Wildlfie Bytes 28/9/10

Editorial

Willife continues to be targeted for death by those who are not prepared to learn to live with it. A story at the bottom of Wildlife Bytes about the SA kangaroo Industry shows how much trouble the kangaroo Industry is in. Now Russia has just confirmed it will not be resuming kangaroo imports, and with Australian markets falling rapidly as consumers become more aware of the health and sustainability problems, the kangaroo Industry is calling for taxpayer support to prop it up! If it wasnt for Coles and Woolworths still flogging kangaroo meat, the Industry would not exist. Please remember that when grocerey shopping ;o)

Meanwhile, the issue of dispersing the Maclean Flying Fox colony will come under the scrutiny of Federal Parliament when Cowper MP Luke Hartsuyker this week moves to reintroduce a private member’s bill on the issue. Mr Hartsuyker said with Tony Burke being named the new Minister for the Environment, he trusted the government would have a more balanced approach on the issue, and allow the bats to be dispersed. Its probable that Burke (no friend of wildlife) will allow a dispersal. The school that is at the heart of the issue, was built in 1961 in the middle of the flying fox camp. Some of the teachers, and the Parents Committee, have been lobbying hard for a dipersal. We think the school should be moved, it will probably be cheaper and more effective than a dispersal attempt, which probably wont work anyway.


Lead Stories

Unmanned aircraft are flying around Shark Bay in Western Australia's mid-north coast in a trial to see whether military-style drones can help monitor and conserve marine mammals. In an Australian first, Murdoch University's Dr Amanda Hodgson has been funded by the Australian Marine Mammal Centre to investigate if Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) are a useful alternative to manned aircraft for surveying marine mammals. "A huge benefit of UAV is that they eliminate human risk," she said. "We don't have to have observers flying low over large areas of ocean in small planes. "In addition, they should allow more accurate detection, location and identification of species."

Dr Hodgson has been given more than $400,000 to work with Boeing's Insitu Pacific over three years to improve their UAV camera system to conduct surveys of dugongs and humpback whales. "Large areas of the Australia coastline have never been surveyed for dugongs or humpback whales and UAVs capable of flying long distances may allow us to access these remote areas," she said. Dr Hodgson said the UAV could operate up to an altitude of 6,096 metres for up to 28 hours. Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) Shark Bay marine park coordinator Dave Holley said the project was a step forward for conservation. "Although these are early days, this project is great for conservation and it will help with DEC's ongoing obligations for monitoring and conserving marine mammals such as the internationally recognised populations of dugongs and dolphins in Shark Bay," he said. *WA News

Whales

A holiday-maker has told how he watched in horror as two men on jet skis hounded a pod of humpback whales yesterday. The man, who did not want to be identified, said the jet skiers began following the whales about 11.30am, and harassed them for about half an hour off Coolum. The whales were about 500 metres offshore. The man was unable to help as he watched the drama unfold from the balcony of his unit. “As soon as one of the whales surfaced, the jet skiers were there, waiting for them to come back up,” he said. “At one point it looked like the whales were trying to head out to sea but the jet skiers seemed to herd them back towards the shore.”

Under state and federal legislation, harassing whales is an offence punishable by fines of up to $10,000. The Coolum incident occurred days after reports that a teenager climbed on to the back of a southern right whale in Western Australia. The Western Australia incident is being investigated. It is an offence to touch a whale, feed a whale, deposit rubbish near a whale or make a noise which could disturb a whale. People are prohibited from approaching closer than 300m to a whale or a pod of whales. It is an offence to cause a whale to alter its direction, speed of travel or behaviour. *SC Daily

Crocodiles

Over 280 crocdiles have escaped from a crocodile farm in Venezuala, after weekend rain flooded the pens. Local authorities have asked residents not to go swimming for a while......


Insects

Apparently more than 1,400 different species of insects are eaten by humans in over 90 countries. Some are grilled, fried, parboiled or roasted, while others are transformed into sauces and pastes, or rolled into omelettes and baked goods. But we have to wonder how long it will be before the insects are endangered too? *WPAA

Primates

Adelaide Zoo says it does not think it should have to remove anti-palm oil posters plastered on its orangutan enclosure. The posters by international activists, the Palm Oil Action Group, suggest the palm oil industry in Malaysia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea causes the mass deaths of orangutans through loss of habitat. Malaysia's tourism minister saw the posters during a zoo visit last month. Adelaide Zoo chief executive Chris West says the posters help consumers make informed decisions about buying palm oil products. "The facts are that if you continue to cut down rain forests in habitat areas of orangutans to convert it to palm oil plantations then orangutans will disappear," he said. "We don't think that the Australian public want orangutans to disappear within five to 10 years from now." *ABC

Badger Cull Proposed

Uncertainty surrounds whether one of Britain's biggest landowners will grant permission for its tenant farmers to cull badgers. The National Trust owns more than 245,000ha (605,000 acres) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Some 60% is leased to farm tenants. But as Farmers Weekly went to press, the trust was unable to say whether it would let those tenants cull badgers. The trust has previously ruled out participation in a voluntary cull on land that it manages directly in Wales, arguing that it would be counter productive and fail to make a major contribution to controlling bovine TB in cattle. A statement on the trust's website insists that the organisation is not against culling badgers. But based on the evidence from independent scientists, it does not believe it likely to be effective. "We are concerned that any significant decline in cattle TB could only be achieved through such large scale and draconian measures to reduce badger numbers as to make the option impractical, unaffordable and publicly unacceptable." Badgers that survive the cull become more mobile and could spread the disease to other badgers and cattle, the trust believes. "Culls of badgers could have a detrimental impact on farmers including National Trust tenants," says the website. * UK FWI

Climate Change

According to the NOAA Coral Reef Watch monitoring system, coral bleaching is likely in the Caribbean in 2010. With temperatures above-average all year, NOAA's models show a strong potential for bleaching in the southern and southeastern Caribbean through October that could be as severe as in 2005 when over 80 percent of corals bleached and over 40 percent died at many sites across the Caribbean. Scientists are already reporting coral bleaching at several Caribbean sites and severe bleaching has been reported from other parts of the world. *Undewater Times

Tasmania's mild summers will soon be a thing of the past, with climate researchers predicting an increase in the number of hot days and the length of heat waves. Climate researchers say by the end of this century, Tasmania will have an extra 40 to 50 days above 28 degrees. Professor Nathan Bindoff says the change is already noticeable. "Progressively, as we go out to 2100 the temperature will rise about three degrees and as a consequence of that rise the number of days which are warmer than 28 degrees, which is a pretty hot day in tasmania, will go up quite dramatically," he said. *ABC

NSW Parks Jobs to Go

Jobs are to be slashed in the NSW department that manages climate change, the environment, drinking water and national parks. Public servants in the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water have been told that dozens of workers may have to go to meet Treasury budget targets. Their union, the Public Service Association, said any job losses would threaten the government's ability to reduce bushfire risk; protect threatened species and heritage; monitor soil, water and air quality and manage national parks. The job losses come after the department already met budget cut targets under the government's Savings Implementation Plan. Union officer Geo Papas said: ''The department should be delivering what's vital to the community on the issues of air, water, noise and the environment. The more positions they keep knocking out directly involving front-line delivery, the more at risk we are as a community.'' Mr Papas said there had already been a restructure, completed in June, in the National Parks and Wildlife Service, with 40 job losses. A spokeswoman for Environment Minister Frank Sartor said all agencies had to meet annual efficiency savings. *Age

Poaching

Khanyisile Momoza, 29, was attacked and taken by a great White Shark as he harvested valuable perlemoen shells in the waters near Gansbaai in South Africa. The fisherman was among a group of 12 poachers who had tried to swim to safety after spotting the shark in shallow waters. A friend of Mr Momoza, who witnessed the attack, said: "There was screaming and crying. We just swam, we didn't look back. "We were swimming in a group but he was a bit behind us. "It jumped out of the water with him and then it took him down." Once ashore the group alerted authorities to the tragedy. Illegal harvesting of perlemoen is big business in South Africa, where the valuable shellfish are common along coastal areas. The molluscs' fleshy insides are considered a delicacy similar to oysters, and either served raw or cooked in seafood dishes. But widespread farming of the shells has sparked fears the population could plummet. In 2007 South African authorities listed the species, also known as abalone, as endangered with the global wildlife protection body CITES. The restrictions were loosened in July this year, although it remains illegal to harvest perlemeon without a licence. However hundreds of local fishermen are believed to continue to work in the illegal trade. Many poor workers risk arrest or injury to hunt for the wild shells, whose meat can be worth up to £25 a kilo. * Underwater Times.

Wild Introduced animals

Record rainfall across most of Australia means feral animals will begin to emerge, a peak research body says. Andreas Glanznig has been appointed to head the Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre, a $100 million-a-year research effort based at the University of Canberra. Mr Glanznig says feral animals already have a huge impact on the Australian environment. "For agriculture we're talking $700 million a year, that's led by rabbits which cost farmers alone over $200 million a year," he said. "But you've also got conservation threats posed by a range of invasive animals, headed up by foxes and their impact on mammals. You've also got a supporting act provided by cats and also then rabbits." * ABC
Ed Comment; Amazing, $100 million dollars a year to spend, and all they can come up with is bandade strategies like aerial shooting and poison.


A plan to kill thousands of wild horses in the Kimberley that sparked widespread public outrage has been cancelled by the State Government. The aerial cull of about 5000 brumbies on Lake Gregory cattle station, managed by the Aboriginal Lands Trust, was slated to go ahead next month. Indigenous Affairs Minister Kim Hames said yesterday he had weighed in to stop the kill. "A cull of wild horses had been planned, however I developed the view that I did not support the proposed cull," he said. Dr Hames credited a "passionate speech" made by Labor MP Lisa Baker as the catalyst that had galvanised his opposition to the cull. The decision was applauded by animal rights activists yesterday, who said they sent a petition signed by thousands of people protesting against the cull to Regional Development Minister Brendon Grylls. More than 8000 others had sent emails and letters of protest to Dr Hames and Mr Grylls. *WANews

Fraser Island

Hervey Bay MP Ted Sorensen says he is concerned the Queensland Government is cutting back Fraser Island's maintenance budget. Mr Sorensen asked Sustainability Minister Kate Jones to provide the capital works and operational budgets for the south-east Queensland island's recreation area. Ms Jones says more than $5.7 million has been allocated under the capital works and operational budget for the 2010-2011 period. But Mr Sorensen says that is down on previous years. "The 2009-2010 budget had dropped back to $6.63 million and now for 2010-2011 budget it's dropped back to $5.7 million which is concerning to me, that's for sure," he said. Mr Sorensen says he wants assurance money generated from the island will go back to its upkeep. "If you look at those figures you'll be getting up between $7 million in revenue coming off of Fraser Island," he said. "They're not even spending the revenue that they're getting off Fraser Island back on Fraser Island." *ABC

Tweed rally

Former Tweed mayor Warren Polglase believes there is a “very strong chance” the Tweed will lose Rally Australia. Councillor Polglase has called on Tweed residents and businesses to band together with council to ensure the event, and its economic benefits, return to the shire next year. He said organised anti-rally groups were driving the event out of the area. “I have good reason to believe an online campaign by a minority of green activists, including outlandish claims about fictional native wildlife casualties, has organisers seriously considering taking the rally away from the Tweed and indeed Australia,” Cr Polglase said. “If we lose the rally we all lose economically – 1000 accommodation beds per night during the event is just one example. “It is time for the silent majority, particularly small business, to make its voice heard so organisers get a fair picture.” Cr Polglase encouraged new mayor Kevin Skinner to continue council's support of the event. “A decision on the event is coming as we need to support the rally as a council,” he said. Rally Australia chairman Alan Evans previously stated a decision on the future location of the event would be made in the coming weeks. * Tweed News
Ed Comment; The many locals who strongly objected to the Rally will be delighted if it goes somewhere else.

Freshwater Turtles

A perfect storm of habitat loss, hunting and a pet trade is decimat­ing the world’s freshwater turtle populations, according to an analysis from wildlife protection group Conservation International. Urgent action is needed to save the reptiles, say researchers affiliated with the Arlington, Va.based organization. A drop in many of the world’s turtle species, they add, is evidence that mismanagement of vital freshwater ecosystems is causing deep and damaging envi­onmental impacts that will affect people and wildlife alike. The Myanmar River turtle has seen its population plunge to fewer than a dozen mature animals due to egg collection and habitat destruction, researchers say. The last few specimens are being raised at a zoo in Mandalay, Myanmar for reintroduction. “The key problems these animals are facing are changes to their habitats – in particular because of the damming of the rivers where they live for hydro-electricity, on top of hunting for food and a very lucrative trade in rare turtles as pets,” said Peter Paul van Dijk, director of the group’s Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Conservation Program. *World Science
Read More http://www.world-science.net/othernews/100915_turtles

Marine Turtles

A tropical green sea turtle is struggling for survival with a pneumonia after washing up way off course in New Zealand. Veterinarians have diagnosed the 70cm-long turtle with pneumonia and a fractured shell after she was found on Otaki Beach, near Wellington on Wednesday, suffering severe dehydration and "cold shock". Massey University's Wildlife Centre vet Kerri Morgan said the animal was critically ill. "We've never had a sea turtle," she told the Manawatu Standard on Friday. "It's very unusual for them to come this far south. "We were all relieved she was alive this morning, but she might not make it." The turtle, with flippers tapped back to fit, has been though a CT scanner normally used to test cats, dogs and lambs. It's shown up symptoms of a pneumonia. "We are going to take a biopsy of her lungs in a couple of days to find out what kind of pneumonia she has and how to treat it," Dr Morgan said. If the turtle recovers she could be sent to a New Zealand aquarium for rehabilitation, sending her back to the tropical north could be difficult. "There's biosecurity issues in taking her back to Australia," Dr Morgan said. *SC Daily. Ed Comment; Turtles are sometimes seen in the North Island, but never before has one been seen so far South.

Another Sick Turtle

A green sea turtle was spotted struggling in waters off the Port of Townsville's berth 1 in August and rescued by maintenance staff. Now named Porty and believed to be about 10 years old, he is overcoming bacterial pneumonia and kidney complications in Reef HQ's Turtle Hospital. Hospital staff said Porty would have likely died within weeks if he had not been rescued. The illnesses are common among marine turtle species seen at the hospital. Reef HQ Aquarium director Fred Nucifora said the turtle was recovering well with antibiotics. "Although we can't be sure what caused the pneumonia, we will be monitoring Porty over the next few months to ensure he recovers fully," he said. Port of Townsville environment manager Peter Smith said staff had been buoyed by the prognosis. "When Porty was first rescued the outcome seemed fairly touch-and-go," he said. "But we're now looking forward to seeing his return into the wild." The Port has donated $1250 to the turtle hospital program. Mr Nucifora said the hospital would not be able to care for sick and injured marine turtles without corporate support. Mr Smith said it was encouraging to hear workers had responded so quickly to the turtle's distress. *Townsville Bulletin

New Plant Species

Researchers have discovered rare plants growing in western Queensland that have only been recorded a few times since European settlement. A zoologist with the Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM), Peter McRae, has been working with PhD student Jenny Silcock, surveying an area near Stonehenge and Yaraka in the state's central west. Dr McRae says big rain and flooding is only part of the reason behind the discoveries. "Between us we've collected a number of things that have only been recorded once or twice or three times before," he said. "Sometimes those areas haven't been collected before but also it has been an amazingly good year and those plants might only respond to this sort of event once every 20 or 30 years or whatever it might be." Dr McRae says among the discoveries was a rare prickly bush that has only been recorded once before. "Jen went into that area and found hundreds of them, so it's a plant that we don't know anything about," he said. "We've found a couple of portulacca-type things that are succulent plants with brilliant purple flowers. "These are the rare things that just pop up from time to time and we don't know much about them." *ABC

New Frog Species

The Northern Territory-based FrogWatch group says it has found a new species of frog in East Arnhem Land. FrogWatch coordinator Graeme Sawyer says the frog was first spotted a few years ago but it has taken until now to have it recognised as a new species. He says it is an exciting discovery and shows the need for more research into frog biology, especially because of the threat posed by cane toads. "It's a huge issue really that we're still discovering vertebrate species of frogs in places like the Northern Territory because we don't know so much about our wildlife and yet cane toads are already in the area where this frog was found," he said. "So the impact on their population and stuff like that we're unsure about but quite concerned about." The new species is yet to be named. *ABC

Whaling

Paul Watson, the president of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, sent word that approximately 15 pilot whales were killed Tuesday in Taiji, Japan, at the infamous ocean inlet featured in the Academy Award-winning documentary The Cove. According to Watson, these are the first killings of the 2010/2011 hunting season in Taiji. Watson emailed supporters a field report from Scott West, Sea Shepherd's director of investigations, who was on site in Taiji to observe the activity at the cove.
Read more, http://www.takepart.com/news/2010/09/21/first-whale-killings-of-the-season-reported-at-infamous-japanese-cove

Sharks

Being a shark isn’t always easy. OK, you’re a top predator, but you’re also seeing your family and friends disappear every year, as fishermen haul them out of the water and cart them off to market. One of the biggest of those markets is South East Asia, where shark fin soup is a particular delicacy, but there is a huge dearth of information on fishing in the region. Now Vivian Lam and Yvonne Sadovy, of the University of Hong Kong, have used historical information and interviews with modern fishermen to produce the first historical account of the region’s shark catch. It’s a grim picture: although there are 109 species of shark historically present in the South China Sea, surveys of today’s markets found just 18 species. Of those animals that were found, 65% were below the size of sexual maturity. “Serious declines have occurred in shark biodiversity and numbers in the northern sector of the South China Sea over five decades,” the authors write in Fish and Fisheries. “From 109 species recorded in southern China in the past, to only 18 species recorded in the current market surveys, the degree of decline should be considered catastrophic.” All those interviewed in the study highlighted a drastic decline in shark abundance and diversity. They also said they had to travel further and fish harder to obtain the same amount of shark flesh. Their reports indicate that basking sharks and larger requiem sharks may even have been made locally extinct. Critically, shark fishing within Chinese waters is “unmonitored, unregulated and unmanaged” note Lam and Sadovy. *Underwater times

Flying Foxes

Thousands of flying foxes filled the skies in Sunset for most of the day yesterday. The phenomenon started on Tuesday and has not stopped since. Banks Crescent residents said they did not know why it was happening or what could be done about it. "They've been here on and off all day today and yesterday in the thousands," Nancy Wing said. Mrs Wing said she and her husband had been making various noises to disperse the flying foxes away in their backyard. "We don't want to hurt them or cause them alarm, but they're making so much mess with their droppings and they ruin the trees." Residents on the street had contacted council about the problem. Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) wildlife director Nick Rigby said the department had been made aware of the problem. "Flying foxes visit the Mount Isa area each year in search of food. Mount Isa City Council has lodged an application with DERM to disperse them," he said. Mr Rigby said given a number of residents showed concern, representatives of DERM would process the application as soon as possible. *Northwest Star

Echidnas

An echidna mum in Darwin is lucky to be alive and able to care for her new-born baby after being attacked by a dog. The echidna had been mauled in a Palmerston backyard and was taken to the ARK Animal Hospital with bite wounds. Head vet and practice principal Dr Stephen Cutter said during the surgery his team discovered an empty pouch. "We anaesthetised her to examine her properly and discovered she had an empty pouch and was lactating," he said. "That means she had a little baby somewhere out there which she needed to care for." The vet said he put special effort into a quick treatment for the injured mum to release her back to where she was found. "Echidna mothers leave their babies hidden while they go to find food and come back to feed them," he said. "She was treated quickly and the same day we released her back where she was found," Dr Cutter said. "Hopefully she found her baby again." *NTNews

Kangaroo

Kangaroo cabanossi. That's just one product that the south west based Maranoa Kangaroo Harvesters and Growers Cooperative has developed in a bid to diversify and become more profitable. The Queensland winner of the 2010 Rural Women's Award is using her title to implement a new business strategy for the group. Sharyn Garrett, from Mitchell, won the annual $10,000 bursary to help find ways to improve the branding of kangaroos and the sustainability of harvesting. Ms Garrett expects a new line of small goods products, developed by a local processor, to be a hit. "People do like the product and I think there might be a real market for this type of product which is kangaroo cabanossi, prosciutto, jerky those sorts of products for even gourmet hampers for international delegates that type of thing." *ABC

Fires

A group of ecology experts has assembled in Canberra to form a national response team that will assess damage immediately after a major bushfire. The interstate team will make rapid judgements about the extent of environmental damage after major fires like those in Victoria and Canberra, and offer timely advice to government authorities about remediation. The team includes experts in soil, forestry, wildlife and geographical systems. Dr Margaret Kitchin formed the group after working with a United States team in the wake of the Victorian fires. Dr Kitchin says there were many examples where the work of the group contributed to rehabilitating damaged areas and bringing back wildlife like the leadbeater possum. "The team got into some areas that had been really affected by the fires - totally scorched trees and loss of habitat - and identified that putting in possum boxes for the leadbeater possum could actually help with the habitat," she said. "Parks Victoria rapidly implemented that and provided that, so leadbeater possum has had some recovery in that area." Dr Kitchin says the response team is based on similar teams operating in the US and Canada. "We've come up with one that we think is appropriate for Australia - it's about seven or eight people and it's really working on the key parts of the environment," she said. *ABC

Birds

Florida wildlife officers have removed a burrowing owl from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship. The tiny and protected owl had made a home inside the ship's mini-golf course, on the upper deck. Crew members called the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for help relocating the bird. Commission spokesman David Bingham says the owl was safely moved to an open field in western Broward County. Florida burrowing owls are protected by the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act. *Miami Herald

WildlifeCalendars

Seeing as all who bought my fundraising calendar last year commented on how fantastic it was (a HUGE thank you for your support), I decided to have another one printed (professionally) in the hope that it will sell as well or even better! It was a real task having to choose only 12 photos but I think it should appeal to all. I sure hope so anyway. The 2011 calendar photo's can be seen on my website under All Other Stuff!! http://wildwoodwildlife.com.au/ All animals have been in care at Wildwood Wildlife Shelter. It's an A3 size wall calendar, good quality paper with much bolder print than last year, it has all the holidays and moon cycles and all the proceeds go directly to helping our unique wildlife. I am currently bottle feeding 17 Joey's, that's about 6 litres of formula a day (and rising) so it's a huge cost. PLEEEEASE buy a calendar. They would make a great Christmas present. Please forward this to anyone and everyone you think might be interested. Cost is $25 plus postage. Please email me with your order and preferred method of payment, thanks. Pam Turner, Shelter Operator, Wildwood Wildlife Shelter, 4241 Moyston-Dunkeld Road, Glenthompson.Vic. 3293 Phone: 03 55774343 *Network Item

Wombats

In a real-life fairytale, an American millionaire has bequeathed $8 million to the Mannum-based Wombat Awareness Organisation. "We are still in shock, we're still waiting for someone to say the money's not coming," director Brigitte Stevens said yesterday. "It's unbelievable really, we're just blown away." The millionaire, whose family has requested anonymity, unexpectedly visited the team of volunteers about two years ago to see the southern hairy-nosed wombats in the wild. "I took him out into the wild population and showed him wombats with mange, wombats that were starving to death and wombats with burrows from motorbike tyres," she said. The millionaire, who worked in the horse-racing industry, was captivated by the volunteers' tireless efforts to save what may be becoming an endangered icon.
Ms Stevens - who works to help pay bills, including last year's $70,000 vet fees - wants to buy two properties in the Murraylands and run a 24-hour free vet advice phone clinic. However, with the bequest being delivered over eight years, and the first $1 million instalment due only next year, she says they still need money. "We still really need SA support from people, because we could be waiting 12 months for the money and we're really struggling," she said. *AdelaideNow

Primates

German scientists said they had discovered a new rare and endangered ape species in the tropical rainforests between Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia by its distinctive song. The new type of crested gibbon, one of the most endangered primate species in the world, is called the northern buffed-cheeked gibbon or Nomascus annamensis, a statement from the German Primate Centre (DPZ) said. "The discovery of a new species of ape is a minor sensation," said Christian Roos from the DPZ. "An analysis of the frequency and tempo of their calls, along with genetic research, show that this is, in fact, a new species." The distinctive song "serves to defend territory or might even be a precursor of the music humans make," the statement added. The male of the new species is covered with black fur that appears silver in sunlight. His chest is brownish and his cheeks deep orange-golden in colour. The females are orange-beige in colour.

Crested gibbons are found only in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and southern China. Scientists had assumed there were six different species but the recent discovery takes the number to seven. Gibbons have become endangered due to illegal hunting. "Gibbons are kept as cute pets, or they are eaten, or they are processed into traditional medicines," said the DPZ. Many species number only around 100 individuals, said Roos. Scientists currently have "absolutely no idea" how many of the new species might be alive, but are conducting further study to determine this, he said. Like orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees and bonobos, gibbons belong to the apes, man's closest relative. "Only if we know where which species is found and how many individuals there are can we start with serious conservation actions," added the scientist. News of the discovery was published in the Vietnamese Journal of Primatology. *AFP

Snakes

Brown tree snakes infest forests on the Pacific island of Guam, but now authorities are taking their battle against the reptiles to the skies. The US department of agriculture is dropping dead mice injected with poisonous chemicals onto forests to provide deadly snacks for the snakes. It has also stepped up trapping to prevent the snakes from hitching a ride on boats and aircraft to other Pacific islands. The snakes have wiped out the island's native population of forest birds since being accidentally introduced to Guam more than 50 years ago. They also cause millions of dollars in damage and power shortages when they become entangled in electric wires. The US department of agriculture's assistant state director of wildlife services in the Pacific, Dan Vice, told Radio Australia's Pacific Beat that officials had previously used detector dogs to track the snakes. "In the last five years we have also received the official go-ahead from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to use an oral toxicant... as a poison for brown tree snakes and we are working on developing the technology to deliver this toxicant aerially," he said.

This targets more inaccessible blocks of terrain where snake populations are quite large, Mr Vice said. He said a mouse corpse was attached to a flotation system so it would "float relatively slowly to the ground and actually hang up in the forest canopy". "What we want to do is keep the bait from hitting the ground, actually keep them in the tree so that the snake, which lives in the trees, will be virtually the only thing that can get to that bait," Mr Vice said. This protects other species and prevents bait falling into crevices or otherwise missing the snakes, Mr Vice added. "We're putting radio transmitters in some of the baits. When we drop them, we can go out and find them in the forest and then we can track them and we can determine what actually happens to them," Mr Vice said. A pilot study of 10 radio-equipped mouse corpses found snakes ate a proportion of the bait and the native wildlife of Guam had become a little safer. "We're anticipating moving this project forward in the coming years," Mr Vice said. "So we were out testing our navigation system and testing the bait delivery and all of the things that we need to do to make sure that the system works before we go on a larger scale." *Radio Australia

Possums

Tasmanian butchers, shooters and natural clothing retailers hope a new plan for the commercial harvest of brushtail possums will create a niche industry and stop thousands of animals being shot and wasted. The Federal Government is considering a draft management plan for the harvesting and export of more than 100,000 Tasmanian brushtail possums each year. Last year about 380,000 possums were killed in the name of crop protection but possum products have not been exported from Tasmania since 2004, when the last management plan expired. Butcher Peter Byers, from Campbell Town's Butler's Butchery which is already famous for its "stag snags", tried roasted possum when he was in New Zealand. "The meat goes white like chicken and I enjoyed it. Mind you, the New Zealand possums only eat pine trees, not eucalypts, and that can change the flavour," Mr Byers said. But he reckons Tasmanian consumers would snap up certain cuts of local possum if it was available. "People would buy it and try it, that's for sure," Mr Byers said. "There are thousands which are killed each year. Why not eat them. "I would sell possum meat if a licensed processor offered it."

Outside Tasmania, there is a growing market for possum skins for clothing and hats in New Zealand and a market for possum meat has emerged in China. Tasmanian Field and Game Association president Peter Darke said Tasmania had a sound possum-skin market in in the 1980s. "But now when possum numbers are so high, I have heard stories about shooters culling 3000 possums in one year and leaving the carcasses in the bush to rot. What a total waste," Mr Darke said. The number of permits issued by the Department of Primary Industry, Parks, Water and Environment, fell to zero in 2008 and 2009. But in the 10 years from 1998 it issued permits to export 292,432kg of whole possum carcasses or meat, 2262kg of possum fur and 10,561 skins. The new owner of the Tasmanian Woollen Company in Salamanca Place, Judy Blackburn, said she stocked imported possum clothing but hoped a new commercial plan would allow her to finally stock Tasmanian products.

A full possum jumper or jacket can cost between $200-$500 while socks and gloves start at under $30. "I would stock it with pride, local product is what this business is about," Ms Blackburn said. Under the draft plan, brushtail possums can be taken under permit by spotlight shooting, trapping and destroying on site, or trapping for transport and slaughter by a licensed processor. The use of snares or steel-jawed traps is prohibited under the Animal Welfare Act. The Tasmanian Greens have already called on Environment Minister David O'Byrne to ensure the final draft plan addresses animal welfare concerns and risks to regional possum populations. Mr O'Byrne told Parliament it was important to get the balance right to ensure possums were not harvested to excess under any new commercial plan. * Mercury

Sharks

Scientists are circling cage-diving operators as they try to find out how regular visits from tourists are affecting the behaviour of great white sharks. Shark ecologist Dr Charlie Huveneers, from the South Australian Research and Development Institute and Flinders University, is leading the study. The study aims to ensure cage-diving is safe for both the tourists and the sharks because great whites are a protected species threatened with extinction. He said both of the existing tour operators used berley - a mixture of tuna blood, mince and offcuts - and baits to attract sharks without feeding them. Preliminary research, in Australia and overseas, suggests sharks lose interest over time. "The shark seems to come close to the boat for the first three or four days," he said. "After that they don't seem to be attracted by the berley as much." So far the team has tagged eight white sharks between 3m and 4.5m long. They will track up to 20 sharks at the Neptune Islands, 75km from Port Lincoln, to see how their behaviour changes when tour boats are close by.

Fisheries Minister Michael O'Brien said the study would be used to help manage future growth in the industry. "The white shark cage-diving industry at the Neptune Islands attracts a large amount of tourism to South Australia and Port Lincoln," he said. "However, the impacts of such activities are still poorly understood, and there is a need to investigate how berleying might affect white shark behaviour and movements. It is important to ensure that this industry is sustainable and that it does not negatively impact on the white shark population frequenting the Neptune Islands." Andrew Fox, from the Fox Shark Research Foundation, said he was careful not to spend too much time with the sharks. "We want to make sure we're doing the right thing by the sharks and not interfering with their natural way of life," he said. "If you have a lot of boats going out every day, you can see it would be easy to have a circus-like mentality, where you're ringing the dinner bell and banging on the boat, trying to get their attention again and again throughout the day, so everybody can have their `wow' factor." *AdelaideNow

Climate Change

The Australian Greens have secured a deputy chair position on a new parliamentary climate change committee, Prime Minister Julia Gillard has announced. The committee will receive independent advice from four experts - Ross Garnaut, Will Steffen, Rod Sims and Patricia Faulkner. Ms Gillard will chair the committee while Climate Change Minister Greg Combet and Greens climate spokeswomen Christine Milne will serve as co-deputy chairs. Ms Gillard said the committee would start from the position that a carbon price was required to reduce pollution and encourage investment in low-emission technologies. Labor will invite two members of the coalition to sit on the committee. There will also be two Greens and representation from the independent MPs. Independent Tony Windsor already has indicated his willingness to be a member of the committee. "Parliamentary members of the committee will be drawn from those who are committed to tackling climate change and who acknowledge that effectively reducing carbon pollution by 2020 will require a carbon price," Ms Gillard said.

The multi-party committee will report to Cabinet through Mr Combet. Its deliberations would be "broadly limited" to the issue of carbon pricing, Ms Gillard said. The committee will consider mechanisms for introducing a carbon price, including a broad-based emissions trading scheme, carbon levy, or a hybrid of both. Under the committee's terms of reference, decisions will be reached by consensus. However, if no agreement can be reached, the decision will be put before Cabinet. The committee will meet regularly, usually monthly, until the end of 2011, at which time the ongoing need for its existence will be considered. Its deliberations and papers it considers will remain confidential to the committee and the Cabinet until a final position is agreed or all parties to the committee agree otherwise. Greens leader Bob Brown, who will be a member of the committee, said there was widespread concern about climate change. "We will be consulting with the community when we go down the line and it's clearly not a case of winner takes all," he said. "We are working in the service of the nation to get the best outcome." * Daily Telegaph

Climate Change Committee Announced

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has unveiled the line-up of the new multi-party climate change committee that will investigate ways to put a price on carbon. Ms Gillard will chair the committee which will also consist of Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan, Climate Change Minister Greg Combet, Greens senators Bob Brown and Christine Milne and independent MP Tony Windsor. Senator Milne will serve as co-deputy chair. The committee will report directly to Cabinet and will meet in the Cabinet room, meaning its deliberations will be kept secret until the Government chooses to release details of any decisions. It will consider how to put a price on carbon either by a tax, an emissions trading scheme, a levy or a mixture of several measures. The Coalition has also been invited to put two of its MPs on the committee despite Opposition Leader Tony Abbott's insistence that no Coalition MP would be doing so.

Opposition climate change spokesman Greg Hunt also says that will not be happening. "This committee, which was announced today, is repugnant because it has a test that somebody must sign up to a preordained outcome," he said. "I am not aware, and we are not aware, of any such belief test on a parliamentary committee in the last 110 years." Climate change economist Professor Ross Garnaut, climate scientist Professor Will Steffen, Rod Sims and Patricia Faulkner will also be on the committee as expert advisers. Mr Sims is the chair of the independent price regulator for electricity in NSW, while Ms Faulkner will advise on price impacts on households. Ms Gillard says it is imperative to put a price on carbon to give business certainty. "This isn't easy but we intend to work through and tackle the question of reducing carbon pollution and how we deal with a price on carbon," she said.

Ms Gillard extended the invitation to the Coalition to join the committee with the caveat that they must agree climate change is real and that a carbon price is needed. "We are saying very clearly to the Coalition that we would ask them to work in good faith with this committee," she said. "He shouldn't seek to wreck this and he shouldn't seek to fearmonger about it." Senator Brown says the nation will be happy the committee is up and running. "There is widespread and popular concern about climate change," he said. "This is different politics. This is constructive. This is positive." Senator Brown says all options for a carbon price will be up for negotiation. "I don't see any matter that's beyond us talking over and trying to find common ground on, but we will have expertise in the room which is going to help facilitate this being a very informed committee," he said. The committee will meet once a month, starting next month, until the end of 2011 when its existence will be reconsidered. Professor Garnaut, who authored the Government's white paper on climate change in the last term of Parliament, will also be asked to update his review.

The committee also has to decide whether Ms Gillard's unpopular Citizens' Assembly on climate change announced during the election campaign would be established. Under former prime minister Kevin Rudd Labor committed to an emissions tradings scheme but shelved the policy in April and Ms Gillard has now indicated a carbon tax could be an option. The Coalition rejects a tax and a trading scheme and only supports direct-action measures. *ABC

Kangaroos

South Australia's kangaroo meat industry is struggling to recover from years of drought, a ban on imports by one of its biggest markets and a licensing system for shooters heavy on red tape and fees.
With kangaroo numbers expected to leap on the back of a great season in pastoral South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland, the Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia is calling for support from pastoralists to ensure populations remain in check. KIAA president Ray Borda, Macro Meats, Adelaide, says competition for sheep and cattle feed from kangaroos will rapidly increase in the next 18 months. "If we are really going to get ahead of the game we need to be preparing for it now," he said. "If pastoralists are serious about having a shooting program and seeing it continue and be sustainable, the pastoralists really need to put their weight behind the industry. "The kangaroo industry needs to get closer to beef and lamb. It is never going to threaten beef and lamb because we can't do the numbers." A lower harvest in SA in 2010 is likely to be attributed to a range of factors affecting the industry including:

Reduced population due to previous drought effects, Effects of the global financial crisis, New meat hygiene requirements, Low skin prices, Field processors pursuing other work opportunities, such as mining, Low financial returns and increasing operating costs, Recent rain preventing field processors from operating, Kangaroos more evenly dispersed across the landscape due rainfall events, making it harder for field processors to harvest numbers. (Ed. and shooting of course! )

John Wilkinson, Kootaberra Station, Port Augusta, said unless there was a viable industry, kangaroo numbers would not be controlled which is why shooters were vital in controlling numbers and reducing grazing pressure. "If we have not got a viable industry, it will become our problem to keep numbers at a respectable level," he said. He said shooting also preserves the kangaroo population so it does not get to plague proportions and drastic measures need to be taken, such as the camel cull in central Australia. Kootaberra has had a resident full-time kangaroo shooter for six years, living on property and covering the local area. Aside from the expected population boom, Mr Borda said SA shooters have "the toughest job in Australia" because of years of drought, limited infrastructure, greater distances to travel from towns, and the nation's highest licence fees and tag prices. "The SA side of the industry used to be where I got 100 per cent of my product from, now it is only about 10pc," he said. He said demand would increase for kangaroo shooters in South Australia on the back of recent good rains and good feed providing a favourable breeding environment for kangaroos. SA Stock Journal

Wildlfie Bytes 21/9/10

Water Weeds

Strong flows from Victorian floodwaters are needed to save the River Murray from another environmental disaster - weeds. Huge clumps of river weeds are spreading along the river through poor flows over the past few years. The weeds - Canadian pond weed and Hydrilla - now have the potential to dam the river, Riverland MP Tim Whetstone says. Canadian pond weed is native to North America and is believed to have been introduced through aquariums, where it often is used for decoration and even thrives unrooted. Hydrilla, native to Australia, Africa and Europe, is regarded as one of the most noxious water weeds and in Florida is costing millions of dollars a year to control. Mr Whetstone has warned Parliament the proliferation of the invasive weeds has the potential to destroy tourism and harm water quality. People also may become trapped and drown. He said the only effective way of controlling the weed was through mechanical harvesting as chemical sprays could not be used for obvious reasons.

He has called on the Government to investigate this and other effective control methods. "The invasion of these weeds has been insidious, because, like European carp, the problem is mostly happening out of sight," he said. "They are everywhere." Mr Whetstone said in some sections of the river he had seen patches of floating duckweed, which had anchored itself to the pondweed and Hydrilla. He said on a boat trip along the river he and friends were forced to stop the boat and clear away weeds which had fouled the propellor. "The major concern I have is that, in the warmer weather, someone will go for a swim or come off their water ski, become trapped in these weeds and drown," Mr Whetstone said. He said on his trip he had seen a dead kangaroo which obviously had been caught in the weed while trying to cross the river. "The weeds present a potential threat to water quality," he said. "They appear to inhibit natural water flow which may lead to the build-up of toxic blue-green algae." Water Minister Paul Caica said he had been advised the pondweed had shown signs of dying back over winter. The return of better flows and more turbid water, it was believed, would further hinder its growth. "The Murray-Darling Basin Natural Resource Management Board is continuing to monitor the situation," he said. *Adelaide Now

Walruses

Tens of thousands of walruses have come ashore in north-west Alaska because the sea ice they normally rest on has melted. US government scientists say this massive move to shore by walruses is unusual in the United States. But it has happened at least twice before, in 2007 and 2009. In those years Arctic sea ice also was at or near record low levels. The walruses "stretch out for one mile [1.6 kilometres] or more. This is just packed shoulder-to-shoulder," US Geological Survey biologist Anthony Fischbach said in a telephone interview from Alaska. He estimated their number at tens of thousands. Scientists with two federal agencies are most concerned about the 900-kilogram female walruses stampeding and crushing each other and their smaller calves near Point Lay, Alaska, on the Chukchi Sea. The US Fish and Wildlife Service is trying to change airplane flight patterns to avoid spooking the animals.

Officials have also asked locals to be judicious about hunting, said agency spokesman Bruce Woods. The federal government is in a year-long process to determine if walruses should be put on the endangered species list. Fischbach said scientists don't know how long the walrus camp-out will last, but there should be enough food for all of them. During normal summers, the males go off to play in the Bering Sea, while the females raise their young in the Chukchi. The females rest on sea ice and dive from it to the sea floor for clams and worms. "When they no longer have a place to rest, they need to go some place and it's a long commute," Fischbach said. "This is directly related to the lack of sea ice." Loss of sea ice in the Chukchi this summer in the northern hemisphere has surprised scientists because last winter lots of old established sea ice floated into the region, said Mark Serreze, director of the National Snow and Ice Data Centre. But that has disappeared. Although last year was a slight improvement over previous years, Serreze says there has been a long-term decline that he blames on global warming. "We'll likely see more summers like this," he said. "There is no sign of Arctic recovery." *AP


Wildlife Kill Permit

Kingston Beach Golf Club in Tasmania currently hold a permit to kill native wildlife on their course. Native Hens (endemic to Tasmania), Wood Ducks, Sulphur-crested Cockatoos, and Brushtail Possums are all on the hit list. They have been issued with a permit to shoot native wildlife for the past few years. Please email them today and tell them how disgusted you are that they would think to kill native animals when there are ways to deter them, or simply learn to live with them. Please email them info@kbgc.com.au and ring (03) 6229 8300. Please contact the golf club today and spare these creatures a totally pointless death. *Network Item

Wildlife War Zone

Redlands (Queensland) has been likened to a "war zone" for native wildlife with a mounting death toll in recent weeks. The deaths of a number of healthy koalas, a young kangaroo and an echidna have led wildlife carers to plead with drivers and dog owners to help stop the carnage. With national Save the Koala Day this week, the deaths have distressed many carers and community members trying to save and protect this iconic but endangered animal. Meanwhile, the Redlands 24 Hour Wildlife Rescue Service is also looking for dedicated people to volunteer for its wildlife phone service (during the day) and the after-hours wildlife ambulance service (at night). If you live in the area and would like to volunteer, contact Lisa Bailey at IndigiScapes on 3824 8611. *Bayside Bulletin

Sharks

Monster sharks measuring up to 4m are lurking in Gold Coast waterways but anglers are being forced to release the giants or face hefty fines. The 11 shark nets and 38 baited drumlines set off the Gold Coast shoreline caught 37 sharks in 2009-10 and 16 were bigger than 2m. Since January three bull sharks, three white sharks, six long-nosed whalers, five scalloped hammerheads and five great hammerheads have been caught with shark prevention gear. The largest was a 3.9m great hammerhead caught at Burleigh in May and a 2.9m great hammerhead caught at Bilinga in February. Gold Coast fishing expert Paul Burt said there was no shortage of sharks in the city's waterways. "This year there have been strong reports of shark sightings, catches and large sizes," he said. "The nets are there for a reason and the statistics show they are working." *Gold Coast Bulletin

Penguins

A dog that went on a "murderous rampage" has mauled to death at least 15 penguins on Kangaroo Island in an attack locals say will have serious repercussions. A tourist found the bodies of 15 penguins strewn across a beach near Kingscote yesterday morning and alerted authorities. Kangaroo Island Penguin Centre Kingscote manager John Ayliffe said a dog was to blame for the attack. "It's a dog that's done it, they've just gone on a murderous rampage. "When a parent dies, one of the chicks does too because one bird can only look after one chick, so lots of penguins will die because of this." Mr Ayliffe estimates about 800 Little Blue Penguins live in a colony at Kingscote. Adelaide Now

Flying Foxes

An unusual species of flying fox was recently discovered in the Philippines not long after it was deemed not to exist. Jake Esselstyn, a biologist with the University of Kansas, was among a team of researchers that found the animal, a type of fruit bat, last year while surveying forest life on the island of Mindoro (see Philippines map). "When we first arrived on Mindoro, a local resident that we hired as a guide described the bat to me in great detail, and he asked me what it was called," Esselstyn said. "I politely told him that there was no such bat. I was wrong." Several days into the survey, the scientists accidentally captured a creature in a net that fit the guide's description: a large flying fox with bright orange fur and distinctive white stripes across its brow and jaw. "Our guide's description of the animal was quite accurate, and I had to apologize for not believing him," Esselstyn said, adding that the animal is now known as the Mindoro stripe-faced fruit bat. In his own defense, the scientist pointed out that the species' closest known relative lives some 750 miles (1,200 kilometers) away on an island in Indonesia. "It makes you wonder if there are other related species on islands between [the two]," he said. "It also makes you realize how there are probably many more species which have yet to be discovered—in the Philippines and elsewhere," Esselstyn added. "This discovery emphasizes the need for a great deal more basic biodiversity inventory research." *National Geographic

Opposition MP Shane Knuth has told State Parliament that flying foxes continue to pose a safety risk at an emergency rescue helipad at Charters Towers in north Queensland. Local MP Shane Knuth, the Member for Dalrymple, told Parliament yesterday that Health Minister Paul Lucas was briefed earlier this year about the dangers of flying foxes. "That in addition to community health issues, an emergency helicopter flight was impeded from landing at Charters Towers because of a flying fox plague," he said. But Mr Lucas told the House the answer was not to shoot some and hope the rest do not return. "They are native animals - they don't stand up there and listen to reason," he said. "The brief didn't say, 'I want you to go out there and give them a good stern lecture'." Mr Lucas says the LNP does not have sensible solutions for dealing with wildlife. *ABC

Ed Comment; Both the Balcktown Sun and Bendigo Advertiser have featured negative stories about flying foxes this week. We haven't included them in Wildlfie Bytes because the stories were so stupid.

A James Cook University researcher is hoping to find out more about climate patterns in parts of Queensland's far north using bird and bat droppings. Dr Chris Wurster says droppings are one of the few resources available for measuring climate change in the wet tropics and semi-arid regions. He says by collecting insects, birds and bats act as mini-scientists. "They bring those insects that are representative of what's around back into the cave," he said. "We can look at the stable carbon isotypes, for example from the insects, from the exoskeletons of the insects that are preserved in the records. "The carbon isotypes will tell us whether there's - for example in the lowland rainforests - grasses or trees present, so we can look at vegetation changes in the past." He says in the wet tropics and semi-arid regions, droppings are one of the few resources available for measuring climate change. "We've just collected a couple of records from near Rockhampton and another from Chillagoe and we're just about to go to another site in Undarra," he said. *ABC

Asian ‘Unicorn' sighted

For the first time in more than ten years, there has been a confirmed sighting of one of the rarest and most enigmatic animals in the world, the Saola (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis) from the Annamite Mountains of Laos and Vietnam. The Government of the Lao People's Democratic Republic (also known as Laos) has announced that in late August villagers in the central province of Bolikhamxay captured a live Saola and brought it back to their village. The saola died shortly after being photograped, and a giant elephant-shrew species recently discovered in a remote African forest may be new to science. Conservationists researching the biodiversity of the Boni-Dodori forest on the coast of north-eastern Kenya were thrilled to capture pictures of the bizarre mammal. Camera traps were set up in the remote forest after Grace Wambui, a fellow of The Zoological Society of London's (ZSL) EDGE of Existence programme spotted an elusive elephant-shrew she didn't recognise in the area. ZSL and the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) photographed the mystery animal and believe it may be a new species of giant sengi, otherwise known as an elephant-shrew (Macroscelidea). *Wildlife Extra
Read more http://www.wildlifeextra.com/

Tigers

The world’s biggest cat, the tiger, is now living out its life in about six percent of the available habitat it could be living in. This according to a new peer-reviewed paper by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and other groups who have identified 42 source sites scattered across Asia that will be the last hope for conserving and hopefully recovering the tiger from the brink of extinction. The paper suggests that there are fewer than 3,500 tigers left in the wild, of which only 1,000 are breeding females. Of the sites located as important for the recovery of the species, India had 18 source sites, Sumatra 8 and the Russian Far East contains 6. Planetsave. Read more http://planetsave.com/2010/09/16/last-remaining-tigers-living-in-six-percent-of-available-habitat/

Bears

The fate of two bear cubs orphaned Thursday night when a Leavenworth-area man shot and killed their mother is unknown. Efforts Friday to place the cubs in one of two rehabilitation facilities in Washington failed because they were full, said Rich Beausoleil, bear and cougar specialist for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. Beausoleil said his agency has since made requests to place the cubs in facilities in other states, but those calls just went out this weekend, so officials didn't have any answers by Monday. The state Department of Fish and Wildlife has had to find homes for 11 orphaned cubs since April around the state, after their mothers were killed, he said. If no facility can be found, the 35-pound cubs will have to be euthanized, he said. "It's just an overcrowding issue," Beausoleil said, adding, "We'll put in every effort." There are few facilities because of the time and space required to provide foster care for bears that are to be released back into the wild, he said. "You have to have no human contact, and keep the bears for five to six months. It takes an incredible amount of food and care, and not a lot of reward," he said. "It's not like a zoo. They're preparing these bears for release." At 8 months, the cubs are too young to survive in the wild by themselves, he said. *Seattle Times

Coal Seam Gas

We featured an article about CSG in last weeks Wildlife Bytes, but it now appears there are pipeline safety issues as well. The recent huge explosion in the US where houses were destroyed, and many people killed, is not the first time there have been problems in the US with pipeline gas. In the past 20 years there have 2840 significant pipeline accidents, inlcuding 992 explosions, where someone was killed or hospitalised. As the pipelines in Queensland will mostly follow roads, which lead into towns, there may be significant risk in towns which have the pipelines going through them. The pipes apparently have a life of only 50 years, and some less than that. Most US explosions have apparently occured through workers digging trenches for other utilities, and hitting the gas pipes, or through faulty joins. * WPAA

Kangaroo tourism

For those who haven't read it, there is an interesting document about wildlife tourism here http://www98.griffith.edu.au/dspace/bitstream/10072/24596/1/45354_1.pdf

Songbird at Risk

Wildlife officials say a wide-ranging prairie songbird has lost so much habitat to energy development that it warrants federal protections. But the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Wednesday that the Sprague's pipit will have to wait for an Endangered Species Act listing. Other species have higher priority. The ground-nesting bird's population has declined by nearly 80 percent in the last four decades. Government biologists say oil, gas and wind energy projects have fragmented its breeding grounds. The Sprague's pipit breeds in the northern Great Plains and southern Canada and winters from Arizona and Texas to Louisiana, Mississippi and northern Mexico. The environmental group WildEarth Guardians had petitioned for it to be listed as threatened or endangered. * TexasNews

Mudlarks

When mudlarks attack! Danger in Exmouth, Western Australia from being attacked by mudlarks! Rangers and Shire offices setting traps for the birds in the forecourt pedestrian shopping areas of Exmouth town! The phenomena seems to be going on, unpublicised so as not to damage the tourism industry? Birds attacking people are not new to this area! Offices and local shops' staff are having difficulty in making the public (tourists) aware. *Crikey.com

Tin Can Bay Dolphins

An important ruling is about to take place in parliament that will greatly impact the community and environment of Tin Can Bay. So much so, that the whole of Australia has been called on to help protect it.
Carole Gillies, president of the Southern Sandy Straits Marine Environmental Group, said the battle to save one of the “few outstanding ecosystems” on Australia’s east coast had now escalated to a federal issue. She said Tin Can Bay was host to a “unique, unspoiled and special” habitat for threatened species, including the Indo Pacific humpback, which was in danger of being destroyed by a “powerful developer’s” plans to build a large marina right in the middle of it. Ms Gillies called on all Australians to “click and save Tin Can Bay” by visiting www.marina.tincanbaydolphins.com.au. She stressed the importance of acting immediately during this “small window off opportunity” environmental groups had to secure the site for wildlife. “Cutting through the thick weave of daily information is not an easy thing to do... (Which is why) we’ve made it easier for people to put pressure on the government to reject the developer’s plans,” she said.

“Cooloola’s pending World Heritage Listing status may be compromised if newly appointed Environment Minister Tony Burke approves the development of (this) large marina. At this final hour, we hope to create a momentum that involves Australians in this very important decision.” Since 2004 the Cooloola Coast community has banded together in the fight against the Seymour Group’s marina development proposal for Norman Point. When the plans became public, more than 5000 signatures in protest were collected in just a few months and the matter became one of national significance because of the marina’s potential impact on threatened and migratory species. “This is a nationally important marine wilderness – we need to make that clear. We don’t have to recover it unlike nearby Moreton Bay. It’s in a pristine state with outstanding biodiversity values,” Ms Gillies said. “The development of a marina will create irreversible damage. We have fought the developer and State Government for the last five years and now we’re asking Australians to lend their voice to help protect Tin Can Bay and its vitally important inhabitants.

“The area is unique, unspoiled and special – a perfect habitat for species that are threatened all over the world and we need to make a stand and save some critical habitat for them.” A family of Indo Pacific humpback dolphins has been visiting Norman Point at Tin Can Bay since the 1950s and after four generations, they still swim up to people standing in knee deep water – at a spot earmarked for a boardwalk by the developer. *Gympie Times. Click to save the Bay at http://www.marina.tincanbaydolphins.com.au.





Flying Foxes

Fed-up teachers at a northern NSW school claim they are being told to stop ringing the school bell, not hold sport days and plan different class times so they do not upset an influx of 20,000 flying foxes. Staff at Maclean High School say their school has been taken over by the small noisy animals. They say bat droppings, which students then spread throughout classrooms, have made the school a health and safety risk. Maclean High teacher and NSW Teacher's federation representative John Ambrose said the foul smell and screeching by the bats forces teachers to close windows - making class rooms "unbearable" and learning for students difficult. "The kids are put off ... and the smell is just repulsive," he said. "The smell is, particularly in wet weather, just foul and the car park and carpets are just splattered with droppings and let me tell you, they are not steam cleaned every day, they are cleaned once a year." But attempts to move the bats have so far been unsuccessful.

The NSW Department of Education, who removed the bats 10 years ago, need a licence and federal government approval to remove them again. Mr Ambrose said the federal government has since spent about $30,000 to form a committee to advise the school how to approach the problem. He said the initial recommendations, which are yet to be formally accepted, tell the school "to work around the bats". "They want us to timetable our classes differently, they don't want us to do sporting events, they don't want us to ring our bell, they want us to minimise our voices so we don't disturb the bats," he said. "And I understand all DET (Department of Education and Training) can do, and they have been great, is put a sprinkler in a tree. "But this is the health and wellbeing of students at risk here."

It's got so bad, he says, that the teachers plan to strike on Friday morning. He said students previously walked out of classrooms in a stop-work organised by the school's parent committee. An education department spokesman said they are "working hard to resolve the flying foxes issue". "We have installed air-conditioners in classrooms and built covered walkways to help protect students and staff," he said. "We have made application to the state and commonwealth agencies for the further removal of some trees and tree limbs which could harbour flying foxes near the school. We are awaiting the outcome of this application. "The department has been advised of the potential for a stop-work meeting. However, this is yet to be confirmed by staff at the school. We have not been formally advised of a stop-work meeting." SMH
Ed Comment; The bats were there first, they should never have built the scholl there in the first place. Perhaps they should build a new school 40 or 50 kilometers out of town...well away from the bats.....

Kangaroo Kiiled by Students

Three Australian students have been suspended from school after police say they beat a kangaroo with a steel pole, killing it. A police spokeswoman told the Geelong Advertiser newspaper one student was cautioned after the alleged attack on the animal, while two others have yet to be spoken to by police. The kangaroo was killed while the students were at Great Otway National Park in Anglesea on Sept. 8 for a school trip. The students are from a school in Torquay, located on the eastern shore of the country in Queensland. School administration posted a letter to parents on the school's website Friday. "Our school community is deeply upset," the letter said, which also announced the three students have been suspended. "While the police are investigating this incident we are unable to comment on details other than to say we are taking the matter extremely seriously and cooperating with the police investigation."

"We will be seeking advice from the police and the RSPCA before further addressing the incident with the students and their parents," the statement said. It was signed by principal Pam Kinsman, assistant principal Janeen McCullough and assistant Nick Lynch. They also asked parents to talk about the kangaroo's death at home. "When talking to your children about this issue we ask that you speak honestly and remind your children that Torquay College is a safe, supportive learning environment with a strong student welfare focus," the statement said. "It is important to explain that actions have consequences and that it is possible to restore trust and good relationships after events like this." * TorontoSun

Pigmy Possums

The Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife has partnered with Australian Geographic and Paddy Pallin stores to save Australia’s only alpine marsupial, the Mountain Pygmy-possum. The possum’s dilemma occurs above the winter snowline in areas of southern NSW and north-eastern Victoria where snowline is receding with global warming. The three groups are participating in a Mountain Pygmy-possum captive breeding program for re-introduction to occupied sites in case of catastrophic decline. The program will also provide animals to experimentally introduce into areas of alpine habitat currently unoccupied and explore the possibility of adaptation to warmer climates. Leonie Gale, Foundation CEO said on National Threatened Species Day (September 7) that our animals were relying on us as human impacts on the environment were causing changes never before experienced.

‘‘Many of our unique species are in a life and death struggle for survival,’’ she said. “The rate of change is not giving some species a chance to adapt, so they need our assistance to be around for our grandchildren to meet. ‘‘Captive breeding and subsequent re-introduction programs of threatened species has been a successful tool for conservation. “The recovery of the Lord Howe Island’s Woodhen is one of our proudest success stories where its population recovered from just 33 individuals to a thriving population of over 250.’’ For more information contact Susanna Bradshaw on 02-9221 1949 or email sbradshaw@fnpw.org.au. *Blacktown Sun

Kangaroos

Multi-award winning songwriter joins EU Campaign to help save baby kangaroos. A limited and exclusive edition CD has been created to help raise funds for the campaign to have kangaroo products banned across the EU. 440,000 baby kangaroos are brutally killed every year after the mothers are shot for profit, using her meat and skin in what has been described as the biggest land wildlife massacre on the planet. Maria Daines, the multi-award winning international vocalist and songwriter, who has been described as a mix between Janis Joplin and Melissa Etheridge with a dash of Gretchen Wilson, is the latest person to join the EU campaign to have kangaroo products banned from Europe. In support of the plight of kangaroos in Australia, Maria has co-written a new song highlighting the horrendous way these sentient animals are treated in their native country.

Maria recently said:-“Ending the trade in kangaroo products would end an immense amount of suffering for these amazing and beautiful creatures. When I found out what was happening to the kangaroo I shed a tear and knew I must voice my distress and concern by writing a song. My guitarist and producer Paul Killington is equally appalled by the slaughter of the kangaroo and together we hope we can raise the profile of the campaign by sharing a musical message that shows we care and we want this killing stopped.” No stranger to the cruel way in which the human race treats animals, Maria has supported US artist Pink at Cardiff International Arena for the Party For Animals World Wide in August 2007, and helped raise £90,000 for animal welfare charities.

Dr Teresa Buss-Carden from The World League for Protection of Animals (WLPA) who originally contacted Maria about Australia’s kangaroo killings, said: "We are thrilled that Maria Daines has lent her powerful voice in support of the 440,000 EU campaign. Her song, “Killing your own”, reflects the unspeakable tragedy which occurs every night in Australia. We are killing our own icon, we are killing our spirit of Australia. We believe that Maria's courageous stand for the millions of baby kangaroos decapitated, bashed or left to die from starvation or predation will encourage many other people from all over the world to join this campaign. She sends a powerful message: It is time to stop the massacre of baby kangaroos!” AWPC - EU Campaign Director Philip Woolley commented: "This CD brings home the message that killing kangaroos is wrong. More so killing baby kangaroos is totally unacceptable and must stop. We have tried reasoning with the industry in Australia but they are intent on continuing killing these babies and so it is to the outside world and particularly the EU to put an end to this slaughter. This CD is in limited supply only 1000 World wide and will become a "must have" item. We are over the moon with Maria's support." Maria added: “We must ask ourselves: will the amazing kangaroo, the icon and emblem of Australia, become another victim of mankind's wish to kill everything that lives wild and free?” Maria Daines’s powerful song paying tribute to kangaroos can be obtained from:-

AWPC:- http://www.awpc.org.au/awpc.php?australian_wildlife_protection_council=4

WLPA:- https://www.paypal.com/au/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&SESSION=O63JFwWgb44dkLbRKQCCgfgIaRsh8fE_3XBAm4lvflPn1c6jvO1FPH4sJEO&dispatch=5885d80a13c0db1f8e263663d3faee8dc18bca4c6f47e633fcf61b288f5ebea2

440,000 campaign:- http://www.change.org/awpc/petitions/view/call_for_support_to_ban_kangaroo_products_in_eu *440,000 campaign: Media Release

Locusts

State Government officers have sprayed a 5km-wide locust swarm so thick it looked like a dust storm. Biosecurity Queensland principal officer Graham Hardwick said the swarm would have held millions of spur-throated locusts. "You can see it rolling towards you," he said yesterday. "It's just like the cloud you get from a road train rolling down a dusty road. It's anybody's guess how many were in it but it was about 1km deep." Mr Hardwick said the aerial spraying was conducted around Twin Hills, north of Clermont. The swarms were sprayed on Friday and flight data would be checked today to see how successful the operation had been and if more locusts were nearby. Swarms of about 1sq km also had been recorded near Cunnamulla, Blackall and Barcaldine. Biosecurity Queensland officer Duncan Swan said the swarm north of Clermont was one of the largest recorded since two of a similar size west of Blackall about two months ago. "There's probably a few more swarms out there so we're going out Tuesday to try to find them," he said.

The Australian Plague Locust Commission expects swarms to continue into November and December, with the Barcaldine-Blackall and Tambo-Charleville areas hardest hit. Swarms also have been recorded in the Thargomindah-Cunnamulla and Bollon areas. A total of 109 swarms covering more than 26,000 ha were sprayed from June to August. There also were reports of swarms in the Hughenden, Winton, Richmond and Julia Creek areas in the northwest as well as in the Thargomindah-Cunnamulla area of the Bulloo and Paroo shires. The commission also expects swarms in the Gulf of Carpentaria and in Murweh, Balonne and Paroo shires in south and central Queensland. Mr Hardwick said the chemical killed any insect in its path so spraying was limited to areas where it was most effective. A 14-day withholding period was in force for stock in sprayed paddocks. Locust breeding usually starts in November and December in Queensland but could occur earlier if rain continues. *Courier Mail

Ed Comment; Many people have expressed concern on Internet and media forums about the spraying, the impact on wildlife from the spray itself, and the impact of birds and other wildlife eating poisoned locusts. Not to mention the impact on people from spray on roofs going into water tanks, and in creeks and dams. Ibis populations particularly, are likely to by impacted by consuming the poisoned locusts. Poisons recommended to be used to kill locusts are; biologicals containing metarhizium fungus, organophosphate and carbamate insecticides containing fenitrothion, chlorpyrifos, diazinon, maldison (malathion) or carbaryl, phenylpyrazole insecticides containing fipronil, and synthetic pyrethroid insecticides containing cypermethrin, alpha-cypermethrin, beta-cyfluthrin, lambda-cyhalothrin and gamma-cyhalothrin. All have various witholding periods for meat (beef and sheep) consumption. Kangaroos of course, range throughout the sprayed areas, and are killed for human consumption, even though they have eaten grass that has been sprayed with poison. We raised this issue with the Federal Government a few years ago when large locust swarms were sprayed, but noaction was taken.

Climate Change

Adelaide will be without metropolitan beaches within 60 years, one of the world's leading climate geologists has warned. In Adelaide for a national coastal management conference, American geologist Professor Orrin Pilkey said rising sea levels would encroach on developed coastal areas. But he said that rather than relocating the "powerful" people who lived on the city's esplanades, sea walls would likely be built, resulting in the loss of beaches. "Sea level rise is going to be the first major negative impact of global warming, because all the coastal cities in the world, which have many millions of people, will be affected, including this one," he said. "If we are looking at 1.4m sea level rises by 2100 - the beaches here will be in trouble in about 40 to 60 years from now." Prof Pilkey, one of America's most vocal coastal geologists, said to preserve beaches for the general public, property would have to be demolished and people relocated.

"If this nation is going to respond to sea level rises, they must take the control out of the hands of local people because local people understandably will want to protect their property and hold the shoreline in place," he said. "We don't have to look at it as a catastrophe, we should look at it as a challenge, and we should be responding now." Prof Pilkey blamed the coal and oil industries for propagating misinformation about climate change. "I think these people are doing our society, the world ... a huge disfavour," he said. "But this argument will end, there is no question about that, it will end when we have a bunch of cities around the world in real trouble." Prof Pilkey, who is from the School of Earth and Ocean Sciences at Duke University in North Carolina, will address the Coast to Coast conference in Adelaide tomorrow. He will discuss the issue of coastal management, and other related issues, with more than 250 delegates from around the country. * Adelaide News

Wild Introduced Animal Kill

Parks, beaches and reserves in NSW will shut down from this week as wildlife experts cull animals with a taste for endangered species. Authorities will bait, trap and shoot ravens and foxes that are hunting freshly hatched endangered chicks and the vulnerable long-nosed potoroos in more than 50 reserves statewide. Trained dogs have been brought in to sniff out fox dens and soft jaw traps will be laid near beach nurseries in a bid to protect shore birds, including little terns, pied oystercatchers and hooded plovers which nest in the sand. Ravens will be shot and their nests will be destroyed. Signs will be posted to keep people out of reserves, a Shoalhaven Council spokeswoman said, to protect chicks and eggs from predators. "Within a couple of weeks, almost all beaches will have intense nesting and chick caring by our local beach nesting birds," the spokeswoman said. "Baiting will continue throughout the summer until the chicks are out of danger."

Feral goats and pigs are being hunted from the air in 19 reserves in western NSW starting from today while wild dogs are the target in 13 forest reserves on the Northern Rivers and in the upper Blue Mountains. "Feral goats and pigs are significant threats to conservation," National Parks and Wildlife Service regional pest management officer Jason Neville said. "They invade native wildlife habitat, including that of ground-nesting birds and displace them." Poisoned carrots have been laid to kill rabbits in Sydney suburbs, with numbers booming in Hornsby, The Hills, Pittwater and Campbelltown. Hornsby Mayor Nick Berman said the cull was needed because rabbits were digging trip holes in parks and sporting fields.

"They cause depressions in the ground and that affects us as a matter of liability [if people fall down a rabbit hole] while the big danger is to native species," he said. Even the true-blue Aussies cannot escape the cull - eastern and western grey kangaroos are being "harvested" in western NSW, with another proposed cull set for the Hume. A cockatoo cull set for Sydney's CBD was abandoned at the 11th hour. Residents are on high alert after the dreaded cane toad was discovered in Sydney's southwest. *Daily Telegraph

Ed. Comment; Shoalwater Bay Army Area was also targeted in secret last week. An aerial kill by helicopter was held, specifically targeting wild cows, horses, pigs, cats, foxes. When the ABC tried to get comment from Defence about the kill, they refused to comment.

Wildlife Websites of Interest

Something Wild is a NON GOVERNMENT FUNDED, PRIVATE rehabilitation and conservation wildlife sanctuary for orphaned and injured animals in Tasmania. They nurture our native wildlife back to good health and prepare them for eventual release. Something Wild also has a number of habitats for animals that are unsuitable for release or may have been bred in captivity where visitors may enjoy viewing these special animals. It's a great place to see wild platypus. http://www.somethingwild.com.au

This web page is truly a collective effort for the conservation and protection of Dingoes in the wild and in human cohabitation - with all areas of care and related issues connecting to the Dingo being our prime concern. http://www.wadingo.com/

Based in Nth Queensland, this wildlife carer group have rescued, rehabilitated and released over 100 orphaned and/or injured Joeys. There have been a lot of success stories, but alas, some tragedies as well. Raising an orphaned Joey is no short term feat. The average timeframe associated from when a Joey is received until it is ready for release is about 7-9 months. http://www.wallabyrescue.com.au/

Wildlife Bytes 14/9/10

Lead Stories

WA logging Doubts

The State's environmental watchdog has cast doubt on the future of native forest logging in WA, raising concerns over the impact of declining rainfall and the spread of disease. The Environmental Protection Authority released a key report on the 2004-2013 forest management plan this morning. EPA chairman Paul Vogel said there were serious doubts that continued logging in the low rainfall zone and adjoining medium rainfall zone in the eastern portion of South-West forests was sustainable. The EPA has recommended no change to the current management plan, but has warned declining rainfall and climate change is set to result in lower log yields from WA forests. Mr Vogel said declining rainfall and disease needed to be taken into account in the next forest management plan.

"In the current audit, lower actual yields of jarrah sawlogs than forecast is, as the Conservation Commission states, likely to be subject to a number of factors," he said. "However declining long term rainfall throughout the South-West will have a deleterious effect on tree growth." Mr Vogel said there should be a separate review of logging in low rainfall zones, including the eastern jarrah forests. "However a 10-year plan may contain levels of inflexibility that are undesirable given the uncertainties," he said. Mr Vogel said he was also concerned about the affect of dieback and other diseases in WA forests. The Department of Environment had also failed to establish final guidelines for special fauna habitat zones, which were key component of the current management plan, he said. *WA News

Bilbys

Surveys in south-west Queensland have shown a big increase in numbers of one of the state's most endangered marsupials. Sunday is National Bilby Day, which is used to raise awareness of the plight of the endangered marsupial and other threatened species. Four bilbies were released into a predator-proof enclosure in the Currawinya National Park, south of Quilpie, five years ago. It is the only site in the state where bilbies have been reintroduced to the wild. Department of Environment and Resource Management zoologist Dr Peter McRae says the effort is paying off and the population is continuing to expand. "In the first two years almost after they were released, I was seeing one or two or maybe three bilbies in a week and now I can go down there and see 20 or 30 in a night," he said.

"I guess the most important part of it is that I'm seeing little juveniles that are just out of the pouch - that is a really good sign." Dr McRae says he is worried about people becoming complacent and tired of efforts to save Queensland's most endangered animals. He says while there are positive signs for the bilby population, the day should encourage people to consider the impact of humans on native animals. "They've declined in range by nearly 99 per cent of their former range in Queensland and if we're losing an animal like that, we are doing something drastically wrong," he said. "This is just a reminder that we really need to look after this planet and these landscapes if we want to survive ourselves." *ABC

Wildlife MiniBytes

New Federal Environment Minister

Peter Garrett has been shifted sideways, and the Federal Environment portfolio has been taken over by Tony Burke, former Agriculture Minister. This is not good, Burke is a strong supporter of the commercial kangaroo Industry, and he supports "sustainable logging" and "sustainable commercial fishing". Not good news at all for wildlife, but I dont think any of us expected good news for wildlife out of this last election. *WPAA

Climate Change

Butterflies are emerging up to 10 days earlier in spring than they did 65 years ago. As Melbourne warms, the city's butterflies are emerging at least 10 days earlier in spring than they did in 1945, according to research that reveals for the first time a causal link between increasing greenhouse gases, the city's warming environment and the timing of a natural event.

Here's a new and very interesting website where you can help record wildlife sightings. http://www.climatewatch.org.au/

China has suffered extremely abnormal weather this year as a result of climate change, weather researchers said. "Since last winter, events related to high temperatures, such as droughts, have been severe, and heavier-than-usual rains have hit some parts of the country, causing mudslides and flooding," Ren Guoyu, chief expert of the National Climate Center, said on the sidelines of the 21st Century Forum that started on Tuesday. *ChinaDaily...... Read more.......... http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2010-09/09/content_11276617.htm

An abrupt command from Beijing to follow through with ''iron-fisted'' energy and carbon emission cuts has thrown China's industrial heartlands into chaos. Steel factories across the country are slashing production, implying a rocky outlook for Australian commodities such as iron ore, while smaller Chinese industrialists have been arbitrarily plunged into darkness. ''We had no water to flush the toilet, we couldn't use the fridge and, of course, production stopped,'' said an office manager at Wanxing wire mesh factory in Anping, Hebei province. *SMH
Read More ....http://www.smh.com.au/business/beijings-iron-fist-on-emissions-has-industry-gasping-20100908-151ew.html

Voiceless, Two Job Opps.

Voiceless is now seeking to fill two separate positions, Executive Manager and Legal Counsel. Job descriptions are available by following this link http://www.voiceless.org.au/Taking_Action/Recruitment/ . We encourage you to pass the details of these exciting new roles onto your colleagues and friends, who are ready to dream big and help continue to build the cutting-edge area of animal law. *Voiceless

Crocodiles

Rangers have caught a 3.3 metre saltwater crocodile at a river crossing on the Central Arnhem Highway. The crocodile was found in a trap at the Goyder River crossing, 120 kilometres north of Bulman. It is the second to be caught in the area in a month. But rangers believe a bigger, 5 metre animal may still be in the area. The Department of Natural Resources says people who choose to swim in the area are putting themselves at risk. *ABC. Meanwhile a group of women were shaken but unharmed when a three-metre crocodile attacked their boat, the ABC reported today. The women were competing in a fishing competition in the Northern Territory on the weekend when the crocodile launched itself out of the water and hit the boat in the NT. One of the women, Toni Flouse, said the crocodile hit the boat hard enough to leave "battle scars" on the vessel. "He looked like he was aiming for (one of the women on the boat), that's for sure," Ms Flouse told the ABC.

Forestry

Three logging contractors have been sentenced to a total of 210 hours of community service for a violent assault on protesters in Tasmania’s Florentine Valley that was caught on video in 2008. Their lawyer claimed "they and other contractors are pawns in this dispute between environmentalists and the forestry industry," * WPAA

Whittlesea Wildlife

Whittlesea is one of the few places in Melbourne you'll find a golden sun moth or a growling grass frog. The Merri Creek Management Committee says these endangered species are even more threatened now by the rapid pace of development along Whittlesea's urban growth boundary. Waterwatch co-ordinator Jane Bevelander said the committee held its first eco bus tour last week to try to create awareness about the delicate eco-systems along the creek, starting at the old Epping landfill now home to the growling grass frog. ``There is less than 1 per cent of Victorian native grasslands left,'' she said. ``Pockets of ecosystems are keeping these species alive, and that's why so many groups are trying to link these pockets. Without these pockets, we're looking at even more extinction.'' Ms Bevelander said Merri Creek flowed about 80km from the Great Dividing Range to Clifton Hill where it joined the Yarra River. The golden sun moth was thought to be extinct in Melbourne until 2003, when it was accidentally rediscovered by a committee member in Whittlesea. ``There are two populations along the creek now but it needs native grassland, in particular wallaby grass, for nesting and feeding,'' Ms Bevelander said. The eco bus tour was held on September 7 to mark the day the last Tasmanian tiger died at Hobart Zoo in 1936. *Whittlesea Post

Wildlife Poaching

Florida wildlife officials said charges of possessing illegally taken wildlife stemmed from photos of a deer carcass posted to Facebook. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said Citrus County residents William Buchanan, 21, and Tara Anne Carver, 28, were charged with second-degree misdemeanor counts of possession of illegally taken wildlife after photos appeared on Facebook of them skinning the animal, the Ocala (Fla.) Star-Banner reported Wednesday. Lt. Steve Farmer, investigations supervisor for the commission, said investigators determined the deer was killed in May, outside of deer season. He said Carver told investigators Buchanan killed the deer, but he admitted only to helping to move and skin the animal. *UPI.com

Cassowaries

Another cassowary has been killed, this time near Bramston Beach. About 2pm on Saturday a large female cassowary was fatally injured after a being struck by a car on the Bramston Beach Road. The bird was a mature female weighing an estimated 60kg. The injured bird disappeared into thick roadside vegetation and the driver contacted Bramston Beach conservationist Russell Constable, with a request to find the cassowary and contact the relevant authorities. At 2.20 pm Mr Constable found the injured cassowary sitting in a rainforest creek and contacted Community for Coastal and Cassowary Conservation (C4) representative Liz Gallie, who in turn contacted the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service. Ms Gallie relayed essential information from her office whilst Mr Constable focused on monitoring the injured cassowary until help arrived. Veterinarian Dr Tom Gough, from Innisfail Tully Veterinary Surgery, administered a tranquiliser so the injured bird could be moved out of the creek and examined thoroughly. The injured cassowary was found to have a severed foot and Dr Gough acted promptly to euthanise the cassowary. Two Queensland Parks and Wildlife officers arrived shortly after the examination and removed the dead cassowary from the site. Bramston Beach cassowaries belonged to Innisfail's Graham Range population, said Mr Constable. `We only have approximately 1500 of these magnificent endangered birds left in Australia and this is a tragic loss not just for our small Bramston Beach community but it is a loss for all Australians.'' *Innisfail Advocate

Snakes

Fast food customers at a McDonald's restaurant were astonished to see two alleged pet thieves wrestling with a python in a nearby car park. The pair grappled with the five-foot snake named Boris, which they're believed to have stolen from a Melbourne pet shop. Australian police labelled the two men as "dumb and dumber", reports The Metro. Detective Sergeant Andrew Beams said: "Anyone who gets out there with a one-and-a-half metre python in a McDonald's car park, they're pretty dumb." Boris was described as "not happy" at being removed from his container in the shop by the men, who have been charged with burglary and theft. Boris, now safely back in his container at the shop, has "a very nice personality" and played up because he was upset at not being handled properly, according to Jodie Graham, the owner of Totally Reptiles. *Orange.uk.com

Northern Beaches Roadkill

The appalling state of roadkill on the northern beaches will be highlighted at a public forum at the Tramshed, Narrabeen, on Monday Night from 7pm. Hosted by the Northern Beaches Roadkill Prevention Group, the forum aims to call the relevant government agencies to fund and install more wallaby-proof fencing at roadkill hotspots on the peninsula. Guest speakers on the night will include Wires rescuer Mandy Beaumont, president of the roadkill prevention group Jacqui Marlow as well as Warringah and Pittwater mayors Michael Regan and Harvey Rose. There will also be talk from Dr Dan Ramp from the University of New South Wales on the benefits of wallaby-proof fencing. This will be followed by an audience question and answer session with representatives from the RTA, police and National Parks and Wildlife Service. Neva Poole from the roadkill prevention group said the RTA and government had stalled for too long. ``It is not just about raising awareness, we want action and we want action now,'' she said. * Manly Daily

Plague Locusts

Millions of migrants will soon be trucked across country Victoria to safety. From late this month or early next, the program will start, as trucks head from Victoria's north to the south and east. As spring temperatures rise and the soil warms, the relocation will go into overdrive. The program is essential to preserve Victoria's horticulture industry. It doesn't involve the relocation of people - rather, it's all about the relocation of millions of Victorian honeybees. The bees, an essential component of the Victorian honey industry as well as the fruit, canola and vegetable industries, must be moved for their own safety. They must be moved out of the way of insecticides, which will soon be aimed at locust ''hoppers'', expected to emerge en-masse in Victoria's Mallee and northern country in coming weeks. Their emergence will mark the start of what could be Victoria's worst locust plague in 75 years. *Age
Read more .. http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/millions-of-bees-hit-the-road-to-escape-poison-spray-20100912-15708.html

Port Phillip Bay Wildlife

Port Phillip Bay has become a mecca for all sorts of marine tourists lately. A leopard seal was discovered beaching itself in Frankston, while two green turtles from Queensland were recently found in Mt Martha and Dromana. One of the turtles has since died but the other is recuperating at Melbourne Aquarium with hopes of eventually being released. And a pod of common dolphins, which normally live in the ocean, has decided to call the bay home. In June there was another rare visitor a deep sea sun fish that swims at depths of 600m and can grow to more than three metres in length came ashore at Seaford. Michelle Thomas of Wildlife Victoria believes bay dredging has encouraged the influx. ``Anecdotally, it is thought these species are turning up due to the deepening of the channel into the bay, which at the mouth of the bay was a lot shallower than it is now,'' she said. Jeff Weir, of the Dolphin Research Institute, said the recent birth of two calves to common dolphins is proof the pod is here to stay. ``Normally this dolphin species would be tourists only,'' he said. ``This open ocean species taking up residence in an enclosed and shallow bay is something that is almost unheard of anywhere in the world.'' The pod of more than 20 dolphinscan be seen between Frankston and Dromana. * MP Leader

Bats

Australian scientists have discovered that Regional dialects exists in bats. "Bats in different regions have different calls. You may have the same species on the north and the south coast but they'll have different calls," said research leader Brad Law, of the Forest Science Centre, which is part of Industry & Investment NSW. For example, some bats in Eden sound quite different to bats just north of Batemans Bay, he said. Scientists had long suspected bats had distinctive regional dialects, but it had never been proven in the field, Dr Law said. As part of their research, the team spent months capturing bats at night, identifying each one and recording their calls with special equipment. * Age
Read more http://www.theage.com.au/environment/bat-pack-stick-to-their-roots-in-a-manner-of-squeaking-20100912-156zm.html

Frogs

Only the size of a pencil tip when born, 60 critically endangered white-bellied frogs will be released today in the small South-West town of Witchcliffe in an attempt to reintroduce the species to the area. With only 200 of the amphibians left in the wild, a joint Department of Environment and Conservation and Perth Zoo breeding program is battling to slow the rapid loss of frogs. Devastated by habitat destruction caused by feral pigs, illegal firewood harvesting, off-road vehicles and fire, the species was confined to a limited and isolated ecological niche and susceptible to environmental changes, DEC regional manager Kim Williams said. Perth Zoo's director of animal health, Helen Robertson, said the biggest challenge was working with such a tiny species that weigh just 0.03g as froglets. "Despite the challenges, we successfully reared 75 froglets from wild-collected egg nests," she said. "The captive rearing is an important step in increasing their chances of reaching adulthood." Environment Minister Donna Faragher said the frog translocation was part of the work of the recently established Threatened Species Council. It is the first of its kind for white-bellied frogs. Usually, eggs rather than grown frogs are put in the wild. * The West.com.au

Dolphins

Bottlenose dolphins in Western Australia have invented a clever new trick for catching dinner. They use their long snouts to lift heavy conch shells to the surface and then shake them about in the hunt for fish that have sought refuge inside. Simon Allen, a marine biologist at Murdoch University, said dolphins in Shark Bay are renowned for their "remarkable array" of sophisticated behaviours, including using sponges as tools and beaching themselves intentionally in pursuit of fish in shallow waters. But he and his colleagues were shocked when they first saw a dolphin suddenly appear with a massive conch on its head. "We nearly fell off the boat. It looked like a unicorn," he said. "It was a fantastic wildlife encounter." They thought the dolphin might have been using the shell as a toy or been showing off to its fellow cetaceans. When they looked closely at their photographs of the strange display, however, its purpose was revealed: to get at the tasty contents. *Age
Read more http://www.theage.com.au/environment/whale-watch/dolphins-shell-out-for-a-fish-supper-20100909-153bk.html

Marine Snails

Female marine snails living off Perth beaches have developed male sex organs on their foreheads as a result of exposure to the banned toxin tributyltin, a Curtin University study has found. The study found alarming rates of the abnormality known as imposex in the molluscs. In waters off Cockburn Sound, Fremantle, Garden Island and Hillarys the number of females affected by the hormone disrupting disorder ranged from 50 per cent at North Mole to 100 per cent at Colpoys Point off Garden Island. At Cottesloe the numbers were 35 per cent and Hillarys 82 per cent. Associate professor Monique Gagnon from Curtin University said the snails had almost disappeared from Fremantle waters due to the high rates of TBT pollution and the impact it was having on snail reproduction.
Read more.. http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/wa/7921767/female-snails-growing-penises/

Whales

At 52 feet long and weighing 60 tons, it was truly a giant of the deep. Some 200 years ago, however, the magnificent whale made a fatal wrong turn. Maybe it simply lost its way. More likely, it was ailing and easy prey as it veered off course to be speared on a whaler's harpoon and dragged from the open sea to the Thames. And there on the riverbank, the North Atlantic right whale - thought to be more than 50 years old - was stripped bare, its head removed and its carcass left to slowly sink into the mud.
Two centuries on, the skeleton of the whale, preserved in its rich muddy grave, has been uncovered by archaeologists. And now the bones, discovered two months ago, are on show at the Museum of London Docklands. *MailonLine
Read more and see photos: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1310489/Skeleton-18th-century-whale-London-met-bloody-end.html#ixzz0zPAC9eDE

Earthquake Kiwi Safe

An endangered New Zealand kiwi that survived a buffeting in its egg during this month's 7.0-magnitude earthquake has hatched safely. Richter, named after the now-defunct scale used to measure earthquakes, hatched on Sunday at the Willowbank Wildlife Reserve in Christchurch. "Our first egg hatch this year is one breakage that is a welcome relief after the recent quakes," conservation minister Kate Wilkinson said. The ground-dwelling kiwi, the avian symbol of New Zealand, is threatened by a host of introduced predators including rats, cats, dogs, ferrets and possums. Department of Conservation spokesman Rory Newsam said there were fewer than 70,000 kiwis left in New Zealand and the rowi, the sub-species to which Richter belongs, numbered only 300. Mr Newsam said Richter's egg rolled around in its incubator during the September 4 earthquake but rubber matting prevented any damage. He said the chick would be taken to a small island sanctuary until it was about one year old and better able to defend itself, then released into a wildlife protection area on the South Island. * AFP

Monkeys blown up in Grisly Tests

INPEX ( the company doing blasting in Darwin Harbor) is relying on experiments where monkeys, dogs, sheep and ducks were suspended in water and blown up by explosives to test the effects of marine blasting. The experiments, conducted for the US Defense Nuclear Agency in 1973, form the basis of Inpex's information about damage to marine animals. The sheep were wearing face masks connected to air pipes to keep them alive until the blast. Inpex plans to conduct 1300 blasts in Darwin Harbour over 14 months. About 120,000 cubic metres of rock would be removed from Walker Shoal to make the channel deep enough for tanker ships. The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) says Inpex relied on the report's citation in a literature review for Woodside Petroleum in 1996. But a copy of the results, conducted by the Lovelance Foundation and obtained by the NT News, details the experiment.

The Inpex EIS translates the Lovelance results to a safety range. Outside 1250m from a 300kg blast is regarded as safe for marine mammals, but within 473m mammals will sustain "moderately severe" injuries. Fish appear to be less sensitive - a 10kg fish will be safe outside 600m, 99 per cent will survive at 342m, 50 per cent will die if closer than 263m. Environment Centre NT co-ordinator Stuart Blanch said the tests were not accurate for Darwin sea life. "A dolphin is not a sheep ... or a monkey," he said. Inpex did not answer questions about why 37-year-old science was being used, but spokeswoman Ilka Burnham-King said "protection zones" would be set up around the blasting areas, which will need to be free of dolphins, turtles and crocodiles for 20 minutes before a blast. *NT news

Ed Comment; Meanwhile the Northern Territory Environment Centre is threatening to take legal action against the planned $12 billion Inpex gas plant if the company does not shelve plans to blast Darwin Harbour. In its response to Inpex's environmental impact statement, the Centre says the plan to blast a shipping channel for up to 14 months could harm Darwin's threatened snub-fin dolphins, and many other marine species. *

Wildlife Trafficking

Illegal trade in wildlife is happening in Malaysia but it is still under control with effective enforcement, said Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Per­hilitan). “The department is doing everything within its authority and jurisdiction to curb illegal wildlife trade in Peninsular Malaysia,” a Perhilitan spokesman said. He said initiatives from Perhilitan include doubling its staff and placing officers trained in species identification and intelligence gathering at the country’s 13 entry points. It had also reinforced its co-operation through integrated enforcement task force with other agencies like the army, police, Customs, marine police, Malaysian Maritime Enforce­ment Agency, Anti-Smuggling Unit, airport authorities and non-governmental organisations, he added. “Perhilitan has established 13 border checkpoints at major entry/exit points throughout the peninsula and is planning to set up five additional checkpoints in Kuala Kedah (Kedah), Kuala Perlis (Perlis), Butterworth (Penang), Subang Airport (Selangor) and Labuan for monitoring,” he said in an e-mail interview.

In its effort to combat illegal wildlife trade, especially wildlife smuggling, Perhilitan set up a flying squad, the Wildlife Crime Unit, in 2005. “The unit has successfully arrested suspected illegal traders and confiscated various wildlife species since its formation,” said the spokesman. One of the most prominent cases involved the confiscation of 35 tonnes of clouded monitor lizard (Varanus bengalensis) worth about RM3mil and the arrest of a suspect in Johor in November 2008, he said, adding that the department was also using a network of informers to provide vital information pertaining to illegal wildlife activities. “Sales of wildlife over the Internet are also being monitored and several arrests have been made based on that information,” he said. The spokesman also assured that Perhilitan would actively follow up on information supplied by the public in its effort to enforce the new Wildlife Conservation Act, which was recently passed by Parliament. “The 24-hour enforcement unit on standby will address all information pertaining to illegal wildlife activities.” However, he acknowledged that there were shortcomings and difficulties in curbing illegal wildlife trade including smuggling. “Nevertheless, efforts are being undertaken by the various parties to address these weaknesses.” * SundayStarOnline

Ed Comment, In recent weeks, a reptile salesman strapped 15 live Australian lizards to his chest attempting to get them to the US, a German reptile collector tried to leave NZ with 44 geckos and skinks concealed in a hand-sewn pouch in his underwear, and a woman was arrested in Sweden with 75 live snakes hidden in her bra.

Coal Seam Gas Industry (CSG)

Last week we mentioned the dead kangaroos that had drowned in a pond built by the burgeoning CSG Industry. The article is repeated below this article in case you missed it. Supporters of the CSG juggernaut Industry claim it will bring in $10 billion dollars in pipeline expansion projects during the next 10 years, with CSG Industries expected to spend another $30 billion dollars during the next 10 years in Queensland. But the environmental costs are expected to massive. Infrastructure construction on Curtis Island and Gladstone will be huge, with processing plants, harbor development and dredging, without considering the housing expansion to accomodate all the workers. Not to mention the exotic marine pests brought in by the huge boats, to a harbor that is already contaminated by many exotic marine pests. Pipeline construction across Queensland will fracture remnant habitat areas, disrupt farming, and create more roadworks, with heavy road transport expected to increase dramatically. The CSG Industry can potentially add 20 to 30 million tonnes of Greenhouse gases to Australia's targets.

Apparently we have around 250 years supply of CSG gas in Queensland at the moment, but with a juggernaut Industry like this how long will that last? 100 years, 50 years, or perhaps even less. And what happens when its all been flogged off overseas? Natural gas is considered to be a transition fuel, a fuel we can use as we change over to a low emmission economy, but what do we use if we've flogged it off for a quick few dollars to prop up a spendthrift government? But the real problem is that no-one is monitoring the environmental costs of the Industry. Conservation Councils just don't have the funds or the staff to assess the already inadequate EIS processes, and any environmental assessment will probably be done by a few Conservation Council volunteers, and final decisions made by a government Minister. Conservation groups already have their backs to the wall, besieged by urban issues, and relying on Government funding and on a few donations. Small rural groups are doing their best to draw attention to the environmental impacts of CSG prospecting, but the projects have already been Government approved, and are almost impossible to stop, once started. The video link about the drowned kangaroos is below, and is only the tip of the iceberg. If it hadn't been for a small local group, no-one would have been aware of this disgrace. We expect there will be many more CSG environmental issus arise, that should have been addressed in an EIS process, but were not. *WPAA


CSG, a coal seam gas mining company, with the support of the Queensland government, has built ponds lined with plastic that attracts kangaroos to the water, but when they get in, they can't get out and drown. This has been going on for weeks. See the video here, but be warned its not nice viewing. However all wildlife lovers should see the video. Its an indication how little the Queensland government cares about protecting our wildlife, to allow such an awful situation to arise. The coal seam gas mining Industry was supposed to have gone through a "thorough" environmental assessment process, but there have been multiple problems with it so far. http://anti-mining.com/videos/kangaroo%20ponds.html We are asking the Queensland Government to "please explain" how this was allowed to happen, and what penalties will be imposed on the mining company. We strongly suggest you visit the WAAM home page for more information, the link is on the video page, and there are more uTube video links there. Here's the video link again http://anti-mining.com/videos/kangaroo%20ponds.html Please express your anger and disgust to the Qld Premier Anna Bligh at premiers.master@premiers.qld.gov.au and the Mining Minister Steven Robertson here at nrmet@ministerial.qld.gov.au Please send them the link so they can watch the video too!


Sharks

They have lost arms, legs, ankle parts, but nine survivors of encounters with sharks say that the oceans' greatest predator - not humans - should fear the water. The survivors gathered at the United Nations in New York on Monday to tell the world that their attackers, like the great white, desperately need protecting. Paul de Gelder, a Royal Australian Navy diver whose right hand and lower right leg were torn off last year in Sydney Harbour, said he wanted to "speak out for an animal that can't speak for itself." Rampant overfishing is driving some species to the brink of extinction, with 73 million sharks killed annually just to feed Asia's demand for shark fin soup. "We're decimating the population of sharks just for a bowl of soup," de Gelder said. Pew Environment Group, a Washington-based organisation that brought the survivors to the UN, says 30 per cent of shark species are threatened or near-threatened with extinction, while the status of 47 per cent is not properly known.

Scientists say that wiping out sharks, who are at the top of the ocean food chain, creates a destructive ripple effect throughout the marine eco-system. For example, sharks eat seabirds, so that a reduction in shark numbers leads to more seabirds, who then eat up the bait fish needed by tuna, another endangered big fish. Another example is the gradual collapse of life on coral reefs once the primary predator is removed from the balance. "The ramifications on the ocean eco-system are vast," said Matt Rand, director of shark conservation at Pew. Pew is lobbying for an end to finning, where fishermen simply slice off shark fins and throw the mortally wounded creature back into the sea, and for strict catch limits to be imposed worldwide. Currently "in the open ocean there are no limits on how many sharks can be caught," Rand said.

The survivors said the fear inspired by sharks, most famously in the massively popular film Jaws, is hugely distorted. Fewer than 70 people are recorded as being bitten annually worldwide, although the number does not include incidents in countries where statistics are not kept. Of those, just a handful die, making fatal shark attacks less likely than lightning strikes. Debbie Salamone, who went to work for Pew after a shark severed her Achilles tendon in 2004 in Florida, said that at first "I was really not a big fan of sharks. I wanted to plot my revenge and was planning to eat shark steaks." She said that she came to understand that instead she should go the other way and help the fearsome, but vulnerable fish. "I decided I needed to find some sort of reason," she said. "I decided this was a test, a test of my commitment to environmental conservation." *AFP

Wallabies Shot

For the second time in two weeks animal carcasses have been dumped near a school bus shelter off the Huon Highway, south of Geeveston. On Thursday a large number of wallaby carcasses were dumped near the shelter, which is about 150m south of Hermans Rd. Robert Pittam, who lives nearby, said the carcasses were only metres from the road and visible from it. His 16-year-old son found them while walking the family's dogs and Mr Pittam took some photographs. He said the remains were fairly fresh. ``Luckily it was the school holidays or up to eight children, some as young as nine, would have had to stand next to the mess,'' Mr Pittam said. He said he tried to contact Huon Valley Council's ranger and police but they did not return calls. ``The only person who seemed interested was the Parks and Wildlife ranger, who did call,'' Mr Pittam said. Remains of goats had previously been dumped at the site, along with household rubbish, including many broken bottles. ``The place truly is not only dangerous for the kids but scenes like that are horrible,'' Mr Pittam said.

His home is about a kilometre from a rubbish dump Huon Valley Council operates a waste transfer station in Hermans Rd. He believed that when the waste site was closed people dumped rubbish at the roadside site. Hermans Rd also led to forestry roads where wallabies were shot. Mr Pittam said he worked with a man who was a shooter and who had expressed disgust at the dumping practice. The remains of the wallabies were removed on Friday. ``No one wants to take responsibility if they did this [left the remains in the bush it would not be so bad,'' he said. But he accepted little could be done to stop the dumping. In mid-July the Mercury reported that over about three months about 200 wallabies and kangaroos had been killed at the Glenorchy tip, Tolosa Park and in nearby bushland. The killers had even taken to taunting Glenorchy council workers by putting the bludgeoned carcasses on display. A police officer said it appeared the wildlife was being clubbed with a baseball bat or similar weapon and dogs were used to chase the animals. Tip staff had arrived at work to find bloodied animal carcasses at the entrance. *Mercury