quarantine for 90 days, after which she is expected to go on public display. *SMH
HSI Action Alert
ACTION ALERT - ACT BY 15TH JANUARY 2010
The Government’s Joint Standing Committee on Treaties is currently investigating the proposed listing of three shark species – the shortfin mako, longfin mako and porbeagle sharks, under the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act) as migratory species. This follows the listing of these three species at the end of 2008 in the Appendices of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS). Listing under Appendix II of CMS encourages much needed international cooperation to work towards the conservation of these species.
Shark species worldwide are facing numerous threats. Sharks are inherently vulnerable to over-fishing because they grow slowly, are late to mature and produce relatively few young. Species, such as the shortfin mako, longfin mako and porbeagle sharks, are in trouble across the world, and particularly in places such as the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Oceans. In Australia, HSI is also seriously concerned about the state of our shark populations. HSI believes that this international cooperation will be crucial to prevent further decline of our shark species.
In Australia, this protection is translated into federal environmental law by listing the three species as migratory under the EPBC Act. All species listed under the CMS Appendices for which Australia is a range state, must be listed as migratory species under this law with no Ministerial discretion to do otherwise. The committee is currently inviting comments on the listing of these species, by 15th January 2010. However industry, particularly recreational fishers who fish for mako sharks in Commonwealth waters are up in arms. They believe, despite the lack of scientific evidence, that these sharks are common and do not require protection. HSI’s view is that these shark species must be protected, before it is too late and to meet our international and EPBC obligations. Unfortunately, Environment Minister Peter Garrett has suggested that the catch and release by recreational fishers will not have a significant impact on populations of these species, a fact that HSI strongly disagrees with. We are therefore asking that you also write expressing your views in support of the strongest possible migratory species listing.
Action required by 15th January 2010: Please write to the Secretary of the Joint Standing Committee of Treaties letting them know that you support the listing of the shortfin mako, longfin mako and porbeagle sharks as migratory species under the EPBC Act. You may also wish to highlight the threats shark populations in Australia and worldwide are facing, and the importance of Australia taking action before it is too late. Committee Secretary, Joint Standing Committee on Treaties, Department of House of Representatives, PO Box 6021 Parliament House, Canberra ACT 2600, By email to: jsct@aph.gov.au, For further information on the Committee inquiry see http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/jsct/25november2009/tor.htm Further information on HSI's campaigns at http://www.hsi.org.au
Koalas
On the operating table lies a sick koala. He's just been brought in by a driver who found the animal sitting in the middle of a busy road. Veterinarian Claude Lacasse determines the koala has not been hit by a car but she immediately detects one serious problem facing many of the marsupials: Chlamydia, a disease which can lead to a very slow and painful death for koalas living in the wild. Koalas generate almost US$1 billion for the Australian economy, thanks to tourists who come to see this national icon. But these cuddly creatures are under serious threat from infectious disease and habitat loss and some scientists believe they are facing extinction. "Extinction is inevitable in some areas," according to Dr Jon Hanger, a veterinary scientist at Australia Zoo's Wildlife Hospital. "I certainly hope we don't see it across Australia. But if we don't take the decline seriously and pick up on the warning signs now it's certainly a risk."
A recent report by the Australian Koala Foundation backs up those beliefs. It claims the national population has dropped from 100,000 to fewer than 43,000 in the past six years and if nothing is done to stop the decline, koalas could be extinct within 30 years. "I can promise you after being on Government committees for years and lobbying minister after minister, I see nothing in our country being done to protect koalas," said Australia Koala Foundation president Deborah Tabart. "If the Government had grasped this problem 10 years ago, things would be so different. Instead they're on the brink of extinction -- I can promise you that." Back at the hospital, at least a dozen koalas are in intensive care. Outside, in open-air enclosures, many more are recuperating from disease, dog attacks and encounters with cars. At least 700 koalas are brought here every year for treatment. The majority have Chlamydia, a disease which attacks their eyes and bladder. Most would die in the wild but here at the Wildlife Hospital they receive a two month course of antibiotics and are then returned to their natural habitat -- generally within a kilometer of where they were found.
I was lucky enough to get up close and personal with one of the koalas, recuperating at the Australian Wildlife Hospital. The zoo keepers had named him Tullie, a seven-year-old who was recovering after being hit by a car. He sat in the fork of a tree, surrounded by eucalyptus leaves in one of the outdoor enclosures. The keeper described him as a real "softie" while she gave Tullie his medication. I stood next to Tullie and patted him. He reached out his paw and touched my hand. The pads of his paw were soft and despite his sharp claws used to climb trees, he was so gentle. He held my hand for a few seconds and did this repeatedly while my piece was filmed for the news story we were shooting.
His nose had deep scratches from the accident and he was also nursing some internal injuries. I was amazed at how peaceful and docile this animal was, even though he was from the wild. Besides Chlamydia, there is another disease plaguing these marsupials -- and there is no vaccine or cure and it's spreading rapidly. Koala AIDS or KIDS (Koala Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is similar to AIDS in humans. The immune system of the animals is weakened and they are made susceptible to cancer and other deadly infections. The hospital's head veterinary scientist, Dr. Jon Hanger, discovered the retro virus causing the condition and says it's just as severe as AIDS in humans but affects koalas more quickly. "It's knocking off a large proportion of koalas that come into this hospital and that means a large number in the bush are dying from it too."
The disease is spread by koalas coming into contact with each other. Hanger believes most of the animals carry the virus, but only some are predisposed to it becoming full-blown KIDS. "There is no vaccine available now and may never be, but what it's saying to us is that we need to be very careful about the way we manage the population. We have to stop destroying habitat and fragmenting it and we've got to address all the causes of death". Tabart agrees and says the key factor in the decline of the koala population is loss of habitat. Land clearing, urbanization and the removal of eucalyptus forests are causing koalas to lose their homes and making them more prone to encounters with cars and dog attacks.
Her slogan "No Tree, No Me," is something she is telling world leaders at the climate change conference in Copenhagen, where she is highlighting this problem as well as talking about how koalas can be part of the solution to lower carbon emissions in Australia through the preservation of their forests. Her research shows it would take trillions of saplings planted across a land mass three times the size of Australia to replace the carbon stored in the koala forests on the east coast of Australia if they were destroyed by fire or deforestation. "Without these trees, there will be no koalas. So once again, the beloved koala has the answer to Australia's future," she said. *CNN
Logging
The Federal Government has rejected some of the recommendations from a review of national environment laws. The review suggested the Government expand the laws to introduce tougher checks on logging under Regional Forest Agreements. But Environment Minister Peter Garrett says the Government is happy to use the existing agreements to monitor logging. The Opposition's spokesman, Simon Birmingham, says he supports the Government's decision. "What we should not be imposing on the forestry sector is a duplication of arrangements and that duplication would come by having them have to comply with Regional Forestry Agreements on the one hand and EPBC Act monitoring on the other hand," he said.
But Greens Senator Bob Brown has slammed the Federal Government's decision. He says the environmental requirements within the current process are not working. "The requirement is being broken by the logging industry and the Minister says 'well, I'm not going to take the recommendation to see that gets fixed'," Senator Brown said. "This is the powerful vested interests in the logging industry knobbling both the big parties to do the wrong thing." Senator Brown says the Government should also accept a proposal to introduce a greenhouse benchmark for major projects. The review recommended the scope of the current laws be expanded to cover major developments that would produce more than a certain level of carbon emissions.
But Mr Garrett says introducing a benchmark is not needed because the Government is committed to the emissions trading scheme (ETS). Senator Brown says more needs to be done. "We need to know when new developments come along whether it's appropriate that they produce massive amounts of greenhouse gas emissions," he said. The Opposition says introducing a greenhouse benchmark for major developments would send projects off-shore. Mr Birmingham says the proposal would hurt the economy. "There would be no greater driver for carbon leakage for businesses to set up off shore than to have a greenhouse trigger in place under the EPBC Act," he said. "It would become a very risky and cumbersome process for businesses looking to establish in Australia." *ABC
Thinking about Wildlife? Who’s going to watch over our wildlife when you no longer share their World? Well, we are! The Wildlife Protection Association of Australia Inc. will continue to forcefully lobby governments to do better with wildlife management, and by taking them to Court if necessary. We are currently working on developing eLearning projects, so students can become aware of the importance of our wildlife living in a safe and secure natural environment. After you have looked after your family and friends in your Will, think about wildlife. A bequest to the Wildlife Protection Association of Australia Inc. will ensure that we can continue to take a leading role in protecting and conserving our precious wildlife. None of the donations we receive are diverted to "administration". Every dollar we get through bequests or donations for wildlife hits the ground running! Talk to your solicitor, or if writing your own Will, add the words "I bequeath to The Wildlife Protection Association of Australia Inc. for the purpose of protecting wildlife in Australia (a specified sum), or (specified items including land or vehicle), or (the residue of my estate) or (percentage of my estate) free of all duties, and the receipt of the President, Secretary or other authorised WPAA officer for the time being shall be a complete and sufficient discharge for the executor(s)." You can also phone me for a confidential chat, as to how a bequest can help us work to protect our wildlife, when you are no longer able to. * Pat O’Brien, WPAA 07 54941890
Monday, December 28, 2009
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Wildlife Bytes 15/12/09
Wildlife Xmas Presents
Wildwood Wildlife Shelter in Victoria has a beautiful calendar for sale, with lots of kangaroos on it. It is professionally printed on good quality A3 size paper with binding and a hook to hang it on the wall. They are selling them for $25 plus $6.95 postage each within Australia, extra for O/S of course. The addys are; Pam Turner, Wildwood Wildlife Shelter, Glenthompson. Vic. 3293 Email wildwoodws@optusnet.com.au 03 55774343, 0418 161 826 And please dont forget that Maryland Wilson from AWPC still has copies of "Kangaroos, Myths and Realities" for sale. Her email is; kangaroo@hotkey.net.au
And also dont forget the wonderful DVD "Kangaroos, Faces in the Mob" available here; http://www.kangaroo-protection-coalition.com/kangaroos-facesinthemob.htmlIf any wildlife group are selling Xmas cards etc, please let us know so we can pass it on.
Toddlers wildlife shirts and singlets are now avaliable on the Fair Dinkum Characters website at http://www.fairdinkum-characters.com
Wildlife MiniBytes
New political party, Animal Justice Party
The time has come for animals to have a voice in the political arena. Animal Rights/Welfare is the next social justice movement and everyone can be a part of it. Please go to this website below to see how you can make a difference. Help end the suffering and become a voice for those without one. http://www.animaljusticeparty.org/About_the_AJP.html There you will find forms for both NSW and Federal memebrship. At this point no memebership fee is payable, and its important to get 750 members for the ANIMAL JUSTICE PARTY to be registered as a political party. Other States will follow. It is important you fill in your name exactly as it appears on the Electoral Roll, otherwise your application will be invalid. You can download membership forms from the website. Please post to this address only... Animal Justice Party, P.O. Box 3126, Blakehurst 2221, Sydney NSW http://www.animaljusticeparty.org/About_the_AJP.html The animals need you...... Wallaby Plant Closed
One of Tasmania's smaller meatworks is shutting down and laying off workers. The abattoir on Flinders Island in Bass Strait will close its doors next Wednesay. Flinders Island Quality Meats sells wallaby and milk fed baby lamb to some of the country's best restaurants. Manager Gayle Grace says problems with shipping, severe drought, and the costs of doing business from Flinders Island are all factors in its demise. "We've worked very hard, we've put the Flinders Island brand name out there," she says. "It's been extremely well received, we've built up our wallaby brand, and belted our heads against the wall." *ABC
Ed Comment; In 2006 WPAA, AWPC, and other groups appealed the Flinders Island wallaby kill in the Federal AAT. We lost the appeal due to the weakness of the EPBC Act. The Tasmanian Government spent many thousands of dollars opposing our Appeal, employing a very clever and expensive legal team to shoot down our arguments. Anyway, the plan was to send wallaby skins to Italy and Asia to use on garments, for fur coats and garment trimming. We know now that only a few skin samples were sent overseas, and no buyers were found. The wallaby meat had a very limited market in Tasmania, and even more limited on the Mainland. So now the processing plant has closed....and good riddance.....However in 2003 they dropped enough 1080 over Flinders Island to kill 40,000 wallabies, if there were that many there. None of the baits were recovered, and few bodies were found. So who ate the carrot baits? Nobody knows. And will they use 1080 again on the wallabies? Probably. Tasmanian produce...lean and green...we dont think so......
Climate Change
If world leaders want proof of global warming’s devastating effects, they should open an atlas on the page marked Australia. Many of the country’s iconic images are under threat from the impact of the planet’s rising temperatures. Virtually all the climate change disasters predicted by scientists are expected to hit Australia over coming decades. Kangaroos, wombats and koalas face extinction and the Great Barrier Reef could die. The golden beaches that have shaped Australian culture will one day disappear under the waves while its famous bush country crackles with rampaging wildfires. * Daily Express Read more.... http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/145847/Australasia-s-Armageddon-
Bloody Harvest The NZ 60 minutes documentary has this morning had 8759 viewings, with 217 comments.
http://www.3news.co.nz/Bloody-Harvest-/tabid/371/articleID/130448/cat/923/Default.aspx Thanks everyone who left a comment. We've tried for many years to get Aussie 60 minutes to do a kangaroo Industry story, but to no avail. 60 minute journalists have been keen, and we've even offered to take them out west to get footage, but the story always gets knocked back at "executive level". One comment on the comments page below the video we loved was, "Our government is an embarassment all over the world - the way we treat our native animals is heartbreaking". *WPAA
White Giraffe Seen
A white giraffe seen in South Africa's Kruger Park in October 2009. This giraffe, with very light coloured markings, was seen in the Kruger National Park in South Africa by John van Eeden in October 2009. The colourings are much lighter than on a 'normal' giraffe giving the appearance of a worn out carpet. It may well be a leucistic animal, compare it to the leucistic Giraffe that we had reported from Botswana last year, see below. Leucism is a very unusual condition whereby the pigmentation cells in an animal or bird fail to develop properly. This can result in unusual white patches appearing on the animal, or, more rarely, completely white creatures. *Wildlife Extra
Wildlife Pets
A reptile fan is facing jail and a fine of up to $40,000 after seven lizards were seized at his home. Officers from the Depart- ment of Sustainability and Environment found the reptiles in a raid on a home in Bendigo. The varieties seized were three blue-tongue lizards, a shingle-back lizard, a sand goanna, a central bearded dragon and a skink. ``The man does not hold a private wildlife licence, which is necessary for anyone keeping lizards as pets,'' the DSE's Shaun Burke said. ``We also believe that some of the reptiles were taken from the wild instead of being purchased from a registered wildlife dealer, which is also illegal,'' he said. During the search, DSE officers also seized two glass enclosures and a heat mat. Some of the lizards were released back into the wild after the raid. But others not native to central Victoria are being cared for, pending research into their background. The man faces charges including possessing unlawfully taken wildlife , and keeping protected wildlife without a licence. `We have zero tolerance for people who illegally keep wildlife ,'' Mr Burke said. *HeraldSun
Spiders
A colony of mysterious spiders normally found lurking deep underground in caves is being re-housed after found squatting in a redundant National Trust building. Ten years ago a team of archaeologists from the University of Bradford carried out a major survey of the nearby Chapel Fell cave. At the end of each day they took some of their equipment to the nearby old orchid house to store overnight. Unbeknown to the archaeologists they had unwittingly brought with them enough cave spiders to start a new colony in the completely new territory of a small and dark building above ground level. The colony of spiders has been living on the National Trust's Malham Tarn estate in the Yorkshire Dales less than a quarter of a mile (half a kilometre) from their natural home. The colony of 150 rare spiders will be relocated tback to the caves. * Wildlife Extra
Cassowaries
A cassowary chick has died after being hit by a car in the Daintree. The bird was struck and left beside the Cape Kimberley Rd, north of the Daintree River, sparking fresh pleas from Queensland Parks and Wildlife rangers for drivers to slow down and be extra cautious on rainforest roads. Senior ranger Tina Alderson said the dead bird was found by a Daintree resident last week. Its death follows a vehicle strike near Mission Beach, south of Cairns, which killed an adult cassowary several weeks ago. The areas are known for cassowary warning signs. "The chick was found just beyond signage warning motorists of cassowaries in the area," Ms Alderson said. "It weighed about 4kg and would have still been with its father." She urged motorists to "do their bit" for conservation of the bird, which is listed as endangered. People can report dead cassowaries in the Daintree region to Queensland Parks and Wildlife 's Mossman office on 4098 2188, and in other areas on 1300 130 372. * Cairns Post
National Park Grog Bans
Two of central Australia's most popular national parks could be the next to fall under the Federal Government's alcohol bans. The Northern Territory Government is preparing to hand back the Finke Gorge and West Macdonnell national parks to Aboriginal traditional owners. Both parks will become Aboriginal freehold land, which will make them prescribed areas under the Northern Territory emergency response laws. The Northern Territory Environment Minister, Karl Hampton, says he will be discussing with the federal Indigenous Affairs Minister whether the parks can be exempt from the bans. "In terms of exemptions, I'll be sitting down with Parks and Wildlife and with obviously Minister Macklin," he said. "She has the authority to declare those parks, or to exempt those parks and I'll weigh all those up as it comes across my desk." *ABC
Native animals being managed to death.
The Victorian State Government seems to be on a campaign to eradicate native wildlife, especially kangaroos. Landholders in Victoria are being given permits from DSE to kill tens of thousands of “protected” kangaroos every year, despite Black Saturday. Research shows that kangaroos do not compete with stock for pasture. In Victoria, kangaroos are also being shot without proper assessment of population numbers, locally or regionally, putting them at risk of local and regional extinction. In recent cases, residents were devastated to discover that permits had been given to kill the equivalent of the total population of kangaroos in Colac, Gippsland and Bendigo. Kangaroos were not abundant in these areas and posed no threat to stock pasture. With human expansion, drought and increasing land clearing, our wildlife is being “managed” to death. Victoria is already the most damaged and cleared state of Australia. Native animals are being made scapegoats for Victoria’s demise when they are actually a part of our ecology, not environmental threats. **Bendigo Advertiser
Driver Convicted
A driver has been convicted of cruelty after deliberately killing a mother duck as she walked her 12 ducklings across a shopping centre carpark. A jury in New Bedford, Massachusetts, yesterday convicted Joshua Linhares, 25, after they were shown a CCTV video that captured the moment Linhares's car struck the mallard. He claimed he did not see the birds and, after striking the duck, said he drove away because he panicked. ``I didn't know what to do,'' Linhares told the court. But a woman shopper who saw the incident said the driver ``turned sharply'' and accelerated towards the ducks. `He had no intention of avoiding them,'' she said in a court statement. ``My kids were horrified.'' The mother mallard had been nesting for five years in a pond in Dartmouth town centre. Linhares was sentenced to 12 months' probation and fined $600 for reckless driving and deliberately killing wildlife . The ducklings were temporarily adopted by a family until they were released into the wild. *Adelaide Sunday Mail
Raptors
Pride of Australia winner Craig Webb, of Kettering, is quite rightly known as Tasmania's ``eagle man''. He has saved the lives of countless birds by caring for them on his 9ha property, and was last month acknowledged when he won the National Pride of Australia environment medal. Now Mr Webb is in the process of constructing the largest raptor aviary and enclosure in the southern hemisphere at his Raptor and Wildlife Refuge of Tasmania. ``There has been generous donations made towards the new construction but there is still a hefty cost,'' he said. ``The central pole will be more then 20m tall [and the netting is similar to what they use in fish farms. The design is fairly basic, but it works.'' It will be the third large avairy on his property, which he said is essential to keep up with the number of rescued animals. He has been rescuing Tasmanian wildlife for more than 12 years. He said spring was the busiest time of year for injured animals. `At the moment I have more then 10 birds in my care, they are all doing quite well,'' he said. Mr Webb also works as a concreter as well as managing and maintaining the raptor refuge. `We get a lot of school groups coming through, they are important for educating the young ones as they grow up,'' he said. ``Educating people on the magnificence of these creatures is my priority, and making people realise the risks they are at because of man's activities. ``There is no feeling like releasing one of these magnificent creatures to the wild.'' For more information on Mr Webb's efforts, go to http://www.raptorrefuge.com.au *Tasmania Sunday Mail
Wildlife for Pets
Mike Archer, a professor at the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), has long been a proponent of domesticating Australia's unique wildlife to keep it from disappearing. Archer claims that "No animal that has ever entered [humans'] inner circle has become extinct," he says. "When you value something and have an emotional connection with it ... it simply doesn't disappear." Well, that's nonsense of course. Many people have an emotional attachment to trees, but that doesnt stop them from cutting them down if they become nuisance, or dumping the family pet at the RSPCA if they get too big, or if they are shifting, or going on a holiday. You only have to know about the pet python problem in the US, where imported pet pythons have been dumped in the Everglades, and are now huge environmental problem. It's legal to keep Australian reptiles in Victoria, NSW, South Australia, and Queensland, and some mammals in Victoria and South Australia. Nobody knows how many reptiles from another State have been accidentally or deliberately released away from their home range in Australia. Those States that do allow limited wildlife for pets, have created an open door for wildlife trafficking, as we regullarly see traffickers caught in media reports. Keeping wildlife as pets has nothing to do with protecting or preserving wildlife, its all about breeders and the pet Industry wanting to be able to sell product. Apparently CSIRO, that taxpayer funded Australian "use it or lose it" quango, is about to release in 2010 a "study" supporting wildlife for pets.
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1946471,00.html#ixzz0ZEG8p4Ng
Kangaroos
Greenfield land north of Caloundra Road (Sunshine Coast) could be the Coast’s killing fields of the near future. More than 100 kangaroos are isolated between Caloundra Road, Corbould Way, Bellflower and Sippy Downs to the north, Kawana Way, Birtinya and Kawana to the east, and the Bruce Highway to the west. As development encroaches, the kangaroos are being incrementally pushed to starvation and extinction, as each new development pushes wildlife into smaller land pockets. The situation has prompted calls for a coastal wildlife management plan. Animals are also being killed on newly built roads, prompting alarm at local schools where students have witnessed such events. A council spokesman for a working group studying the Coast’s kangaroo mobs said the problem was not imminent, but in two to five years, it would be.
He said the coastal population regarded kangaroos as being as culturally significant as our beaches. “(The species) is not endangered but what has happened is we are clearing vegetation and the population has increased. That’s the biology,” the spokesman said. “The public have attached themselves to kangaroos. They are a big attribute in a tourist town.” The spokesman said a new minerals extraction plant at Meridan Plains would exacerbate the problem. Mooloolah River catchment spokeswoman Jan Kesby said she had spoken to Main Roads about community concerns. She said the department was doing some good work but “I think Coast wildlife should be under a management program”. “We need to get everyone involved,” Ms Kesby said. “We won’t have any kangaroos left in 10 years’ time.”
Environment councillor Keryn Jones said developers were obliged to remove wild life and fence off land before work could begin, but Main Roads is not under the same edict when building roads such as Corbould Way. A Main Roads spokeswoman said the department had a good track record of installing fauna protection on the Coast and “(it) will also be considered for all future projects on the Coast”. “The department is already an active participant (in) the working group headed by Sunshine Coast council (environment manager) Dr Stephen Skull,” she said. Kangaroo mobs which could also potentially be isolated at Twin Waters and Coolum are also being studied. *Sunshine Coast
Muttonbirds
Coff's harbor iconic Muttonbird Island and its famous inhabitants are under threat from a nasty invader. The voracious swamp rat is decimating vegetation vital to the integrity of the muttonbird burrows and researchers fear there will be no wedge-tailed shearwaters left on the island in another 10 years if this feeding frenzy continues at its current rate. A National Parks and Wildlife Service volunteer, Neil Vaughan, said he had noticed a rapid decline in muttonbirds in recent years. “The population is crashing – in the last two years it’s started to really nosedive,” Mr Vaughan said. “The population is nosediving so badly that it has reached its critical level and that’s why I’m so worried.” He said burrows were collapsing because swamp rats were eating foliage such as wandering jew which supported the burrows and the rodents were also building their own entrances to the burrows, thereby undermining them.
Mr Vaughan believes swamp rats have been making it onto the island by hitching a ride on vehicles which park at the base of the nature reserve and he says they must be eradicated in order for the island to survive. “If we don’t get rid of them there won’t be any burrows left and the muttonbirds won’t be able to breed. You might as well call it rat island,” he said. The NPWS has not been baiting the swamp rat, unlike the black rat and mice, because it was considered to be native to Australia. “It’s not native. It was introduced onto Muttonbird Island,” Mr Vaughan said. “The NPWS is trying to prove the swamp rat is not native to the island but in the meantime the rat is doing untold damage. “The solution is to get rid of all the rodents.” * Coffs Coast Advocate
Barred Owls
Scientists want to determine if killing the aggressive barred owl that has invaded old growth forests of the US Northwest would help the protected spotted owl. Federal biologists are doing a formal study to decide whether to do the experiment, and laying out the terms if they go ahead. The study will be available for public comment and is expected to be completed by fall 2010. "This is to be done experimentally so we can nail down whether, in fact, removing barred owls could improve spotted owl demographics, and also to look into the feasibility of doing that," Fish and Wildlife biologist Robin Bown, who is overseeing the evaluation, said Wednesday. He said a small-scale experiment with killing barred owls in northern California in 2005 created an uproar, so Fish and Wildlife held meetings with interest groups to consider the ethical and moral implications of a larger experiment, and secured their agreement to look into an experiment. "There is a range of opinions" among scientists and interest groups, said Bob Sallinger, conservation director of the Portland Audubon Society, who took part in the ethical discussion. "We are still struggling with where we come down." The highest priority needs to be placed on avoiding extinction, Sallinger said. But unless habitat protections continue for old growth forests where the spotted owl lives, "killing barred owls is not going to accomplish anything." * Read more... http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/12/10/national/main5962417.shtml
Frogs
The failure of a refrigeration unit has caused a setback to the ACT's northern corroboree frog breeding program. Around 700 tadpoles and 300 frogs died when the refrigeration unit in a purpose built container housing the frogs at Tidbinbilla failed. The frogs had been bred in captivity over the past two years. Sharon Lane from the Department of Territory and Municipal Services says the breeding program staff are shattered. "Our staff have invested much time and effort into the program which has seen Tidbinbilla become the only place in Australia that has successfully bred northern corroboree frogs in captivity," she said. "To see this happen is distressing." Ms Lane says they still have a substantial breeding population and will be able to get back on track for a planned release next year.
"The captive population retains a strong genetic foundation," she said. "We hope to have another 1,000 frogs produced next year based on our current breeding success." Ms Lane says they already take a number of precautions to protect the captive frogs. "Including dispersing the populations amongst three bio-secure containers, separating the refrigeration and electrical systems from each container and having the ability to plug-in a trailer mounted backup generator," she said. "However the incident highlights the need for additional precautions to be implemented." A back-to-base alarm system will be installed to provide a 24-hour warning of high or low temperatures and rangers will conduct extra checks of the facility. An external review of the facility will also take place. *ABC
Dingoes
Nearly 75 per cent of dingoes euthanised on Fraser Island had been eating human food, including steak, an Easter egg, cornflakes, sausages and commercial dog food. Of 92 dingoes , 59 had human food in their guts, with some having no natural food at all. Autopsies confirmed the views of rangers and conservationists - that people continue to deliberately feed the wild animals, discard food or leave it where dogs can get it. This leads to dingoes being put down because they see humans as a food source and become aggressive. Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service rangers have been struggling since the death of Clinton Gage in 2001 to convince visitors - and, particularly, island residents - that feeding is a critical issue in dingo bad behaviour.
Climate Change Minister Kate Jones said autopsies were carried out on dingoes that were put down or that died in other ways, such as being run over. ``It shows dingo feeding has occurred on the island for years, despite the best efforts of (rangers),'' she said. ``A large variety of human food, such as fruit, dog food, bones, beetroot and even a chocolate Easter egg (have been found).'' Island conservationist Mike West said the figures showed those feeding dingoes were creating a problem and it was up to the department to work out where it had gone wrong. The department had previously declared its public education program as ``world's best practice''. ``World's best practice?'' Mr West asked. ``It's closer to world's worst.'' He said most aggression incidents occurred when young dingoes tried to dominate children but the policy of putting them down was over the top. ``Domestic dogs often do this but there are no calls to shoot them,'' Mr West said.
Shark and crocodile deaths were not avenged while dingoes on Fraser Island faced capital punishment. Mr West said the environment would suffer if dingo numbers continued to decline. There were already signs of change, with big goannas commonplace and making pests of themselves inside areas fenced off by rangers. Mr West said the dingo -management plan was clearly not working. Autopsies identified starvation in only one dog while 65 per cent were in good condition with above-average weight. Ms Jones urged Christmas campers and residents not to feed dingoes and to be alert. ``Right now is the most influential time for young dingoes as they explore their surroundings, learn survival skills and adopt good or bad habits,'' she said. ``For this reason, it is vitally important that humans are not associated with food or seen as a food source.'' Fed dingoes expected food and then taught their pups to scavenge, often leading to aggression. People feeding dingoes or leaving food out could be fined up to $4000. Campers should stay close to children and set up camp in fenced areas.
Facts and tips * By not feeding dingoes , you help protect them * Lock away food in strong containers, dingoes will eat anything * Secure rubbish, bury fish offal at least 30cm deep to discourage scavenging * Leave tent wide open so dingoes can see there's no food * Naturally curious, dingoes will approach humans but they do bite * Dingoes are lightning fast - stay within 2m of children * Dingoes are almost as big as a German shepherd * Fraser Island is one of the best places to see pure dingoes * Inbreeding with domestic dogs is threatening their survival * An important predator, they keep the environment in balance * Keep rabbit and feral cat numbers down * Naturally lean, some are sandy-yellow, others black and tan *Courier Mail
Ed Comment; Lots of misinformation in this article above . For a start, Freedom of Information documents have shown that most of the dingoes that have been killed have empty stomachs. We've said it before and we say it again, the Fraser Island Dingo Managment Plan is the worst wildlife management blunder ever committed in Queensland. The Queensland Government claims that dingoes are "naturally skinny" which is nonsense.....a skinny dog is a hungry dog, and thats why people feed them....and they willl never stop that from happening......noone likes to see a starving dog...except the Queensland Government!
Pets and Wildlife
More than 51,000 native birds and animals have been attacked by dogs and cats in NSW in less than a decade, according to the records of just one wildlife care group. The victims have ranged from green turtles to wallabies, snakes, rainbow lorikeets, owls and platypuses. More than half the wildlife died from the injuries they suffered. The toll by both pets and feral dogs and cats was so large it even shocked WIRES -- the Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service -- when they added up the statistics for native wildlife they had been called to help. The group said yesterday its figures showed 34,363 attacks by cats on native animals and 16,885 dog attacks between 1991 to 2009. Most common prey for dogs was the blue-tongue lizard, while cats were most likely to injure ring-tailed possums. `These are only the figures WIRES knows about,'' WIRES CEO Stan Wood said yesterday.
``They would not include native animals delivered directly to local vets or other wildlife care organisations and they would not include native animals who die in the bush from their injuries. ``And for some of our statistics we can only suspect dog or cat attack without any direct proof. So the figures could be much, much higher.'' Cats are responsible for most injuries seen by WIRES members in both rural and suburban areas. They attacked 4647 ringtail possums, while 2770 crested pigeons became feline targets, making them the most likely bird to be attacked, followed by the spotted turtle dove (2589) and rainbow lorikeets (2139). The poor old blue-tongued lizard also fared badly, with 1392 cat attacks listed while also topping the dog attacks statistics with 5972 of the sluggish reptiles brought to WIRES or rescued by the group.
The second most likely dog victims were possums, with 1380 brushtails and 1135 ringtails brought to the attention of WIRES. The group said dogs are responsible for most of the attacks on larger species of animals, with 25 wallaby attacks recorded. Goannas, penguins, platypuses, green turtles and endangered species such as the yellow-bellied glider and the tiger quoll found their way into canine jaws. Mr Wood said few native animals and birds were immune from attack, with the victims also including brush turkeys, eastern grey kangaroos, sea birds, finches, owls, bats, snakes, skinks, frogs, native gliders and native rodents. *Daily Telegraph
Wildlife Neglect
Native species need to be on death row before they receive government attention, by when it's too late, Treasury chief Ken Henry says. Dr Henry, a passionate conservationist, also questioned whether governments licensed irrigators and kangaroo harvesters in a sustainable way. In a speech to graduating Australian National University students, he lamented that governments were only influenced by sustainability arguments "when it is too late". "Our native species have to be extremely severely depleted more or less on death row before their vulnerability stands a chance of grabbing the attention of governments. They explain why we humans have, in a little more than two centuries of industrial settlement, plundered to extinction some 115 species of native flora and fauna, including 23 birds, four frogs, four reptiles and 27 mammals; and why there are another 1700 Australian species presently considered by the Australian Government to be threatened by human activity." He said governments had licensed irrigators to extract water from the Murray-Darling Basin at rates they considered sustainable.
"Today, Australian governments set quotas at levels they consider to be consistent with the sustainable 'commercial harvesting' of kangaroos . If we're lucky, it will be many decades before we know whether these judgments are well based. If they are, this will turn out to be the first instance in human history of the sustainable plunder of a natural resource." The country had faced challenges in the past, but "in many respects they pale in comparison with the challenges that lie ahead". These immense economic, social and environmental challenges came from a "rapidly ageing, but also rapidly growing, human population on this large but fragile continent of ours". He said university students in the 1970s had been deeply concerned about poverty and extreme social disadvantage, but "if we are to judge by outcomes, we would have to conclude that most of my generation left these concerns behind the day they graduated".
He criticised his generation for "dithering for decades about an appropriate response to climate change". "Governments take an interest in the things that matter to those who take an interest in them. Thus, unless the electorate is highly focussed on indigenous disadvantage, inadequacies in social infrastructure provision, the crisis in water, the destruction of native animal habitat and species extinction, there should be no expectation that governments will take an interest in any of these things." He told the graduates the challenges they faced were also unprecedented opportunities. "The way this plays out is up to you. It is not something you should be leaving to governments. The question for you is whether you want to be able to say to your children, and their children, that you did everything you could to ensure that their generation would also enjoy the freedom to choose lives they would have reason to value." *Canberra Times
Thinking about Wildlife? Who’s going to watch over our wildlife when you no longer share their World? Well, we are! The Wildlife Protection Association of Australia Inc. will continue to forcefully lobby governments to do better with wildlife management, and by taking them to Court if necessary. We are currently working on developing eLearning projects, so students can become aware of the importance of our wildlife living in a safe and secure natural environment. After you have looked after your family and friends in your Will, think about wildlife. A bequest to the Wildlife Protection Association of Australia Inc. will ensure that we can continue to take a leading role in protecting and conserving our precious wildlife. None of the donations we receive are diverted to "administration". Every dollar we get through bequests or donations for wildlife hits the ground running! Talk to your solicitor, or if writing your own Will, add the words "I bequeath to The Wildlife Protection Association of Australia Inc. for the purpose of protecting wildlife in Australia (a specified sum), or (specified items including land or vehicle), or (the residue of my estate) or (percentage of my estate) free of all duties, and the receipt of the President, Secretary or other authorised WPAA officer for the time being shall be a complete and sufficient discharge for the executor(s)." You can also phone me for a confidential chat, as to how a bequest can help us work to protect our wildlife, when you are no longer able to. * Pat O’Brien, WPAA 07 54941890
Kangaroos - Faces in the Mob! (We recently ran out od stock of this very popular magical DVD, but now have new supplies in! Buy Now! Buy Now!....before we run out again!)
On the east coast of Australia lies a valley of magical beauty, surrounded by mountains and shrouded in mists during winter. In these idyllic surroundings live a mob of wild Eastern Grey Kangaroos whose society is rich and complex. Faces in the mob is an engaging true story of life within this one mob of Australian wild Eastern Grey Kangaroos.
For two years, award-winning Australian filmmakers Dr. Jan Aldenhoven and Glen Carruthers lived with this mob. Hear their compelling account of the world of these captivating marsupials where each animal has its own personality. Buy the DVD now with Paypal...$29.95 Au includes free postage in Australia.
http://www.kangaroo-protection-coalition.com/kangaroos-facesinthemob.html
Follow the destinies of two lovable joeys - a female named Sunshade whose mother is conscientious and successful, and Jaffa, a little male full of pluck and courage whose mother is absent-minded. And witness everything from birth to the dramatic and sometimes deadly battles between adult males.
Never before has the richness and complexity of the kangaroo society and the daily drama of their family life been revealed in such stunning detail. Superbly photographed, this beautiful story of Australia's most famous animal will captivate you from beginning to end. This is the best documentary about our beloved kangaroos that has ever been produced. Profits from sales of the DVD go to help the Kangaroo Protection Coalition to campaign for the protection of our beautiful kangaroos.
Buy the DVD now with $34.95 Au Paypal for International postage delivery. http://www.kangaroo-protection-coalition.com/kangaroos-facesinthemob.html
This DVD would make a great "All Year Round" present!
Wildwood Wildlife Shelter in Victoria has a beautiful calendar for sale, with lots of kangaroos on it. It is professionally printed on good quality A3 size paper with binding and a hook to hang it on the wall. They are selling them for $25 plus $6.95 postage each within Australia, extra for O/S of course. The addys are; Pam Turner, Wildwood Wildlife Shelter, Glenthompson. Vic. 3293 Email wildwoodws@optusnet.com.au 03 55774343, 0418 161 826 And please dont forget that Maryland Wilson from AWPC still has copies of "Kangaroos, Myths and Realities" for sale. Her email is; kangaroo@hotkey.net.au
And also dont forget the wonderful DVD "Kangaroos, Faces in the Mob" available here; http://www.kangaroo-protection-coalition.com/kangaroos-facesinthemob.htmlIf any wildlife group are selling Xmas cards etc, please let us know so we can pass it on.
Toddlers wildlife shirts and singlets are now avaliable on the Fair Dinkum Characters website at http://www.fairdinkum-characters.com
Wildlife MiniBytes
New political party, Animal Justice Party
The time has come for animals to have a voice in the political arena. Animal Rights/Welfare is the next social justice movement and everyone can be a part of it. Please go to this website below to see how you can make a difference. Help end the suffering and become a voice for those without one. http://www.animaljusticeparty.org/About_the_AJP.html There you will find forms for both NSW and Federal memebrship. At this point no memebership fee is payable, and its important to get 750 members for the ANIMAL JUSTICE PARTY to be registered as a political party. Other States will follow. It is important you fill in your name exactly as it appears on the Electoral Roll, otherwise your application will be invalid. You can download membership forms from the website. Please post to this address only... Animal Justice Party, P.O. Box 3126, Blakehurst 2221, Sydney NSW http://www.animaljusticeparty.org/About_the_AJP.html The animals need you...... Wallaby Plant Closed
One of Tasmania's smaller meatworks is shutting down and laying off workers. The abattoir on Flinders Island in Bass Strait will close its doors next Wednesay. Flinders Island Quality Meats sells wallaby and milk fed baby lamb to some of the country's best restaurants. Manager Gayle Grace says problems with shipping, severe drought, and the costs of doing business from Flinders Island are all factors in its demise. "We've worked very hard, we've put the Flinders Island brand name out there," she says. "It's been extremely well received, we've built up our wallaby brand, and belted our heads against the wall." *ABC
Ed Comment; In 2006 WPAA, AWPC, and other groups appealed the Flinders Island wallaby kill in the Federal AAT. We lost the appeal due to the weakness of the EPBC Act. The Tasmanian Government spent many thousands of dollars opposing our Appeal, employing a very clever and expensive legal team to shoot down our arguments. Anyway, the plan was to send wallaby skins to Italy and Asia to use on garments, for fur coats and garment trimming. We know now that only a few skin samples were sent overseas, and no buyers were found. The wallaby meat had a very limited market in Tasmania, and even more limited on the Mainland. So now the processing plant has closed....and good riddance.....However in 2003 they dropped enough 1080 over Flinders Island to kill 40,000 wallabies, if there were that many there. None of the baits were recovered, and few bodies were found. So who ate the carrot baits? Nobody knows. And will they use 1080 again on the wallabies? Probably. Tasmanian produce...lean and green...we dont think so......
Climate Change
If world leaders want proof of global warming’s devastating effects, they should open an atlas on the page marked Australia. Many of the country’s iconic images are under threat from the impact of the planet’s rising temperatures. Virtually all the climate change disasters predicted by scientists are expected to hit Australia over coming decades. Kangaroos, wombats and koalas face extinction and the Great Barrier Reef could die. The golden beaches that have shaped Australian culture will one day disappear under the waves while its famous bush country crackles with rampaging wildfires. * Daily Express Read more.... http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/145847/Australasia-s-Armageddon-
Bloody Harvest The NZ 60 minutes documentary has this morning had 8759 viewings, with 217 comments.
http://www.3news.co.nz/Bloody-Harvest-/tabid/371/articleID/130448/cat/923/Default.aspx Thanks everyone who left a comment. We've tried for many years to get Aussie 60 minutes to do a kangaroo Industry story, but to no avail. 60 minute journalists have been keen, and we've even offered to take them out west to get footage, but the story always gets knocked back at "executive level". One comment on the comments page below the video we loved was, "Our government is an embarassment all over the world - the way we treat our native animals is heartbreaking". *WPAA
White Giraffe Seen
A white giraffe seen in South Africa's Kruger Park in October 2009. This giraffe, with very light coloured markings, was seen in the Kruger National Park in South Africa by John van Eeden in October 2009. The colourings are much lighter than on a 'normal' giraffe giving the appearance of a worn out carpet. It may well be a leucistic animal, compare it to the leucistic Giraffe that we had reported from Botswana last year, see below. Leucism is a very unusual condition whereby the pigmentation cells in an animal or bird fail to develop properly. This can result in unusual white patches appearing on the animal, or, more rarely, completely white creatures. *Wildlife Extra
Wildlife Pets
A reptile fan is facing jail and a fine of up to $40,000 after seven lizards were seized at his home. Officers from the Depart- ment of Sustainability and Environment found the reptiles in a raid on a home in Bendigo. The varieties seized were three blue-tongue lizards, a shingle-back lizard, a sand goanna, a central bearded dragon and a skink. ``The man does not hold a private wildlife licence, which is necessary for anyone keeping lizards as pets,'' the DSE's Shaun Burke said. ``We also believe that some of the reptiles were taken from the wild instead of being purchased from a registered wildlife dealer, which is also illegal,'' he said. During the search, DSE officers also seized two glass enclosures and a heat mat. Some of the lizards were released back into the wild after the raid. But others not native to central Victoria are being cared for, pending research into their background. The man faces charges including possessing unlawfully taken wildlife , and keeping protected wildlife without a licence. `We have zero tolerance for people who illegally keep wildlife ,'' Mr Burke said. *HeraldSun
Spiders
A colony of mysterious spiders normally found lurking deep underground in caves is being re-housed after found squatting in a redundant National Trust building. Ten years ago a team of archaeologists from the University of Bradford carried out a major survey of the nearby Chapel Fell cave. At the end of each day they took some of their equipment to the nearby old orchid house to store overnight. Unbeknown to the archaeologists they had unwittingly brought with them enough cave spiders to start a new colony in the completely new territory of a small and dark building above ground level. The colony of spiders has been living on the National Trust's Malham Tarn estate in the Yorkshire Dales less than a quarter of a mile (half a kilometre) from their natural home. The colony of 150 rare spiders will be relocated tback to the caves. * Wildlife Extra
Cassowaries
A cassowary chick has died after being hit by a car in the Daintree. The bird was struck and left beside the Cape Kimberley Rd, north of the Daintree River, sparking fresh pleas from Queensland Parks and Wildlife rangers for drivers to slow down and be extra cautious on rainforest roads. Senior ranger Tina Alderson said the dead bird was found by a Daintree resident last week. Its death follows a vehicle strike near Mission Beach, south of Cairns, which killed an adult cassowary several weeks ago. The areas are known for cassowary warning signs. "The chick was found just beyond signage warning motorists of cassowaries in the area," Ms Alderson said. "It weighed about 4kg and would have still been with its father." She urged motorists to "do their bit" for conservation of the bird, which is listed as endangered. People can report dead cassowaries in the Daintree region to Queensland Parks and Wildlife 's Mossman office on 4098 2188, and in other areas on 1300 130 372. * Cairns Post
National Park Grog Bans
Two of central Australia's most popular national parks could be the next to fall under the Federal Government's alcohol bans. The Northern Territory Government is preparing to hand back the Finke Gorge and West Macdonnell national parks to Aboriginal traditional owners. Both parks will become Aboriginal freehold land, which will make them prescribed areas under the Northern Territory emergency response laws. The Northern Territory Environment Minister, Karl Hampton, says he will be discussing with the federal Indigenous Affairs Minister whether the parks can be exempt from the bans. "In terms of exemptions, I'll be sitting down with Parks and Wildlife and with obviously Minister Macklin," he said. "She has the authority to declare those parks, or to exempt those parks and I'll weigh all those up as it comes across my desk." *ABC
Native animals being managed to death.
The Victorian State Government seems to be on a campaign to eradicate native wildlife, especially kangaroos. Landholders in Victoria are being given permits from DSE to kill tens of thousands of “protected” kangaroos every year, despite Black Saturday. Research shows that kangaroos do not compete with stock for pasture. In Victoria, kangaroos are also being shot without proper assessment of population numbers, locally or regionally, putting them at risk of local and regional extinction. In recent cases, residents were devastated to discover that permits had been given to kill the equivalent of the total population of kangaroos in Colac, Gippsland and Bendigo. Kangaroos were not abundant in these areas and posed no threat to stock pasture. With human expansion, drought and increasing land clearing, our wildlife is being “managed” to death. Victoria is already the most damaged and cleared state of Australia. Native animals are being made scapegoats for Victoria’s demise when they are actually a part of our ecology, not environmental threats. **Bendigo Advertiser
Driver Convicted
A driver has been convicted of cruelty after deliberately killing a mother duck as she walked her 12 ducklings across a shopping centre carpark. A jury in New Bedford, Massachusetts, yesterday convicted Joshua Linhares, 25, after they were shown a CCTV video that captured the moment Linhares's car struck the mallard. He claimed he did not see the birds and, after striking the duck, said he drove away because he panicked. ``I didn't know what to do,'' Linhares told the court. But a woman shopper who saw the incident said the driver ``turned sharply'' and accelerated towards the ducks. `He had no intention of avoiding them,'' she said in a court statement. ``My kids were horrified.'' The mother mallard had been nesting for five years in a pond in Dartmouth town centre. Linhares was sentenced to 12 months' probation and fined $600 for reckless driving and deliberately killing wildlife . The ducklings were temporarily adopted by a family until they were released into the wild. *Adelaide Sunday Mail
Raptors
Pride of Australia winner Craig Webb, of Kettering, is quite rightly known as Tasmania's ``eagle man''. He has saved the lives of countless birds by caring for them on his 9ha property, and was last month acknowledged when he won the National Pride of Australia environment medal. Now Mr Webb is in the process of constructing the largest raptor aviary and enclosure in the southern hemisphere at his Raptor and Wildlife Refuge of Tasmania. ``There has been generous donations made towards the new construction but there is still a hefty cost,'' he said. ``The central pole will be more then 20m tall [and the netting is similar to what they use in fish farms. The design is fairly basic, but it works.'' It will be the third large avairy on his property, which he said is essential to keep up with the number of rescued animals. He has been rescuing Tasmanian wildlife for more than 12 years. He said spring was the busiest time of year for injured animals. `At the moment I have more then 10 birds in my care, they are all doing quite well,'' he said. Mr Webb also works as a concreter as well as managing and maintaining the raptor refuge. `We get a lot of school groups coming through, they are important for educating the young ones as they grow up,'' he said. ``Educating people on the magnificence of these creatures is my priority, and making people realise the risks they are at because of man's activities. ``There is no feeling like releasing one of these magnificent creatures to the wild.'' For more information on Mr Webb's efforts, go to http://www.raptorrefuge.com.au *Tasmania Sunday Mail
Wildlife for Pets
Mike Archer, a professor at the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), has long been a proponent of domesticating Australia's unique wildlife to keep it from disappearing. Archer claims that "No animal that has ever entered [humans'] inner circle has become extinct," he says. "When you value something and have an emotional connection with it ... it simply doesn't disappear." Well, that's nonsense of course. Many people have an emotional attachment to trees, but that doesnt stop them from cutting them down if they become nuisance, or dumping the family pet at the RSPCA if they get too big, or if they are shifting, or going on a holiday. You only have to know about the pet python problem in the US, where imported pet pythons have been dumped in the Everglades, and are now huge environmental problem. It's legal to keep Australian reptiles in Victoria, NSW, South Australia, and Queensland, and some mammals in Victoria and South Australia. Nobody knows how many reptiles from another State have been accidentally or deliberately released away from their home range in Australia. Those States that do allow limited wildlife for pets, have created an open door for wildlife trafficking, as we regullarly see traffickers caught in media reports. Keeping wildlife as pets has nothing to do with protecting or preserving wildlife, its all about breeders and the pet Industry wanting to be able to sell product. Apparently CSIRO, that taxpayer funded Australian "use it or lose it" quango, is about to release in 2010 a "study" supporting wildlife for pets.
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1946471,00.html#ixzz0ZEG8p4Ng
Kangaroos
Greenfield land north of Caloundra Road (Sunshine Coast) could be the Coast’s killing fields of the near future. More than 100 kangaroos are isolated between Caloundra Road, Corbould Way, Bellflower and Sippy Downs to the north, Kawana Way, Birtinya and Kawana to the east, and the Bruce Highway to the west. As development encroaches, the kangaroos are being incrementally pushed to starvation and extinction, as each new development pushes wildlife into smaller land pockets. The situation has prompted calls for a coastal wildlife management plan. Animals are also being killed on newly built roads, prompting alarm at local schools where students have witnessed such events. A council spokesman for a working group studying the Coast’s kangaroo mobs said the problem was not imminent, but in two to five years, it would be.
He said the coastal population regarded kangaroos as being as culturally significant as our beaches. “(The species) is not endangered but what has happened is we are clearing vegetation and the population has increased. That’s the biology,” the spokesman said. “The public have attached themselves to kangaroos. They are a big attribute in a tourist town.” The spokesman said a new minerals extraction plant at Meridan Plains would exacerbate the problem. Mooloolah River catchment spokeswoman Jan Kesby said she had spoken to Main Roads about community concerns. She said the department was doing some good work but “I think Coast wildlife should be under a management program”. “We need to get everyone involved,” Ms Kesby said. “We won’t have any kangaroos left in 10 years’ time.”
Environment councillor Keryn Jones said developers were obliged to remove wild life and fence off land before work could begin, but Main Roads is not under the same edict when building roads such as Corbould Way. A Main Roads spokeswoman said the department had a good track record of installing fauna protection on the Coast and “(it) will also be considered for all future projects on the Coast”. “The department is already an active participant (in) the working group headed by Sunshine Coast council (environment manager) Dr Stephen Skull,” she said. Kangaroo mobs which could also potentially be isolated at Twin Waters and Coolum are also being studied. *Sunshine Coast
Muttonbirds
Coff's harbor iconic Muttonbird Island and its famous inhabitants are under threat from a nasty invader. The voracious swamp rat is decimating vegetation vital to the integrity of the muttonbird burrows and researchers fear there will be no wedge-tailed shearwaters left on the island in another 10 years if this feeding frenzy continues at its current rate. A National Parks and Wildlife Service volunteer, Neil Vaughan, said he had noticed a rapid decline in muttonbirds in recent years. “The population is crashing – in the last two years it’s started to really nosedive,” Mr Vaughan said. “The population is nosediving so badly that it has reached its critical level and that’s why I’m so worried.” He said burrows were collapsing because swamp rats were eating foliage such as wandering jew which supported the burrows and the rodents were also building their own entrances to the burrows, thereby undermining them.
Mr Vaughan believes swamp rats have been making it onto the island by hitching a ride on vehicles which park at the base of the nature reserve and he says they must be eradicated in order for the island to survive. “If we don’t get rid of them there won’t be any burrows left and the muttonbirds won’t be able to breed. You might as well call it rat island,” he said. The NPWS has not been baiting the swamp rat, unlike the black rat and mice, because it was considered to be native to Australia. “It’s not native. It was introduced onto Muttonbird Island,” Mr Vaughan said. “The NPWS is trying to prove the swamp rat is not native to the island but in the meantime the rat is doing untold damage. “The solution is to get rid of all the rodents.” * Coffs Coast Advocate
Barred Owls
Scientists want to determine if killing the aggressive barred owl that has invaded old growth forests of the US Northwest would help the protected spotted owl. Federal biologists are doing a formal study to decide whether to do the experiment, and laying out the terms if they go ahead. The study will be available for public comment and is expected to be completed by fall 2010. "This is to be done experimentally so we can nail down whether, in fact, removing barred owls could improve spotted owl demographics, and also to look into the feasibility of doing that," Fish and Wildlife biologist Robin Bown, who is overseeing the evaluation, said Wednesday. He said a small-scale experiment with killing barred owls in northern California in 2005 created an uproar, so Fish and Wildlife held meetings with interest groups to consider the ethical and moral implications of a larger experiment, and secured their agreement to look into an experiment. "There is a range of opinions" among scientists and interest groups, said Bob Sallinger, conservation director of the Portland Audubon Society, who took part in the ethical discussion. "We are still struggling with where we come down." The highest priority needs to be placed on avoiding extinction, Sallinger said. But unless habitat protections continue for old growth forests where the spotted owl lives, "killing barred owls is not going to accomplish anything." * Read more... http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/12/10/national/main5962417.shtml
Frogs
The failure of a refrigeration unit has caused a setback to the ACT's northern corroboree frog breeding program. Around 700 tadpoles and 300 frogs died when the refrigeration unit in a purpose built container housing the frogs at Tidbinbilla failed. The frogs had been bred in captivity over the past two years. Sharon Lane from the Department of Territory and Municipal Services says the breeding program staff are shattered. "Our staff have invested much time and effort into the program which has seen Tidbinbilla become the only place in Australia that has successfully bred northern corroboree frogs in captivity," she said. "To see this happen is distressing." Ms Lane says they still have a substantial breeding population and will be able to get back on track for a planned release next year.
"The captive population retains a strong genetic foundation," she said. "We hope to have another 1,000 frogs produced next year based on our current breeding success." Ms Lane says they already take a number of precautions to protect the captive frogs. "Including dispersing the populations amongst three bio-secure containers, separating the refrigeration and electrical systems from each container and having the ability to plug-in a trailer mounted backup generator," she said. "However the incident highlights the need for additional precautions to be implemented." A back-to-base alarm system will be installed to provide a 24-hour warning of high or low temperatures and rangers will conduct extra checks of the facility. An external review of the facility will also take place. *ABC
Dingoes
Nearly 75 per cent of dingoes euthanised on Fraser Island had been eating human food, including steak, an Easter egg, cornflakes, sausages and commercial dog food. Of 92 dingoes , 59 had human food in their guts, with some having no natural food at all. Autopsies confirmed the views of rangers and conservationists - that people continue to deliberately feed the wild animals, discard food or leave it where dogs can get it. This leads to dingoes being put down because they see humans as a food source and become aggressive. Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service rangers have been struggling since the death of Clinton Gage in 2001 to convince visitors - and, particularly, island residents - that feeding is a critical issue in dingo bad behaviour.
Climate Change Minister Kate Jones said autopsies were carried out on dingoes that were put down or that died in other ways, such as being run over. ``It shows dingo feeding has occurred on the island for years, despite the best efforts of (rangers),'' she said. ``A large variety of human food, such as fruit, dog food, bones, beetroot and even a chocolate Easter egg (have been found).'' Island conservationist Mike West said the figures showed those feeding dingoes were creating a problem and it was up to the department to work out where it had gone wrong. The department had previously declared its public education program as ``world's best practice''. ``World's best practice?'' Mr West asked. ``It's closer to world's worst.'' He said most aggression incidents occurred when young dingoes tried to dominate children but the policy of putting them down was over the top. ``Domestic dogs often do this but there are no calls to shoot them,'' Mr West said.
Shark and crocodile deaths were not avenged while dingoes on Fraser Island faced capital punishment. Mr West said the environment would suffer if dingo numbers continued to decline. There were already signs of change, with big goannas commonplace and making pests of themselves inside areas fenced off by rangers. Mr West said the dingo -management plan was clearly not working. Autopsies identified starvation in only one dog while 65 per cent were in good condition with above-average weight. Ms Jones urged Christmas campers and residents not to feed dingoes and to be alert. ``Right now is the most influential time for young dingoes as they explore their surroundings, learn survival skills and adopt good or bad habits,'' she said. ``For this reason, it is vitally important that humans are not associated with food or seen as a food source.'' Fed dingoes expected food and then taught their pups to scavenge, often leading to aggression. People feeding dingoes or leaving food out could be fined up to $4000. Campers should stay close to children and set up camp in fenced areas.
Facts and tips * By not feeding dingoes , you help protect them * Lock away food in strong containers, dingoes will eat anything * Secure rubbish, bury fish offal at least 30cm deep to discourage scavenging * Leave tent wide open so dingoes can see there's no food * Naturally curious, dingoes will approach humans but they do bite * Dingoes are lightning fast - stay within 2m of children * Dingoes are almost as big as a German shepherd * Fraser Island is one of the best places to see pure dingoes * Inbreeding with domestic dogs is threatening their survival * An important predator, they keep the environment in balance * Keep rabbit and feral cat numbers down * Naturally lean, some are sandy-yellow, others black and tan *Courier Mail
Ed Comment; Lots of misinformation in this article above . For a start, Freedom of Information documents have shown that most of the dingoes that have been killed have empty stomachs. We've said it before and we say it again, the Fraser Island Dingo Managment Plan is the worst wildlife management blunder ever committed in Queensland. The Queensland Government claims that dingoes are "naturally skinny" which is nonsense.....a skinny dog is a hungry dog, and thats why people feed them....and they willl never stop that from happening......noone likes to see a starving dog...except the Queensland Government!
Pets and Wildlife
More than 51,000 native birds and animals have been attacked by dogs and cats in NSW in less than a decade, according to the records of just one wildlife care group. The victims have ranged from green turtles to wallabies, snakes, rainbow lorikeets, owls and platypuses. More than half the wildlife died from the injuries they suffered. The toll by both pets and feral dogs and cats was so large it even shocked WIRES -- the Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service -- when they added up the statistics for native wildlife they had been called to help. The group said yesterday its figures showed 34,363 attacks by cats on native animals and 16,885 dog attacks between 1991 to 2009. Most common prey for dogs was the blue-tongue lizard, while cats were most likely to injure ring-tailed possums. `These are only the figures WIRES knows about,'' WIRES CEO Stan Wood said yesterday.
``They would not include native animals delivered directly to local vets or other wildlife care organisations and they would not include native animals who die in the bush from their injuries. ``And for some of our statistics we can only suspect dog or cat attack without any direct proof. So the figures could be much, much higher.'' Cats are responsible for most injuries seen by WIRES members in both rural and suburban areas. They attacked 4647 ringtail possums, while 2770 crested pigeons became feline targets, making them the most likely bird to be attacked, followed by the spotted turtle dove (2589) and rainbow lorikeets (2139). The poor old blue-tongued lizard also fared badly, with 1392 cat attacks listed while also topping the dog attacks statistics with 5972 of the sluggish reptiles brought to WIRES or rescued by the group.
The second most likely dog victims were possums, with 1380 brushtails and 1135 ringtails brought to the attention of WIRES. The group said dogs are responsible for most of the attacks on larger species of animals, with 25 wallaby attacks recorded. Goannas, penguins, platypuses, green turtles and endangered species such as the yellow-bellied glider and the tiger quoll found their way into canine jaws. Mr Wood said few native animals and birds were immune from attack, with the victims also including brush turkeys, eastern grey kangaroos, sea birds, finches, owls, bats, snakes, skinks, frogs, native gliders and native rodents. *Daily Telegraph
Wildlife Neglect
Native species need to be on death row before they receive government attention, by when it's too late, Treasury chief Ken Henry says. Dr Henry, a passionate conservationist, also questioned whether governments licensed irrigators and kangaroo harvesters in a sustainable way. In a speech to graduating Australian National University students, he lamented that governments were only influenced by sustainability arguments "when it is too late". "Our native species have to be extremely severely depleted more or less on death row before their vulnerability stands a chance of grabbing the attention of governments. They explain why we humans have, in a little more than two centuries of industrial settlement, plundered to extinction some 115 species of native flora and fauna, including 23 birds, four frogs, four reptiles and 27 mammals; and why there are another 1700 Australian species presently considered by the Australian Government to be threatened by human activity." He said governments had licensed irrigators to extract water from the Murray-Darling Basin at rates they considered sustainable.
"Today, Australian governments set quotas at levels they consider to be consistent with the sustainable 'commercial harvesting' of kangaroos . If we're lucky, it will be many decades before we know whether these judgments are well based. If they are, this will turn out to be the first instance in human history of the sustainable plunder of a natural resource." The country had faced challenges in the past, but "in many respects they pale in comparison with the challenges that lie ahead". These immense economic, social and environmental challenges came from a "rapidly ageing, but also rapidly growing, human population on this large but fragile continent of ours". He said university students in the 1970s had been deeply concerned about poverty and extreme social disadvantage, but "if we are to judge by outcomes, we would have to conclude that most of my generation left these concerns behind the day they graduated".
He criticised his generation for "dithering for decades about an appropriate response to climate change". "Governments take an interest in the things that matter to those who take an interest in them. Thus, unless the electorate is highly focussed on indigenous disadvantage, inadequacies in social infrastructure provision, the crisis in water, the destruction of native animal habitat and species extinction, there should be no expectation that governments will take an interest in any of these things." He told the graduates the challenges they faced were also unprecedented opportunities. "The way this plays out is up to you. It is not something you should be leaving to governments. The question for you is whether you want to be able to say to your children, and their children, that you did everything you could to ensure that their generation would also enjoy the freedom to choose lives they would have reason to value." *Canberra Times
Thinking about Wildlife? Who’s going to watch over our wildlife when you no longer share their World? Well, we are! The Wildlife Protection Association of Australia Inc. will continue to forcefully lobby governments to do better with wildlife management, and by taking them to Court if necessary. We are currently working on developing eLearning projects, so students can become aware of the importance of our wildlife living in a safe and secure natural environment. After you have looked after your family and friends in your Will, think about wildlife. A bequest to the Wildlife Protection Association of Australia Inc. will ensure that we can continue to take a leading role in protecting and conserving our precious wildlife. None of the donations we receive are diverted to "administration". Every dollar we get through bequests or donations for wildlife hits the ground running! Talk to your solicitor, or if writing your own Will, add the words "I bequeath to The Wildlife Protection Association of Australia Inc. for the purpose of protecting wildlife in Australia (a specified sum), or (specified items including land or vehicle), or (the residue of my estate) or (percentage of my estate) free of all duties, and the receipt of the President, Secretary or other authorised WPAA officer for the time being shall be a complete and sufficient discharge for the executor(s)." You can also phone me for a confidential chat, as to how a bequest can help us work to protect our wildlife, when you are no longer able to. * Pat O’Brien, WPAA 07 54941890
Kangaroos - Faces in the Mob! (We recently ran out od stock of this very popular magical DVD, but now have new supplies in! Buy Now! Buy Now!....before we run out again!)
On the east coast of Australia lies a valley of magical beauty, surrounded by mountains and shrouded in mists during winter. In these idyllic surroundings live a mob of wild Eastern Grey Kangaroos whose society is rich and complex. Faces in the mob is an engaging true story of life within this one mob of Australian wild Eastern Grey Kangaroos.
For two years, award-winning Australian filmmakers Dr. Jan Aldenhoven and Glen Carruthers lived with this mob. Hear their compelling account of the world of these captivating marsupials where each animal has its own personality. Buy the DVD now with Paypal...$29.95 Au includes free postage in Australia.
http://www.kangaroo-protection-coalition.com/kangaroos-facesinthemob.html
Follow the destinies of two lovable joeys - a female named Sunshade whose mother is conscientious and successful, and Jaffa, a little male full of pluck and courage whose mother is absent-minded. And witness everything from birth to the dramatic and sometimes deadly battles between adult males.
Never before has the richness and complexity of the kangaroo society and the daily drama of their family life been revealed in such stunning detail. Superbly photographed, this beautiful story of Australia's most famous animal will captivate you from beginning to end. This is the best documentary about our beloved kangaroos that has ever been produced. Profits from sales of the DVD go to help the Kangaroo Protection Coalition to campaign for the protection of our beautiful kangaroos.
Buy the DVD now with $34.95 Au Paypal for International postage delivery. http://www.kangaroo-protection-coalition.com/kangaroos-facesinthemob.html
This DVD would make a great "All Year Round" present!
Monday, December 7, 2009
Wildlife Bytes 30/11/09
Wildlife Xmas Presents
Wildwood Wildlife Shelter in Victoria has a beautiful calendar for sale, with lots of kangaroos on it. They are selling them for $25 plus $6.95 postage each within Australia, extra for O/S of course. The addys are; Pam Turner, Wildwood Wildlife Shelter, Glenthompson. Vic. 3293 Email wildwoodws@optusnet.com.au 03 55774343, 0418 161 826 And please dont forget that Maryland Wilson from AWPC still has copies of "Kangaroos, Myths and Realities" for sale. Her email is; kangaroo@hotkey.net.au
And also dont forget the wonderful DVD "Kangaroos, Faces in the Mob" available here; http://www.kangaroo-protection-coalition.com/kangaroos-facesinthemob.htmlIf any wildlife group are selling Xmas cards etc, please let us know so we can pass it on.
Needing a good Laugh?
Laughing is good for your health. A good belly laugh improves blood pressure, lifts your circulation, and exercises your lungs. But a good cry is good for your health too, it can ease stress, and help you to recover from shock or grief. And here in Australia we are very lucky, because currently we can laugh and cry at the same time, which must be twice as good for your health...right? And all you have to do to laugh and cry at the same time is keep up to date with the current Climate Change debacle. On one hand we have the Government proposing a Climate Change option that will allow big polluters to pay to pollute, while the rest of us in the community have to accept higher energy and transport charges. Incredibly, agriculture has been excluded! But meanwhile the Opposition, for want of a better word, has a bunch of flat-earthers trying very hard to bring down their own Party, and make it even more irrelevant than it already is, and in doing so, they ensure that the Rudd government stays in power for decades. While the Government's Climate Change proposal has many flaws, at least it's a start. After more than 30 years of knowledge and awareness of the potential effects of Climate Change, finally something is being done, albeit not very much. So if you want to improve your health, by laughing and crying at the same time, tune into the Climate Change debate! *WPAA
Three UK groups studying climate change have issued a strong statement about the dangers of failing to cut emissions of greenhouse gases across the world. The Royal Society, Met Office, and Natural Environment Research Council (Nerc) say the science of climate change is more alarming than ever. They say the 2007 UK floods, 2003 heatwave in Europe and recent droughts were consistent with emerging patterns. Their comments came ahead of crunch UN climate talks in Copenhagen next month. *BBC News
Freshwater Fish
A national task force has been set up to help preserve native freshwater fish species. International experts have met in Adelaide and the 25 scientists say half of freshwater fish species in South Australia alone are under threat. Group president Professor Gordon McGregor Reid says many problems stem from state and territory governments cutting off wetlands during drought. He says there is a need to rehabilitate ecosystems. "It can actually make the environment very, very acid and you're talking about, you know, 'vinegar' levels and that can then sweep out into the main river systems and basically kill all the fish in a stretch of river," he said. "A short-term solution is actually giving a long-term headache. "It may come down to lawns or fish, you know it's nice to have a well-watered green lawn but do you want to have that at the expense of the loss of the fish that have been here for hundreds of thousands or millions of years?" *ABC
Dolphins
A herbicide which carries a warning against its use near marine life is being used to combat weeds on the Nedlands foreshore. The Environment Minister Donna Faragher has confirmed the City of Nedlands is spraying the herbicide Chipco Spearhead on land adjacent to the Swan River. The product's label warns users not to spray the chemical near streams, rivers or waterways. Labor's Environment spokeswoman Sally Talbot says the State Government must investigate whether the herbicide is linked to the recent deaths of six Swan River dolphins. "I want to be able to reassure people that there's no connection between the use of a herbicide that says it's not to be used in a marine environment and some of obvious adverse affects on the dolphin population in that area," she said. Ms Faragher says despite the warning label the chemical can be used safely. "I'm advised by the Swan River Trust having consulted with the City of Nedlands that if the herbicide is applied according to label instructions and best practice procedures there is no contamination of adjacent waterways," she said. The City of Nedlands says it was unaware of any concerns about the use of the herbicide but will investigate the claims today. *ABC
Freshwater Fish
A national task force has been set up to help preserve native freshwater fish species. International experts have met in Adelaide and the 25 scientists say half of freshwater fish species in South Australia alone are under threat. Group president Professor Gordon McGregor Reid says many problems stem from state and territory governments cutting off wetlands during drought. He says there is a need to rehabilitate ecosystems. "It can actually make the environment very, very acid and you're talking about, you know, 'vinegar' levels and that can then sweep out into the main river systems and basically kill all the fish in a stretch of river," he said. "A short-term solution is actually giving a long-term headache. "It may come down to lawns or fish, you know it's nice to have a well-watered green lawn but do you want to have that at the expense of the loss of the fish that have been here for hundreds of thousands or millions of years?"
Seals
Look, but please don't touch. That's the plea from volunteer wildlife rescuers to anyone who sees this young seal. It was seen playing in the shallows and snoozing on the sand at Rye beach last week. Wildlife Help On the Mornington Peninsula secretary Denise Garratt said it was normal for yearling seals to come ashore at this time of year. ``It's not sick or dying and doesn't have to be pushed back into the water,'' Ms Garratt said. ``He's sleeping all day and feeding at night.'' Rye resident Roberta Ross took a photograph last Wednesday during her early morning walk. '`It was a a great start to the day,'' Ms Garratt said people should put their dogs on leashes if they saw the seal and leave it alone. * Morn'ton Leader
Landclearing
Satelite imagery has been used to convict a man who cleared seven hectares of ``vulnerable'' wildlife and vegetation from a station in the Riverland. Yesterday, in the Adelaide Magistrates Court, Overland Corner Station director Giovanni Mitolo, 40, of Virginia, was convicted and fined $20,000. The station was fined a further $60,000 for clearing the land near Barmera in 2006. Native Vegetation Council Member Dennis Mutton said costly fines are needed ``to serve as a reminder to landholders' not to break the law. ``This clearance has resulted in the loss of vegetation with a high biodiversity value including the removal of 28 species of plants.. (and) a number of bird species - some of which are already considered vulnerable,'' he said. The council will be taking further action to seek an order forcing Overland Corner, who were guilty of a simular offence in 2003, to re-grow the vegetation. *Adelaide
National Parks
The Queensland Labor Government, in a further blow to their environmental crdibilty, (if they had any) are moving to allow tourism developments inside and adjacent to several National Parks. These will include Fraser Island, D'Aguilar, Lamington, Cowan Sth on Moreton Island, Cardwell, Mission Beach, and the Whitsundays. You only have to look at the damage done to Fraser Island to see what such impacts are. But the benefits for the Government are considerable, resort developers will have to purchase or lease the NP land from the Government.....its another asset sale! * WPAA
Sharks
A new survey of grey nurse sharks shows the species is still in severe danger of becoming extinct. The study, commissioned by the Federal Government, found just over 1,000 of the sharks along the east coast of Australia. That figure is significantly lower than the 5,000 needed to sustain the population. Accidental hooking is one of the main threats to the survival of the species. Nicky Hammond, the marine program manager for the National Parks Association of New South Wales, says the State Government must act now to protect key habitat sites. "Here we've got a critically endangered species, we know what the key threat to their survival is, we know where they spend the majority of their time," she said. "It's a relatively simple process to protect those sites from that key threat of fishing by creating marine sanctuaries and that way hopefully we can actually save this shark from going extinct. "Time and time again they continue to ignore putting in place the proper protection of marine sanctuaries in these areas and provide tokenistic protection instead. "We're calling on the NSW Government, we're saying enough is enough, that we need to now get these sanctuaries in place before the shark goes extinct." *ABC
Snake and Spider Bites
While 200 or so spider varieties exist in Australia, most are relatively harmless. But you certainly don't want to mess with the nasties such as funnel-webs and redbacks. Funnel-web bites should be treated with caution, Galwey says. If a person is bitten, keep the patient very still then apply an immobilisation bandage down the length of the area. For example, if bitten on the leg, wrap the bandage from the toes to the groin. ``If you don't have bandages you might be able to use pantyhose,'' Galwey says. ``It's not to cut off the circulation -- it's just to compress the blood supply.'' Venomous snake bites, such as that of the brown snake, should be treated in the same way. For redback spider bites, place an icepack on the area. And in all instances, call 000. *St johns Amblance
Frogs
The international trade in frog legs could be spreading a deadly amphibian disease responsible for several species becoming extinct, according to a new study. Researchers from the Smithsonian Institution and colleagues say that nearly 6000 other amphibian species are threatened with extinction from the parasitic fungus known as amphibian chytrid. The pathogen causes respiratory and neurological damage that eventually results in death. The researchers found that from 1996 through 2006, 100,000 tonnes of frog legs were imported from both wild and farmed sources. While they found no record of a frog species becoming extinct that was collected for food, poorly regulated amphibian trade is probably a greater risk to amphibian biodiversity than over-harvesting. *Mercury
Crocodiles
A plucky kelpie that survived a crocodile attack at South Johnstone should serve as a warning to children who swim at the same spot, the dog's owner says. The Cairns Post reports a 2m croc tore chunks out of Leggy the kelpie cattle dog-cross, lunging at her and sinking its teeth into her side and belly when she ventured into the shallows at Sivyer bridge, near Innisfail on Tuesday afternoon. Leggy's owner Charles Edgerton is amazed she survived. "My dog gave a couple of big yelps, then there was a bit of a splash," he said. "It all happened so quickly … she and my other dog Harper were still right near the edge." *CM
Kangaroos
The NZ 60 minutes program "Bloody Harvest" is the only ever media report that looks at the dark side of the commercial kangaroo kill. There have been 5028 online viewings, but only 118 comments made about it! In the unlikely event that the Russian imports begin again early next year, as the Government claims, kangaroo populations will be blasted as never before. If the support is there, NZ 60 minutes may do a followup. And there are other issues that the Australian media wont touch, such as the killing and hazing of the Fraser Island dingoes. If you dont do anything else this year to help kangaroos, now is the time to do something good. If you haven't already done so, please go to the NZ 60 minutes website below, and leave a comment at the bottom of the page. You dont need to "login" and you can use a nickname. Please support the only "tell it as it is" media report ever shown on television about the kangaroo kill. For the kangaroos, please..........just do it!...and thank you to those who have already done it!
http://www.3news.co.nz/Bloody-Harvest-/tabid/371/articleID/130448/cat/923/Default.aspx
Drugs are being smuggled into Aboriginal communities in Australia's far north inside dead kangaroos, the Northern Territory parliament was told on Tuesday. Former indigenous affairs minister Alison Anderson said cannabis was being sewn inside kangaroo carcasses to get it past police patrols. Outback roads are often littered with kangaroos killed by vehicles and the roadkill is often collected by Aborigines. "You have now got 8-year-olds on ganja (marijuana) in communities," she said, urging a crackdown on marijuana, which she said had replaced petrol sniffing in terms of addiction. Anderson also said that women were stuffing cannabis into their underwear and driving through checkpoints, knowing that police were not permitted to frisk females they suspect of smuggling drugs. - Sapa-dpa
Healthy female wallabies are more likely to have sons than daughters, according to a new study that may help resolve a long-standing debate on sex allocation in mammals. The research, led by Dr Kylie Robert of the University of Western Australia, supports the as yet unproven Trivers-Willard hypothesis that mothers will give birth to different sexes depending on their condition.The findings in tammar wallaby populations are published online in the journal Biology Letters. *ABCRead More, http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2009/11/24/2751902.htm
Here at WPAA we are hearing some disturbing reports that the NT Government is worried about unexplained declines in kangaroo and wallaby populations in the Territory. *WPAA
Petition to Adidas: Stop using kangaroo leather. You can view this petition at: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/tell-a-friend/6001902 Please sign the petition "Petition to Adidas: Stop using kangaroo leather". Help us reach our goal of 5,000 signatures. I care deeply about this cause, and I hope you will support our efforts.
Please also sign urgent kangaroo PETITIONS below:http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/stop-eu-imports---440000-joeys-killed-every-yearhttp://www.gopetition.com/petitions/kangaroo-extinction.html
Wallabies
SUNBUS says it was just following rules when it would not let a volunteer animal rescue worker carrying two wallaby joeys on board. The incident happened on Thursday as Tanya Dunham was trying to make her way to open the Far North Queensland Wildlife Rescue centre at Manunda. She had been called in to cover for a sick colleague and, with her car off the road, Ms Dunham was forced to take the bus. Trying to get a ride from Kewarra Beach, Ms Dunham was not allowed on the bus after the driver was told by head office not to let the eight-month-old wallaby passengers on. Ms Dunham then started walking in the rain with her laptop, brief case and two wallabies named Diego and Dexter in her handbag. The wallaby orphans were brought into the refuge a couple of months ago and Ms Dunham took them home to care for them.
"I have to be with the wallabies all the time, they're are like kids I told him (the bus driver), normally I wouldn't but the centre has been inundated with calls," she said. "I thought it was veryun-Australian." Ms Dunham was eventually given a lift by a friend who saw her walking in the rain. Sunbus spokesman Richard Gabasa said under State Government law, an animal not used to assist a passenger with a disability was prohibited from entering the bus. "A person must not take an animal, that is not an assistance animal, on a public passenger vehicle without the permission of the operator or driver of the vehicle," he said. "Our first priority is the consideration of the travelling public." All workers at the volunteer rescue organisation have to take home animals brought into the centre, which acts as a call service and drop-off zone. *Cairns Post
Fraser Island Dingoes
We understand that DERM recently announced as part of their "management" strategy for Fraser Island, that dingoes would be discouraged (by hazing) from walking along the beach before 5pm and after 5am, in an attempt to keep them away from people. So then we recieved this report below from a Fraser Island resident.
"This evening, at 5.45 pm, during an evening walk along the beach on FI I saw a young dingo bitch and her puppy patrolling the high tide line (clearly they have learnt the new rules). The bitch went over the dune and disappeared, but the pup lingered on the dune and was still visible from the beach but simply minding its own business when it was spotted by a ranger’s vehicle. The rangers stopped instantly, did an extremely tight u-turn and hazed the pup with a slingshot. The pup was hit, the shot frightened the life out of it, and it disappeared over the dune. The rangers then tore off down the beach. I went over to investigate; it seemed the pup had run into a swamp type area and was howling. The bitch appeared and looked extremely concerned. She must have witnessed the event, and seemed too scared to come out of her hiding place to find her pup, which continued to howl.
If this is not disrupting pack structure, I don’t know what is. If this is not sport, I don’t know how else to describe it. Might I also add that the bitch had an ear that was tagged so badly the ear was drooping to the point of being closed, and it looked like some debris was lodged in the tag. The bitch went in search of her pup, and I was left wondering what the management of Frazer Island has come to, that innocent creatures are no longer allowed, within their DERM-allocated time slot, to go about their usual behaviors. There were a few other people on the beach at the time, I hope they didn’t see the disgraceful way that the rangers behaved towards our island’s most valuable tourist draw-card." * Network Item
Hunting in the US
Charges have been filed against three men accused of firing a shot at wildlife officers in Champaign County. The charges were filed against Todd M. Noel, 34, of , Urbana; Jesse W. Coffey, 37, of St. Paris and Jacob E. Shepherd, 18, of Somerset, Kentucky, who face various charges. The men were taken into custody for investigative purposes, but were not formally arrested on October 30th. The shooting happened near Ford Road and Woodville Pike in Champaign County. Two wildlife officers were on patrol looking for poachers. A bullet crashed through the cruiser's windshield, but no one was injured. Noel's arraignment was continued until Tuesday, Dec. 1. Coffey and Shepherd will face preliminary hearings on Dec. 3. *WHIO.com
This is the weekend that, once again, more than 600,000 people from every state in the Union and many foreign countries will converge upon our Wisconsin woods to, hopefully, shoot deer. I say "hopefully" because last year they also shot at least 25 homes and barns, three cars, one tractor with a farmer inside and a tree. One drunken guy in the Waupaca area didn't just shoot the tree, actually; he blasted away at the trunk until it fell over, according to state Department of Natural Resources wardens. The wardens found out because, when the tree went down, it hit him in the arm and he shot himself in the leg. No word on what kind of tree it was or whether the tree-hunter planned to field dress it. Aiming your gun at a tree isn't the worst thing you can do, I admit.
Just ask the wardens from the Adams County area, who last year approached a guy who was loaded - in more ways than one. According to a DNR report on the 2008 hunting season, "the hunter pointed his loaded rifle at them using his scope to see who (they) were." Somebody buy that guy some glasses - and not the kind you put beverages in. Maybe the warden from Minong in Washburn County had a better approach - literally. Two hunters in that area last year allegedly broke too many laws to count when they shot a small buck at night out a cabin window while it stood near a bait pile in a lighted area. They had just completed field dressing it, according to the DNR report, when one of the hunters heard footsteps behind them and whispered, "Who's there?" From out of the darkness came another whisper in response: "Game warden."
Odd, isn't it, how hunters often underestimate the eyesight of their fellow mammals? Or, in at least one instance last year, overestimate it. A couple of wardens from Necedah and Black River Falls areas last year found two hunters wearing camouflage because, the hunters explained, they didn't want the deer to be able to see them. Deer aren't the only ones with compromised sight - then again. One scofflaw hunter south of Tomah allegedly stood on a road (which is illegal) and shot three times at a deer that just wouldn't fall - or, amazingly, even move. Seems that the guy just couldn't figure out why. He was reloading when wardens intervened, reasoning they'd better stop the guy "from shooting up the decoy even more."
The 2008 hunt, all in all, was one of the safest on record, so the stuff I'm writing about is not the norm. Still, I've written in years past about hunters shooting everything from a Bible to a piano to a black horse. And last year, in addition to 277,000 deer, they illegally shot seven bears, a number of wolves and a tractor. In the last case, a farmer in Dodge County was sitting inside waiting for corn from a combine to fill up his hopper, according to wardens. While he sat there, two windows on the tractor's cab doors were shot out - apparently by a hunter with a rifle 300 yards away. Bullets, of course, often don't travel nearly as far. Two wardens from Douglas and Burnett counties, investigating how exactly a hunter managed to shoot himself in the toe, determined he had been inside a vehicle at the time his rifle discharged. Turned out the bullet went through more than his foot. It also went through the floor before hitting one of the tires. He later told wardens he'd been showing his friend how to unload. No word on whether, as the hunt begins this year, anyone has bothered to show them an easier way. *WHIO.com
Growers brace for bat attack
Worried stonefruit grower Renae Ferris is staring at the cruellest of ironies. From Ballandean in southern Queensland, where she farms with husband Michael, Ms Ferris prays there won't be a repeat of last year's devastation when $400,000 worth of crops was lost to flying foxes. Just ten minutes away is NSW, where the flying fox risk is no less but growers have the permission of the Rees Government to shoot the bats in defence of their crops while alternative, non-lethal methods of control are sought. Queensland growers, like the Ferris family, don't have this 'luxury', ever since the Bligh Government banned flying fox culling in May last year without consulting farming groups first and before alternative controls to using guns were put in place.
While the ink was still drying on the press release announcing the ban, flying foxes in numbers not seen for decades descended on the prime fruit growing region of Stanthorpe. The devastating Christmas raid stripped some $4 million from the local farm economy. The severity of the attack forced Primary Industries Minister Tim Mulherin and a team of high-ranking bureaucrats to fly to Stanthorpe, where they staged an 'orchard-walk' for the television cameras that came with them, before meeting with key farm leaders and invited growers behind closed doors. Queensland Country Life was also at that meeting and heard the minister announce the establishment of a working group to investigate non-lethal control methods before harvest this year. The chairman of that working group, Jim Pekin, said in August the group was gathering opinion from world experts on alternative controls, with many of the ideas now starting to come to fruition.
But after a frustrating 12 months, Ms Ferris, who has been part of that working group, says little progress has been made. On a scale of one to 10, she gives the Government a rating of four for its performance and delivery. Growcom chief advocate Rachel Mackenzie has also slammed the Govern-ment, saying its action amounted to far too little, too late. "To have such little action happening more than 12 months after the mitigation permits were withdrawn is just not good enough," she said. Even more frustrating for the Ferris family is that about an hour's drive south they have another farm in NSW at Mingoola. They harvest earlier there, and so flying foxes aren't as big a problem, but if they needed to shoot to protect their crops, getting the permit to cull would be no problem. Like many other fruit growers, Ms Ferris advocates shooting the 'scout bat', the lead flying fox which apparently flies ahead of the flock, alerting others to the location of food. The Government has repeatedly stated that the scout bat theory cannot be proved and has little basis in science.
But fellow district grower Ian Mungall is also a strong believer in the concept and told QCL earlier this year he had watched how scout bats called other flying foxes into his orchard. He could only watch helplessly as they devoured large swaths of his nectarine crop resulting in losses of $20,000. Ms Ferris says they're not redneck, gun-toting farmers, but maintains that controlling flying foxes using lethal means is still the most effective way of protecting their livelihood and their peace of mind. However, operating their three farms at Ballandean, Glen Aplin and Pikedale has been anything but stress-free for the Ferrises in 2009, especially with the onset of harvest this month. Ms Ferris says she's still haunted by their experience last year when she and Michael and their four sons aged 16, 14, 12 and nine were kept awake until the early hours of the morning, forced to ride around the orchard on ATVs to scare off the animals and salvage what they could from the flying fox attack. "I watched my husband vomit from exhaustion," she said. "I watched my sons get urinated and shat on by bats, carrying who knows what sort of diseases and viruses,'' she said. "You wouldn't see government workers in here without their full-length protective clothing on, but they're quite prepared to have farmers and their innocent children doing the dirty work in this filth. I find it quite offensive."
Despite the intense anxiety, Ms Ferris counts herself lucky. So far she is the only grower in the district to be fitted with an arsenal of flying fox deterrents as part of a State Government trial. Included is a hail cannon that emits a sonic boom, gas guns, air compressors, a radar system, strobe lights and lasers. The last of the inventory arrived last weekend, despite urgent calls from Ms Ferris that it was needed before November in case the bats came early and they lost their crop before harvest. Ms Ferris estimates the set-up has cost $60,000 and none of the equipment has yet to be proved effective. "But at least it's something, which is more than what other growers have around here," she said. *QCLife
Below is a FF update from the Sydney Botanic Gardens Newsletter,13/11/2009
Friends of The Gardens wholeheartedly supports the BGT in its application to relocate the flying-fox colony from the Royal Botanic Gardens. YOUR SUPPORT IS NEEDED, please send a submission supporting the application. The response from the Commonwealth Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA) to the Public Environment Report (PER) submitted to DEWHA in early October 2009 has been received by the Botanic Gardens Trust (BGT). The original referral and subsequent information requested by the Commonwealth will be on display for 30 business days from 12 November 2009 to 23 December 2009 for reading only at the following locations:
City of Sydney Council (Town Hall House 456 Kent Street, Sydney NSW 2000. Ph. 02 9265 9333), DECCW Head Office (59-61 Goulburn Street, Sydney NSW 2000. Ph. 02 9995 5000), Reception, Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney (Mrs Macquaries Road, Sydney NSW 2000. Ph. 02 9231 8111), DEWHA (John Gorton Building Environment entrance King Edward Terrace, Parkes ACT 2600. Ph 02 6274 1111) The document may also be viewed and downloaded at the Botanic Gardens Trust website http://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/
Interested persons and organisations are invited to comment in writing on the proposal TO: BOTANIC GARDENS TRUST, Email: perfeedback@rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au Post: Flying-fox Relocation PER Feedback, Royal Botanic Gardens, Mrs Macquaries Road, Sydney NSW 2000 Deadline for submission is 5:00 pm on Wednesday, 23 December, 2009. Submissions may be made public for legal or legislative reasons.
Wildlife Trafficking
A Californian man accused of smuggling 15 Australian lizards into the US by strapping them to his chest is owner of a reptile business who has made eight trips to Australia in the past six years, court documents allege. Michael Plank, 40, owner of US-based Big Game Reptiles, allegedly told US authorities he collected the lizards from the wild while in Australia. On November 17 he was stopped by US Customs officers at Los Angeles International Airport after arriving on a flight from Australia. A search revealed Plank had two money belts strapped to his chest and inside were the 15 protected Australian lizards - 11 skinks, two geckos and two monitors, authorities allege. The lizards were estimated to be worth $US8500 ($9220). "He said that he smuggled them on his person because in Australia it is illegal to export reptiles without a permit," US Fish and Wildlife Service special agent Mona Iannelli wrote in an affidavit filed in the US District Court. "Plank admitted that he placed the lizards into money belts which were strapped on his body to board his departing flight from Australia to Los Angeles."
Plank also allegedly admitted to smuggling lizards into the US from Europe in 2004 and 2007 and being owner of Big Game Reptiles. The Big Game Reptiles website, Ms Iannelli noted, stated it was "a world leader in the breeding of Australian geckos" and its "collection consists of the most diverse bloodlines available". The site offers an adult pair of soft spiny-tailed geckos, common in south-west West Australia, for $US1000 and babies for $US350 each. Centralian knob-tailed geckos, found in the Northern Territory, are offered for $US500 each. Plank is charged with fraudulently and knowingly importing lizards into the US and faces a maximum 20-year jail sentence and $US250,000 fine. He was released on a $US10,000 bond and will be arraigned in a Los Angeles court December 21. *News.com
It can be done!
Following their victory today (24 Nov 09) in the NSW Land and Environment Court, the local community of Hilltop in the NSW Southern Highlands continues to call on the State Government to find a new location for the planned major shooting range in the area. The Hilltop Residents Action Group has been calling on the NSW Government to choose between other sites put forward which are less environmentally sensitive and without expensive problems with noise, access road safety, bushfire risk and proximity to a community. Today’s decision by the NSW Land and Environment Court will be a blow to the NSW Shooters Party which had been promised by the NSW Government the hugely expanded facility in return for its support to pass important government legislation in the NSW Legislative Council.
The NSW Planning Minister, Kristina Keneally had approved the Southern Highlands Regional Shooting Complex in February under the controversial part 3A of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979. The project was to be funded with nearly $10 million of taxpayers’ money. Local residents at Hilltop were incensed at the lack of consultation and consideration of alternative sites for the project and took action in the NSW Land Environment Court to stop it. Justice Biscoe today declared the governmental approval of the project under the controversial 3A legislation void and prohibited further work on the development. “This is a resounding victory for local people against the bulldozing tactics of the NSW Government and the Shooters Party,’ said Hilltop Residents Action Group spokeswoman, Jodie Laing.
“The plain fact is that this development is too big, too close to Hilltop and too dangerous. The shooting range would deliver thousands of tonnes of lead into Sydney’s water catchment and disrupt the lives of local residents including the kids at the local primary school,” Ms Laing added. The Hilltop Residents Action Group has provided a myriad of alternative locations for the shooting range, all of which the NSW Government has refused to consider. The court’s decision is also another blow to the NSW Government’s fondness for using Part 3A of the EPA Act to push through pet projects in the face of opposition from local communities. *Hilltop Residents Action Group
Spiders
Australia's venomous redback spiders are on the march in Japan, where they are believed to have arrived years ago as stowaways on cargo ships, a wildlife expert warned Wednesday. The creepy-crawlies, named after their fiery markings, have infested the Osaka region and are drawing closer to the capital Tokyo, said Japan Wildlife Research Centre official Toshio Kishimoto. A dozen people have reportedly been bitten in Osaka prefecture alone, media reports say, including a six-year-old boy who was treated with antivenom in June, the first time the medication had been used in the country. "Their poison is strong and they are particularly dangerous to people in weak physical condition, like children and the elderly," Kishimoto told AFP. "Redbacks are becoming a common species in Japan. They are very numerous, especially in the western region, and are now often sighted in residential areas.... Once the spiders spread, it's hard to eliminate them."
Redback bites, which inject a potent neurotoxin, have caused numerous deaths in Australia, although an antivenom stocked in hospitals has prevented fatalities more recently. Redbacks were first spotted in Japan in 1995, around Osaka, a major port where, experts believe, they may have arrived in a container of Australian woodchips used to make paper in Japan. Several years ago a major redback infestation was found in the street drainage system of the city, and the arachnids have now spread to prefectures covering roughly a third of the country. In one case, a man moving from Osaka north to the Tokyo region by car unknowingly took a redback spider with him after the animal had latched onto the vehicle, the wildlife researcher said. He said Japanese people must become more aware of the dangers of redbacks, a species long feared in Australia, where the creatures are known to lurk in garden sheds, in shoes left outdoors, and under toilet seats. "People need to be warned on how to treat them, and to be careful when they're out cleaning ditches, and to wear thick cotton gloves for example," said Kishimoto. *AFP.
Possums
A dramatic drop in the estimated NZ possum population is good news for native birds. New research shows possum numbers have plummeted from between 60 and 70 million during the 1980s, to about 30 million. The Wellington region recorded the biggest drop, of 87 per cent. The region has about 200,000 possums, but without possum control the number would have been between 1.3 and 1.5 million. Forest and Bird spokeswoman Helen Bain said the drop was a factor in exploding numbers of tui in the Wellington area. "We're getting a lot of anecdotal reports that numbers are up. I was in town the other day and I would have seen about 20 of them." Possums would raid the nests of native birds, such as tui, taking eggs, chicks and sometimes even adult birds, she said. "If we get possum numbers down, native birds and plants come back big time."
The study, by Landcare Research wildlife biologist Bruce Warburton, used satellite-imaging technology to analyse 52 vegetation types, which helped show how many possums each area could accommodate. The Conservation Department and regional councils also provided information. The study found the forests could host 48 million possums, with no pest control. But when efforts to beat possums were included, that figure dropped to 30 million. "New Zealanders have been fascinated by how many possums there are, ever since the estimates of 60 to 70 million were generated in the 1980s." Australian brush-tailed possums, introduced in 1837 to establish a fur trade, have become New Zealand's main pest in both ecological and economic terms. Among their favourite foods are the leaves of natives trees such as pohutukawa and totara.
Possum control is carried out on about 13.3 million hectares – about half all vegetated land – for conservation and to stop the spread of bovine tuberculosis. The Conservation Department spent $14.9 million on it last year, mainly using 1080 poison. The results of the study did not mean the war against possums was over, DOC spokesman Rory Newsman said. "We are getting some good results in places, but there is constant re-invasion by possums." *
Ed Comment; The use of 1080 poison is widely opposed by many Australians and New Zealanders. Its a cruel and lingering death for any nontarget animal who picks up the poison, and it's purely a bandaid. This report, no doubt authorised by the NZ Government, claims an increase in bird populations, which is great, but without a permanent, longterm, humane solution, the problem just keeps coming back. We have the technology to develop effective contraception solutions, to stop unwanted animals from breeding, but it will never get developed or used, because 1080 is easier to use, even though its just a bandaid. Australia and New Zealand use more 1080 than the rest of the worlds total 1080 use.
Koalas
The Qld State Government-enforced practice of returning injured koalas to where they were found - even near busy roads - is under fire from green groups and researchers. Carers say more koalas than ever are being killed by vehicles and the carnage could result in their extinction in the state's southeast. New research on the Gold Coast could hold the key to saving the much-loved animals, according to environmentalists. Gold Coast City Council has begun relocating a handful of koalas at Coomera – part of a colony of more than 100 under threat from a housing development – to Canungra in the hinterland as part of a $20 million pilot program. Researchers are using radio transmitters to determine if the koalas stay in their new home before moving the other animals. The current practice for carers, enforced by the State's Nature Conservation Act, is to return injured koalas to their "home range" despite the increasing threat of road traffic or dogs.
Wildlife Australia carer Karen Scott hopes the study will lead to a change in laws that force carers to return injured koalas to within 5km of where they were rescued. "I think there needs to be a bit of give and take in the legislation. Maybe 10km is a better limit, where they can establish a home range and not get hit by a car or attacked by a dog," she said. Green groups such as the Gold Coast and Hinterland Environment Council and Australia Koala Foundation, following a briefing by council officers in the past week, welcomed the project, but fear governments will be too slow to act. Australian Koala Foundation chief executive officer Deborah Tabart said the future of the species was "on the edge" in southeast Queensland, where 25,000 deaths had been recorded in the past 10 years. She acknowledged the new research could help prevent their extinction within a decade. "You can't protect them from the dangers . . . and they put them back in the same war zone." Currumbin Valley resident Steve Barnes, who has saved several koalas after they were hit on busy roads, believes they should be relocated to safe bushland. "It's crazy putting them back where they have been hit." *Courier Mail
Kangaroos
THE Queensland Government has been accused of putting the receipt of licence fees ahead of conservation motives and the viability of professional kangaroo shooters.There are almost 2000 kangaroo harvesting licences in existence in Queensland, a number that professional operators say prevents kangaroo shooting from becoming a viable long-term occupation. Harvesters say those who stick with the industry and supply processors through periods of low prices receive no reward when prices improve because of the number of opportunistic shooters who are able to quickly flood the industry and saturate supply when prices are high. Limiting the number of licences would lead to more sustainable harvesting of kangaroo populations and would foster better and more mutually beneficial relationships between shooters and landholders, according to harvesters who spoke to Queensland Country Life last week. It would also cause licences to grow in value, become saleable and allow shooters to earn a viable living from the industry, while generating a more reliable year-round supply for processors. Some also argue that capping licences would encourage more shooters to adopt the industry as a full-time profession and would reduce the risk of 'fly-by-nighters' or part-time shooters undermining the industry's integrity with un-professional standards.
Goondiwindi shooter Graham Mackney said the 2000 licences currently issued by the Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) in Queensland were far too many. "The department has told us it is impossible to cap the number of licences, but they said that about fishing licences and they soon changed that." DERM regional manager Chris Hill said the department uses a quota system to manage the conservation of kangaroos, and did not believe that capping licences was the solution. "Currently, quotas in Queensland are set between 10 and 20 percent of the estimated population for each species, as scientific research has demonstrated that harvesting at these levels ensures a sustainable harvest that does not detrimentally impact on the conservation of the species," Mr Hill said. "The annual harvest can be reviewed at any time to consider changing circumstances such as the effects of drought or disease." However, shooters have challenged the quota system's ability to work in practice, and believe the department has put the receipt of licence fees ahead of sustainable management of populations.
"The reason we are shooting quotas out is because DERM is selling tags for money, and because there are too many shooters out there and too many shooters sitting on tags," Mr Mackney said. "In a normal Russian market year, the Central Zone had an allocation of 700,000 tags for the year, but they would have sold 800,000, and then had 100,000 out there that they couldn't really control, which is why it was going over. "That is why they have had to change the tagging scenario. In the Central Zone there are 400,000 tags available this year, and once 400,000 come in, that is it - you can't get any more. "It is a little wrong but a lot right - the industry has to be turned back into a professional industry." Another shooter told Queensland Country Life that he believed DERM was concerned only about the "couple of hundred bucks per licence" it received, which explained why there were currently almost 2000 macro-pod harvesting licences in Queensland. "They get on their pedestal and say it is all about sustainable harvesting and the rest of it, but they don't put it into practice. They will give as many licences as they can."
The shooter said that a full-time harvester required between five to 10 properties depending on size and location to make a living; however, it was not uncommon to see several shooters working single properties in the past. "It is not unusual to go to some places and see two or three spotlights working in the one area on a particular night - it gets a bit interesting at times. "Some landholders don't care who is shooting them or how they're shooting them - as long as they're being shot, that's all they want to know. "Most professional harvesters will look after those properties as if they're their own, because they have to nurture those animals and the relationship with the landholder to give them the access they need." *QCL
Water for Wildlife
Mornington Peninsula wildlife carers fear they will be forced to bury hundreds of dead marsupials this summer. The group described the distressing scenes of last summer's heatwave when baby and mother ringtail possums died from heat stress and dehydration. They are calling on residents to help them cut the toll. Rye Beach Vet Hospital senior nurse Carolyn Maguire, Tyabb wildlife carer Jennie Bryant and Wildlife Help on the Mornington Peninsula (WHOMP) secretary Denise Garratt all described last summer as the worst they had seen. They treated record numbers of dehydrated and heat-stressed possums and bird life and all said residents could make a difference. Ms Maguire's clinic only managed to save two ringtail possums from a record 60 handed in during a four-day period.
``It was tremendously heartbreaking,'' Ms Maguire said. ``This year we are seeking to get the word out and to educate the public on ways they can help prevent this devastating loss.'' She wants residents to put containers of water in backyard trees. ``People just don't realise there's no moisture in the trees or water on the sides of roads where wildlife used to drink.'' Ms Garratt said ringtail possums were the first to suffer in the heat. She estimated hundreds, possibly thousands, were lost across the peninsula. ``It was dreadful,'' she said. ``They were dropping their babies first then the mothers dropped.'' She advised residents to put water in shady spots in backyards and cover any distressed ringtails, take them inside and give them water with honey then call a wildlife shelter or take the animal to the nearest vet clinic. Ms Bryant was handed about 50 ringtail possums and four koalas last summer. ``When it gets into 40-plus degrees they can't cope,'' she said. WHOMP can be contacted on 0417 380 687. *Frankston Standard
Thinking about Wildlife? Who’s going to watch over our wildlife when you no longer share their World? Well, we are! The Wildlife Protection Association of Australia Inc. will continue to forcefully lobby governments to do better with wildlife management, and by taking them to Court if necessary. We are currently working on developing eLearning projects, so students can become aware of the importance of our wildlife living in a safe and secure natural environment. After you have looked after your family and friends in your Will, think about wildlife. A bequest to the Wildlife Protection Association of Australia Inc. will ensure that we can continue to take a leading role in protecting and conserving our precious wildlife. None of the donations we receive are diverted to "administration". Every dollar we get through bequests or donations for wildlife hits the ground running! Talk to your solicitor, or if writing your own Will, add the words "I bequeath to The Wildlife Protection Association of Australia Inc. for the purpose of protecting wildlife in Australia (a specified sum), or (specified items including land or vehicle), or (the residue of my estate) or (percentage of my estate) free of all duties, and the receipt of the President, Secretary or other authorised WPAA officer for the time being shall be a complete and sufficient discharge for the executor(s)." You can also phone me for a confidential chat, as to how a bequest can help us work to protect our wildlife, when you are no longer able to. * Pat O’Brien, WPAA 07 54941890
Kangaroos - Faces in the Mob! (We recently ran out od stock of this very popular magical DVD, but now have new supplies in! Buy Now! Buy Now!....before we run out again!)
On the east coast of Australia lies a valley of magical beauty, surrounded by mountains and shrouded in mists during winter. In these idyllic surroundings live a mob of wild Eastern Grey Kangaroos whose society is rich and complex. Faces in the mob is an engaging true story of life within this one mob of Australian wild Eastern Grey Kangaroos.
For two years, award-winning Australian filmmakers Dr. Jan Aldenhoven and Glen Carruthers lived with this mob. Hear their compelling account of the world of these captivating marsupials where each animal has its own personality. Buy the DVD now with Paypal...$29.95 Au includes free postage in Australia.
http://www.kangaroo-protection-coalition.com/kangaroos-facesinthemob.html
Follow the destinies of two lovable joeys - a female named Sunshade whose mother is conscientious and successful, and Jaffa, a little male full of pluck and courage whose mother is absent-minded. And witness everything from birth to the dramatic and sometimes deadly battles between adult males.
Never before has the richness and complexity of the kangaroo society and the daily drama of their family life been revealed in such stunning detail. Superbly photographed, this beautiful story of Australia's most famous animal will captivate you from beginning to end. This is the best documentary about our beloved kangaroos that has ever been produced. Profits from sales of the DVD go to help the Kangaroo Protection Coalition to campaign for the protection of our beautiful kangaroos.
Buy the DVD now with $34.95 Au Paypal for International postage delivery. http://www.kangaroo-protection-coalition.com/kangaroos-facesinthemob.html
This DVD would make a great "All Year Round" present!
Wildwood Wildlife Shelter in Victoria has a beautiful calendar for sale, with lots of kangaroos on it. They are selling them for $25 plus $6.95 postage each within Australia, extra for O/S of course. The addys are; Pam Turner, Wildwood Wildlife Shelter, Glenthompson. Vic. 3293 Email wildwoodws@optusnet.com.au 03 55774343, 0418 161 826 And please dont forget that Maryland Wilson from AWPC still has copies of "Kangaroos, Myths and Realities" for sale. Her email is; kangaroo@hotkey.net.au
And also dont forget the wonderful DVD "Kangaroos, Faces in the Mob" available here; http://www.kangaroo-protection-coalition.com/kangaroos-facesinthemob.htmlIf any wildlife group are selling Xmas cards etc, please let us know so we can pass it on.
Needing a good Laugh?
Laughing is good for your health. A good belly laugh improves blood pressure, lifts your circulation, and exercises your lungs. But a good cry is good for your health too, it can ease stress, and help you to recover from shock or grief. And here in Australia we are very lucky, because currently we can laugh and cry at the same time, which must be twice as good for your health...right? And all you have to do to laugh and cry at the same time is keep up to date with the current Climate Change debacle. On one hand we have the Government proposing a Climate Change option that will allow big polluters to pay to pollute, while the rest of us in the community have to accept higher energy and transport charges. Incredibly, agriculture has been excluded! But meanwhile the Opposition, for want of a better word, has a bunch of flat-earthers trying very hard to bring down their own Party, and make it even more irrelevant than it already is, and in doing so, they ensure that the Rudd government stays in power for decades. While the Government's Climate Change proposal has many flaws, at least it's a start. After more than 30 years of knowledge and awareness of the potential effects of Climate Change, finally something is being done, albeit not very much. So if you want to improve your health, by laughing and crying at the same time, tune into the Climate Change debate! *WPAA
Three UK groups studying climate change have issued a strong statement about the dangers of failing to cut emissions of greenhouse gases across the world. The Royal Society, Met Office, and Natural Environment Research Council (Nerc) say the science of climate change is more alarming than ever. They say the 2007 UK floods, 2003 heatwave in Europe and recent droughts were consistent with emerging patterns. Their comments came ahead of crunch UN climate talks in Copenhagen next month. *BBC News
Freshwater Fish
A national task force has been set up to help preserve native freshwater fish species. International experts have met in Adelaide and the 25 scientists say half of freshwater fish species in South Australia alone are under threat. Group president Professor Gordon McGregor Reid says many problems stem from state and territory governments cutting off wetlands during drought. He says there is a need to rehabilitate ecosystems. "It can actually make the environment very, very acid and you're talking about, you know, 'vinegar' levels and that can then sweep out into the main river systems and basically kill all the fish in a stretch of river," he said. "A short-term solution is actually giving a long-term headache. "It may come down to lawns or fish, you know it's nice to have a well-watered green lawn but do you want to have that at the expense of the loss of the fish that have been here for hundreds of thousands or millions of years?" *ABC
Dolphins
A herbicide which carries a warning against its use near marine life is being used to combat weeds on the Nedlands foreshore. The Environment Minister Donna Faragher has confirmed the City of Nedlands is spraying the herbicide Chipco Spearhead on land adjacent to the Swan River. The product's label warns users not to spray the chemical near streams, rivers or waterways. Labor's Environment spokeswoman Sally Talbot says the State Government must investigate whether the herbicide is linked to the recent deaths of six Swan River dolphins. "I want to be able to reassure people that there's no connection between the use of a herbicide that says it's not to be used in a marine environment and some of obvious adverse affects on the dolphin population in that area," she said. Ms Faragher says despite the warning label the chemical can be used safely. "I'm advised by the Swan River Trust having consulted with the City of Nedlands that if the herbicide is applied according to label instructions and best practice procedures there is no contamination of adjacent waterways," she said. The City of Nedlands says it was unaware of any concerns about the use of the herbicide but will investigate the claims today. *ABC
Freshwater Fish
A national task force has been set up to help preserve native freshwater fish species. International experts have met in Adelaide and the 25 scientists say half of freshwater fish species in South Australia alone are under threat. Group president Professor Gordon McGregor Reid says many problems stem from state and territory governments cutting off wetlands during drought. He says there is a need to rehabilitate ecosystems. "It can actually make the environment very, very acid and you're talking about, you know, 'vinegar' levels and that can then sweep out into the main river systems and basically kill all the fish in a stretch of river," he said. "A short-term solution is actually giving a long-term headache. "It may come down to lawns or fish, you know it's nice to have a well-watered green lawn but do you want to have that at the expense of the loss of the fish that have been here for hundreds of thousands or millions of years?"
Seals
Look, but please don't touch. That's the plea from volunteer wildlife rescuers to anyone who sees this young seal. It was seen playing in the shallows and snoozing on the sand at Rye beach last week. Wildlife Help On the Mornington Peninsula secretary Denise Garratt said it was normal for yearling seals to come ashore at this time of year. ``It's not sick or dying and doesn't have to be pushed back into the water,'' Ms Garratt said. ``He's sleeping all day and feeding at night.'' Rye resident Roberta Ross took a photograph last Wednesday during her early morning walk. '`It was a a great start to the day,'' Ms Garratt said people should put their dogs on leashes if they saw the seal and leave it alone. * Morn'ton Leader
Landclearing
Satelite imagery has been used to convict a man who cleared seven hectares of ``vulnerable'' wildlife and vegetation from a station in the Riverland. Yesterday, in the Adelaide Magistrates Court, Overland Corner Station director Giovanni Mitolo, 40, of Virginia, was convicted and fined $20,000. The station was fined a further $60,000 for clearing the land near Barmera in 2006. Native Vegetation Council Member Dennis Mutton said costly fines are needed ``to serve as a reminder to landholders' not to break the law. ``This clearance has resulted in the loss of vegetation with a high biodiversity value including the removal of 28 species of plants.. (and) a number of bird species - some of which are already considered vulnerable,'' he said. The council will be taking further action to seek an order forcing Overland Corner, who were guilty of a simular offence in 2003, to re-grow the vegetation. *Adelaide
National Parks
The Queensland Labor Government, in a further blow to their environmental crdibilty, (if they had any) are moving to allow tourism developments inside and adjacent to several National Parks. These will include Fraser Island, D'Aguilar, Lamington, Cowan Sth on Moreton Island, Cardwell, Mission Beach, and the Whitsundays. You only have to look at the damage done to Fraser Island to see what such impacts are. But the benefits for the Government are considerable, resort developers will have to purchase or lease the NP land from the Government.....its another asset sale! * WPAA
Sharks
A new survey of grey nurse sharks shows the species is still in severe danger of becoming extinct. The study, commissioned by the Federal Government, found just over 1,000 of the sharks along the east coast of Australia. That figure is significantly lower than the 5,000 needed to sustain the population. Accidental hooking is one of the main threats to the survival of the species. Nicky Hammond, the marine program manager for the National Parks Association of New South Wales, says the State Government must act now to protect key habitat sites. "Here we've got a critically endangered species, we know what the key threat to their survival is, we know where they spend the majority of their time," she said. "It's a relatively simple process to protect those sites from that key threat of fishing by creating marine sanctuaries and that way hopefully we can actually save this shark from going extinct. "Time and time again they continue to ignore putting in place the proper protection of marine sanctuaries in these areas and provide tokenistic protection instead. "We're calling on the NSW Government, we're saying enough is enough, that we need to now get these sanctuaries in place before the shark goes extinct." *ABC
Snake and Spider Bites
While 200 or so spider varieties exist in Australia, most are relatively harmless. But you certainly don't want to mess with the nasties such as funnel-webs and redbacks. Funnel-web bites should be treated with caution, Galwey says. If a person is bitten, keep the patient very still then apply an immobilisation bandage down the length of the area. For example, if bitten on the leg, wrap the bandage from the toes to the groin. ``If you don't have bandages you might be able to use pantyhose,'' Galwey says. ``It's not to cut off the circulation -- it's just to compress the blood supply.'' Venomous snake bites, such as that of the brown snake, should be treated in the same way. For redback spider bites, place an icepack on the area. And in all instances, call 000. *St johns Amblance
Frogs
The international trade in frog legs could be spreading a deadly amphibian disease responsible for several species becoming extinct, according to a new study. Researchers from the Smithsonian Institution and colleagues say that nearly 6000 other amphibian species are threatened with extinction from the parasitic fungus known as amphibian chytrid. The pathogen causes respiratory and neurological damage that eventually results in death. The researchers found that from 1996 through 2006, 100,000 tonnes of frog legs were imported from both wild and farmed sources. While they found no record of a frog species becoming extinct that was collected for food, poorly regulated amphibian trade is probably a greater risk to amphibian biodiversity than over-harvesting. *Mercury
Crocodiles
A plucky kelpie that survived a crocodile attack at South Johnstone should serve as a warning to children who swim at the same spot, the dog's owner says. The Cairns Post reports a 2m croc tore chunks out of Leggy the kelpie cattle dog-cross, lunging at her and sinking its teeth into her side and belly when she ventured into the shallows at Sivyer bridge, near Innisfail on Tuesday afternoon. Leggy's owner Charles Edgerton is amazed she survived. "My dog gave a couple of big yelps, then there was a bit of a splash," he said. "It all happened so quickly … she and my other dog Harper were still right near the edge." *CM
Kangaroos
The NZ 60 minutes program "Bloody Harvest" is the only ever media report that looks at the dark side of the commercial kangaroo kill. There have been 5028 online viewings, but only 118 comments made about it! In the unlikely event that the Russian imports begin again early next year, as the Government claims, kangaroo populations will be blasted as never before. If the support is there, NZ 60 minutes may do a followup. And there are other issues that the Australian media wont touch, such as the killing and hazing of the Fraser Island dingoes. If you dont do anything else this year to help kangaroos, now is the time to do something good. If you haven't already done so, please go to the NZ 60 minutes website below, and leave a comment at the bottom of the page. You dont need to "login" and you can use a nickname. Please support the only "tell it as it is" media report ever shown on television about the kangaroo kill. For the kangaroos, please..........just do it!...and thank you to those who have already done it!
http://www.3news.co.nz/Bloody-Harvest-/tabid/371/articleID/130448/cat/923/Default.aspx
Drugs are being smuggled into Aboriginal communities in Australia's far north inside dead kangaroos, the Northern Territory parliament was told on Tuesday. Former indigenous affairs minister Alison Anderson said cannabis was being sewn inside kangaroo carcasses to get it past police patrols. Outback roads are often littered with kangaroos killed by vehicles and the roadkill is often collected by Aborigines. "You have now got 8-year-olds on ganja (marijuana) in communities," she said, urging a crackdown on marijuana, which she said had replaced petrol sniffing in terms of addiction. Anderson also said that women were stuffing cannabis into their underwear and driving through checkpoints, knowing that police were not permitted to frisk females they suspect of smuggling drugs. - Sapa-dpa
Healthy female wallabies are more likely to have sons than daughters, according to a new study that may help resolve a long-standing debate on sex allocation in mammals. The research, led by Dr Kylie Robert of the University of Western Australia, supports the as yet unproven Trivers-Willard hypothesis that mothers will give birth to different sexes depending on their condition.The findings in tammar wallaby populations are published online in the journal Biology Letters. *ABCRead More, http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2009/11/24/2751902.htm
Here at WPAA we are hearing some disturbing reports that the NT Government is worried about unexplained declines in kangaroo and wallaby populations in the Territory. *WPAA
Petition to Adidas: Stop using kangaroo leather. You can view this petition at: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/tell-a-friend/6001902 Please sign the petition "Petition to Adidas: Stop using kangaroo leather". Help us reach our goal of 5,000 signatures. I care deeply about this cause, and I hope you will support our efforts.
Please also sign urgent kangaroo PETITIONS below:http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/stop-eu-imports---440000-joeys-killed-every-yearhttp://www.gopetition.com/petitions/kangaroo-extinction.html
Wallabies
SUNBUS says it was just following rules when it would not let a volunteer animal rescue worker carrying two wallaby joeys on board. The incident happened on Thursday as Tanya Dunham was trying to make her way to open the Far North Queensland Wildlife Rescue centre at Manunda. She had been called in to cover for a sick colleague and, with her car off the road, Ms Dunham was forced to take the bus. Trying to get a ride from Kewarra Beach, Ms Dunham was not allowed on the bus after the driver was told by head office not to let the eight-month-old wallaby passengers on. Ms Dunham then started walking in the rain with her laptop, brief case and two wallabies named Diego and Dexter in her handbag. The wallaby orphans were brought into the refuge a couple of months ago and Ms Dunham took them home to care for them.
"I have to be with the wallabies all the time, they're are like kids I told him (the bus driver), normally I wouldn't but the centre has been inundated with calls," she said. "I thought it was veryun-Australian." Ms Dunham was eventually given a lift by a friend who saw her walking in the rain. Sunbus spokesman Richard Gabasa said under State Government law, an animal not used to assist a passenger with a disability was prohibited from entering the bus. "A person must not take an animal, that is not an assistance animal, on a public passenger vehicle without the permission of the operator or driver of the vehicle," he said. "Our first priority is the consideration of the travelling public." All workers at the volunteer rescue organisation have to take home animals brought into the centre, which acts as a call service and drop-off zone. *Cairns Post
Fraser Island Dingoes
We understand that DERM recently announced as part of their "management" strategy for Fraser Island, that dingoes would be discouraged (by hazing) from walking along the beach before 5pm and after 5am, in an attempt to keep them away from people. So then we recieved this report below from a Fraser Island resident.
"This evening, at 5.45 pm, during an evening walk along the beach on FI I saw a young dingo bitch and her puppy patrolling the high tide line (clearly they have learnt the new rules). The bitch went over the dune and disappeared, but the pup lingered on the dune and was still visible from the beach but simply minding its own business when it was spotted by a ranger’s vehicle. The rangers stopped instantly, did an extremely tight u-turn and hazed the pup with a slingshot. The pup was hit, the shot frightened the life out of it, and it disappeared over the dune. The rangers then tore off down the beach. I went over to investigate; it seemed the pup had run into a swamp type area and was howling. The bitch appeared and looked extremely concerned. She must have witnessed the event, and seemed too scared to come out of her hiding place to find her pup, which continued to howl.
If this is not disrupting pack structure, I don’t know what is. If this is not sport, I don’t know how else to describe it. Might I also add that the bitch had an ear that was tagged so badly the ear was drooping to the point of being closed, and it looked like some debris was lodged in the tag. The bitch went in search of her pup, and I was left wondering what the management of Frazer Island has come to, that innocent creatures are no longer allowed, within their DERM-allocated time slot, to go about their usual behaviors. There were a few other people on the beach at the time, I hope they didn’t see the disgraceful way that the rangers behaved towards our island’s most valuable tourist draw-card." * Network Item
Hunting in the US
Charges have been filed against three men accused of firing a shot at wildlife officers in Champaign County. The charges were filed against Todd M. Noel, 34, of , Urbana; Jesse W. Coffey, 37, of St. Paris and Jacob E. Shepherd, 18, of Somerset, Kentucky, who face various charges. The men were taken into custody for investigative purposes, but were not formally arrested on October 30th. The shooting happened near Ford Road and Woodville Pike in Champaign County. Two wildlife officers were on patrol looking for poachers. A bullet crashed through the cruiser's windshield, but no one was injured. Noel's arraignment was continued until Tuesday, Dec. 1. Coffey and Shepherd will face preliminary hearings on Dec. 3. *WHIO.com
This is the weekend that, once again, more than 600,000 people from every state in the Union and many foreign countries will converge upon our Wisconsin woods to, hopefully, shoot deer. I say "hopefully" because last year they also shot at least 25 homes and barns, three cars, one tractor with a farmer inside and a tree. One drunken guy in the Waupaca area didn't just shoot the tree, actually; he blasted away at the trunk until it fell over, according to state Department of Natural Resources wardens. The wardens found out because, when the tree went down, it hit him in the arm and he shot himself in the leg. No word on what kind of tree it was or whether the tree-hunter planned to field dress it. Aiming your gun at a tree isn't the worst thing you can do, I admit.
Just ask the wardens from the Adams County area, who last year approached a guy who was loaded - in more ways than one. According to a DNR report on the 2008 hunting season, "the hunter pointed his loaded rifle at them using his scope to see who (they) were." Somebody buy that guy some glasses - and not the kind you put beverages in. Maybe the warden from Minong in Washburn County had a better approach - literally. Two hunters in that area last year allegedly broke too many laws to count when they shot a small buck at night out a cabin window while it stood near a bait pile in a lighted area. They had just completed field dressing it, according to the DNR report, when one of the hunters heard footsteps behind them and whispered, "Who's there?" From out of the darkness came another whisper in response: "Game warden."
Odd, isn't it, how hunters often underestimate the eyesight of their fellow mammals? Or, in at least one instance last year, overestimate it. A couple of wardens from Necedah and Black River Falls areas last year found two hunters wearing camouflage because, the hunters explained, they didn't want the deer to be able to see them. Deer aren't the only ones with compromised sight - then again. One scofflaw hunter south of Tomah allegedly stood on a road (which is illegal) and shot three times at a deer that just wouldn't fall - or, amazingly, even move. Seems that the guy just couldn't figure out why. He was reloading when wardens intervened, reasoning they'd better stop the guy "from shooting up the decoy even more."
The 2008 hunt, all in all, was one of the safest on record, so the stuff I'm writing about is not the norm. Still, I've written in years past about hunters shooting everything from a Bible to a piano to a black horse. And last year, in addition to 277,000 deer, they illegally shot seven bears, a number of wolves and a tractor. In the last case, a farmer in Dodge County was sitting inside waiting for corn from a combine to fill up his hopper, according to wardens. While he sat there, two windows on the tractor's cab doors were shot out - apparently by a hunter with a rifle 300 yards away. Bullets, of course, often don't travel nearly as far. Two wardens from Douglas and Burnett counties, investigating how exactly a hunter managed to shoot himself in the toe, determined he had been inside a vehicle at the time his rifle discharged. Turned out the bullet went through more than his foot. It also went through the floor before hitting one of the tires. He later told wardens he'd been showing his friend how to unload. No word on whether, as the hunt begins this year, anyone has bothered to show them an easier way. *WHIO.com
Growers brace for bat attack
Worried stonefruit grower Renae Ferris is staring at the cruellest of ironies. From Ballandean in southern Queensland, where she farms with husband Michael, Ms Ferris prays there won't be a repeat of last year's devastation when $400,000 worth of crops was lost to flying foxes. Just ten minutes away is NSW, where the flying fox risk is no less but growers have the permission of the Rees Government to shoot the bats in defence of their crops while alternative, non-lethal methods of control are sought. Queensland growers, like the Ferris family, don't have this 'luxury', ever since the Bligh Government banned flying fox culling in May last year without consulting farming groups first and before alternative controls to using guns were put in place.
While the ink was still drying on the press release announcing the ban, flying foxes in numbers not seen for decades descended on the prime fruit growing region of Stanthorpe. The devastating Christmas raid stripped some $4 million from the local farm economy. The severity of the attack forced Primary Industries Minister Tim Mulherin and a team of high-ranking bureaucrats to fly to Stanthorpe, where they staged an 'orchard-walk' for the television cameras that came with them, before meeting with key farm leaders and invited growers behind closed doors. Queensland Country Life was also at that meeting and heard the minister announce the establishment of a working group to investigate non-lethal control methods before harvest this year. The chairman of that working group, Jim Pekin, said in August the group was gathering opinion from world experts on alternative controls, with many of the ideas now starting to come to fruition.
But after a frustrating 12 months, Ms Ferris, who has been part of that working group, says little progress has been made. On a scale of one to 10, she gives the Government a rating of four for its performance and delivery. Growcom chief advocate Rachel Mackenzie has also slammed the Govern-ment, saying its action amounted to far too little, too late. "To have such little action happening more than 12 months after the mitigation permits were withdrawn is just not good enough," she said. Even more frustrating for the Ferris family is that about an hour's drive south they have another farm in NSW at Mingoola. They harvest earlier there, and so flying foxes aren't as big a problem, but if they needed to shoot to protect their crops, getting the permit to cull would be no problem. Like many other fruit growers, Ms Ferris advocates shooting the 'scout bat', the lead flying fox which apparently flies ahead of the flock, alerting others to the location of food. The Government has repeatedly stated that the scout bat theory cannot be proved and has little basis in science.
But fellow district grower Ian Mungall is also a strong believer in the concept and told QCL earlier this year he had watched how scout bats called other flying foxes into his orchard. He could only watch helplessly as they devoured large swaths of his nectarine crop resulting in losses of $20,000. Ms Ferris says they're not redneck, gun-toting farmers, but maintains that controlling flying foxes using lethal means is still the most effective way of protecting their livelihood and their peace of mind. However, operating their three farms at Ballandean, Glen Aplin and Pikedale has been anything but stress-free for the Ferrises in 2009, especially with the onset of harvest this month. Ms Ferris says she's still haunted by their experience last year when she and Michael and their four sons aged 16, 14, 12 and nine were kept awake until the early hours of the morning, forced to ride around the orchard on ATVs to scare off the animals and salvage what they could from the flying fox attack. "I watched my husband vomit from exhaustion," she said. "I watched my sons get urinated and shat on by bats, carrying who knows what sort of diseases and viruses,'' she said. "You wouldn't see government workers in here without their full-length protective clothing on, but they're quite prepared to have farmers and their innocent children doing the dirty work in this filth. I find it quite offensive."
Despite the intense anxiety, Ms Ferris counts herself lucky. So far she is the only grower in the district to be fitted with an arsenal of flying fox deterrents as part of a State Government trial. Included is a hail cannon that emits a sonic boom, gas guns, air compressors, a radar system, strobe lights and lasers. The last of the inventory arrived last weekend, despite urgent calls from Ms Ferris that it was needed before November in case the bats came early and they lost their crop before harvest. Ms Ferris estimates the set-up has cost $60,000 and none of the equipment has yet to be proved effective. "But at least it's something, which is more than what other growers have around here," she said. *QCLife
Below is a FF update from the Sydney Botanic Gardens Newsletter,13/11/2009
Friends of The Gardens wholeheartedly supports the BGT in its application to relocate the flying-fox colony from the Royal Botanic Gardens. YOUR SUPPORT IS NEEDED, please send a submission supporting the application. The response from the Commonwealth Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA) to the Public Environment Report (PER) submitted to DEWHA in early October 2009 has been received by the Botanic Gardens Trust (BGT). The original referral and subsequent information requested by the Commonwealth will be on display for 30 business days from 12 November 2009 to 23 December 2009 for reading only at the following locations:
City of Sydney Council (Town Hall House 456 Kent Street, Sydney NSW 2000. Ph. 02 9265 9333), DECCW Head Office (59-61 Goulburn Street, Sydney NSW 2000. Ph. 02 9995 5000), Reception, Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney (Mrs Macquaries Road, Sydney NSW 2000. Ph. 02 9231 8111), DEWHA (John Gorton Building Environment entrance King Edward Terrace, Parkes ACT 2600. Ph 02 6274 1111) The document may also be viewed and downloaded at the Botanic Gardens Trust website http://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/
Interested persons and organisations are invited to comment in writing on the proposal TO: BOTANIC GARDENS TRUST, Email: perfeedback@rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au Post: Flying-fox Relocation PER Feedback, Royal Botanic Gardens, Mrs Macquaries Road, Sydney NSW 2000 Deadline for submission is 5:00 pm on Wednesday, 23 December, 2009. Submissions may be made public for legal or legislative reasons.
Wildlife Trafficking
A Californian man accused of smuggling 15 Australian lizards into the US by strapping them to his chest is owner of a reptile business who has made eight trips to Australia in the past six years, court documents allege. Michael Plank, 40, owner of US-based Big Game Reptiles, allegedly told US authorities he collected the lizards from the wild while in Australia. On November 17 he was stopped by US Customs officers at Los Angeles International Airport after arriving on a flight from Australia. A search revealed Plank had two money belts strapped to his chest and inside were the 15 protected Australian lizards - 11 skinks, two geckos and two monitors, authorities allege. The lizards were estimated to be worth $US8500 ($9220). "He said that he smuggled them on his person because in Australia it is illegal to export reptiles without a permit," US Fish and Wildlife Service special agent Mona Iannelli wrote in an affidavit filed in the US District Court. "Plank admitted that he placed the lizards into money belts which were strapped on his body to board his departing flight from Australia to Los Angeles."
Plank also allegedly admitted to smuggling lizards into the US from Europe in 2004 and 2007 and being owner of Big Game Reptiles. The Big Game Reptiles website, Ms Iannelli noted, stated it was "a world leader in the breeding of Australian geckos" and its "collection consists of the most diverse bloodlines available". The site offers an adult pair of soft spiny-tailed geckos, common in south-west West Australia, for $US1000 and babies for $US350 each. Centralian knob-tailed geckos, found in the Northern Territory, are offered for $US500 each. Plank is charged with fraudulently and knowingly importing lizards into the US and faces a maximum 20-year jail sentence and $US250,000 fine. He was released on a $US10,000 bond and will be arraigned in a Los Angeles court December 21. *News.com
It can be done!
Following their victory today (24 Nov 09) in the NSW Land and Environment Court, the local community of Hilltop in the NSW Southern Highlands continues to call on the State Government to find a new location for the planned major shooting range in the area. The Hilltop Residents Action Group has been calling on the NSW Government to choose between other sites put forward which are less environmentally sensitive and without expensive problems with noise, access road safety, bushfire risk and proximity to a community. Today’s decision by the NSW Land and Environment Court will be a blow to the NSW Shooters Party which had been promised by the NSW Government the hugely expanded facility in return for its support to pass important government legislation in the NSW Legislative Council.
The NSW Planning Minister, Kristina Keneally had approved the Southern Highlands Regional Shooting Complex in February under the controversial part 3A of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979. The project was to be funded with nearly $10 million of taxpayers’ money. Local residents at Hilltop were incensed at the lack of consultation and consideration of alternative sites for the project and took action in the NSW Land Environment Court to stop it. Justice Biscoe today declared the governmental approval of the project under the controversial 3A legislation void and prohibited further work on the development. “This is a resounding victory for local people against the bulldozing tactics of the NSW Government and the Shooters Party,’ said Hilltop Residents Action Group spokeswoman, Jodie Laing.
“The plain fact is that this development is too big, too close to Hilltop and too dangerous. The shooting range would deliver thousands of tonnes of lead into Sydney’s water catchment and disrupt the lives of local residents including the kids at the local primary school,” Ms Laing added. The Hilltop Residents Action Group has provided a myriad of alternative locations for the shooting range, all of which the NSW Government has refused to consider. The court’s decision is also another blow to the NSW Government’s fondness for using Part 3A of the EPA Act to push through pet projects in the face of opposition from local communities. *Hilltop Residents Action Group
Spiders
Australia's venomous redback spiders are on the march in Japan, where they are believed to have arrived years ago as stowaways on cargo ships, a wildlife expert warned Wednesday. The creepy-crawlies, named after their fiery markings, have infested the Osaka region and are drawing closer to the capital Tokyo, said Japan Wildlife Research Centre official Toshio Kishimoto. A dozen people have reportedly been bitten in Osaka prefecture alone, media reports say, including a six-year-old boy who was treated with antivenom in June, the first time the medication had been used in the country. "Their poison is strong and they are particularly dangerous to people in weak physical condition, like children and the elderly," Kishimoto told AFP. "Redbacks are becoming a common species in Japan. They are very numerous, especially in the western region, and are now often sighted in residential areas.... Once the spiders spread, it's hard to eliminate them."
Redback bites, which inject a potent neurotoxin, have caused numerous deaths in Australia, although an antivenom stocked in hospitals has prevented fatalities more recently. Redbacks were first spotted in Japan in 1995, around Osaka, a major port where, experts believe, they may have arrived in a container of Australian woodchips used to make paper in Japan. Several years ago a major redback infestation was found in the street drainage system of the city, and the arachnids have now spread to prefectures covering roughly a third of the country. In one case, a man moving from Osaka north to the Tokyo region by car unknowingly took a redback spider with him after the animal had latched onto the vehicle, the wildlife researcher said. He said Japanese people must become more aware of the dangers of redbacks, a species long feared in Australia, where the creatures are known to lurk in garden sheds, in shoes left outdoors, and under toilet seats. "People need to be warned on how to treat them, and to be careful when they're out cleaning ditches, and to wear thick cotton gloves for example," said Kishimoto. *AFP.
Possums
A dramatic drop in the estimated NZ possum population is good news for native birds. New research shows possum numbers have plummeted from between 60 and 70 million during the 1980s, to about 30 million. The Wellington region recorded the biggest drop, of 87 per cent. The region has about 200,000 possums, but without possum control the number would have been between 1.3 and 1.5 million. Forest and Bird spokeswoman Helen Bain said the drop was a factor in exploding numbers of tui in the Wellington area. "We're getting a lot of anecdotal reports that numbers are up. I was in town the other day and I would have seen about 20 of them." Possums would raid the nests of native birds, such as tui, taking eggs, chicks and sometimes even adult birds, she said. "If we get possum numbers down, native birds and plants come back big time."
The study, by Landcare Research wildlife biologist Bruce Warburton, used satellite-imaging technology to analyse 52 vegetation types, which helped show how many possums each area could accommodate. The Conservation Department and regional councils also provided information. The study found the forests could host 48 million possums, with no pest control. But when efforts to beat possums were included, that figure dropped to 30 million. "New Zealanders have been fascinated by how many possums there are, ever since the estimates of 60 to 70 million were generated in the 1980s." Australian brush-tailed possums, introduced in 1837 to establish a fur trade, have become New Zealand's main pest in both ecological and economic terms. Among their favourite foods are the leaves of natives trees such as pohutukawa and totara.
Possum control is carried out on about 13.3 million hectares – about half all vegetated land – for conservation and to stop the spread of bovine tuberculosis. The Conservation Department spent $14.9 million on it last year, mainly using 1080 poison. The results of the study did not mean the war against possums was over, DOC spokesman Rory Newsman said. "We are getting some good results in places, but there is constant re-invasion by possums." *
Ed Comment; The use of 1080 poison is widely opposed by many Australians and New Zealanders. Its a cruel and lingering death for any nontarget animal who picks up the poison, and it's purely a bandaid. This report, no doubt authorised by the NZ Government, claims an increase in bird populations, which is great, but without a permanent, longterm, humane solution, the problem just keeps coming back. We have the technology to develop effective contraception solutions, to stop unwanted animals from breeding, but it will never get developed or used, because 1080 is easier to use, even though its just a bandaid. Australia and New Zealand use more 1080 than the rest of the worlds total 1080 use.
Koalas
The Qld State Government-enforced practice of returning injured koalas to where they were found - even near busy roads - is under fire from green groups and researchers. Carers say more koalas than ever are being killed by vehicles and the carnage could result in their extinction in the state's southeast. New research on the Gold Coast could hold the key to saving the much-loved animals, according to environmentalists. Gold Coast City Council has begun relocating a handful of koalas at Coomera – part of a colony of more than 100 under threat from a housing development – to Canungra in the hinterland as part of a $20 million pilot program. Researchers are using radio transmitters to determine if the koalas stay in their new home before moving the other animals. The current practice for carers, enforced by the State's Nature Conservation Act, is to return injured koalas to their "home range" despite the increasing threat of road traffic or dogs.
Wildlife Australia carer Karen Scott hopes the study will lead to a change in laws that force carers to return injured koalas to within 5km of where they were rescued. "I think there needs to be a bit of give and take in the legislation. Maybe 10km is a better limit, where they can establish a home range and not get hit by a car or attacked by a dog," she said. Green groups such as the Gold Coast and Hinterland Environment Council and Australia Koala Foundation, following a briefing by council officers in the past week, welcomed the project, but fear governments will be too slow to act. Australian Koala Foundation chief executive officer Deborah Tabart said the future of the species was "on the edge" in southeast Queensland, where 25,000 deaths had been recorded in the past 10 years. She acknowledged the new research could help prevent their extinction within a decade. "You can't protect them from the dangers . . . and they put them back in the same war zone." Currumbin Valley resident Steve Barnes, who has saved several koalas after they were hit on busy roads, believes they should be relocated to safe bushland. "It's crazy putting them back where they have been hit." *Courier Mail
Kangaroos
THE Queensland Government has been accused of putting the receipt of licence fees ahead of conservation motives and the viability of professional kangaroo shooters.There are almost 2000 kangaroo harvesting licences in existence in Queensland, a number that professional operators say prevents kangaroo shooting from becoming a viable long-term occupation. Harvesters say those who stick with the industry and supply processors through periods of low prices receive no reward when prices improve because of the number of opportunistic shooters who are able to quickly flood the industry and saturate supply when prices are high. Limiting the number of licences would lead to more sustainable harvesting of kangaroo populations and would foster better and more mutually beneficial relationships between shooters and landholders, according to harvesters who spoke to Queensland Country Life last week. It would also cause licences to grow in value, become saleable and allow shooters to earn a viable living from the industry, while generating a more reliable year-round supply for processors. Some also argue that capping licences would encourage more shooters to adopt the industry as a full-time profession and would reduce the risk of 'fly-by-nighters' or part-time shooters undermining the industry's integrity with un-professional standards.
Goondiwindi shooter Graham Mackney said the 2000 licences currently issued by the Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) in Queensland were far too many. "The department has told us it is impossible to cap the number of licences, but they said that about fishing licences and they soon changed that." DERM regional manager Chris Hill said the department uses a quota system to manage the conservation of kangaroos, and did not believe that capping licences was the solution. "Currently, quotas in Queensland are set between 10 and 20 percent of the estimated population for each species, as scientific research has demonstrated that harvesting at these levels ensures a sustainable harvest that does not detrimentally impact on the conservation of the species," Mr Hill said. "The annual harvest can be reviewed at any time to consider changing circumstances such as the effects of drought or disease." However, shooters have challenged the quota system's ability to work in practice, and believe the department has put the receipt of licence fees ahead of sustainable management of populations.
"The reason we are shooting quotas out is because DERM is selling tags for money, and because there are too many shooters out there and too many shooters sitting on tags," Mr Mackney said. "In a normal Russian market year, the Central Zone had an allocation of 700,000 tags for the year, but they would have sold 800,000, and then had 100,000 out there that they couldn't really control, which is why it was going over. "That is why they have had to change the tagging scenario. In the Central Zone there are 400,000 tags available this year, and once 400,000 come in, that is it - you can't get any more. "It is a little wrong but a lot right - the industry has to be turned back into a professional industry." Another shooter told Queensland Country Life that he believed DERM was concerned only about the "couple of hundred bucks per licence" it received, which explained why there were currently almost 2000 macro-pod harvesting licences in Queensland. "They get on their pedestal and say it is all about sustainable harvesting and the rest of it, but they don't put it into practice. They will give as many licences as they can."
The shooter said that a full-time harvester required between five to 10 properties depending on size and location to make a living; however, it was not uncommon to see several shooters working single properties in the past. "It is not unusual to go to some places and see two or three spotlights working in the one area on a particular night - it gets a bit interesting at times. "Some landholders don't care who is shooting them or how they're shooting them - as long as they're being shot, that's all they want to know. "Most professional harvesters will look after those properties as if they're their own, because they have to nurture those animals and the relationship with the landholder to give them the access they need." *QCL
Water for Wildlife
Mornington Peninsula wildlife carers fear they will be forced to bury hundreds of dead marsupials this summer. The group described the distressing scenes of last summer's heatwave when baby and mother ringtail possums died from heat stress and dehydration. They are calling on residents to help them cut the toll. Rye Beach Vet Hospital senior nurse Carolyn Maguire, Tyabb wildlife carer Jennie Bryant and Wildlife Help on the Mornington Peninsula (WHOMP) secretary Denise Garratt all described last summer as the worst they had seen. They treated record numbers of dehydrated and heat-stressed possums and bird life and all said residents could make a difference. Ms Maguire's clinic only managed to save two ringtail possums from a record 60 handed in during a four-day period.
``It was tremendously heartbreaking,'' Ms Maguire said. ``This year we are seeking to get the word out and to educate the public on ways they can help prevent this devastating loss.'' She wants residents to put containers of water in backyard trees. ``People just don't realise there's no moisture in the trees or water on the sides of roads where wildlife used to drink.'' Ms Garratt said ringtail possums were the first to suffer in the heat. She estimated hundreds, possibly thousands, were lost across the peninsula. ``It was dreadful,'' she said. ``They were dropping their babies first then the mothers dropped.'' She advised residents to put water in shady spots in backyards and cover any distressed ringtails, take them inside and give them water with honey then call a wildlife shelter or take the animal to the nearest vet clinic. Ms Bryant was handed about 50 ringtail possums and four koalas last summer. ``When it gets into 40-plus degrees they can't cope,'' she said. WHOMP can be contacted on 0417 380 687. *Frankston Standard
Thinking about Wildlife? Who’s going to watch over our wildlife when you no longer share their World? Well, we are! The Wildlife Protection Association of Australia Inc. will continue to forcefully lobby governments to do better with wildlife management, and by taking them to Court if necessary. We are currently working on developing eLearning projects, so students can become aware of the importance of our wildlife living in a safe and secure natural environment. After you have looked after your family and friends in your Will, think about wildlife. A bequest to the Wildlife Protection Association of Australia Inc. will ensure that we can continue to take a leading role in protecting and conserving our precious wildlife. None of the donations we receive are diverted to "administration". Every dollar we get through bequests or donations for wildlife hits the ground running! Talk to your solicitor, or if writing your own Will, add the words "I bequeath to The Wildlife Protection Association of Australia Inc. for the purpose of protecting wildlife in Australia (a specified sum), or (specified items including land or vehicle), or (the residue of my estate) or (percentage of my estate) free of all duties, and the receipt of the President, Secretary or other authorised WPAA officer for the time being shall be a complete and sufficient discharge for the executor(s)." You can also phone me for a confidential chat, as to how a bequest can help us work to protect our wildlife, when you are no longer able to. * Pat O’Brien, WPAA 07 54941890
Kangaroos - Faces in the Mob! (We recently ran out od stock of this very popular magical DVD, but now have new supplies in! Buy Now! Buy Now!....before we run out again!)
On the east coast of Australia lies a valley of magical beauty, surrounded by mountains and shrouded in mists during winter. In these idyllic surroundings live a mob of wild Eastern Grey Kangaroos whose society is rich and complex. Faces in the mob is an engaging true story of life within this one mob of Australian wild Eastern Grey Kangaroos.
For two years, award-winning Australian filmmakers Dr. Jan Aldenhoven and Glen Carruthers lived with this mob. Hear their compelling account of the world of these captivating marsupials where each animal has its own personality. Buy the DVD now with Paypal...$29.95 Au includes free postage in Australia.
http://www.kangaroo-protection-coalition.com/kangaroos-facesinthemob.html
Follow the destinies of two lovable joeys - a female named Sunshade whose mother is conscientious and successful, and Jaffa, a little male full of pluck and courage whose mother is absent-minded. And witness everything from birth to the dramatic and sometimes deadly battles between adult males.
Never before has the richness and complexity of the kangaroo society and the daily drama of their family life been revealed in such stunning detail. Superbly photographed, this beautiful story of Australia's most famous animal will captivate you from beginning to end. This is the best documentary about our beloved kangaroos that has ever been produced. Profits from sales of the DVD go to help the Kangaroo Protection Coalition to campaign for the protection of our beautiful kangaroos.
Buy the DVD now with $34.95 Au Paypal for International postage delivery. http://www.kangaroo-protection-coalition.com/kangaroos-facesinthemob.html
This DVD would make a great "All Year Round" present!
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