Wildlife MiniBytes
Plague Rodents
Sylvatic plague - a close cousin of the dreaded disease that killed one-third of all European residents in the six years between 1347 and 1353 - persists in rodents in the American West even when the disease does not erupt into epidemic form, new research demonstrates. The newly published work indicates that plague continues to affect the black-footed ferret, one of the most critically endangered mammals in North America, as well as several species of prairie dogs, including the federally threatened Utah prairie dog. The disease also has been found in larger predators such as cougars and lynx that prey on rodents, rabbits, chipmunks and squirrels that may be susceptible to plague. Plague, a flea-borne disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis was introduced to North America in the late 1800s. It spreads rapidly, causing devastating effects to wildlife and posing risks to people. Read more http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/mar2010/2010-03-01-091.html
Duck Shooting
A protester has been rescued from the annual wild duck shoot on Tasmania's east coast. Police say the rescue helicopter was called about 9:00am (AEST) to retrieve a 35-year-old woman who was part of a campaign to disrupt the hunt at Moulting Lagoon. The woman, from Battery Point, was thought to have been bitten by a snake but it was later diagnosed as a suspected marine sting to her foot. The woman is in hospital in Hobart in a stable condition. Tasmania's duck hunting season opened today and runs until June. *ABC
Rare Plant
A rare plant species found only in south-east Queensland's South Burnett region has been declared critically endangered. About 3,000 plants remain of the lasiopetalum species, found only in the Speedwell Range north-west of Murgon. South Burnett botanist Carolyn Haskard says protection under Commonwealth law is a major step forward. "What that means is that [for] any development, roadside maintenance, any works whatsoever that may disturb the plant, a referral has to be put together and sent to the Federal Government for approval," she said. "So therefore what it means is no harm whatsoever is allowed to come to that plant in the wild." *ABC
Ivory Smuggling
A Philippine wildlife officer is suspected of stealing more than 1,500 pounds (700 kilograms) of smuggled elephant tusks seized last year, an embarrassing setback for the country's anti-poaching efforts, an official said Wednesday. The ivory worth $65,000 was part of a 8,800-pound (4,000-kilogram) shipment of tusks that was impounded at Manila airport in July and turned over for disposal to the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau, said Theresa Mundita Lim, the agency's director. Trade in ivory is banned under U.N. rules. Read more http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j62zRVODuNvZtqszarpyLg-pCkUwD9E72QGO0
Cassowaries
Help Bob Irwin save the cassowaries...... Read Bob's Blog here...... http://www.bobirwinwildlife.com/blog.html
Tigers
The "Year of the Tiger," the lunar Chinese New Year, was celebrated on February 14. Once every twelve years, tigers are honored for their transcendent beauty and for the physical and psychic prowess their parts are believed to offer humans. There are perhaps 17,000 tigers on this earth. Between 5,000 and 7,000 are "farmed in China," five thousand in the United States, three thousand of which are kept in private hands, about two thousand in zoos. These are not solid numbers, but what we do know is that there are probably no more than 3,200 tigers in the wild. And we do know that wild tigers are being snared and poached and killed at a rate that will once and for all time bring silence and death to the wild. Thus, this Year of the Tiger has brought an orchestra of well-wishers to the fore: to hold conferences, to issue papers, to pledge to double wild tiger numbers by the next Year of the Tiger. But conferences will not suffice to shut down the vicious criminal organizations, serious killers, who run an operation that is as lucrative as the trade in illegal drugs. A 55 pound sack of tiger bones from a single tiger, a tiger once wild and now caged in a tenement zoo enclosure, can be worth up to $250,000. Consider the selling price of all the parts of a failing, ill-treated, once-wild tiger, now near death with other once-wild, dying tigers. Read more http://www.huffingtonpost.com/art-ortenberg/the-year-of-the-tiger---a_b_482039.html
Federal Whaling Backflip Coming?
Key nations in the whaling debate are meeting in the United States to discuss a compromise deal over the divisive issue. Delegates meeting near Saint Petersburg in Florida are considering a proposal put forward by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to allow Japan, Iceland and Norway to commercially hunt whales. The proposal would include strict monitoring and reductions in the number of whales killed over the next 10 years. Australia is trying to stop Japanese whaling in the Antarctic and has put forward its own proposal. The meeting is closed to the media but lobby groups are allowed to observe. They say the atmosphere is cordial. This is a preliminary session ahead of the full meeting of the IWC in Morocco in June. *ABC
Hunting
Missouri House members gave first-round approval Tuesday to a proposed constitutional amendment designed to make it harder for citizen efforts to change the state's wildlife and forestry policies. The measure would require a four-sevenths majority to pass ballot initiatives changing the state constitution or laws dealing with hunting, fishing or forestry. Currently, ballot measures only require a majority to pass. Lawmakers, who have debated similar proposals in recent years, said they are concerned about outside efforts -- particularly from animal rights or environmental groups -- to curtail the state's hunting and fishing rights. Sponsoring Rep. Mike Dethrow said hunting and fishing are embedded in Missouri's culture and deserve particular protection. Dethrow, R-Alton, (the proposer) said his proposal is a "proactive approach that protects responsible, science-based management of our wildlife resources." * News Tribune
Flying Foxes
Hope is on the horizon for bat-haters in Maclean. An application for a licence to disperse the flying foxes next to Maclean High School will be made this week by the Department of Education and Training. The department has already lodged an application with the State and Commonwealth authorities to remove trees and tree limbs close to the school which can harbour flying foxes, a spokesman said. “The department continues to work with urgency in its consultation with the State and Commonwealth environment agencies and with Clarence Valley Council, on the basis that any resolution will require the agreement of all three levels of government,” the statement said. “While previous advice has indicated that a new application to disperse would involve a costly environmental study and stood little chance of success, after further intensive liaison with the State and Federal authorities, the department is now in a position to believe that an application, if lodged, may have a greater chance of resolving the issue,” the statement said. *The Daily Examiner
Whaling
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) are searching a second anti-whaling ship today in Hobart. Police boarded the Sea Shepherd boat Bob Barker when it docked in Hobart shortly before 2:30pm (AEDT) today, Saturday. Earlier today, the AFP searched the Steve Irwin when it docked in Hobart. The Sea Shepherd group says police are investigating about 100 complaints made by Japanese authorities about protesters' behaviour in the Southern Ocean. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says the Federal Government will not interfere with AFP investigation. Mr Rudd says the Government has made its stance clear that if Japanese whaling does not stop, it will take the matter to the international court of justice. But he says the Government will not get involved in the AFP's investigation. "In terms of whether or not the Sea Shepherd has in any way violated any relevant law where Australian authorities are involved, that properly lies within the independent decision making processes of the Australian Federal Police," he said. But Greens Senator Bob Brown has condemned the use of AFP officers to carry out the requests of the Japanese authorities. "This is a political issue and the Japanese government is using the policing services for a political purpose while the Australian Government seems to be totally asleep," he said. *ABC
Sealions Killed
Oregon's Department of Fish and Wildlife killed its first fish-eating California sea lion of 2010 Wednesday after capturing it by Bonneville Dam. The department, working with the state of Washington and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, first started killing California sea lions by lethal injection last year. In 2009, biologists euthanized 11 California sea lions identified as repeatedly dining near the Columbia River dam's fish ladders and transferred four others to a zoo or aquarium. This year, no zoos or aquariums have agreed to take sea lions, ODFW spokeswoman Jessica Sall said. The sea lion killed Wednesday was one of 64 California sea lions on a NOAA-approved list of animals eligible to be euthanized because they've been repeatedly spotted eating salmon, Sall said. Biologists have seen the animal for the past seven years at the dam, she said. The Columbia is home to multiple runs of endangered and threatened wild salmon and steelhead, and is the focus of a multi-billion-dollar salmon restoration effort. The sea lions feast mainly on spring chinook, both hatchery-raised and wild. The animals gather at Bonneville's fish ladders, where the fish are easy pickings. Opponents say the sea lions do relatively little damage to fish runs compared to fishermen and the dams themselves and new animals will replace those captured and killed. In Defense of Animals and the Sea Lion Defense Brigade are planning a demonstration against the killings at noon today near the dam, the first on the salmon's run to their spawning grounds. The sea lion killed Wednesday was named "Lionel" last year by students at Oregon City's Redland Elementary School, the activist groups said. * OregonLive
Wildlife Trafficking
Almost 40 illegal exotic and native snakes, including live specimens in glass tanks and dead ones stored in freezers, have been seized in raids in western Sydney. Among the exotic reptiles were corn snakes, king snakes and a boa constrictor. Federal and state environment department officers raided two homes on February 18 and March 3, a Federal Government spokeswoman said yesterday. "The live snakes were found in tanks throughout the properties. There had been no attempt at hiding them," she said. Several people are being questioned and could face charges. * Daily Telegraph
Wildlife Relocation
Hundreds of animals have been flown off Barrow Island in WA's Pilbara in what the Department of Environment and Conservation is calling a successful translocation program. In the past month, about 600 threatened animals have been removed from the island in preparation for the $43 billion Gorgon gas project. The animals are being taken to three different locations in WA. Principal Scientist Keith Morris says two burrowing bettongs have died due to heat stress after being relocated to the former pastoral station, Lorna Glen. "The other 63 are doing fine, we've got radio collars on 22 of those and they're doing very well indeed," he said. Hundreds of other animals including golden bandicoots, spectacled hare wallabies and possums have been taken to Lorna Glen, Hermite Island in the Montebello group and the Cape Range National Park. *ABC
Kangaroos
The New South Wales Department of Industry and Investment says it is researching how to better manage young kangaroos that may become orphaned because of commercial harvesting. Department researcher Steve McLeod says management is justified in the far west where kangaroos are affecting valuable resources like sheep grazing areas, but an assessment of what happens to their young is needed. "Because they harvest at night and the young at foot might not be close to a mother that's shot they sometimes might not get seen," he said. "We don't know the extent of that problem and we don't know what actually happens to those young." The department says if done properly, current kangaroo management practices still remain the most humane way of harvesting the animal. *ABC
Two men have been fined over the death of a number of kangaroos near Dargo last year. Wildlife officers, police and park rangers launched a joint investigation after dead kangaroos were found in the area in October. One man from Melbourne and one man from Western Australia pleaded guilty in the Sale Magistrates Court to owning dogs that attacked wildlife, possessing protected wildlife and a number of other charges. The men received fines of $2,000 and $500. *ABC Gippsland
The New South Wales Department of Industry and Investment says it is researching how to better manage young kangaroos that may become orphaned because of commercial harvesting. Department researcher Steve McLeod says management is justified in the far west where kangaroos are affecting valuable resources like sheep grazing areas, but an assessment of what happens to their young is needed. "Because they harvest at night and the young at foot might not be close to a mother that's shot they sometimes might not get seen," he said. "We don't know the extent of that problem and we don't know what actually happens to those young." The department says if done properly, current kangaroo management practices still remain the most humane way of harvesting the animal. *ABC
A central western Queensland mayor says big rain and flooding in the region means many people are unable to work. Blackall-Tambo Mayor Jan Ross says while the region is experiencing its best season for 30 years, it has also bought problems for some people who are unable to earn an income in the wet conditions. She says some businesses have been quiet since Christmas. "The truck drivers can't get out to cattle properties to load cattle, cattle can't be mustered to be loaded, [there is a] great hiatus in that business," Cr Ross said. "The harvesters of kangaroos can't get out to shoot so they are all sitting down as well and have been doing so since the Christmas break." *ABC
Heres a Petition for the kangaroos that were poisoned by fluoride in SA http://www.care2.com/causes/animal-welfare/blog/australian-kangaroos-poisoned/
Hunting
The Shooters Party is at it again ... and now they're after our marine parks! With its mission to open up NSW’s terrestrial national parks to hunting stalled, the Shooters Party is spearheading a call for a moratorium on marine parks off the NSW coast. It’s hard to believe but Shooters Party leader Robert Brown is now chair of the Committee holding an inquiry into recreational fishing in NSW. The Committee under his leadership is responsible for looking at ‘sustainable’ fishing and marine parks, among other issues, and setting the direction for decision making on recreational fishing for decades to come. Not allowing evidence to get in the way of sensationalism, the Chair of the Committee dismisses the science behind marine parks as "voodoo science". The Nature Conservation Council strongly disagrees with this rhetoric. Marine parks, particularly no-take or sanctuary zones, are a vital tool for marine conservation as evidenced by a huge number of scientific papers.
They say we cannot let the Shooters Party and some extremists in the recreational fishing lobby destroy the precious marine sanctuaries and protected areas we fought so hard to establish. We’ve stood up to the Shooters Party in the past and I ask you to join with us now. We must send a clear message to the inquiry and our political leaders that we not only do not want any scale-back of ‘no-take’ areas, but we believe these areas must be increased without delay in order to provide better protection for marine biodiversity. Have your say Please urgently send two cyberactions before Friday 19 March: one to the recreational fishing inquiry showing your support for marine parks and suggesting management improvements for recreational fisheries in NSW; http://nccnsw.org.au/index.php?option=com_forme&fid=40 and another to Environment Minister Frank Sartor and Primary Industries Minister Steve Whan expressing your support for expanding, not stopping, marine parks and sanctuaries:http://nccnsw.org.au/index.php?option=com_forme&fid=41
You can also view the full Terms of reference for the Inquiry into recreational fishing:http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/Prod/parlment/committee.nsf/0/ad8a68508b48cc13ca25767e000bd393/$FILE/Terms%20of%20reference.pdf
Thank you for your support of our precious marine environment, * Nature Conservation Council of NSW
Frogs
Atrazine, one of the most commonly used and controversial weedkillers, can turn male frogs into females, researchers in the US have found. The experiment is the first to show the complete effects of atrazine, which has been known to disrupt hormones and is one of the chief suspects in the decline of amphibians around the world. "Atrazine-exposed males were both demasculinised (chemically castrated) and completely feminised as adults," researchers from the University of California Berkeley wrote in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The chemical had been shown to disrupt development and make frogs develop both male and female features - termed hermaphroditism. Tyrone Hayes from the University of California Berkeley says the study of 40 male frogs shows the process can go even further. "Before, we knew we got fewer males than we should have, and we got hermaphrodites. Now, we have clearly shown that many of these animals are sex-reversed males," Mr Hayes said in a statement. "Atrazine has caused a hormonal imbalance that has made them develop into the wrong sex, in terms of their genetic constitution."
Whether the effects translate to humans is far from clear. Frogs have thin skin that can absorb chemicals easily and they bathe in the polluted water. The European Union banned atrazine in 2004. The finding may add pressure to the United States to more closely regulate the chemical, which is used widely in agriculture. "Approximately 80 million pounds (36,287 tonnes) are applied annually in the United States alone, and atrazine is the most common pesticide contaminant of ground and surface water," the researchers wrote. "Atrazine can be transported more than 1,000 kilometres from the point of application via rainfall and, as a result, contaminates otherwise pristine habitats, even in remote areas where it is not used," they added, citing other researchers. "In fact, more than a half million pounds (227 tonnes) of atrazine are precipitated in rainfall each year in the United States." The US Environmental Protection Agency said in October it was reviewing the health impacts of atrazine.
Syngenta AG, one of several companies that makes atrazine, has long defended its safety. The company says it is one of the best-studied herbicides available and pointed to prior safety reviews from the EPA and World Health Organisation, among others. Hayes and colleagues studied 40 African clawed frogs, keeping them in water contaminated with 2.5 parts per billion (ppb) of atrazine. The EPA's current drinking water standard is 3ppb. "Ten per cent of the exposed genetic males developed into functional females that copulated with unexposed males and produced viable eggs," the researchers wrote. "Regardless of the mechanism, the impacts of atrazine on amphibians and on wildlife in general are potentially devastating. "The negative impacts on wild amphibians is especially concerning given that the dose examined here (2.5ppb) is in the range that animals experience year-round in areas where atrazine is used as well within levels found in rainfall, in which levels can exceed 100ppb in the midwestern United States." *Reuters
A species of frog has been found alive in the New South Wales Southern Tablelands, more than 30 years after it was thought to have become extinct. New South Wales Environment Minister Frank Sartor announced this morning the discovery of a population of yellow-spotted bell frogs. The frogs were found in a remote creek on private property in the Southern Tablelands region. NSW Fisheries field scientist Luke Pearce first spotted an unusually coloured bell frog late last year while conducting a native fish survey. He then alerted his colleague, David Hunter, a frog expert with the state's Environment Department. But it was not until a field visit last month that the pair was able to return to identify the creature as the missing yellow-spotted bell frog.
Dr Hunter, who spends up to six months of the year monitoring remote frog populations, told The 7.30 Report's Rebecca Baillie the initial capture was a once-in-a-lifetime event. "Luke and I went out to the site, did a frog survey, found one of the bell frogs - and it just so happened to be this yellow-spotted bell frog," Dr Hunter said. "This was definitely the most exciting moment of my career and I will be surprised if I repeat it." He says the find highlights the important role that private landowners can play in habitat conservation. "The property owner at this particular site is extremely excited about having this critically endangered frog species on his land, and is very much looking forward to working with us in collaboration towards the conservation of the bell frog," Dr Hunter said.
However he warns the survival of the yellow-spotted bell frog rests on its fragile creek habitat remaining hidden. "We really don't want anyone going to the site, trying to capture the bell frog or photograph it, because that could introduce an unknown pathogen into the population and cause a problem," Dr Hunter said. A tiny tadpole and frog collection has now been established at Taronga Zoo and there are plans to breed a safety population for re-introduction to the wild. Scientists warn Australia still has more than 40 threatened frog species, all battling the impact of chytridia mycosis, a devastating fungal disease responsible for amphibian declines world-wide. *ABC
Kangaroo Boxing
An event featuring a red kangaroo goaded into fighting a human clown at a festival in the US, designed to celebrate all things Australian, has been cancelled. The BorderFest festival in Hidalgo, Texas, features an event called Rocky Show Circus, involving two kangaroos and their owner, Javier Martinez, who dons the clownsuit. Martinez baits the kangaroo by pushing it and poking it before placing it in a headlock. If Rocky fights back too much, Martinez's wife Sandra restrains it using a heavy tether attached to a harness around the animal's chest. The American arm of Kraft - the owners of Vegemite - was sponsoring the show, which claimed to be a celebration of all things Australian. Kraft Foods Australia says it is pleased that the show was cancelled. "We understand the BorderFest Association, which organises this annual cultural celebration, has apologised for offending anyone, particularly the people of Australia, with the kangaroo boxing display," said Kraft spokesman Simon Talbot. "That portion of the event has been cancelled. "Kraft Foods is pleased they've taken this proactive stance."
Martinez has defended the show, saying the kangaroos are in control at all times. "You cannot force a kangaroo to do nothing," he said. "(Kangaroos) only do what they want to do so we don't make them work, you work around them." But Martinez is known to US animal welfare authorities, having been on their watch list since 2003, when two kangaroos he was caring for died within four months. He's also been investigated by PETA, which says one of the kangaroos died from a bacterial disease called lumpy jaw. *NZTV A petition is online here http://www.gopetition.com/online/34525.html
Kangatarians
A group of greenies and vegetarians were converting to Kangatarianism, a vegetarian diet with one exception - kangaroo meat. The decision, according to the CentralianAdvocate.com.au, a regional Australian news site, is based "on environmental, ecological and humanitarian grounds," as the "kangaroo is often described as the ultimate in free-range, organic meat" that "...require[s] no additional feed, water or land cleared for them. They also produce a low level of greenhouse gas emissions." On February 9, Samantha Vine, a kangatarian told The Sydney Morning Herald, a Sydney-based newspaper, "after being vegetarian for so long, after a certain amount of time I craved some meat... it's not worth the pleasure of eating meat if it hasn't been treated well, I don't want to be part of that."
Jimmy Cocking, from Arid Lands Environment Centre, told the Centralian Advocate, "more people are becoming ethical consumers of food and kangaroo has been the ecological alternative. But in places like Alice Springs, camel is one of the more ethical meats you can eat here in the desert," and "...there is great potential for cameltarianism to be the new semi-vegetarian food trend." Cocking continues to boast that camel is "the healthiest meat in the world" with "low cholesterol, Omega 6, Omega 3." It's unclear if the kangatarian Facebook group's 31 members will swap their roo for camel or return to veggies if the supply of kangaroo meat is jeopardized. The semi-vegetarian has many labels and dietary restrictions including flexitarian, pescatarian (fish), pollotarianism (poultry), now adding kangatarian to the list and possibly cameltarian. One trend is certain, ethical eating is on the rise. *Network Item
Wildlife Trafficking
A jail sentence handed down to a German visitor who pleaded guilty to possessing New Zealand geckos has been welcomed by the Wildlife Enforcement Group. Manfred Walter Bachmann, a 55-year-old engineer living in Kampala, Uganda, was today sentenced in Christchurch District Court to 15 weeks in jail for his role in a wildlife smuggling venture. He was caught with 16 protected jewelled geckos in his backpack in February and pleaded guilty to the Wildlife Act charges at his first court appearance. Co-accused Swiss national Thomas Price today pleaded guilty to possessing absolutely protected wildlife, and Spaniard Gustavo Toldedo-Albarrans pleaded guilty to hunting absolutely protected wildlife. Both were remanded in custody for sentencing on March 29. The court was told Bachmann was handed the geckos by Price, when the animals had been packed into plastic tubes. He was meant to pass the package on to a fourth person who would have taken them out of the country. The fourth person has never been caught.
The 15-week jail term imposed on Bachmann by Judge Jane Farish today was one week longer than the sentence for another German national, Hans Kurt Kubus, who was caught at Christchurch International Airport with 44 geckos and skinks in December. Kubus was also fined $5000. The Wildlife Enforcement Group, a partnership between the Customs Service, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and Department of Conservation, said Bachmann's sentencing today sent a message that wildlife smuggling would not be taken lightly. Department of Conservation investigator Stuart Williamson said the geckos would have suffered stress from being in the plastic tubes. Nine of the 11 female geckos were pregnant and the stress could cause them to lose their young, as happened in Kubus' case, Mr Williamson said. More details emerged today about the latest Department of Conservation interception in which the department says it was "acting on information received". Prosecutor Mike Bodie said Price and Toledo-Albarran had arrived in New Zealand on February 5, rented a vehicle and drove to Dunedin where they planned to collect wildlife from Otago Peninsula for illegal export.
Over five days, Toledo-Albarran searched vegetation for the 16 animals which were later placed into plastic tubing sealed with cotton wool and tape, and with breathing apertures. They drove back to Christchurch on February 12. Price met Bachmann and handed him the package of tubes and the men were arrested soon after. The animals had a total value of $192,000 on the European market *Stuff.co.nz
Police seized tiger bones, anteater scales and bear gall bladders in an international operation against the use of endangered plants and animals in traditional medicine, officers said Friday. Illegal animal and plant products with a retail value of 10 million euros (13.6 million dollars) were seized in a month-long drive carried out by forces around the world, the global law enforcement agency Interpol said. "National wildlife enforcement authorities, police, customs and specialised units from 18 countries across all five continents worked together as part of Operation Tram which ran from 1 to 28 February," Interpol said. Operation Tram "revealed a large amount of medicines either containing or marketing the use of illegal ingredients such as tiger, bear and rhinoceros," according to the French-based international coordinating body.
British police targeted a business selling medicine from the Chinese tradition, but an Interpol spokeswoman told AFP the global operation was against all use of endangered species in cures from various cultures. For centuries, traditional Chinese healers have used tiger bone to treat arthritis, rhinoceros horn for fevers and convulsions and bear bile to treat various infections, thus encouraging poachers to hunt rare animals. In Rome, Italian forest rangers said they had seized 30,000 products containing wildlife, worth about one million euros, after checking more than 3,000 individuals, planes, baggage, and container ships. Arrest warrants were issued against 40 individuals or companies.
"We noticed there is great deal of illegal traffic in Italy," the Italian Interpol director Colonel Giuseppe Verrocchi told AFP, adding that rare plants and parts of tigers, bears and pangolins -- a scaly anteater -- were seized. "The products were imported directly from India, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Vietnam through the ports of Mestre, Trieste and Naples and Milan airport," a statement by the Italian forest rangers said. In London, the Metropolitan Police raided a Chinese traditional medicine business and found what seemed to be plant species protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). "Most traditional Chinese medicines are perfectly legal. However, a small number of people continue to trade in illegal products containing endangered species," said Sergeant Ian Knox from the force's wildlife crime unit. "This trade threatens some of the world's most iconic species, and it will continue as long as the demand exists," he added.
A director of the company that owns the raided properties will be questioned once the plants have been analysed, Scotland Yard said. Police in Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Ecuador, France, Georgia, India, Italy, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Turkey and Zimbabwe also took part in the operation. "The important cultural, historical and religious values of traditional medicines are recognised by the law enforcement community," said senior British officer Chief Constable Richard Crompton. "However, the increased use of endangered species in medicines can no longer be tolerated as it places extreme pressure on their very survival," he warned.
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), still known in North America as the World Wildlife Fund, welcomed the raids. "Given that this crosses many borders, coordinating effective efforts to tackle the illegal trade in wildlife is not easy," said Heather Sohl, who advises the WWF on wildlife trafficking. "It's great to see 18 countries all working simultaneously ... This can be a blueprint for future action on other areas of illicit wildlife trade too." *AFP
Biodiversity
Treasury boss Ken Henry has taken a swipe at the work of his own department as well as others on valuing the environment saying much of it is flawed and fails to give proper weight to the importance of retaining Australia's unique biodiversity. Fresh from producing the as-yet-unreleased Henry Tax Review and in the midst of preparing the 2010 Budget Dr Henry told an environment conference in Sydney that the part of his Intergenerational Report that had received the least attention was the section on environmental sustainability. But not only did the well-being of future generations depend in large part on the environmental resources left to them from this generation, the environment was likely to become more important to them than it is to us.
"It is very likely that improvements in our material wealth and our understanding of the environment will enhance our appreciation and enjoyment of the environment over time," he told the conference. "There seems great scope, for example, for developing new or improved food crops, medicines and industrial products from our biological diversity." Market valuations of forests and farmland underplayed their real value because many of their benefits were too far in the future to be taken into account in prices. Asking people how much they would be prepared to pay to preserve parts of the environment had been found to result in bizarre conclusions including that preserving blue whales is more important than preserving all whales... "The idea of blue whales evokes a richer mental image than the idea of whales in general," he said.
A practical conservationist, Dr Henry helped draft the Henry Review's tax discussion paper while on working holiday in central Queensland caring for northern hairy nosed wombats. In 2008 in a personal capacity he is reported to have helped draft a submission opposing plans to cull 500 kangaroos on urban grassland in Canberra. He told the conference the problem with consulting experts was that they too often gave advice on areas beyond that expertise. In Canberra a panel of grassland ecologists had been asked to "offer advice on the difficult ethical question of whether it is more humane to kill a kangaroo than it is to relocate it." "Ethics too requires expertise," he told the conference. "And it is an expertise that should not be assumed to be positively correlated with scientific training." "We in the Treasury, who are often called on by governments to offer such assessments are very aware of the risks in claiming too much," he said. *SMH
Logging
Logging has started in part of a South-West karri forest which is home to one of WA's biggest populations of mainland quokkas, sparking accusations the Forest Products Commission is putting the vulnerable animals at risk. Conservationists fought for 10 years to halt logging in the Crowea 7 coupe near Northcliffe - an area of forest about half the size of Kings Park - because of the presence of threatened quokkas. But logging preparation started this year and is set to ramp up in coming weeks. The commission says it has set aside sections of the 170ha coupe which will protect the quokkas and allow them to escape to adjacent forest. It will also fund a fox-baiting program in the area which would reduce the risk from the quokkas' main predator. But the Wilderness Soceity said any major disturbance would put the rare animals under severe stress. Wilderness Society WA co-ordinator Peter Robertson said he was concerned that leaving "conservation zones" was inadequate.
"The quokkas are in quite a serious predicament and any disturbance, whether it be in logging or consequent burning that takes place, and all the other activities that take place with logging, all those things potentially destroy their habitat or make it more accessible for foxes and cats," he said. "We've been told many times over the years that there is no proof that the little reserves they leave by the streams provide adequate protection for the species that are left to rely on those areas." Global Warming Forest Action Group members Kim Redman and Mark Sheehan have led the push to protect the quokkas. Mr Sheehan accused the Department of Environment and Conservation of doing inadequate research into mainland quokkas and ways to protect them. DEC Warren regional manager Peter Keppel said while there was a healthy population of quokkas in Crowea 7, he was satisfied with FPC's actions to protect them. "We went to FPC and asked them to review their plans and to provide linkages as much as possible through the coupe . . . such as transport corridors along the coupe area," he said. The commission said the coupe would provide about 17,000m of logs. *The West
More about Whaling
The International Whaling Commission has refused a Danish request to allow limited hunting of humpback whales off the coast of Greenland. The proposal failed to garner the necessary support at a commission vote on Thursday in St Petersburg, Florida. Denmark had in June requested that indigenous Greenlanders be allowed to hunt the whales for their meat. Anti-whaling activists expressed concern on Friday that the motion would be put to another vote at the commission's annual conference, which is scheduled for June in Morocco. Nikolas Entrup, spokesman for the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, said there was a real danger the request could still be granted. Famed for their song, humpbacks were hunted to the brink of extinction in the first part of the 20th century until a 1966 worldwide moratorium on their hunting.
In light of a recovery of their numbers, Denmark requested a hunting quota for humpbacks in the waters off Greenland. The hunt would ostensibly provide food for the Greenland Inuit people, who traditionally eat a lot of whale meat, particularly in winter. The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society disputes that hunting humpbacks is necessary, arguing that the Greenlanders were more likely to be motivated by the high quality of the humpback's flesh. Greenland already benefits from an exemption to the commission's convention, allowing its people to hunt around 150 minke whales, 20 fin whales and two bowhead whales per year. Conservationists said they were concerned that any quota granted for humpbacks could provide a loophole for commercial whaling of the species.
The proposal for a Greenland humpback quota is set to be back on the table at the commission's convention in Agadir, Morocco. Other motions scheduled for discussion include a proposal to allow Japan, Norway and Iceland to continue whaling under commission supervision and an Australian-led counterproposal to eliminate whale hunting altogether. Japan and Norway carry out the large majority of the world's whaling, killing an estimated 730 and 590 whales per year respectively. - Sapa-DPA, www.iol.co.za
Australia looks set to go head-to-head with some of its former allies at this year's International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting in Morocco. A meeting of IWC nations in Florida has just concluded with a number of them pushing for a compromise deal. The US and New Zealand are backing the deal, which would see a ban on commercial whaling overturned in return for Japan reducing its so-called scientific research. Australia is standing firm and has rejected the plan, but it may be a lone voice. Environment Minister Peter Garrett says Australia's primary objective is the total and permanent elimination of all whaling. "We will not agree to any compromise which sees us allow for commercial whaling under any guise, under any name," Mr Garrett said."We have a proposal in front of nations in the IWC which has got a very strong reform component, a very strong conservation component and very clear steps to ensure that we don't see commercial whaling under the name of science. "We'll continue to be part of the discussions but we'll also clearly be pushing our strong position in those discussions."
Mr Garrett will not say whether he is disappointed that the United States and New Zealand may be edging towards a compromise deal. However, Australia's proposal does allow for a five-year phasing out of whaling. "That's in the context of our overall call for the elimination of so-called commercial whaling and scientific whaling," Mr Garrett said. "We certainly say there can be a phase-down within a reasonable timeframe, but there must be a commitment to go on that journey." Mr Garrett says Australia will continue in negotiations while its proposal is given appropriate space, but will not be compromising its position. "Australia has been the strongest pro-conservation voice in the IWC," he said. "Our strong view has always been that in order to break the deadlock there has to be meaningful and deliberate steps taken to achieve what we believe are the necessary conservation goals the IWC should be setting itself." *ABC
Fraser Island Dingoes
Recently Wildlife Bytes ran the story about Jennifer Parkhurst, the photographer who had her house invaded by DERM thugs early one morning last year. Jennifer now faces a maximum two years' jail or up to a $300,000 fine under the Nature Conservation Act and Recreation Area Management Act, for allegedly interfering with the Fraser Island dingoes. The real reasons for the raid were that, like many others, Jennifer has been highly critical of the Fraser Island dingo mis-management strategies. Anyway, a rally or two are being planned, and Fund has been set up to help Jennifer and the dingoes. People can contribute to the fund at Westpac Bank, Pialba, Hervey Bay. Save Fraser island Dingoes Inc. BSB 034-136 Acct 303196.
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!
Monday, March 15, 2010
Monday, March 8, 2010
Wildlife Bytes 2/3/10
Wildlife MiniBytes
Kangaroo Industry
The kangaroo Industry has outdone itself in the noxious Industry awards for stupid statements. In an article in the Weekly Times but not avaliable online, Nicholis Swadling, from the Queensland Department of Employment, Economic Development & Innovation stated that the largest growth area for kangaroo meat was in the nutritional food sector - for use in hospitals, nursing homes, as precooked meals for diabetics, and also in the fast food sector. (Imagine a Big Mac kangaburger!) It has huge potential he said, because of the leanness of the meat, its ability to be easily flavored, and also because of its high protein source. He didnt say anything about the high levels of salmonella or eColi that has been found in kangaroo meat.
Here is an interesting website on kangaroo killing... http://debatepedia.idebate.org/en/index.php/Debate:Kangaroo_Culling
A Press release that came across Back Paddock's desk announced more training for kangaroo harvesters. Had they finally invented a machine for mowing down and butchering kangaroos in the bush? Err no. Kangaroo harvester is now the politically correct term for a kangaroo shooter. It sounds much nicer harvesting kangaroos than shooting them doesn't it? "Harvesters will need to demonstrate their competency through one of a number of assessment methods, such as an on-the-job demonstration," the press release says. In other words they have to prove they can shoot straight. *Weekly Times
Minister for Primary Industries, Fisheries and Rural and regional Queensland Tim Mulherin has announced a trial of new technology to assist the kangaroo industry in Queensland. Currently kangaroo harvesters use a paper-based traceback system, but overseas markets, including the E.U. are demanding improved traceability. With this in mind, Queensland will conduct field trials on two different identification tags to track kangaroos from the time they're harvested until they arrive at the processing factory. The first trial, supported by $61,000 in state government funding, will use a Radio Frequency Identification Device. The two month trial will begin in southern Queensland in March this year and will involve Ipswich based 'Game Meat Processing' and a number of local kangaroo harvesters and field depots. "The Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI) will supply an economist to look at the true economic advantages," Mr Mulherin said. *Qld Country Life
Wild Cats Targeted
Australian scientists are hoping to add some truth to the old adage by using curiosity to kill some of the country’s millions of wild cats. New traps that attract cats using sound and light, and then squirt them with poison, will soon be tested in South Australia’s Kangaroo Island, the Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre said on its website. ‘This is a tunnel that emits a… sound and bright features that attract cats to it,’ professor Steven Lapidge said, according to public broadcaster ABC. ‘It requires them to walk through a tunnel and if they set off certain sensors in a certain configuration, then it detects the shape of the animal. If it is a cat then it will deliver a short spray onto its belly of a toxic substance that puts them to sleep.’ The centre believes Australia may have more than 18 million feral cats descended from escaped domestic pets, which kill native wildlife and are hard to control using conventional poisons. Australia’s vast size makes it vulnerable when new species are introduced, with the country suffering large-scale environmental and agricultural damage from wild pigs, rabbits, foxes, cane toads and even camels. * AFP
Wildlife Auction
About 300,000 items made from wildlife are being sold through a special online eBay-style auction that began Monday. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is reducing costs for storing and maintaining forfeited and abandoned wildlife property at its National Wildlife Property Repository in Denver. Though the auction of current lots on sale ends March 8, new lots will be posted every few weeks over a period of up to six months. The sale will clear space for newly obtained wildlife property and support conservation education and other activities benefiting wildlife. The sale is being conducted under contract by Lonestar Auctioneers based in Fort Worth, Texas. The company will offer items individually and in lots of varying size and content over a period of several months. Auction merchandise consists primarily of reptile-skin shoes, boots, belts, jewelry, and other products made from seashells and coral. Read more http://wvgazette.com/Outdoors/201002250550
White Stingray
A small aquarium in Nelson has got its hands on a rare white short-tailed stingray and they think it might be one of the only ones in captivity in the world. The stingray, known as Nookie, was found by a local fisherman just before Christmas and gifted to the Mapua Aquarium in Nelson. While grey stingrays are nothing unusual, Nookie is different. "It's a genetic thing, where you get what they call a melanistic form. This is where the dark colours kind of get dropped out and so every so often you will get something which is particularly light," says Richard de Hamel, Mapua Touch the Sea Aquarium. The aquarium think that she could be one of the only ones in captivity in the world. Fisherman George Marsh has been fishing for 70 odd years when he came across Nookie. "I've seen three or four in my lifetime but that's not a lot when you see all the black one's I've seen," he says. *TVNZ
Sea Lion Attack
Hot on the heels of death of an Orca trainer in the US, a sea lion has attacked a keeper at Adelaide Zoo as the animals were being put away for the night. A small number of visitors were watching the sealion enclosure from the boardwalk about 4.40pm, when male sealion Tasco attacked the keeper, aged in his 20s, inflicting bite wounds to his arm and leg. The keeper was taken to Royal Adelaide Hospital by ambulance. An Adelaide Zoo spokeswoman said the keeper was experienced and she did not think the zoo had experienced any similar problems with sealions in the past. Adelaide Zoo assistant curator of carnivores Jason Hakof said sea lions could be territorial. "Tasco was probably acting defensively towards his space and the female in his territory," he said. Adelaide Now
Elephant Rampage
An elephant hired for a Hindu wedding in India caused over £200,000 in damage after trying to reach an in-heat female. The turned-on mammal crushed 20 limos trying to get to the female in a nearby sugar cane field in the Indian capital New Delhi. He then mounted and attempted to mate with a truck, and smashed through a shopping mall in a 15-hour rampage, reports the Metro. Wildlife experts managed to finally bring him down with a tranquilliser gun to end the elephant's chaotic adventure. One expert said: "It is a very powerful urge." *network Item
Hunting
Three men all aged in their 20s will be charged with firearms offences after a kangaroo was shot at Creswick. The men were spotlighting in a pine plantation next to the Creswick Forest Resort on Wednesday night. Leading Senior Constable Athol Chaffey said the men were from Clunes, Miners Rest and Creswick. He warned people against attacking native animals and said there had been problems in the past with the shooting of kangaroos, koalas and magpies. Senior wildlife officer Jim O'Brien of the Department of Sustainability and Environment said all native animals were protected. He said the DSE would investigate the matter and consider laying charges under the Wildlife Act. "We are taking this very seriously," Mr O'Brien said. "It's certainly not the first incident we have had recently of destruction of kangaroos." Mr O'Brien said the penalty for killing native animals could include fines of more than $5000 or six months' imprisonment. He urged the public to report any incidents involving native animals. *The Creswick Courier
A man who shot and killed a kangaroo in a national park devastated by bushfires last year has been fined $4,000. Lloyd Cameron Rouse was fined in Dandenong Magistrates' Court on after pleading guilty to shooting the kangaroo in Bunyip State Park east of Melbourne. Parks Victoria staff had spotted Rouse in the park on August 3, 2009, and he was interviewed by police and later charged with wildlife and firearms offences. His two firearms have since been seized and forfeited. In Victoria, it is an offence to carry a firearm into a national park and kangaroos are a protected species. Rouse's fine included $2,000 for firearms offences and $2,000 for charges under the Wildlife Act. Glenn Sharp, a senior wildlife officer for the Department of Sustainability and Environment says the fines show how seriously the community takes wildlife offences. Shortly after the man was charged, Mr Sharp expressed outrage over the killing of an animal in bushland that had been burnt by bushfires only months earlier. 'With more than 26,000 hectares of this park and the neighbouring forests burnt in the February fires, you'd think the resident native animals would be finding it tough enough to survive,' he said. *BigPond News
A Tungamull man has died from a gunshot wound in a tragic hunting incident on Thursday morning at a Central Queensland property. The 38-year-old man was hunting for kangaroos with a 19-year-old man on his property at Ogmore, 100km north of Rockhampton. It’s understood he suffered a single gunshot wound to the head. But the circumstances surrounding how the man was shot were the main focus of police investigations yesterday. Police were first called to the Ogmore property, on Ogmore Styx Road, at 8.20pm after the man was reported dead. The 19-year-old man was helping police enquiries yesterday, showing detectives the area on the 60-acre property where the shooting occurred. A post-mortem examination was conducted early yesterday and results returned to police in the afternoon. At this stage police believe the shooting was an accident, but would not comment on the autopsy results. Although the man owned the Ogmore property, he lived at Tungamull, near Rockhampton. Police officers declared the property a crime scene and guarded it throughout Thursday night. Yesterday forensic officers spent most of the day examining the scene of the shooting. However, weather conditions made their task difficult. The road leading to the property was also cut in three places, making it awkward for officers to get there. The family yesterday asked that the man’s name not be released. *Morning Bulletin
Skippy
Skippy has knocked out Matilda the Boxing Kangaroo, as well as Phar Lap and Fatso the Wombat to be voted Australia's most iconic animal. A total of 836 people responded to an online VetShopAustralia survey, with Skippy the Bush Kangaroo attracting the most votes - 29 per cent of votes. Legendary racehorse Phar Lap was second with 21 per cent of votes. Surprisingly, the dog that said "bugger" in a Toyota commercial came third with 15 per cent, ahead of Simpson's Donkey (12 per cent), Matilda the Boxing Kangaroo (9 per cent) and the Dog on the Tucker Box (4 per cent). Eight per cent voted for Mr Percival from the children's book and film Storm Boy, while Fatso the Wombat from the long-running drama series A Country Practice lagged the field, pulling just two per cent of votes. "Skippy is perhaps Australia's greatest television export and an icon not only to Australians but people worldwide," VetShopAustralia chief vet Dr Mark Perissinotto said in a statement on Monday. "No wonder people love her - the remarkable eastern grey kangaroo can understand and communicate with humans, rescue hapless bushwalkers, foil villains, open doors, play the drums and even make phone calls, among a host of other amazing feats." Dr Perissinotto said while the survey was a bit of fun, it showed what an incredible influence animals, real or otherwise, have had and continue to have on Australia. "Australians have always had a soft spot for animals," he said. "Those like Simpson's Donkey and Phar Lap are etched into our history and national psyche, we grew up with others like Skippy and Fatso while some, like the cursing Toyota dog, simply make us laugh." * BigPond News
Ed Comment; The Cooperative Research Centre for Sustainable Tourism (CRC) is a joint Federal and State Government /Tourism Industry/University partnership aimed at improving the sustainability of Australia’s tourism industry. In the early 2000's a survey was taken by them at Australian airports. Visiting overseas tourists were asked to identify 20 world tourism icons. The Statue of Liberty was number one, followed by the kangaroo. Other significant findings were that 4% would not have come to Australia if they could not see kangaroos, 50% want to see kangaroos or other wildlife as part of their visit to Australia, 25% do not see the kangaroos they wanted to see, and little information is made available to international tourists on where to see kangaroos in the wild.
Koalas
Conservationists say they will confront loggers head-on in an effort to save the habitat of a small colony of koalas on the far south coast of New South Wales. Surveys by the Environment Department have found evidence of a recovering population of around 50 koalas in the Mumbulla State Forest, south of Bermagui. The New South Wales Government is due to start logging parts of the forest next month. Most of the timber is to be sent to a mill in Eden, which exports some of it as woodchips to Japan. John Hibberd from the ACT Conservation Council says if NSW Environment Minister Frank Sartor lets the logging go ahead, the koala population will be wiped out. "I think it's absolutely staggering that we're still having this debate," he said. "The south coast is marked by fantastic beaches, beautiful forests and yet we're prepared to log the forests and destroy an iconic species like koalas for the sake of supporting a foreign-owned industry that's heavily subsidised by the NSW taxpayer." Mr Hibberd will meet with Mr Sartor in Sydney today together with other conservation groups.
A meeting between environmentalists and Mr Sartor yesterday failed to reach any agreement to protect the koalas. Noel Plumb from conservation group Chip Busters says it is almost inevitable there will be direct conflict in the forests. "The community is not going to allow this koala population to become extinct because you've got an arrogant state forest agency that won't listen to anybody," he said. Meanwhile, deputy director-general of the Environment Department, Joe Woodward, says State Forests has agreed to hold off on some of its logging plans in the area. "Importantly, [State] Forests have stated that they won't be going in and initially logging in those areas where the koalas have been identified," he said. "Then we'll be having further discussions with State Forests to work out what can be done to protect the koalas."*ABC
Koalas are under threat from logging due to start on NSW's south coast as early as Monday, conservationists say. (from Condobetter.org) A study done by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) confirms there is a small but viable koala colony in the Mumbulla and Murrah state forests, which lie between Bermagui and Bega. They are a small colony, but how are they going to be preserved if their habitat is destroyed? State forests should be incorporated into National Parks to stop the logging Mafia from having so much power. We in Australia are obsessed by economic returns and jobs at the expense of our environmental heritage and the little value being put on wildlife and their habitat. Jobs are only temporal. Koala numbers are under threat in Queensland and NSW. Surely timber can be found elsewhere? It is far more important to keep our environment intact and protect our native animals. These loggers have too much destructive power. Please contact the Premier of NSW to stop this vandalism.http://www.dpc.nsw.gov.au/contact_us *Network Item
New Wildlife Survey
Australia's government has launched a new survey to find out more about the country's unique wildlife. The program will see scientists camping out in the bush in the hope of rediscovering forgotten species, and finding new ones. Peter Garrett, Australia's Environment Minister, launched the nation's new "Bush Blitz" program. The star of the show was a rarely-seen species of lizard - the Swain's Leaf Tail gecko. This gecko was one of the first finds in the New England National Park in northern New South Wales. Peter Garrett, Australia's Environment Minister, said, "Look I think it is surprising for us to see that there are still pretty big opportunities in terms of identifying new species. We've got 400 now already - previously unreported, unrecorded, undiscovered species - how incredible. Australia is home to more than 560-thousand species. However, less than a quarter have been properly recorded, and less than half of the huge continent has been surveyed. Mitzy Pepper from Australian National University, said, "Bush Blitz is going to go into areas that haven't been surveyed before, or have only been very poorly surveyed. So we really need to get a stronger idea on the sorts of species that we have in these areas, particularly if they're narrow range species, if they're only found in very small areas, they're the things particularly that we really need to concentrate on." Over the next three years, scientists will survey 300 properties in a bid to set up one of the most comprehensive databases of native species. By understanding the habitat and ecosystems, they also hope to establish what threats lie ahead. * CCTV.com
Flying Foxes
Pink batts aren't the only bats that will be preying on Peter Garrett's mind at the moment. Of the many native species the Minister has responsibility for in his environment portfolio, probably none cause as much public and political controversy as flying-foxes -- that is, fruit bats. Within the next two months, the Minister will have to make a decision on whether to approve the proposal by Botanic Gardens Trust to disperse, by means of noise harassment, the colony of grey-headed flying-foxes from Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. There will be immense political pressure on the Minister to approve the action. The gardens are within the NSW environment portfolio and, to date, the state bureaucracy has done everything it can to ensure the dispersal goes ahead. All that stands between the Botanic Gardens Trust and some bat harassing is Commonwealth approval.
But to approve the dispersal, currently the subject of a referral under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, the Minister will have to place a higher value on the preservation of exotic plant exhibits in the gardens than on the protection of a federally listed threatened species. There is a body of evidence that shows that dispersals generally don't work and are likely to have serious implications for the bats' welfare and breeding success. Problematically for him, the Minister's own department recently listed for public comment the Draft National Recovery Plan for the grey-headed flying fox. This draft, endorsed by the NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (of which Botanic Gardens Trust is a part), contains criteria that will be used to determine whether habitat should be classified as critical for the survival of the species. The Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney meets every single one of the criteria.
Loss of such habitat is highlighted as being a high priority threat to the recovery of the species. Approving a dispersal would be akin to dismantling a policy before the ink is even dry on the signatures. Approving the Royal Botanic Gardens dispersal will inevitably have a domino affect on those areas of conflict where residents feel that flying fox colonies are diminishing their quality of life but are being stonewalled when it comes to applications to disperse the bats. Maclean, on the mid-north coast of NSW, is a site of ongoing conflict; Singleton in the Hunter Valley is another with a long-term history of bat-related stress and it's only a matter of time before Kareela in Sydney's south and Bowraville on the mid-north coast turn into political problem areas because of flying-fox conflicts.
If the Minster approves the dispersal of the colony at the Botanic Gardens -- where human conflict with the bats is minimal and no one can seriously claim that their quality of life is being degraded -- how will he then be able to stare down applicants at sites where there is obvious conflict but don't have the loose change to spend on the extensive applications and approvals process (Botanic Gardens Trust has a budget for the dispersal that far exceeds what a local council could ever commit)? Garrett's bat problem is only going to get worse. *Crikey
Raining Fish
It's raining fish ... no really..While the Top End and Central Australia have been battered by torrential rains, a Territory town has had fish falling from the sky. The freak phenomena happened not once, but twice, on Thursday and Friday afternoon about 6pm at Lajamanu, about 550km southwest of Katherine. Christine Balmer, who took these photos of the fish on the ground and in a bucket, had to pinch herself when she was told ``hundreds and hundreds" of small white fish had fallen from the sky. "It rained fish in Lajamanu on Thursday and Friday night," she said, "They fell from the sky everywhere. "Locals were picking them up off the footy oval and on the ground everywhere. "These fish were alive when they hit the ground." Mrs Balmer, the aged care co-ordinator at the Lajamanu Aged Care Centre, said her family interstate thought she had lost the plot when she told them about the event. "I haven't lost my marbles," she said, reassuring herself. "Thank god it didn't rain crocodiles."
Lajamanu sits on the edge of the Tanami Desert, hundreds of kilometres from Lake Argyle and Lake Elliott and even further from the coast. But it's not the first time the remote community has been bombarded by fins from above. In 2004, locals reported fish falling from the sky, and in 1974, a similar incident captured international headlines. The small white fish are believed to be spangled perch, which are very common through much of northern Australia. Weather bureau senior forecaster Ashley Patterson said the geological conditions were perfect on Friday for a tornado in the Douglas Daly region. He said it would have been an ideal weather situation to allow the phenomena to occur - but no tornados have been reported to the authority. "It's a very unusual event," he said. "With an updraft, (fish and water picked up) could get up high - up to 60,000 or 70,000 feet. "Or possibly from a tornado over a large water body - but we haven't had any reports," he said. *NT News
Albatross
A growing number of the majestic and endangered wandering albatross are being horrifically injured or killed by discarded fishing hooks. Tasmanian wildlife officers this week released the second albatross in as many weeks to have been injured by a hook. The latest victim was successfully released near Eaglehawk Neck after being found in the same area on February 21 by a bird-watching group. Wildlife biologist Rachael Alderman said it was another reminder for fishermen to be aware of ways to minimise the threat to the endangered seabird. "This wandering albatross was actually lucky as many birds which are hooked in fishery operations simply drown," Ms Alderman said. She said that even if the seabirds did survive the initial hooking incident, they often died later of infection. Ms Alderman said the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment was contacted after the bird watchers captured the wandering albatross and she was able to work with a local vet to remove the seven-centimetre hook.
Late last year a Tasmanian shy albatross was found with a fishing hook embedded in its bill and was successfully rescued off the North-West Coast. Ms Alderman said assessment of the hook in the latest incident indicated it was of the type used in commercial tuna fishing operations. The wandering albatross is found right across the Southern Ocean, including Antarctic, sub-Antarctic and sub-tropical waters. Young birds often remain at sea for five to 10 years before returning to the islands where they were born to breed. Fishery interactions have been identified as one of the threats to their survival. Since 1994 the species of albatross listed as threatened has increased from seven to 18 of the 22 species. Globally it is estimated interactions with long-line fisheries kill about 100,000 albatrosses each year. *Mercury
Crocodiles
Tourists have been photographed wading through water where a huge saltwater crocodile is still believed to be on the loose. The men - driving cars with Victorian and New South Wales number plates - were photographed walking through the water at Fogg Dam, 70km east of Darwin on the Arnhem Highway. They had ignored signs clearly warning them to stay out of the water. A 5m crocodile has been lurking in the area for more than a year and still hasn't been caught, despite rangers setting a trap for it. Newsbreaker Dudley Sergo said he was shocked by the actions of the men. "I went there on Sunday and there were the two guys, must have been tourists from Victoria, past their knees in the water, fishing," he said. "They actually even caught some fish. "When I left after fifteen, twenty minutes they were still there - obviously they weren't really smart," Mr Sergo said. "It seems you get stupid stuff like this quite often in the area."
Parks and Wildlife senior ranger said he was stunned by the stupidity displayed by the men. "Not again," he said. "To start with, there is no good fishing there anyway - it's not allowed, it's a park. "And there is no doubt the 5m saltie is still there and others have probably moved in, too." Mr Nichols said Fogg Dam was connected to the Adelaide River, a waterway famous for its high population of saltwater crocodiles and its 'Jumping Crocodile' cruises. "That's where they all are (the crocodiles), no doubt some of them are at Fogg Dam, too," he said. "Standing in the water (there) is just incredibly silly - you never, never know what might come out of it," Mr Nichols. It is illegal to fish without a permit in any conservation reserve in the Northern Territory and under the Territory Parks and Conservation Act, and people interfering with protected wildlife could face five years in prison. Only three weeks ago, a woman was photographed swimming at Shady Camp, a place with one of the highest crocodile populations in the Northern Territory. The woman, who wore little but a pink bikini, became infamous for her dip with crocs, but her identity still remains a mystery. *NT News
Fraser Island Dingoes
Last week Wildlife Bytes ran the story about Jennifer Parkhurst, the photographer who had her house invaded by DERM thugs early one morning last year. Jennifer now faces a maximum two years' jail or up to a $300,000 fine under the Nature Conservation Act and Recreation Area Management Act, for allegedly interfering with the Fraser Island dingoes. The real reasons for the raid were that, like many others, Jennifer has been highly critical of the Fraser Island dingo mis-management strategies. Anyway, a rally or two are being planned, and Fund has been set up to help Jennifer and the dingoes. People can contribute to the fund at Westpac Bank, Pialba, Hervey Bay. Save Fraser island Dingoes Inc. BSB 034-136 Acct 303196.
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!
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......
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
Kangaroo Industry
The kangaroo Industry has outdone itself in the noxious Industry awards for stupid statements. In an article in the Weekly Times but not avaliable online, Nicholis Swadling, from the Queensland Department of Employment, Economic Development & Innovation stated that the largest growth area for kangaroo meat was in the nutritional food sector - for use in hospitals, nursing homes, as precooked meals for diabetics, and also in the fast food sector. (Imagine a Big Mac kangaburger!) It has huge potential he said, because of the leanness of the meat, its ability to be easily flavored, and also because of its high protein source. He didnt say anything about the high levels of salmonella or eColi that has been found in kangaroo meat.
Here is an interesting website on kangaroo killing... http://debatepedia.idebate.org/en/index.php/Debate:Kangaroo_Culling
A Press release that came across Back Paddock's desk announced more training for kangaroo harvesters. Had they finally invented a machine for mowing down and butchering kangaroos in the bush? Err no. Kangaroo harvester is now the politically correct term for a kangaroo shooter. It sounds much nicer harvesting kangaroos than shooting them doesn't it? "Harvesters will need to demonstrate their competency through one of a number of assessment methods, such as an on-the-job demonstration," the press release says. In other words they have to prove they can shoot straight. *Weekly Times
Minister for Primary Industries, Fisheries and Rural and regional Queensland Tim Mulherin has announced a trial of new technology to assist the kangaroo industry in Queensland. Currently kangaroo harvesters use a paper-based traceback system, but overseas markets, including the E.U. are demanding improved traceability. With this in mind, Queensland will conduct field trials on two different identification tags to track kangaroos from the time they're harvested until they arrive at the processing factory. The first trial, supported by $61,000 in state government funding, will use a Radio Frequency Identification Device. The two month trial will begin in southern Queensland in March this year and will involve Ipswich based 'Game Meat Processing' and a number of local kangaroo harvesters and field depots. "The Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI) will supply an economist to look at the true economic advantages," Mr Mulherin said. *Qld Country Life
Wild Cats Targeted
Australian scientists are hoping to add some truth to the old adage by using curiosity to kill some of the country’s millions of wild cats. New traps that attract cats using sound and light, and then squirt them with poison, will soon be tested in South Australia’s Kangaroo Island, the Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre said on its website. ‘This is a tunnel that emits a… sound and bright features that attract cats to it,’ professor Steven Lapidge said, according to public broadcaster ABC. ‘It requires them to walk through a tunnel and if they set off certain sensors in a certain configuration, then it detects the shape of the animal. If it is a cat then it will deliver a short spray onto its belly of a toxic substance that puts them to sleep.’ The centre believes Australia may have more than 18 million feral cats descended from escaped domestic pets, which kill native wildlife and are hard to control using conventional poisons. Australia’s vast size makes it vulnerable when new species are introduced, with the country suffering large-scale environmental and agricultural damage from wild pigs, rabbits, foxes, cane toads and even camels. * AFP
Wildlife Auction
About 300,000 items made from wildlife are being sold through a special online eBay-style auction that began Monday. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is reducing costs for storing and maintaining forfeited and abandoned wildlife property at its National Wildlife Property Repository in Denver. Though the auction of current lots on sale ends March 8, new lots will be posted every few weeks over a period of up to six months. The sale will clear space for newly obtained wildlife property and support conservation education and other activities benefiting wildlife. The sale is being conducted under contract by Lonestar Auctioneers based in Fort Worth, Texas. The company will offer items individually and in lots of varying size and content over a period of several months. Auction merchandise consists primarily of reptile-skin shoes, boots, belts, jewelry, and other products made from seashells and coral. Read more http://wvgazette.com/Outdoors/201002250550
White Stingray
A small aquarium in Nelson has got its hands on a rare white short-tailed stingray and they think it might be one of the only ones in captivity in the world. The stingray, known as Nookie, was found by a local fisherman just before Christmas and gifted to the Mapua Aquarium in Nelson. While grey stingrays are nothing unusual, Nookie is different. "It's a genetic thing, where you get what they call a melanistic form. This is where the dark colours kind of get dropped out and so every so often you will get something which is particularly light," says Richard de Hamel, Mapua Touch the Sea Aquarium. The aquarium think that she could be one of the only ones in captivity in the world. Fisherman George Marsh has been fishing for 70 odd years when he came across Nookie. "I've seen three or four in my lifetime but that's not a lot when you see all the black one's I've seen," he says. *TVNZ
Sea Lion Attack
Hot on the heels of death of an Orca trainer in the US, a sea lion has attacked a keeper at Adelaide Zoo as the animals were being put away for the night. A small number of visitors were watching the sealion enclosure from the boardwalk about 4.40pm, when male sealion Tasco attacked the keeper, aged in his 20s, inflicting bite wounds to his arm and leg. The keeper was taken to Royal Adelaide Hospital by ambulance. An Adelaide Zoo spokeswoman said the keeper was experienced and she did not think the zoo had experienced any similar problems with sealions in the past. Adelaide Zoo assistant curator of carnivores Jason Hakof said sea lions could be territorial. "Tasco was probably acting defensively towards his space and the female in his territory," he said. Adelaide Now
Elephant Rampage
An elephant hired for a Hindu wedding in India caused over £200,000 in damage after trying to reach an in-heat female. The turned-on mammal crushed 20 limos trying to get to the female in a nearby sugar cane field in the Indian capital New Delhi. He then mounted and attempted to mate with a truck, and smashed through a shopping mall in a 15-hour rampage, reports the Metro. Wildlife experts managed to finally bring him down with a tranquilliser gun to end the elephant's chaotic adventure. One expert said: "It is a very powerful urge." *network Item
Hunting
Three men all aged in their 20s will be charged with firearms offences after a kangaroo was shot at Creswick. The men were spotlighting in a pine plantation next to the Creswick Forest Resort on Wednesday night. Leading Senior Constable Athol Chaffey said the men were from Clunes, Miners Rest and Creswick. He warned people against attacking native animals and said there had been problems in the past with the shooting of kangaroos, koalas and magpies. Senior wildlife officer Jim O'Brien of the Department of Sustainability and Environment said all native animals were protected. He said the DSE would investigate the matter and consider laying charges under the Wildlife Act. "We are taking this very seriously," Mr O'Brien said. "It's certainly not the first incident we have had recently of destruction of kangaroos." Mr O'Brien said the penalty for killing native animals could include fines of more than $5000 or six months' imprisonment. He urged the public to report any incidents involving native animals. *The Creswick Courier
A man who shot and killed a kangaroo in a national park devastated by bushfires last year has been fined $4,000. Lloyd Cameron Rouse was fined in Dandenong Magistrates' Court on after pleading guilty to shooting the kangaroo in Bunyip State Park east of Melbourne. Parks Victoria staff had spotted Rouse in the park on August 3, 2009, and he was interviewed by police and later charged with wildlife and firearms offences. His two firearms have since been seized and forfeited. In Victoria, it is an offence to carry a firearm into a national park and kangaroos are a protected species. Rouse's fine included $2,000 for firearms offences and $2,000 for charges under the Wildlife Act. Glenn Sharp, a senior wildlife officer for the Department of Sustainability and Environment says the fines show how seriously the community takes wildlife offences. Shortly after the man was charged, Mr Sharp expressed outrage over the killing of an animal in bushland that had been burnt by bushfires only months earlier. 'With more than 26,000 hectares of this park and the neighbouring forests burnt in the February fires, you'd think the resident native animals would be finding it tough enough to survive,' he said. *BigPond News
A Tungamull man has died from a gunshot wound in a tragic hunting incident on Thursday morning at a Central Queensland property. The 38-year-old man was hunting for kangaroos with a 19-year-old man on his property at Ogmore, 100km north of Rockhampton. It’s understood he suffered a single gunshot wound to the head. But the circumstances surrounding how the man was shot were the main focus of police investigations yesterday. Police were first called to the Ogmore property, on Ogmore Styx Road, at 8.20pm after the man was reported dead. The 19-year-old man was helping police enquiries yesterday, showing detectives the area on the 60-acre property where the shooting occurred. A post-mortem examination was conducted early yesterday and results returned to police in the afternoon. At this stage police believe the shooting was an accident, but would not comment on the autopsy results. Although the man owned the Ogmore property, he lived at Tungamull, near Rockhampton. Police officers declared the property a crime scene and guarded it throughout Thursday night. Yesterday forensic officers spent most of the day examining the scene of the shooting. However, weather conditions made their task difficult. The road leading to the property was also cut in three places, making it awkward for officers to get there. The family yesterday asked that the man’s name not be released. *Morning Bulletin
Skippy
Skippy has knocked out Matilda the Boxing Kangaroo, as well as Phar Lap and Fatso the Wombat to be voted Australia's most iconic animal. A total of 836 people responded to an online VetShopAustralia survey, with Skippy the Bush Kangaroo attracting the most votes - 29 per cent of votes. Legendary racehorse Phar Lap was second with 21 per cent of votes. Surprisingly, the dog that said "bugger" in a Toyota commercial came third with 15 per cent, ahead of Simpson's Donkey (12 per cent), Matilda the Boxing Kangaroo (9 per cent) and the Dog on the Tucker Box (4 per cent). Eight per cent voted for Mr Percival from the children's book and film Storm Boy, while Fatso the Wombat from the long-running drama series A Country Practice lagged the field, pulling just two per cent of votes. "Skippy is perhaps Australia's greatest television export and an icon not only to Australians but people worldwide," VetShopAustralia chief vet Dr Mark Perissinotto said in a statement on Monday. "No wonder people love her - the remarkable eastern grey kangaroo can understand and communicate with humans, rescue hapless bushwalkers, foil villains, open doors, play the drums and even make phone calls, among a host of other amazing feats." Dr Perissinotto said while the survey was a bit of fun, it showed what an incredible influence animals, real or otherwise, have had and continue to have on Australia. "Australians have always had a soft spot for animals," he said. "Those like Simpson's Donkey and Phar Lap are etched into our history and national psyche, we grew up with others like Skippy and Fatso while some, like the cursing Toyota dog, simply make us laugh." * BigPond News
Ed Comment; The Cooperative Research Centre for Sustainable Tourism (CRC) is a joint Federal and State Government /Tourism Industry/University partnership aimed at improving the sustainability of Australia’s tourism industry. In the early 2000's a survey was taken by them at Australian airports. Visiting overseas tourists were asked to identify 20 world tourism icons. The Statue of Liberty was number one, followed by the kangaroo. Other significant findings were that 4% would not have come to Australia if they could not see kangaroos, 50% want to see kangaroos or other wildlife as part of their visit to Australia, 25% do not see the kangaroos they wanted to see, and little information is made available to international tourists on where to see kangaroos in the wild.
Koalas
Conservationists say they will confront loggers head-on in an effort to save the habitat of a small colony of koalas on the far south coast of New South Wales. Surveys by the Environment Department have found evidence of a recovering population of around 50 koalas in the Mumbulla State Forest, south of Bermagui. The New South Wales Government is due to start logging parts of the forest next month. Most of the timber is to be sent to a mill in Eden, which exports some of it as woodchips to Japan. John Hibberd from the ACT Conservation Council says if NSW Environment Minister Frank Sartor lets the logging go ahead, the koala population will be wiped out. "I think it's absolutely staggering that we're still having this debate," he said. "The south coast is marked by fantastic beaches, beautiful forests and yet we're prepared to log the forests and destroy an iconic species like koalas for the sake of supporting a foreign-owned industry that's heavily subsidised by the NSW taxpayer." Mr Hibberd will meet with Mr Sartor in Sydney today together with other conservation groups.
A meeting between environmentalists and Mr Sartor yesterday failed to reach any agreement to protect the koalas. Noel Plumb from conservation group Chip Busters says it is almost inevitable there will be direct conflict in the forests. "The community is not going to allow this koala population to become extinct because you've got an arrogant state forest agency that won't listen to anybody," he said. Meanwhile, deputy director-general of the Environment Department, Joe Woodward, says State Forests has agreed to hold off on some of its logging plans in the area. "Importantly, [State] Forests have stated that they won't be going in and initially logging in those areas where the koalas have been identified," he said. "Then we'll be having further discussions with State Forests to work out what can be done to protect the koalas."*ABC
Koalas are under threat from logging due to start on NSW's south coast as early as Monday, conservationists say. (from Condobetter.org) A study done by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) confirms there is a small but viable koala colony in the Mumbulla and Murrah state forests, which lie between Bermagui and Bega. They are a small colony, but how are they going to be preserved if their habitat is destroyed? State forests should be incorporated into National Parks to stop the logging Mafia from having so much power. We in Australia are obsessed by economic returns and jobs at the expense of our environmental heritage and the little value being put on wildlife and their habitat. Jobs are only temporal. Koala numbers are under threat in Queensland and NSW. Surely timber can be found elsewhere? It is far more important to keep our environment intact and protect our native animals. These loggers have too much destructive power. Please contact the Premier of NSW to stop this vandalism.http://www.dpc.nsw.gov.au/contact_us *Network Item
New Wildlife Survey
Australia's government has launched a new survey to find out more about the country's unique wildlife. The program will see scientists camping out in the bush in the hope of rediscovering forgotten species, and finding new ones. Peter Garrett, Australia's Environment Minister, launched the nation's new "Bush Blitz" program. The star of the show was a rarely-seen species of lizard - the Swain's Leaf Tail gecko. This gecko was one of the first finds in the New England National Park in northern New South Wales. Peter Garrett, Australia's Environment Minister, said, "Look I think it is surprising for us to see that there are still pretty big opportunities in terms of identifying new species. We've got 400 now already - previously unreported, unrecorded, undiscovered species - how incredible. Australia is home to more than 560-thousand species. However, less than a quarter have been properly recorded, and less than half of the huge continent has been surveyed. Mitzy Pepper from Australian National University, said, "Bush Blitz is going to go into areas that haven't been surveyed before, or have only been very poorly surveyed. So we really need to get a stronger idea on the sorts of species that we have in these areas, particularly if they're narrow range species, if they're only found in very small areas, they're the things particularly that we really need to concentrate on." Over the next three years, scientists will survey 300 properties in a bid to set up one of the most comprehensive databases of native species. By understanding the habitat and ecosystems, they also hope to establish what threats lie ahead. * CCTV.com
Flying Foxes
Pink batts aren't the only bats that will be preying on Peter Garrett's mind at the moment. Of the many native species the Minister has responsibility for in his environment portfolio, probably none cause as much public and political controversy as flying-foxes -- that is, fruit bats. Within the next two months, the Minister will have to make a decision on whether to approve the proposal by Botanic Gardens Trust to disperse, by means of noise harassment, the colony of grey-headed flying-foxes from Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. There will be immense political pressure on the Minister to approve the action. The gardens are within the NSW environment portfolio and, to date, the state bureaucracy has done everything it can to ensure the dispersal goes ahead. All that stands between the Botanic Gardens Trust and some bat harassing is Commonwealth approval.
But to approve the dispersal, currently the subject of a referral under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, the Minister will have to place a higher value on the preservation of exotic plant exhibits in the gardens than on the protection of a federally listed threatened species. There is a body of evidence that shows that dispersals generally don't work and are likely to have serious implications for the bats' welfare and breeding success. Problematically for him, the Minister's own department recently listed for public comment the Draft National Recovery Plan for the grey-headed flying fox. This draft, endorsed by the NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (of which Botanic Gardens Trust is a part), contains criteria that will be used to determine whether habitat should be classified as critical for the survival of the species. The Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney meets every single one of the criteria.
Loss of such habitat is highlighted as being a high priority threat to the recovery of the species. Approving a dispersal would be akin to dismantling a policy before the ink is even dry on the signatures. Approving the Royal Botanic Gardens dispersal will inevitably have a domino affect on those areas of conflict where residents feel that flying fox colonies are diminishing their quality of life but are being stonewalled when it comes to applications to disperse the bats. Maclean, on the mid-north coast of NSW, is a site of ongoing conflict; Singleton in the Hunter Valley is another with a long-term history of bat-related stress and it's only a matter of time before Kareela in Sydney's south and Bowraville on the mid-north coast turn into political problem areas because of flying-fox conflicts.
If the Minster approves the dispersal of the colony at the Botanic Gardens -- where human conflict with the bats is minimal and no one can seriously claim that their quality of life is being degraded -- how will he then be able to stare down applicants at sites where there is obvious conflict but don't have the loose change to spend on the extensive applications and approvals process (Botanic Gardens Trust has a budget for the dispersal that far exceeds what a local council could ever commit)? Garrett's bat problem is only going to get worse. *Crikey
Raining Fish
It's raining fish ... no really..While the Top End and Central Australia have been battered by torrential rains, a Territory town has had fish falling from the sky. The freak phenomena happened not once, but twice, on Thursday and Friday afternoon about 6pm at Lajamanu, about 550km southwest of Katherine. Christine Balmer, who took these photos of the fish on the ground and in a bucket, had to pinch herself when she was told ``hundreds and hundreds" of small white fish had fallen from the sky. "It rained fish in Lajamanu on Thursday and Friday night," she said, "They fell from the sky everywhere. "Locals were picking them up off the footy oval and on the ground everywhere. "These fish were alive when they hit the ground." Mrs Balmer, the aged care co-ordinator at the Lajamanu Aged Care Centre, said her family interstate thought she had lost the plot when she told them about the event. "I haven't lost my marbles," she said, reassuring herself. "Thank god it didn't rain crocodiles."
Lajamanu sits on the edge of the Tanami Desert, hundreds of kilometres from Lake Argyle and Lake Elliott and even further from the coast. But it's not the first time the remote community has been bombarded by fins from above. In 2004, locals reported fish falling from the sky, and in 1974, a similar incident captured international headlines. The small white fish are believed to be spangled perch, which are very common through much of northern Australia. Weather bureau senior forecaster Ashley Patterson said the geological conditions were perfect on Friday for a tornado in the Douglas Daly region. He said it would have been an ideal weather situation to allow the phenomena to occur - but no tornados have been reported to the authority. "It's a very unusual event," he said. "With an updraft, (fish and water picked up) could get up high - up to 60,000 or 70,000 feet. "Or possibly from a tornado over a large water body - but we haven't had any reports," he said. *NT News
Albatross
A growing number of the majestic and endangered wandering albatross are being horrifically injured or killed by discarded fishing hooks. Tasmanian wildlife officers this week released the second albatross in as many weeks to have been injured by a hook. The latest victim was successfully released near Eaglehawk Neck after being found in the same area on February 21 by a bird-watching group. Wildlife biologist Rachael Alderman said it was another reminder for fishermen to be aware of ways to minimise the threat to the endangered seabird. "This wandering albatross was actually lucky as many birds which are hooked in fishery operations simply drown," Ms Alderman said. She said that even if the seabirds did survive the initial hooking incident, they often died later of infection. Ms Alderman said the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment was contacted after the bird watchers captured the wandering albatross and she was able to work with a local vet to remove the seven-centimetre hook.
Late last year a Tasmanian shy albatross was found with a fishing hook embedded in its bill and was successfully rescued off the North-West Coast. Ms Alderman said assessment of the hook in the latest incident indicated it was of the type used in commercial tuna fishing operations. The wandering albatross is found right across the Southern Ocean, including Antarctic, sub-Antarctic and sub-tropical waters. Young birds often remain at sea for five to 10 years before returning to the islands where they were born to breed. Fishery interactions have been identified as one of the threats to their survival. Since 1994 the species of albatross listed as threatened has increased from seven to 18 of the 22 species. Globally it is estimated interactions with long-line fisheries kill about 100,000 albatrosses each year. *Mercury
Crocodiles
Tourists have been photographed wading through water where a huge saltwater crocodile is still believed to be on the loose. The men - driving cars with Victorian and New South Wales number plates - were photographed walking through the water at Fogg Dam, 70km east of Darwin on the Arnhem Highway. They had ignored signs clearly warning them to stay out of the water. A 5m crocodile has been lurking in the area for more than a year and still hasn't been caught, despite rangers setting a trap for it. Newsbreaker Dudley Sergo said he was shocked by the actions of the men. "I went there on Sunday and there were the two guys, must have been tourists from Victoria, past their knees in the water, fishing," he said. "They actually even caught some fish. "When I left after fifteen, twenty minutes they were still there - obviously they weren't really smart," Mr Sergo said. "It seems you get stupid stuff like this quite often in the area."
Parks and Wildlife senior ranger said he was stunned by the stupidity displayed by the men. "Not again," he said. "To start with, there is no good fishing there anyway - it's not allowed, it's a park. "And there is no doubt the 5m saltie is still there and others have probably moved in, too." Mr Nichols said Fogg Dam was connected to the Adelaide River, a waterway famous for its high population of saltwater crocodiles and its 'Jumping Crocodile' cruises. "That's where they all are (the crocodiles), no doubt some of them are at Fogg Dam, too," he said. "Standing in the water (there) is just incredibly silly - you never, never know what might come out of it," Mr Nichols. It is illegal to fish without a permit in any conservation reserve in the Northern Territory and under the Territory Parks and Conservation Act, and people interfering with protected wildlife could face five years in prison. Only three weeks ago, a woman was photographed swimming at Shady Camp, a place with one of the highest crocodile populations in the Northern Territory. The woman, who wore little but a pink bikini, became infamous for her dip with crocs, but her identity still remains a mystery. *NT News
Fraser Island Dingoes
Last week Wildlife Bytes ran the story about Jennifer Parkhurst, the photographer who had her house invaded by DERM thugs early one morning last year. Jennifer now faces a maximum two years' jail or up to a $300,000 fine under the Nature Conservation Act and Recreation Area Management Act, for allegedly interfering with the Fraser Island dingoes. The real reasons for the raid were that, like many others, Jennifer has been highly critical of the Fraser Island dingo mis-management strategies. Anyway, a rally or two are being planned, and Fund has been set up to help Jennifer and the dingoes. People can contribute to the fund at Westpac Bank, Pialba, Hervey Bay. Save Fraser island Dingoes Inc. BSB 034-136 Acct 303196.
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!
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......
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, March 1, 2010
Wildlife Bytes Australia 24/2/2010
Wildlife Corridors
Environmentalists have backed a planned wildlife corridor extending from the top of the Northern Territory to the South Australian coast, but says it needs more investment. The South Australian and Northern Territory Governments have each pledged $1.8 million to buy land for the corridor, which stretches from Arnhem Land to Port Augusta, and to help landowners conserve parts of their properties. But Stuart Blanch from the Environment Centre in Darwin says the extinction of mammals like quolls and golden bandicoots in northern Australia is a crisis and much more money is needed. "Even in very well-funded managed parks like Kakadu, we've seen perhaps a 50 per cent drop in sightings of mammals in just the last 10 years," he said. "So if that's happening in Kakadu, imagine what's happening in other less well-funded national parks or other areas. "They're not going to make this eco-link from the top of Australia to Port Augusta work for $3.6 million - that's not going to buy even half of even one very small pastoral property, let alone pay pastoralists and Aboriginal communities payments to help look after properties along that route." *ABC
Wildlife Trade
The World Parrot Trust (WPT) has sent emergency funds to aid in the treatment and housing of over 1000 Grey Parrots (Psittacus erithacus), the largest group of illegally trapped Grey Parrots ever seized in Cameroon. The seizure, which occurred in early February, is the third such confiscation of this species in the country since December 2007. The aid is being directed to Limbe Wildlife Centre (LWC) and the Last Great Ape Organization (LAGA), two independent African wildlife rescue groups working with government officials to coordinate the seizures and subsequent care of the birds - in an attempt to reduce the trade in this species. This aid follows closely on the heels of emergency funding sent by the WPT in response to a smaller seizure of 300 birds in November of 2009. The Grey Parrot is listed as near threatened by the 2009 IUCN Red List, as evaluated by Bird Life International. Their threatened status is due to the persistent heavy trapping of these parrots for the wild bird trade. Illegal trapping continues in Cameroon, in spite of measures being taken by local and international communities. *Wildlife Extra
Wildlife Pets
State wildlife officials have created a special python hunting season to try to stop the spread of the nonnative snakes throughout the Everglades. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says anyone with a hunting license who pays a $26 permit fee can kill the reptiles from March 8 to April 17 on state-managed lands around the Everglades in South Florida. The season is open for Burmese and Indian pythons, African rock pythons, green anacondas and Nile monitor lizards. Thousands of the nonnative Burmese pythons (released pets) are believed to be in the region, upsetting the natural balance of the ecosystem. Wildlife officials on Monday trained a group of hunters on how to identify, stalk, capture and remove them. *Washington Post
Seals
Hawaiian lawmakers are considering new legislation that will increase penalties for harming or killing Hawaiian monk seals and other endangered species. Senator Gary Hooser introduced the bill which will increase the penalty from a misdemeanour to a felony. "The law shows that monk seals are an important part of Hawaii's natural heritage that must be respected," said Miyoko Sakashita, oceans director at the Center for Biological Diversity. "This is one among many conservation measures needed to prevent the extinction of Hawaiian monk seals." The Hawaiian monk seal is one of the most endangered marine mammals in the world; its population will probably drop below 1,000 animals within a few years. The proposed legislation comes in response to recent killings of monk seals; within the past year two male seals and one pregnant female fell victim to deadly shootings. Hawaiian monk seals are increasingly populating the main islands, where they are giving birth to healthy pups and which may provide the last opportunity for their recovery. Recognizing this, in 2009 the National Marine Fisheries Service announced it would designate critical habitat for Hawaiian monk seals on the main islands in response to a petition from the Center for Biological Diversity, Kahea, and Ocean Conservancy. Critical habitat designation would further protect monk seals by requiring that any project with a federal permit consider the impacts on monk seal habitat. "We need to adopt a suite of strategies to save the Hawaiian monk seal, and protecting individual monk seals and their habitat are important steps forward," said Sakashita. *Wildlife Extra
Koalas
A State Government proposal to relocate koalas to make way for a development is a death warrant for the Australian icon, a conservationist says. The Government proposes to relocate 12 koalas from bushland at Narangba north of Brisbane to make way for housing. Wildlife Preservation Society president Simon Baltais said yesterday this created a precedent so that koalas were likely to be moved every time they were seen as an impediment to development. The proposal is despite Sustainability Minister Kate Jones promising last year to ban clearing in priority habitat, and that the Government would buy bushland in an attempt to arrest the dramatic decline in koala numbers. Mr Baltais said relocating animals was akin to a final solution. "Even if koalas need to be removed, where do you move them to?" Mr Baltais said. "Almost all koala habitat that supports koalas already has koalas. Putting more koalas in that habitat means that some or all will starve and or suffer. "The reason koalas are heading towards extinction is because we keep clearing their habitat, a point seemingly lost on the Government."
Ms Jones said she had authorised Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service staff to relocate the koalas to a habitat nearby to ensure their safety as the site was landlocked. "I can't change the fact that council has approved the development on this site," Ms Jones said. New state government regulations regarding council approvals for the development of koala habitat are now open for public consultation. Moreton Bay Koala Rescue spokeswoman Anika Lehmann said in this case, the Government was doing the right thing. "I'm very much opposed to relocations anywhere else, but if they don't move them, they will end up as roadkill," she said. "The developer has tried to do the right thing and they've paid (Australia Zoo) to track these animals for the past 18 months." Queensland University of Technology lawyer Alastair MacAdam said by removing the Narangba koalas, the Government was, in effect, taking wildlife, a practice illegal under the Nature Conservation Act. Ms Jones said her advice was that the removal was legal. *Courier Mail
However, it's not that simple, and Dr Jon Hanger's response to this relocation criticism is below.
The Narangba development you refer to has been approved by local government. The fact that koalas can be successfully translocated was not considered during the approval process. In fact, translocation of koalas was prohibited by DERM at the time the approval for this development was given. What would you recommend should happen to the koalas that will be displaced when vegetation clearing starts? Lets be very clear about the Narangba site – it is an island of habitat with very few if any options for safe movement of koalas to new habitat. Up until now, the relevant current DERM policy prohibited translocation, instead relying on koalas moving “of their own volition” from their home range into other remnants of habitat. In effect this is surely a forced translocation anyway. In many circumstances application of this “hands-off” policy has resulted in the deaths of many koalas – the development to the north and south of Dohles Rocks Road at Mango Hill is a good example – 12 koalas dead on that road and the Bruce Highway in 2 weeks.
You imply that koalas that are subjected to translocation will suffer stress and starvation. This is not the case in our experience. The alternative for koalas on this site is that they are subjected to loss of their habitat and a much higher risk of motor vehicle strike, dog attack and other forms of misadventure if no action is taken. You need to understand that once a development is approved the horse has bolted. We then need to manage the displaced koalas in a sensible and compassionate way – not just wash our hands of them. And don’t take everything you hear on koala translocation as gospel – a lot of it is rubbish and based on assumptions and anecdote – not good science. The fact that translocation of wildlife can and should (in some circumstances) be used very successfully for management of displaced wildlife has never, and (I hope) never will be used to assess the suitability of developments for approval. You may not realize that DERM permits the translocation of every other species of wildlife at development sites by wildlife spotter/catchers except for koalas. The fact that they have chosen to do so in this case, with proper consideration and application of good scientific principles is a positive step. Please carefully consider all of the facts before broadly disseminating emails like the one below or you may end up doing more damage than good. * Jon Hanger
WPAA concerns are not so much with this relocation, as Jon Hanger says above, there was no other option. I think the concerns everyone has is that relocation may be used as an excuse to allow future developments to take place in koala habitat.....and even in other States. "Lets just relocate the koalas and build another shopping centre or whatever." Nobody trusts the Government or the developers anymore, and I think that's the main concern.....a foot in the door to wildlife relocation for development becoming a standard practice, instead of protecting suitable wildlife habitat from such development. And we think too, many people are becoming very concerned about the massive development and habitat destruction happening around the Southeast Qld. corner, and I know there are serious concerns in the community that relocation of wildlife may facilitate and assist even more such unwise landclearing and development to occur. For those that are not aware of these excesses in Queensland, massive housing and Industrial areas are being developed, yet infrastructure stays the same. The roads are still narrow goat tracks, and are now packed with heavy trucks and semis, and jammed in between the heavy traffic, are cars with people trying to get to work or their businesses. Queensland is a sad place for wildlife, and becoming a sad place for motorists! *WPAA
Quolls
A rare marsupial carnivore has been spotted in Canberra for the first time in three years. A spotteded-tail quoll was found on the branch of a gum tree in the north Canberra suburb of Charnwood last week. It is only the 12th sighting in the ACT in 60 years. The unique animal is the largest marsupial carnivore on mainland Australia and can weigh up to 7 kilograms. ACT Parks Conservation and Land district manager Daniel Iglesias says he was surprised the animal was found on the branch of a gum tree in the suburb of Charnwood. "When we received the call we were a little bit sceptical. Most Canberrans are accustomed to seeing kangaroos and brush-tailed possums, " he said. "Sure enough, when the rangers turned up to a laneway in Charnwood, sitting up on a tree was a spotted-tailed quoll."
The rangers netted the animal and gave it a medical check before releasing it into Namadgi National Park. "He turned out to be a bit of a handful, he didn't want to come down from the tree," Mr Iglesias said. "But we coaxed him down into a net and took him to Tidbinbilla [Nature Reserve] where he spent the night and was cleared by our ACT Government vet." Mr Iglesias says sightings in urban areas are rare. He says it is the second sighting in the west Belconnen area in three years. "It suggests that they may be coming along from the Murrumbidgee corridor or from further out in Namadgi," he said. Quolls have been known to travel thousands of kilometres in search of food. "We believe the quoll ventured from Namadgi to Charnwood possibly looking for food," Mr Iglesias said. "But it's good to know that there is still ACT habitat in good enough condition to support these beautiful animals." *Canberra Times
However the NSW/Canberra-based Wildlife Carers Group have criticised the relocation, saying that "these animals are territorial. WCG say this relocation was a serious mistake, removing this endangered quoll from it's territory should have been avoided. These animals were in the Braidwood area in the 1980's, however, due to using the poison 1080 for rabbits, small possums, etc. the quolls food source, became susceptible to secondary poisoning, along with illegal trapping, shooting, they were almost driven to extinction, along with this species widespread native vegetation clearance, that includes the clearance of their structurally complex old growth forest. Conservation requirements need to be addressed at the landscape level due to the low population densities and large home range requirements. Regional management planning should be developed for the Spotted-tailed Quoll and the Eastern Quoll, to ensure that large corridors, on the scale of 100 square kilometres (e.g. biodiversity spines) of suitable native forest habitat are retained across the landscape". *WCG
Kangaroos and Fluoride
Scores of starving and pain-ridden kangaroos have been culled after developing tooth and bone deformities from breathing and ingesting fluoride emissions. Many more are believed to be suffering from growths that will kill them. The affected kangaroos are living near the Alcoa aluminium smelter in Portland, in the state's south-west, and the Austral Bricks factory at Craigieburn. Autopsies performed at Melbourne University on 49 kangaroos culled at Alcoa on a single day last year found all but one were suffering from flurosis, which leads to excessive bone growths, or lesions, on joints in the paws, ankles and calves. It can also cause tooth and jaw deformities that hinder eating and foraging. The Sunday Age has been told more than 200 ill kangaroos living near both affected sites have been culled in recent years, but this figure could not be confirmed.
The Environment Protection Authority was first warned of the effect of fluoride dust and fumes on kangaroos living near the Alcoa smelter in 2005, although lameness was detected in some animals grazing there as early as 2001. Jenny Charles, associate professor in veterinary pathology at Melbourne University, said research had found that up to 90 per cent of the roughly 130 kangaroos living at the Portland site had some form of flurosis on their teeth and a quarter had visible limb lumps. Dr Charles said autopsies on Craigieburn kangaroos showed lower levels of fluoride in their systems, but the effects of flurosis seemed to be worse. Other foraging animals may also be affected. Wildlife Victoria alerted the Department of Sustainability and Environment to the plight of the Craigieburn kangaroos in 2008. Wildlife shelter operator Manfred Zabinskas told The Sunday Age last week that he had been horrified when he saw how many kangaroos were sick. ''They were in real pain,'' he said. EPA director of environmental services Bruce Dawson denied the authority had been slow to reduce maximum emission levels.
He said that while the levels were safe for humans, it was now clear they were too high for some animals and a new level was likely. However it could take years before research indicated what that level should be. 'We are taking this seriously. Clearly the impact on the local kangaroos and vegetation is not acceptable and action is required,'' Mr Dawson said. He said research by Melbourne University would help guide the EPA's actions. Neither Alcoa nor Austral Bricks has been in breach of their licences to emit fluoride, but Mr Dawson said the EPA had demanded that Austral ''significantly reduce'' its fluoride emissions by building new facilities and upgrading technologies. He said Alcoa had been advised to limit the kangaroos' access to contaminated foliage and the EPA was investigating whether the smelter could reduce its emissions. Mr Dawson said there were plans to herd the kangaroos away from the most polluted areas.
Latest federal National Pollutant Inventory figures show Alcoa's Portland plant is Victoria's largest emitter of fluoride dust, with 120 tonnes a year. Austral Bricks' three plants at its Craigieburn site is second largest with a combined total of 66 tonnes a year. The largest Victorian emitter of fluoride overall is Melbourne Water. Austral Bricks' Victorian general manager, Peter Caughey, said a $75 million expansion of the company's newest plant, which would phase out old technologies, was expected to reduce fluoride emissions by between 76 and 86 per cent once works were completed in 2011. He did not admit emissions from the brickworks were affecting the nearby kangaroos, but said the company was taking a cautious approach. The Alcoa kangaroos live on the 500-hectare Portland Aluminium site, known as the ''Smelter in the Park''.
The park's operations manager, John Osborne, said the company had taken steps over the years - including incrementally reducing its emission level and funding the Melbourne University research - to tackle the kangaroo problem. 'We are deeply concerned by the potential for low-level emissions to affect the health of any animal grazing close to the smelter and will look for further improvement opportunities,'' he said. Wildlife Victoria chief executive Sandy Fernee said the situation was urgent. Kangaroos were being forced out of their territories and left with contaminated land. *Age
Kangaroos
Kangaroos populate the edge of Channel 7's WA Dianella headquarters. A cull would be averted, and a marsupial man-drought addressed, under a plan to save kangaroos living around two of Perth's commercial TV stations. A City of Stirling committee will tonight debate the plan - which aims to secure the survival of the kangaroos that inhabit 20 hectares of land in suburban Dianella. "The way I look at it, the kangaroos were there before us," Infrastructure and Community Development Committee chair Leonie Getty said today. "We've taken their habitat and their food source." The plan put by council officers recommends that verges around land occupied by channels Nine and Seven be maintained to provide adequate foraging habitat. Surveys done in July last year by ecologists Mike and Mandy Bamford confirmed that a mob of between 19 and 30 kangaroos inhabited the area.
The consultants noted the isolated population of virtually-tame kangaroos would be unlikely to survive long-term without management due to inbreeding. Road deaths and the emigration of young males were regulating the population - which includes only a few bucks. The Bamfords concluded the TV station precinct was greatly overstocked compared to carrying-capacity estimates for the pre-European period. They reasoned the population explosion was caused by the presence of post-European water sources and reticulated lawn which rendered the area "unnatural". The council has been debating the declining kangaroo population for two years, and Cr Getty said she was confident the new report would break the stalemate. "To have the kangaroos so close to the CBD is just fantastic," she said. "It's a great tourist site. "Speaking to some people from Channel Seven, when international celebrities fly in in the helicopter they all take out their cameras." While the spectre of a kangaroo cull - raised during the ongoing debate - has been quashed for now, future culls have not been ruled out. An annual survey will determine if individual animals need to be slaughtered for the good of the mob. The survey would also determine if enough resident males still exist, and if new females were required to be released. *Network Item
Kangaroo Court
Forget beef tartare. Astral head chef Sean Connolly has created a modern take on the famed raw meat dish using kangaroo. "It's not for the faint-hearted," he says cheerfully. "I've always been a big supporter of using kangaroo meat. It's got a really good flavour; a gamey flavour. I liken it to a fresh venison." The Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia and the NSW Government are presenting A Taste of Kangaroo at Parliament House on Monday to encourage chefs to take a fresh look at the meat. Kangaroo industry professionals will form a discussion panel and high-profile Sydney chefs, including Connolly and Tony Bilson, have been asked to devise new ways of cooking with kangaroo. The national emblem isn't on Astral's menu at the moment, Connolly says, but it has been and will appear again. Panel speaker Peter Ampt is a researcher and author of a report published in February called Consumer Attitudes To Kangaroo Meat Products. It says that in the past 10 years, the proportion of people eating kangaroo in Australia has increased from 51 per cent to 58.5 per cent. Eighty per cent are now open to the idea of eating kangaroo and 14.5 per cent eat it at least four times a year. In 1997, 12 per cent of people ate it only twice a year.
An important element in increasing consumption has been the meat's wider availability. It is now sold in more than 3000 supermarkets, according to the Kangaroo Industry Association. Ampt claims kangaroo mince provides the best avenue for further growth. "There's a growing market for the premium beef mince, the lower-fat mince," he says. "With kangaroo, the quality of the mince is good, even from the smallest cuts. They can create a mince with almost no fat in it. Our research suggests that people would be very willing to substitute kangaroo mince for beef mince." At next week's event, kangaroo will also get the Chinese touch from Darren Ho, executive chef at soon-to-open Duck Duck Goose in Melbourne, and John Leong, the head yum cha chef at Kam Fook in Bondi Junction. They will create kangaroo char siu bau (steamed buns) as well as kangaroo gee ma (fried potato flour dumplings). The pair have been experimenting with the meat for some time and Ho wants the industry to start grading it. "With beef they say this is black angus or hereford or shorthorn. With kangaroos there are different breeds as well and there may be some difference between them - more flavour, more tender, who knows." *Brisbane Times
Flying Foxes
The flying foxes that soar above Cairns each afternoon could become the city's newest tourist attraction. Dozens of tourists have been gathering near the Cairns Library each afternoon to watch hordes of bats flying away from nearby trees in search of food at dusk. For the past two weeks, the bats have been filling the sky at least three hours earlier than usual, creating an impressive sight in daytime. Tolga Bat Hospital co-ordinator Jenny Maclean believed the bats had become more active earlier because of the wet weather. "With all this wet weather, it’s very hard for them to get out and find food," Ms Maclean said. "If you’ve ever gone out on a motorbike without a visor in the rain, it’s very hard. Imagine if you were flying through rain. What it means is, they are hungrier than usual by 2pm and haven’t been able to get out as much the night before."
Ms Maclean said she had been trying to encourage the Environmental Protection Agency to erect an interpretive sign near the Cairns Library bat colony in an effort to educate people about native wildlife. "It’s something that could be used in marketing us as a wildlife destination," she said. Koala Beach Resort manager Ben Harvey said the bats were a spectacular sight during the day. "It definitely seems to be getting earlier and they really stand out in the light of the sky," he said. Mr Harvey agreed the flying foxes could be a tourism drawcard for Cairns. "I think it’s very unique," he said. "I’ve come up from Sydney and it’s something that really amazes me." Cairns Regional Council is hosting a bat summit this year, but has yet to set a date. Cairns Mayor Val Schier said there were ongoing issues across the region about the impact of flying foxes on residential areas. "Handling bats can be complex and if we can share information strategies with the scientists, environmentalists, residents and council officers, then with that power we can look at how we can prevent bats from settling in suburbia without damaging the environment," Cr Schier said. *Cairns Post
Fraser Island Dingoes
Last week Wildlife Bytes ran the story about Jennifer Parkhurst, the photographer who had her house invaded by DERM thugs early one morning last year. Jennifer now faces a maximum two years' jail or up to a $300,000 fine under the Nature Conservation Act and Recreation Area Management Act, for allegedly interfering with the Fraser Island dingoes. The real reasons for the raid were that, like many others, Jennifer has been highly critical of the Fraser Island dingo mis-management strategies. Anyway, a rally or two are being planned, and Fund has been set up to help Jennifer and the dingoes. People can contribute to the fund at Westpac Bank, Pialba, Hervey Bay. Save Fraser island Dingoes Inc. BSB 034-136 Acct 303196.
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!
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......
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!
Fraser Island
We have been sent some links to video footage of the Fraser Island dingoes. It's the best Fraser Island dingo footage we have ever seen, and should be seen by everyone. All dingoes in this footage have since been killed by DERM. All places in this footage were burnt out by DERM. There is nothing but this footage, and the memories of these dingoes left. Please spread the links to all your mailing lists, and place comments. Before it’s too late, and there are no dingoes left. The Queensland Government's Fraser Island Dingo Management Plan is the worst wildlife management blunder ever committed in Queensland....and there have been some bad ones! This footage was taken by Jennifer Parkhurst, who had her house raided by police and DERM rangers early one morning last year. Her photos, documents, computer hard drives were seized and taken, even framed photoes were removed and taken from the wall of her house. The search warrant claimed they were looking for dog food. These are the actions of the Queensland Labor Government, and even Jo Beilke-Peterson, for all the criticism he received, never sank so low as to send a bunch of thugs early one morning to terrorise a woman in her own home.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cR1EtbNiNs Dingoes howling, if you've never seen or heard a dingo this is "must-watch" footage.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPnIZtgvCaQ Dingoes approaching a beach walker wanting to play.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehX8LwCrWqE A group of dingoes playing. All these dingoes in this footage above have since been killed by the Queensland Government.
May the dingoes Rest In Peace.
Disclaimer;
As we circulatate news and media reports, and items of interest from other wildlife groups, the contents of this ezine are not necessarily the views of the Wildlife Protection Association of Australia Inc.
Environmentalists have backed a planned wildlife corridor extending from the top of the Northern Territory to the South Australian coast, but says it needs more investment. The South Australian and Northern Territory Governments have each pledged $1.8 million to buy land for the corridor, which stretches from Arnhem Land to Port Augusta, and to help landowners conserve parts of their properties. But Stuart Blanch from the Environment Centre in Darwin says the extinction of mammals like quolls and golden bandicoots in northern Australia is a crisis and much more money is needed. "Even in very well-funded managed parks like Kakadu, we've seen perhaps a 50 per cent drop in sightings of mammals in just the last 10 years," he said. "So if that's happening in Kakadu, imagine what's happening in other less well-funded national parks or other areas. "They're not going to make this eco-link from the top of Australia to Port Augusta work for $3.6 million - that's not going to buy even half of even one very small pastoral property, let alone pay pastoralists and Aboriginal communities payments to help look after properties along that route." *ABC
Wildlife Trade
The World Parrot Trust (WPT) has sent emergency funds to aid in the treatment and housing of over 1000 Grey Parrots (Psittacus erithacus), the largest group of illegally trapped Grey Parrots ever seized in Cameroon. The seizure, which occurred in early February, is the third such confiscation of this species in the country since December 2007. The aid is being directed to Limbe Wildlife Centre (LWC) and the Last Great Ape Organization (LAGA), two independent African wildlife rescue groups working with government officials to coordinate the seizures and subsequent care of the birds - in an attempt to reduce the trade in this species. This aid follows closely on the heels of emergency funding sent by the WPT in response to a smaller seizure of 300 birds in November of 2009. The Grey Parrot is listed as near threatened by the 2009 IUCN Red List, as evaluated by Bird Life International. Their threatened status is due to the persistent heavy trapping of these parrots for the wild bird trade. Illegal trapping continues in Cameroon, in spite of measures being taken by local and international communities. *Wildlife Extra
Wildlife Pets
State wildlife officials have created a special python hunting season to try to stop the spread of the nonnative snakes throughout the Everglades. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says anyone with a hunting license who pays a $26 permit fee can kill the reptiles from March 8 to April 17 on state-managed lands around the Everglades in South Florida. The season is open for Burmese and Indian pythons, African rock pythons, green anacondas and Nile monitor lizards. Thousands of the nonnative Burmese pythons (released pets) are believed to be in the region, upsetting the natural balance of the ecosystem. Wildlife officials on Monday trained a group of hunters on how to identify, stalk, capture and remove them. *Washington Post
Seals
Hawaiian lawmakers are considering new legislation that will increase penalties for harming or killing Hawaiian monk seals and other endangered species. Senator Gary Hooser introduced the bill which will increase the penalty from a misdemeanour to a felony. "The law shows that monk seals are an important part of Hawaii's natural heritage that must be respected," said Miyoko Sakashita, oceans director at the Center for Biological Diversity. "This is one among many conservation measures needed to prevent the extinction of Hawaiian monk seals." The Hawaiian monk seal is one of the most endangered marine mammals in the world; its population will probably drop below 1,000 animals within a few years. The proposed legislation comes in response to recent killings of monk seals; within the past year two male seals and one pregnant female fell victim to deadly shootings. Hawaiian monk seals are increasingly populating the main islands, where they are giving birth to healthy pups and which may provide the last opportunity for their recovery. Recognizing this, in 2009 the National Marine Fisheries Service announced it would designate critical habitat for Hawaiian monk seals on the main islands in response to a petition from the Center for Biological Diversity, Kahea, and Ocean Conservancy. Critical habitat designation would further protect monk seals by requiring that any project with a federal permit consider the impacts on monk seal habitat. "We need to adopt a suite of strategies to save the Hawaiian monk seal, and protecting individual monk seals and their habitat are important steps forward," said Sakashita. *Wildlife Extra
Koalas
A State Government proposal to relocate koalas to make way for a development is a death warrant for the Australian icon, a conservationist says. The Government proposes to relocate 12 koalas from bushland at Narangba north of Brisbane to make way for housing. Wildlife Preservation Society president Simon Baltais said yesterday this created a precedent so that koalas were likely to be moved every time they were seen as an impediment to development. The proposal is despite Sustainability Minister Kate Jones promising last year to ban clearing in priority habitat, and that the Government would buy bushland in an attempt to arrest the dramatic decline in koala numbers. Mr Baltais said relocating animals was akin to a final solution. "Even if koalas need to be removed, where do you move them to?" Mr Baltais said. "Almost all koala habitat that supports koalas already has koalas. Putting more koalas in that habitat means that some or all will starve and or suffer. "The reason koalas are heading towards extinction is because we keep clearing their habitat, a point seemingly lost on the Government."
Ms Jones said she had authorised Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service staff to relocate the koalas to a habitat nearby to ensure their safety as the site was landlocked. "I can't change the fact that council has approved the development on this site," Ms Jones said. New state government regulations regarding council approvals for the development of koala habitat are now open for public consultation. Moreton Bay Koala Rescue spokeswoman Anika Lehmann said in this case, the Government was doing the right thing. "I'm very much opposed to relocations anywhere else, but if they don't move them, they will end up as roadkill," she said. "The developer has tried to do the right thing and they've paid (Australia Zoo) to track these animals for the past 18 months." Queensland University of Technology lawyer Alastair MacAdam said by removing the Narangba koalas, the Government was, in effect, taking wildlife, a practice illegal under the Nature Conservation Act. Ms Jones said her advice was that the removal was legal. *Courier Mail
However, it's not that simple, and Dr Jon Hanger's response to this relocation criticism is below.
The Narangba development you refer to has been approved by local government. The fact that koalas can be successfully translocated was not considered during the approval process. In fact, translocation of koalas was prohibited by DERM at the time the approval for this development was given. What would you recommend should happen to the koalas that will be displaced when vegetation clearing starts? Lets be very clear about the Narangba site – it is an island of habitat with very few if any options for safe movement of koalas to new habitat. Up until now, the relevant current DERM policy prohibited translocation, instead relying on koalas moving “of their own volition” from their home range into other remnants of habitat. In effect this is surely a forced translocation anyway. In many circumstances application of this “hands-off” policy has resulted in the deaths of many koalas – the development to the north and south of Dohles Rocks Road at Mango Hill is a good example – 12 koalas dead on that road and the Bruce Highway in 2 weeks.
You imply that koalas that are subjected to translocation will suffer stress and starvation. This is not the case in our experience. The alternative for koalas on this site is that they are subjected to loss of their habitat and a much higher risk of motor vehicle strike, dog attack and other forms of misadventure if no action is taken. You need to understand that once a development is approved the horse has bolted. We then need to manage the displaced koalas in a sensible and compassionate way – not just wash our hands of them. And don’t take everything you hear on koala translocation as gospel – a lot of it is rubbish and based on assumptions and anecdote – not good science. The fact that translocation of wildlife can and should (in some circumstances) be used very successfully for management of displaced wildlife has never, and (I hope) never will be used to assess the suitability of developments for approval. You may not realize that DERM permits the translocation of every other species of wildlife at development sites by wildlife spotter/catchers except for koalas. The fact that they have chosen to do so in this case, with proper consideration and application of good scientific principles is a positive step. Please carefully consider all of the facts before broadly disseminating emails like the one below or you may end up doing more damage than good. * Jon Hanger
WPAA concerns are not so much with this relocation, as Jon Hanger says above, there was no other option. I think the concerns everyone has is that relocation may be used as an excuse to allow future developments to take place in koala habitat.....and even in other States. "Lets just relocate the koalas and build another shopping centre or whatever." Nobody trusts the Government or the developers anymore, and I think that's the main concern.....a foot in the door to wildlife relocation for development becoming a standard practice, instead of protecting suitable wildlife habitat from such development. And we think too, many people are becoming very concerned about the massive development and habitat destruction happening around the Southeast Qld. corner, and I know there are serious concerns in the community that relocation of wildlife may facilitate and assist even more such unwise landclearing and development to occur. For those that are not aware of these excesses in Queensland, massive housing and Industrial areas are being developed, yet infrastructure stays the same. The roads are still narrow goat tracks, and are now packed with heavy trucks and semis, and jammed in between the heavy traffic, are cars with people trying to get to work or their businesses. Queensland is a sad place for wildlife, and becoming a sad place for motorists! *WPAA
Quolls
A rare marsupial carnivore has been spotted in Canberra for the first time in three years. A spotteded-tail quoll was found on the branch of a gum tree in the north Canberra suburb of Charnwood last week. It is only the 12th sighting in the ACT in 60 years. The unique animal is the largest marsupial carnivore on mainland Australia and can weigh up to 7 kilograms. ACT Parks Conservation and Land district manager Daniel Iglesias says he was surprised the animal was found on the branch of a gum tree in the suburb of Charnwood. "When we received the call we were a little bit sceptical. Most Canberrans are accustomed to seeing kangaroos and brush-tailed possums, " he said. "Sure enough, when the rangers turned up to a laneway in Charnwood, sitting up on a tree was a spotted-tailed quoll."
The rangers netted the animal and gave it a medical check before releasing it into Namadgi National Park. "He turned out to be a bit of a handful, he didn't want to come down from the tree," Mr Iglesias said. "But we coaxed him down into a net and took him to Tidbinbilla [Nature Reserve] where he spent the night and was cleared by our ACT Government vet." Mr Iglesias says sightings in urban areas are rare. He says it is the second sighting in the west Belconnen area in three years. "It suggests that they may be coming along from the Murrumbidgee corridor or from further out in Namadgi," he said. Quolls have been known to travel thousands of kilometres in search of food. "We believe the quoll ventured from Namadgi to Charnwood possibly looking for food," Mr Iglesias said. "But it's good to know that there is still ACT habitat in good enough condition to support these beautiful animals." *Canberra Times
However the NSW/Canberra-based Wildlife Carers Group have criticised the relocation, saying that "these animals are territorial. WCG say this relocation was a serious mistake, removing this endangered quoll from it's territory should have been avoided. These animals were in the Braidwood area in the 1980's, however, due to using the poison 1080 for rabbits, small possums, etc. the quolls food source, became susceptible to secondary poisoning, along with illegal trapping, shooting, they were almost driven to extinction, along with this species widespread native vegetation clearance, that includes the clearance of their structurally complex old growth forest. Conservation requirements need to be addressed at the landscape level due to the low population densities and large home range requirements. Regional management planning should be developed for the Spotted-tailed Quoll and the Eastern Quoll, to ensure that large corridors, on the scale of 100 square kilometres (e.g. biodiversity spines) of suitable native forest habitat are retained across the landscape". *WCG
Kangaroos and Fluoride
Scores of starving and pain-ridden kangaroos have been culled after developing tooth and bone deformities from breathing and ingesting fluoride emissions. Many more are believed to be suffering from growths that will kill them. The affected kangaroos are living near the Alcoa aluminium smelter in Portland, in the state's south-west, and the Austral Bricks factory at Craigieburn. Autopsies performed at Melbourne University on 49 kangaroos culled at Alcoa on a single day last year found all but one were suffering from flurosis, which leads to excessive bone growths, or lesions, on joints in the paws, ankles and calves. It can also cause tooth and jaw deformities that hinder eating and foraging. The Sunday Age has been told more than 200 ill kangaroos living near both affected sites have been culled in recent years, but this figure could not be confirmed.
The Environment Protection Authority was first warned of the effect of fluoride dust and fumes on kangaroos living near the Alcoa smelter in 2005, although lameness was detected in some animals grazing there as early as 2001. Jenny Charles, associate professor in veterinary pathology at Melbourne University, said research had found that up to 90 per cent of the roughly 130 kangaroos living at the Portland site had some form of flurosis on their teeth and a quarter had visible limb lumps. Dr Charles said autopsies on Craigieburn kangaroos showed lower levels of fluoride in their systems, but the effects of flurosis seemed to be worse. Other foraging animals may also be affected. Wildlife Victoria alerted the Department of Sustainability and Environment to the plight of the Craigieburn kangaroos in 2008. Wildlife shelter operator Manfred Zabinskas told The Sunday Age last week that he had been horrified when he saw how many kangaroos were sick. ''They were in real pain,'' he said. EPA director of environmental services Bruce Dawson denied the authority had been slow to reduce maximum emission levels.
He said that while the levels were safe for humans, it was now clear they were too high for some animals and a new level was likely. However it could take years before research indicated what that level should be. 'We are taking this seriously. Clearly the impact on the local kangaroos and vegetation is not acceptable and action is required,'' Mr Dawson said. He said research by Melbourne University would help guide the EPA's actions. Neither Alcoa nor Austral Bricks has been in breach of their licences to emit fluoride, but Mr Dawson said the EPA had demanded that Austral ''significantly reduce'' its fluoride emissions by building new facilities and upgrading technologies. He said Alcoa had been advised to limit the kangaroos' access to contaminated foliage and the EPA was investigating whether the smelter could reduce its emissions. Mr Dawson said there were plans to herd the kangaroos away from the most polluted areas.
Latest federal National Pollutant Inventory figures show Alcoa's Portland plant is Victoria's largest emitter of fluoride dust, with 120 tonnes a year. Austral Bricks' three plants at its Craigieburn site is second largest with a combined total of 66 tonnes a year. The largest Victorian emitter of fluoride overall is Melbourne Water. Austral Bricks' Victorian general manager, Peter Caughey, said a $75 million expansion of the company's newest plant, which would phase out old technologies, was expected to reduce fluoride emissions by between 76 and 86 per cent once works were completed in 2011. He did not admit emissions from the brickworks were affecting the nearby kangaroos, but said the company was taking a cautious approach. The Alcoa kangaroos live on the 500-hectare Portland Aluminium site, known as the ''Smelter in the Park''.
The park's operations manager, John Osborne, said the company had taken steps over the years - including incrementally reducing its emission level and funding the Melbourne University research - to tackle the kangaroo problem. 'We are deeply concerned by the potential for low-level emissions to affect the health of any animal grazing close to the smelter and will look for further improvement opportunities,'' he said. Wildlife Victoria chief executive Sandy Fernee said the situation was urgent. Kangaroos were being forced out of their territories and left with contaminated land. *Age
Kangaroos
Kangaroos populate the edge of Channel 7's WA Dianella headquarters. A cull would be averted, and a marsupial man-drought addressed, under a plan to save kangaroos living around two of Perth's commercial TV stations. A City of Stirling committee will tonight debate the plan - which aims to secure the survival of the kangaroos that inhabit 20 hectares of land in suburban Dianella. "The way I look at it, the kangaroos were there before us," Infrastructure and Community Development Committee chair Leonie Getty said today. "We've taken their habitat and their food source." The plan put by council officers recommends that verges around land occupied by channels Nine and Seven be maintained to provide adequate foraging habitat. Surveys done in July last year by ecologists Mike and Mandy Bamford confirmed that a mob of between 19 and 30 kangaroos inhabited the area.
The consultants noted the isolated population of virtually-tame kangaroos would be unlikely to survive long-term without management due to inbreeding. Road deaths and the emigration of young males were regulating the population - which includes only a few bucks. The Bamfords concluded the TV station precinct was greatly overstocked compared to carrying-capacity estimates for the pre-European period. They reasoned the population explosion was caused by the presence of post-European water sources and reticulated lawn which rendered the area "unnatural". The council has been debating the declining kangaroo population for two years, and Cr Getty said she was confident the new report would break the stalemate. "To have the kangaroos so close to the CBD is just fantastic," she said. "It's a great tourist site. "Speaking to some people from Channel Seven, when international celebrities fly in in the helicopter they all take out their cameras." While the spectre of a kangaroo cull - raised during the ongoing debate - has been quashed for now, future culls have not been ruled out. An annual survey will determine if individual animals need to be slaughtered for the good of the mob. The survey would also determine if enough resident males still exist, and if new females were required to be released. *Network Item
Kangaroo Court
Forget beef tartare. Astral head chef Sean Connolly has created a modern take on the famed raw meat dish using kangaroo. "It's not for the faint-hearted," he says cheerfully. "I've always been a big supporter of using kangaroo meat. It's got a really good flavour; a gamey flavour. I liken it to a fresh venison." The Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia and the NSW Government are presenting A Taste of Kangaroo at Parliament House on Monday to encourage chefs to take a fresh look at the meat. Kangaroo industry professionals will form a discussion panel and high-profile Sydney chefs, including Connolly and Tony Bilson, have been asked to devise new ways of cooking with kangaroo. The national emblem isn't on Astral's menu at the moment, Connolly says, but it has been and will appear again. Panel speaker Peter Ampt is a researcher and author of a report published in February called Consumer Attitudes To Kangaroo Meat Products. It says that in the past 10 years, the proportion of people eating kangaroo in Australia has increased from 51 per cent to 58.5 per cent. Eighty per cent are now open to the idea of eating kangaroo and 14.5 per cent eat it at least four times a year. In 1997, 12 per cent of people ate it only twice a year.
An important element in increasing consumption has been the meat's wider availability. It is now sold in more than 3000 supermarkets, according to the Kangaroo Industry Association. Ampt claims kangaroo mince provides the best avenue for further growth. "There's a growing market for the premium beef mince, the lower-fat mince," he says. "With kangaroo, the quality of the mince is good, even from the smallest cuts. They can create a mince with almost no fat in it. Our research suggests that people would be very willing to substitute kangaroo mince for beef mince." At next week's event, kangaroo will also get the Chinese touch from Darren Ho, executive chef at soon-to-open Duck Duck Goose in Melbourne, and John Leong, the head yum cha chef at Kam Fook in Bondi Junction. They will create kangaroo char siu bau (steamed buns) as well as kangaroo gee ma (fried potato flour dumplings). The pair have been experimenting with the meat for some time and Ho wants the industry to start grading it. "With beef they say this is black angus or hereford or shorthorn. With kangaroos there are different breeds as well and there may be some difference between them - more flavour, more tender, who knows." *Brisbane Times
Flying Foxes
The flying foxes that soar above Cairns each afternoon could become the city's newest tourist attraction. Dozens of tourists have been gathering near the Cairns Library each afternoon to watch hordes of bats flying away from nearby trees in search of food at dusk. For the past two weeks, the bats have been filling the sky at least three hours earlier than usual, creating an impressive sight in daytime. Tolga Bat Hospital co-ordinator Jenny Maclean believed the bats had become more active earlier because of the wet weather. "With all this wet weather, it’s very hard for them to get out and find food," Ms Maclean said. "If you’ve ever gone out on a motorbike without a visor in the rain, it’s very hard. Imagine if you were flying through rain. What it means is, they are hungrier than usual by 2pm and haven’t been able to get out as much the night before."
Ms Maclean said she had been trying to encourage the Environmental Protection Agency to erect an interpretive sign near the Cairns Library bat colony in an effort to educate people about native wildlife. "It’s something that could be used in marketing us as a wildlife destination," she said. Koala Beach Resort manager Ben Harvey said the bats were a spectacular sight during the day. "It definitely seems to be getting earlier and they really stand out in the light of the sky," he said. Mr Harvey agreed the flying foxes could be a tourism drawcard for Cairns. "I think it’s very unique," he said. "I’ve come up from Sydney and it’s something that really amazes me." Cairns Regional Council is hosting a bat summit this year, but has yet to set a date. Cairns Mayor Val Schier said there were ongoing issues across the region about the impact of flying foxes on residential areas. "Handling bats can be complex and if we can share information strategies with the scientists, environmentalists, residents and council officers, then with that power we can look at how we can prevent bats from settling in suburbia without damaging the environment," Cr Schier said. *Cairns Post
Fraser Island Dingoes
Last week Wildlife Bytes ran the story about Jennifer Parkhurst, the photographer who had her house invaded by DERM thugs early one morning last year. Jennifer now faces a maximum two years' jail or up to a $300,000 fine under the Nature Conservation Act and Recreation Area Management Act, for allegedly interfering with the Fraser Island dingoes. The real reasons for the raid were that, like many others, Jennifer has been highly critical of the Fraser Island dingo mis-management strategies. Anyway, a rally or two are being planned, and Fund has been set up to help Jennifer and the dingoes. People can contribute to the fund at Westpac Bank, Pialba, Hervey Bay. Save Fraser island Dingoes Inc. BSB 034-136 Acct 303196.
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!
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......
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!
Fraser Island
We have been sent some links to video footage of the Fraser Island dingoes. It's the best Fraser Island dingo footage we have ever seen, and should be seen by everyone. All dingoes in this footage have since been killed by DERM. All places in this footage were burnt out by DERM. There is nothing but this footage, and the memories of these dingoes left. Please spread the links to all your mailing lists, and place comments. Before it’s too late, and there are no dingoes left. The Queensland Government's Fraser Island Dingo Management Plan is the worst wildlife management blunder ever committed in Queensland....and there have been some bad ones! This footage was taken by Jennifer Parkhurst, who had her house raided by police and DERM rangers early one morning last year. Her photos, documents, computer hard drives were seized and taken, even framed photoes were removed and taken from the wall of her house. The search warrant claimed they were looking for dog food. These are the actions of the Queensland Labor Government, and even Jo Beilke-Peterson, for all the criticism he received, never sank so low as to send a bunch of thugs early one morning to terrorise a woman in her own home.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cR1EtbNiNs Dingoes howling, if you've never seen or heard a dingo this is "must-watch" footage.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPnIZtgvCaQ Dingoes approaching a beach walker wanting to play.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehX8LwCrWqE A group of dingoes playing. All these dingoes in this footage above have since been killed by the Queensland Government.
May the dingoes Rest In Peace.
Disclaimer;
As we circulatate news and media reports, and items of interest from other wildlife groups, the contents of this ezine are not necessarily the views of the Wildlife Protection Association of Australia Inc.
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