Wildlife Bytes 23/11/10

Lead Stories

Flying Foxes

A Charters Towers gardener has offered his job to Sustainability Minister Kate Jones for a day as part of Premier Anna Bligh's ''walk a day in my shoes'' public relations campaign. But there is a sting in the tail of Allan Henderson's cheeky offer. He works in the northwestern town's Lissner Park, where the trees are home to 20,000 flying foxes. Mr Henderson challenged Ms Jones (who pulled weeds as her part in the PR exercise) to spend a day working underneath the wildlife. 'She doesn't have enough guts to do that,'' he said. ''She should try working under these dirty mongrel things. She can walk in my shoes any day.'' Mr Henderson, the Charters Towers Action Group spokesman, said the town had suffered with a flying fox problem for nine years. The airborne mammals were driven out by starvation in April when heavy rain washed pollen out of trees but they returned in August. Mr Henderson wants Ms Jones to allow a mustering helicopter to herd the bats, in the hope the noise and downdraft would convince them to move elsewhere.

Ms Jones said she appreciated that living near a flying fox colony could cause distress. She had inspected the park and spoken with Mayor Ben Callott about damage mitigation permits. Since 2002, the council had applied for and been granted 15 permits to disperse black and little red flying foxes, using noise, fogging and lighting. The department had offered to immediately issue a further permit but the council had so far declined. An application in June this year to disperse animals with a chopper was refused because the proposal was deemed inhumane and there were public safety concerns. As Australia's population and bushland clearing have increased, it has seen conflicts arise between humans and bats having to co-exist. Bats feed on night-flowering, nectar-producing plants and play a critical role in pollination of native trees and the spread of seeds but people hate living near them and many have concerns about disease risks.

Mr Henderson said Ms Jones' permit to smoke them out was useless because the bats ignored the distraction. There were now so many bats, he said it had become a health and safety issue. Mr Henderson said residents wanted Ms Jones to review her decision on use of a chopper. When starvation hit flying fox camps mid-year, it sent thousands of the creatures across five states. Some even tried to make it to Tasmania. *Courier Mail

Meanwhile a leading conservationist has urged Sustainability Minister Kate Jones to stand firm in her opposition to the use of a mustering helicopter to herd pesky flying foxes out of Charters Towers' Lissner Park. A resident's rally will be held next Saturday to protest against the refusal. But Queensland Conservation Council member and scientist Carol Booth said yesterday the idea of herding 20,000 flying foxes to bushland was absurd and doomed to fail. The City Council applied for permission for a chopper in June but were refused due to public safety issues. Since 2002, the council had been granted 15 permits to disperse bats, using noise, fogging and lighting. Dr Booth said the contention that flying foxes would obediently fly to a preferred location was wishful thinking. *Courier Mail

Koalas

Scientists have urged the State Government to approve the artificial insemination of koalas as a way of ensuring remnant populations survive. Dreamworld general manager of life sciences Al Mucci said he accepted that many conservationists and Environment Department staff would be opposed to such intervention but things had become so grim serious action was needed. He said if remnant populations, such as those in Noosa National Park, were simply left to their own devices, they were doomed. He did not accept the argument that such a program would be overly interfering with nature.
"We've already interfered with nature,'' he said. "That's how they got into trouble. We've got to maintain population density although, in the bigger picture, we still need to protect habitat. "If you want to maintain small populations such as at Noosa, Runaway Bay or Coombabah (Gold Coast) you've got to use reproductive biology as if they are captive populations.''

Mr Mucci and staff have worked with University of Queensland scientist Steve Johnson in developing artificial insemination techniques. Dr Johnson, a pioneer in the area, said 32 joeys had been produced from artificial insemination at Dreamworld, Currumbin Sanctuary and Lone Pine tourist centres. "We're ready to use the technology for other purposes,'' he said. "It provides us with the tools to manage a bit more intensively. It allows us to do a genetic exchange and we can test males for chlamydia.'' Dr Johnson said that while artificial insemination could be used to save koalas, issues such as vegetation clearing still had to be addressed. Sustainability Minister Kate Jones said she and the state's koala taskforce would consider any proposal. Environment Department resource management assistant director koala policy Wade Oestreich said it could be a viable option but was not considered the most effective means of significantly boosting koala numbers. Mr Mucci said any injured female koalas in care from the Noosa region could be inseminated, thereby returning to the bush with a joey in the pouch. *Courier Mail

Editorial

There are three significant issues we'll discuss this week. One is the growing strong opposition to the coal seam gas Industry in Queensland and NSW. A recent article in the Courier Mail brought over 70 comment responses, most are opposed to the Industry and the downstream environmental consequences. But both the Queendsland and NSW governments are in dire financial straits because of their own financial mismanagement over many years, and are listening to nobody....except those who talk about money! It's interesting to note that suddenly the farmers have realised that the EIS process is not designed to stop bad proposals, but to ensure they proceed, something environmental groups knew decades ago. All attempts by conservation groups to improve the EIS process (and there have been many attempts over the years) have been swept under the carpet by all governements. So ultimately the chances of stopping CSG mining are slim, Governments desperately need the money to keep the States running, its as simple as that. As far as they are concerned, any environmental damage is irrelevant.

Next issue is the decision to renew aerial dog baiting in Victoria. The Victorian Labor government goes to the polls next weekend, and in an effort to secure some rural votes, they have decided to allow aerial baiting again in parts of rural Victoria. As Julie Fechner, President of Dingo CARE Network Inc notes below, research has has shown that baiting weakens dingo pack structure, which exacerbates the problem of roaming dingoes and wild dogs, and certainly has an impact on other wildlife. The weird thing is the Victorian Government has just announced that dingoes are protected animals, yet they are going to poison them?? But Victoria goes to the polls next weekend. Both major Parties, Libs and Labor, have directed preferences to each other, in bid to stop the Greens grabbing four major Melbourne seats. Labor has also given preferences to the Country Alliance Party in Upper House regions, and its expected that the Country Alliance, which is the equivilent of the NSW's Shooters Party under another name, will poll well in rural areas. The Greens of course are finding it difficult to get any media. We think we need a radical overhaul of our political system, to get rid of the incompetance, corruption and cronyism that currently exists within the major Parties. Of course that will never happen, because that would have to be a government initiative, and why would they kill the goose that lays the Golden Egg?

The third issue is that our Environment Minister Tony Burke has, through the RIRDC, given $400,000 to the Kangaroo Industry to promote the Industry, and to try to raise the consumption of kangaroo meat in Australia. Stories that you may have seen in some newspapers promoting the consumption of kangaroo meat, are clearly prostitution journalism, where the journalist gets paid by the kangaroo Industry for getting a positive story about kangaroo meat in the media. Of course, this happens all the time with mining and other multinational companies, and even governments do it. But its disappointing when the so-called Federal "Environment" Minister uses our money to promote this dreadful and unsustainable Industry. *WPAA

Flying Foxes

The Director of Sydney's Botanic Gardens, Tim Entwhisle, who worked long and hard to garner government support for the Botanic Gardens illfated flying fox relocation attempt, has landed a top job at the Kew Gardens in London. He will be taking up the position of Director Conservation, Living Collections and Estates at the Royal Botanic Gardens next March. Mr Entwhisle has been in charge Sydney, Mount Annan and Mount Tomah Gardens for seven years. He says the opportunity to take charge of Kew's Millenium Seedbank, was a big draw card. "It's got 10 per cent of the world's plants stored as seeds," he said. "The idea is you get the seeds from as many plants as you can, put them into this cold storage area, help protect that so you never lose those plants." "Also more recently they've been using those to help with food security overseas, doing work in Madagascar, Mexico and China." Anyway, good riddance to Mr Entwhistle, we say! *WPAA

Turtles

After nearly three years in exile, freshwater turtles have been returned to the rejuvenated SA Lower Lakes. Yesterday school students and volunteers from the Lower Lakes Turtle Project released 30 turtles back into their natural environment. Since March 2008, more than 2000 turtles have been rescued from water so salty that tubeworms grew on their shells. "We brought the turtles back to school and we scraped off the tubeworm," said Year 1 pupil Thomas, 6, from the Eastern Fleurieu School. Project co-ordinator Kerri Bartley said she hoped the freshwater flows would continue. "We haven't had a tubeworm-encrusted turtle ... in the last 12 months," she said. "Tubeworms can't survive in fresh water, so hopefully this is the end of it." *AdelaideNow

Climate Change

Hungry polar bears gathering along the tundra, twice as many record-breaking temperatures and stronger hurricanes are among the latest signs of climate change, scientists say. And we can expect more rain, more drought and fiercer storms in the future if the world continues on its fossil-fuel gobbling track, they told reporters on a conference call on Wednesday to discuss the year in global warming.
Read more http://www.theage.com.au/environment/weather/expect-more-wild-weather-say-scientists-20101119-1806i.html


An index published in Norway shows Australia is the second worst country in the world for emitting greenhouse gases, behind the United Arab Emirates (UAE). There are 183 countries on the list, which was compiled by a British consultancy and looks at current and historic emissions levels. Rich countries and OPEC members dominated the list. The ranking of carbon dioxide emissions placed the UAE on top largely because of a sharp rise in emissions in recent years linked to desalination plants. Australia is the next worst because of its dependence on coal. The index also shows that Australians, along with Americans, have high per capita emissions. * Reuters

Seals

Jack, the Australian fur seal pup may be the most adorable and cuddly-looking specimen on Rosebud (Victoria) beach, but wildlife officers have warned the public to steer clear. Animalia Wildlife Shelter public officer Craig Thomson said Jack had been spotted at both ends of the beach, lazing in the sun by day, before heading off to feed on a range of seafood at night. Jack who has razor-sharp teeth is healthy and must not be approached, Mr Thomson warned. ``You may not approach a seal any closer than 30m on a beach and 5m on a jetty, pier or boat ramp under the Wildlife (Marine Mammals) Regulations 2009.'' He said November as the weather heats up was the prime time for spotting yearling seals on the beach. If anyone spots a seal, they should contact Wildlife Victoria on 9224 4290. *Mornington Leader

Rhinos

South African wildlife officials last week found the decomposing bodies of 18 rhinos -- all de-horned victims of poaching -- in a remote rhino graveyard on a large private game reserve close to the border of Kruger National Park. More than 288 rhinos have been killed by poachers this year in South Africa. That compares with 122 last year and 83 in 2008. The trade in rhino horns, valued for their perceived medicinal properties, is illegal, but flourishing. *SunHerald

Sturgeon

A British angler has caught the world’s biggest freshwater fish in Canada’s Fraser River. 43-year-old Jo Green took more than two hours to reel in the 25-stone, 8ft 4ins sturgeon, reports the Sun. Gardener Jo, of Padworth, Berks, was snapped with the monster, which dragged her boat two miles upstream, before releasing it back into the wild. “My arms and legs turned to jelly, I was so tired. It leapt out of the water twice and looked intimidating,” she said. (ANI)


Meanwhile The Caspian Sea littoral states have agreed-in-principle to ban the hunting of caviar-producing sturgeon in the Caspian Sea for a five-year period. According to an agreement reached at the end of the third Caspian summit in Azerbaijan, environmental experts from the five Caspian Sea littoral states were tasked with outlining measures within three months to implement a ban on sturgeon fishing. The third summit of the Caspian Sea leaders opened in Azerbaijan's capital, Baku on November 18. Findings of a research by Iran's Caviar Fish Research Center released two years ago showed Iran's caviar reserves would finish within the next 12 years. Uncontrolled fishing and pollution caused by oil and gas exploitations are serious threats to sturgeon and other marine species of the Caspian Sea. Caspian Sea sturgeon accounts for 90 percent of the world's caviar. The Major population of sturgeon lives in the southern parts of the Caspian Sea where the sea is much deeper. Russia, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Iran are the five Caspian Sea littoral states. Only Iran and Russia have restricted sturgeon fishing in the Caspian Sea. *Underwater Times

Sharks

Police are investigating three people over alleged possession and sale of the jaws and teeth of a great white shark. A commercial fisherman from Ardrossan and a business at Coober Pedy in South Australia have been reported for breaching protection laws. A set of jaws and shark teeth necklaces have allegedly been seized from the business. Peter Deitman from the Primary Industries Department says fines of up to $100,000 can be imposed. "It's an offence to take a protected species which a great white is, and then also under the Fisheries Management Act it's an offence to either sell or purchase or indeed have in possession or control a protected species," he said. *ABC

Bluefin Tuna

Europe’s Mediterranean fishing nations have rejected measures to protect the endangered bluefin tuna proposed last month by the European Union fishing chief Maria Damanaki, EU officials said on Thursday. The decision late on Wednesday means the 27-nation EU joins international quota talks in Paris this week without a mandate for negotiating tough measures to conserve the fish, whose numbers have declined by more than half over the last 40 years. The EU was seen as a key champion of Atlantic bluefin, which can grow to the size of an average horse, accelerate faster than a sports car and can fetch $100,000 each at market in Japan, where they are prized by sushi lovers. The total bluefin quota for 2010 was set at 13,500 tonnes and Damanaki said last month that to give the giant fish a real chance of recovery, the 2011 quota should be set at around 6,000 tonnes at the Paris meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). The 10-day ICCAT talks started on Wednesday. *Globe and Mail

Wildlife Trafficking

The Queensland Government says it hopes a recent court case sends a clear message to the community about the dangers of poaching wildlife. Darren John Eskey, 35, and his sister Leanne Eskey pleaded guilty to charges of taking and using protected animals and were fined more than $13,000 in the Toowoomba Magistrates Court in the state's south. The Department of Environment and Resource Management's Mike Devery says a police inspection of the pair's car outside Longreach, in January, uncovered more than 50 live animals including snakes, lizards and frogs. Mr Devery says the fines are appropriate. "We're very pleased with the outcome, it sends a strong message about what happens if you get caught," he said. "The other message is if you do this sort of thing, with the level of cooperation that occurs across borders now in Australia, there's a very good chance of being caught." * ABC
Ed Comment; If the Beattie government hadn't legalised the keeping of pet reptiles, this wouldnt happen because there would be no market.

Whaling

A super-fast stealth boat to replace the wrecked Ady Gil will join the Sea Shepherd's anti-whaling efforts this summer. Sea Shepherd is making its final preparations for the whaling season before setting out from Hobart early next month. The speed boat will join the Bob Barker, the Steve Irwin and a long-range helicopter in the anti-whaling mission Operation No Compromise. The Bob Barker is at the public dock at Macquarie Wharf No. 1 and the Steve Irwin is due in Hobart on Tuesday. Among the crew of the Steve Irwin will be Hollywood movie star Michelle Rodriguez of Avatar and The Fast and The Furious fame. Sea Shepherd leader Captain Paul Watson is due to arrive in Hobart this week. He will address a Sea Shepherd fundraiser in Hobart next Sunday.
Read more http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2010/11/21/187741_tasmania-news.html

Kangaroos

Fruit and vegetable producers in north Queensland say their farms are being ravaged by wild pigs and kangaroos. Carl Walker from the Bowen District Growers Association says the wetter than average winter has also led to more vermin in the fields. He says the damage to his own farm is more than $50,000. "It's been one of those very disappointing seasons between the weather," he said. "We have enormous problems now with vermin building up. Wild pigs and kangaroo numbers are getting [to] plague proportions which is costing us enormous amounts of money, which is another subject we've got to cross with the federal and state governments. "Me personally, I'm only a small grower and the wildlife has cost me in excess of $50,000 this year which is a lot of money and it's cost my employees a lot of that, because that's wages that haven't been paid out." *ABC

Koalas

A baby koala that was shot near Queensland's Sunshine Coast earlier this month is slowly improving. The female koala, nicknamed Frodo, was found at Jimna almost a fortnight ago with 15 shotgun pellets in its body and skull. Vets at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital say Frodo is now eating and drinking and has been moved to an outside pen but is still very fragile. The baby koala is recovering from two rounds of surgery to remove seven shotgun pellets and will need further surgery. *ABC

TinCan Bay marina

A conservation group says federal Environment Minister Tony Burke has received more than 17,000 emails protesting against a marina development at Tin Can Bay in south-east Queensland. The Seymour Group wants to build a marina at the Snapper Creek Boat Harbour, after gaining the approval of the Gympie Regional Council and the State Government. Mr Burke could make a final decision about the development as early as next month. Southern Sandy Straits Marine Environment Group president Carole Gillies says people from around the world have sent emails to Mr Burke. "What we're finding is we're getting people from all walks of life," she said. "We're getting people who are just sick of prioritising money and developments that benefit a minority of people over keeping some of our beautiful coastline natural and available to the majority [of people]. "We've had parents who are just concerned that future generations will only be able to see our wildlife in zoos. "We've also had some children responding to us who have visited the area and loved our dolphins and our fishing and want us to keep it for them." *ABC


Seagull Kill

Tasmanian animal conservationists are calling on the State Government to stop the oiling of seagull eggs at the Sorell Causeway. Against Animal Cruelty Tasmania spokesman Chris Simcox said it was time for the Government to get together with animal conservationists and experts to discuss humane ways to address the issue of seagulls in populated areas. "The authorities should show tolerance for these birds, while investigating serious long-term solutions," Mr Simcox said. Human presence along many coastlines has significantly reduced the nesting options for most seabirds, forcing them to find other colonies, Mr Simcox said. The Department of Infrastructure Energy and Resources has been putting oil on the eggs at the causeway for about seven weeks.

Spokeswoman Suzie Jacobson said the department had tested a number of options including noise deterrents and fences but the oiling remained the only solution. "This is a process that has been used around the world in a number of places," Ms Jacobson said. "It does kill off a certain nesting but it gets the message across to the seagulls that it is an area they should not go because it is not successful for nesting." Ms Jacobson said the department was running a review to confirm that there had been fewer seagull chicks killed on the road after the oiling. "It is not an ideal practice but this is not about killing the seagulls themselves, it is about trying to change their behaviour. We consider it the most humane way to do it." she said. *Mercury


Hey Skip, whats cookin?

A new cookbook aims to convince Australians that kangaroo has a place as a dinner table staple. Health experts have long extolled the virtues of the meat's lean quality, and environmentalists also give it the tick. But the meat still suffers an image problem. The book, Roocipes, financed by the federal government's Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation, aims to change all that. Recipe contributors include Tony Bilson, the ''godfather of Australian cuisine'', who has offered up a tempting medallion of kangaroo with eschalots. And former Star City chef Sean Connolly has provided a recipe of kangaroo tartare, a version of the French classic steak tartare, featuring raw mince.

The book is the brainchild of Mel Nathan, food and wine publisher and editor. This year Nathan organised an evening forum of some of the country's top chefs to discuss how to change attitudes to eating kangaroo. It is, after all, a free-range product but for some, eating the coat of arms could be regarded as unpatriotic. 'The task of dethroning Skippy and replacing him with the versatility, leanness and gamey qualities we associate with kangaroo meat quickly became the agenda of the night,'' she said. But Nathan said the chefs were ''convinced that kangaroo could easily justify itself as a unique and tasteful alternative to other meat staples''.

Daniel Ridgeway, who has a restaurant called Little Truffle on the Gold Coast and is a former executive chef at the Sofitel Wentworth Sydney, has contributed a swag of recipes, including kangaroo prosciutto, pea and kangaroo soup and kangaroo terrine (see above). 'I think some people do have a problem with it but it's changing. People are beginning to understand its nutritional benefits - especially athletes, [as] it is digested through the body so much better than beef,'' Ridgeway said. 'As people get more educated about it they will eat it more.'' One problem appears to be the use of the word kangaroo - after all, we call pig meat ''pork'' and sheep meat ''lamb''. John Kelly, from the Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia, said more research was needed before any other name was adopted. But he said product name changes give ''a new opportunity to go out to the public with the idea''. Roocipes is available at www.rirdc.gov.au, by phoning 1300 634 313 and from selected newsagents. *Sun Herald

Ed Comment; The kangaroo Industry is desperate...now Russia has confirmed it wont import any more kangaroo meat, they are using taxpayers money to promote kangaroo meat in Australia....with little success. The Industry itself admits Aussies wont eat kangaroo meat...at least not in the quantity to make it a challenge to beef and lamb, or to make it financially viable. They've already tried to rename it Mala, but it didnt work, because using a little known name for kangaroo meat could be sucessfully argued that it was fraudulent advertising.

Ghost Nets

A Top End professional fisherman has given up $35,000 in income and costs by stopping fishing for three days to drag a 3km long "ghost" net to shore, one of many that kill endangered turtles in northern Australia. Ghost net is the term used for professional fishing nets that for various reasons are cut loose from boats and drift the oceans of the world, trapping threatened species and undersized and protected fish. Ghostnets Australia project co-ordinator Riki Gunn said the issue was a "wicked" problem. An example is fisherman not being allowed to bring them back for dumping in tips because they are plastic and cannot be burnt. Since 2004 when the group was formed, they have retrieved about 7500 nets. "They range in size from just a mere scrap to ginormous. We got one in 2006 which we reckon was about six tonne. It was probably 6km long," she said.

The Spanish mackerel fishing vessel Wildcard, owned by Bruce and Juanita Davey, suspended fishing on Monday to retrieve the net that was killing fish and endangering turtles at Money Shoal, 75km northeast of Croker Island. "We managed to remove around 60 per cent of the estimated 3km long net," owner Bruce Davey said. He recorded the co-rdinates for the rest of the net, which was stuck on a reef. "Since we could see fish and turtles in the net, the usual sort of stuff ... we could immediately see a wall of death," he said. He said he rang the Australian Maritime Safety Authority but they did not respond. Mr Davey said the net was on a pristine coral reef and either the federal or Territory governments needed to move it. Ms Gunn said they had cleaned up about 2000km of coastline and were working to help communities and their rangers with patrols. *NT News

Dingo Media Release

Dingo CARE Network Inc urges both parties to stop playing political football with the environment Date 19 November 2010 Dingo CARE Network Inc (Incorporated under the Associations Incorporation Act 1981 on 21 June 2004 No A0045881H) Dingo CARE Network Inc. today expressed disappointment that both the Labour Party and the Coalition have promised a resumption of aerial wild dog/dingo baiting in the run up to the Victorian State Election. Julie Fechner, President of Dingo CARE Network Inc, today said: “It seems that both parties are ignoring the science in an attempt to increase their rural vote. Research has shown that aerial baiting has not been effective in the past so why do politicians continue with the same old practices, and why would farmers want scarce resources wasted on management practices that have been shown to be ineffective? Not only is it unscientific, but may be damaging to the natural environment.”

“Research is has shown that baiting weakens dingo pack structure, which exacerbates the problem of roaming dingoes and wild dogs. When the dominant or alpha pair is killed, remaining pack members often become poor hunters and breed at a higher rate. This is similar to removing the parents from the family farm and leaving young teenagers in charge to behave irresponsibly.” “When dingo packs are left intact, the overall dingo population is self-regulating at a relatively low level and they tend to stay within their home territory. They also play an important role as the top order predator maintaining environmental balance, protecting many of our small endangered species, and keeping kangaroo numbers in check.”

“If the Victorian government is serious about developing a sustainable solution for wild-dog predation on farm stock, it should promote and finance non-lethal control methods, including the use of lamas and maremma dogs. Such alternatives are now being used successfully in Queensland to protect stock.” “The dingo is now protected wildlife under the Victorian Wildlife Act. We trust that these announcements by the major political parties have been made in full consideration of the new laws protecting the dingo, and there are no plans to bait outside the agreed 3 kilometre buffer zone between public and private land.” Further information: Julie Fechner: 0419 55 2226 julie@dingo.id.au Ernest Healy 03 99020752 ernest.healy@arts.monash.edu.au

Another Dingo Media Release

The National Dingo Preservation and Recovery Program today expressed disappointment at the Victorian Labor government’s decision to resume aerial baiting for wild dogs in north-east Victoria and Gippsland. Yesterday, The Victorian Minister for Agriculture, Joe Helper, announced a budget of $1.2 million for the resumption of aerial baiting of wild dogs. NDPRP President, Dr Ian Gunn, today stated that the resumption of aerial baiting would likely prove counter productive in controlling wild-dog numbers and be a significant waste of public finances. ‘Aerial baiting trials have been conducted before in Victoria and found to be largely ineffective. It is concerning that it has been resurrected as part of an election campaign.’ Dr Gunn encouraged the Victorian government to take seriously the body of expert opinion that suggests that indiscriminant baiting and trapping of wild dogs and dingoes may be in fact exacerbating the very problem that farmers wish to overcome.

‘Recent research has concluded that the lethal control of dingo populations destabilizes pack structures, which can lead to increased breeding rates. In a stable pack, or family unit, only the dominant female usually breeds, limiting the wild-dog or dingo population. If a dominant female or male is killed through baiting or trapping, then subordinate females are free to breed, producing more pups than usual. Pups which result from fractured packs are less likely to be territorially constrained and may not be taught to hunt properly. Such ‘poorly-educated’ juvenile dingoes are more likely to resort to easy prey, such as sheep on farmland. Many farmers have been mystified as to why wild-dog numbers have been increasing despite increased levels of poisoning and trapping. This is why.’

While Dr Gunn applauded the Victorian government’s recent listing the dingo as threatened wildlife, he called upon the Minister for Agriculture to encourage farmers to adopt non-lethal methods of wild dog control, rather than an escalation of poisoning. ‘In the past, the breaking up of pack structures has also facilitated the hybridisation of dingoes with domestic dogs. New approaches to farm stock protection need to be adopted, rather than simply persisting with very expensive control methods that simply don’t work in the longer term.’Dr Gunn called upon the Victorian government to allocate a budget equivalent to that announced for aerial baiting to dingo conservation for the coming three year period. Contacts: Dr Ian Gunn BVSc. FACVSc. 0427 387778 (mob.) Dr Ernest Healy 03 9902 0752(w) 03 9 3065037 (h)

Websites of Interest

Chelonia Wildlife Rehabilitation & Release is located in Broome, Western Australia (Coordinates - 18 South, 122 East). Broome in turn is part of the truly spectacular wilderness area known as The Kimberley which covers an area of nearly 423,000 square kilometers (three times the area of England). Chelonia specialises in birds and reptiles, including sea turtles, and takes in around 700 patients per year. Wildlife rehabilitator, Lesley Baird, established Chelonia in 2001 after she met her first sea turtle patient, Bip. Prior to that time she had already treated around 700 patients over a 4 year period, mainly birds and reptiles. Fortunately Bip was a success story and Lesley was hooked on sea turtles from that time. http://www.chelonia.org.au


The goal of Fauna Nature is to offer products and services to attract the types of wildlife you would like to see in your own backyard. Appropriate planting and the provision of water are the starting point, and fauNature helps you go further. They will provide advice to ensure you maximise the effectiveness of our products and make the most of your wildlife garden. http://faunature.com.au/

This website hosts a list of wildlife tourism websites. http://wildlifetourism.org.au/information/related-websites/