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!