Wildlife Bytes 7/12/10

Protect our Mountain

Estelle Carrall on behalf of Cynthia Dungay Dates writes:

In the Worimi nation, in a town called Bulahdelah about one hour north of Newcastle, is a sacred mountain. This mountain is a hugely significant place; it also has many significant sites. In the year 2000 the Roads and Traffic Authority of NSW announced that they had plans to build a new section of highway which would be blasted up to 25 metres deep through this sacred mountain which would desecrate this revered place and destroy its significant sites. Despite Aboriginal opposition since this route option was first announced, and despite the fact that there are other, cheaper, safer and non-culturally destructive options available, the RTA have continued to pursue this route for the Bulahdelah Pacific Highway upgrade.

It has been 10 years now since the RTA announced they were planning to locate the highway through the mountain but they only started work on the mountain less than a year ago. In August 2009 an application was made under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984 for protection of the mountain before RTA had even started any clearing work, but the government has been stalling this application and didn’t accept it until four months ago. Then they said that the public notice for it would be in the press soon, but they are still holding it up today. Since the application was first made, many cultural icons have been destroyed including artifact scatter, around 20 scarred trees and other sacred trees, but people are still fighting to save this sacred place and its remaining sites.

Even though this application could potentially save this sacred mountain and its sites, the RTA are still allowed to continue destroying it despite the fact that this application has been accepted by the Federal Government and a decision has not yet been made by the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, the Hon Tony Burke MP, whether or not to protect it under Section 10 of the Act. Ms Cynthia Dungay-Dates, who is the applicant for the Section 10 and a custodian for the mountain, said: “Thousands of years of culture, heritage and tradition are imbedded in this place and although what the RTA have done so far is absolutely terrible, if they are allowed to continue things will be much, much worse. The mountain must be protected; this place is far too important to have it destroyed. It’s a place where our ancestors have come, where we have come, where our children then grandchildren will come, and it is vitally important that this place is protected, not only for us but for future generations.”

There are no reasons why this application shouldn’t have been accepted sooner and there are no reasons why it shouldn’t be put through to the stage for public comment now. The government is also refusing to publish the public notice for the application in the National Indigenous Times and the Koori Mail and the request for a five week submission period; this will mean that many people will not get a chance to hear about it or by the time they do, with the government only granting a two week submission period (which is the minimum), it will be too late for them to submit. In a previous Section 10 Application for the Sacred Mountain, Peter Garrett, the former Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts, refused to make a declaration under the Section 10, stating that he found that only the top of the mountain was significant! Ms Dungay Dates said “that’s simply not true - the whole mountain is sacred, not just the top. Saying that it is not, is like going to a church and saying only the cross on the top is sacred and you can destroy the rest!” All the sites listed in these applications are and/or were right in the path of the highway route. We now hope that when the application is finally put through, Tony Burke will succeed where Peter Garrett failed, and will protect this place, as due process calls for. If not, a hugely significance place of Aboriginal culture heritage and tradition will be lost forever. *Network Item

Seals

Twenty-three seals, including eight newborn pups, have been found clubbed to death on the Kaikoura (NZ) coast. The bashed seals were found on Wednesday by Department of Conservation contractors at the Ohau Point seal colony, about 22km north of Kaikoura township. Some of the pups killed were just a few days old. The dead seals also included 13 females and two bulls. Other live seals had injuries suggesting they had also been struck, the Department of Conservation (DoC) said. New Zealand fur seals are protected by law and it is an offence to kill or harm them. Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson called on anyone with information on the attack to contact authorities. "I'm beyond appalled," Mrs Wilkinson said. "This isn't just a random act of violence. To go around and club 23 seals to death over a number of days is very deliberate and you have to question the state of mind of someone who can carry out such a cruel and abhorrent attack." She said DOC was determined to catch the offenders. "I call on the public to help out. If you know who did this or have suspicions then turn them in. New Zealanders hate this sort of behaviour and we need to send a message that we're not going to put up with it."

Under the Marine Mammals Protection Act 1978 there are penalties of up to six months' imprisonment or a fine of up to $250,000 for killing or harming fur seals or other marine mammal plus a further fine of up to $10,000 for every marine mammal the offence was committed against. DoC South Marlborough area manager Dave Hayes said the condition of the dead seals suggested whoever was behind the seal attacks had carried it out over a number of days. "Some of the dead seals appear to have been killed a week ago; others look to have been killed around a week or so beforehand. "This is a callous and cowardly attack on seals, especially newborn pups, unable to defend themselves against someone striking them with a bat or similar club-like object. "The smashed skulls of several dead seals we examined suggest they may have died in one forceful blow to the head indicating it was a person or persons of some strength who carried out the attacks." Seal pups from the Ohau Point colony have in recent recent years been hanging out at the Ohau Stream waterfall pool between April and November, while their mothers head out to sea. Between 100 to 200 pups have been seen up the stream at the pool.

Mr Hayes said Ohau Point was visited by thousands of people every year and visitors enjoyed watching seal pups in the nearby Ohau Stream. "It is deeply disappointing to see such a lack of respect and appreciation for these captivating marine mammals that are an important part of Kaikoura's internationally-renowned marine wildlife tourism," he said. "The Ohau Stream waterfall pool has particularly become a major attraction being visited by around 5000 people a month in the eight months or so of the year seal pups from the Ohau Point colony gather there. "People have great pleasure in seeing the young pups playfully cavorting at the pool. The eight young pups killed in this attack might have been among them in four to five months' time had they not been killed. Mr Hayes said antagonism towards seals sometimes came from the "misplaced belief" they were competing for fish caught for human consumption. "That isn't the case. Research on Kaikoura seals indicates the seals primarily eat lantern fish which are not sought after in fishing. The Kaikoura District Mayor Winston Grey described the attack as "beyond belief".

He said the region's wildlife is an important part of the district's tourism industry. "The town is busy with people - they're here to see our marine wildlife." Mr Grey said the spot is a popular tourist destination and the majority of people know to keep their distance. "They've been here for hundreds of years. Most people do not approach them." A Department of Conservation spokesperson said attacks on seals were rare, with only three of four reported nationally each year. It was unusual to have this many animals killed, she said. DoC recommends staying at least 20m away from seals at all times. Last month Harley McKenzie, a 20-year-old Southland man with a history of violence and a previous conviction for animal cruelty, was jailed for four months for his role in an attack on a leopard seal in October last year in which fist-sized stones were thrown at the seal and it was dragged around a beach by its tail. Two other men were fined $5000 and $7000 respectively for their part in the attack. In 2005, All Black Andrew Hore and friends Hamish Wilson and Matthew O'Connell were each fined $2500 after they shot at seals, killing one, on the Otago coast. Prior to the arrival of Europeans about two million fur seals lived around the New Zealand coast, but in the early 1800s they were nearly wiped out in Kaikoura and other areas due to hunting. Seals were given full protection by the New Zealand government in 1849. *NZ Herald


Editorial

There are some things happening within and around the kangaroo Industry. We understand the Russian government have confirmed they will not be importing kangaroo meat, unless certain conditions are met, none of which can physically be met. We've also heard that China is not very keen to import kangaroo meat, but are interested in wild donkeys, not so much for the meat, but for the skins, which can be treated and turned in a supposed aphrodisiac. With the loss of the Russian market, and shooters not being able to access properties in NSW because of the rain, kangaroos are being seen more often in the NSW shooting zones. This doesnt nessesarily mean that the populations are increasing, but that the kangaroos may be experiencing less harassment, and moving closer to small rural towns. Meanwhile, two valuable new Kangaroo Reports are now on the Thinkk website at http://www.thinkkangaroos.uts.edu.au The policy report states (among many things) that there are potential illegalities in killing joeys and that females should not be killed. The ecology report states that increased consumption of kangaroo meat by humans is likely to place kangaroo populations at risk.

One Thinkk report finalises that; Over the last decade in Australia, the Federal and State governments have approved an annual commercial kill of some four to six million kangaroos and wallabies each year. On average three million kangaroos are actually ‘harvested’/killed. Around three hundred thousand young at foot and 800,000 pouch young are either killed or left to die each year as collateral of the commercial industry. In addition, around 200,000 kangaroos and wallabies are killed for non-commercial reasons each year. A further unknown number are killed without government authorisation. This is the largest land-based slaughter of wildlife in the world. This report provides an analysis of the law and policy governing the killing of kangaroos. It provides an historical outline of kangaroo killing in Australia and examines the reasons for and against the kill. The report describes and analyses the legislative and regulatory framework governing the killing of kangaroos, in order to assist policymakers understand an area which is complex and often misunderstood. The conclusion of this report is that the current widespread commercial and non-commercial killing of kangaroos has yet to be proven necessary. Governments do not provide any clear justification for the killing such as through a proper consideration of the reasons for and against control. State governments once treated kangaroos as agricultural pests yet today they are treated as a resource. These practices result in poor welfare outcomes for many kangaroos and joeys and may pose a risk to Australia’s sustainability. *Thinkk

Meanwhile, in a rock bottom television program, Digital Spy reports that Stacey Solomon successfully ate kangaroo vagina in last night's I'm A Celebrity Rank Banquet trial. The former X Factor finalist swallowed all three of her unusual jungle dishes, winning her campmates three main course meals. Solomon was in hysterics while eating the animal genitalia after fellow contestant Shaun Ryder called it "kangaroo p***y". Speaking afterwards, the singer said: "The kangaroo vagina was the worst, it was very hairy - she could have sorted herself out first!" Her other dishes included pig's brain and cockroach mead. Ryder also ate all three of his dishes, which included baked tarantula, kangaroo's testicle and fish eye. The Happy Mondays star even complimented the tarantula dish, claiming that it tasted like beef jerky. "Definitely like a pub snack," he said. Jenny Eclair only managed two of her dishes, passing up the chance to eat kangaroo eye. However, she did win two starters for the team by swallowing crocodile anus and a fermented duck egg. Speaking about her last dish, the comic said: "It tasted like eggy, cheesy and ancient armpit. As if some monstrous chicken laid a massive egg and kept it in the armpit of a rotting witch." * We have to wonder if they belong to a good medical benefits scheme, or are they just stupid?

Fraser Dingoes

The Hervey Bay Dingo Day planned for last Sunday had to be postponed until this Saturday the 11th of December because of the weather. The Dingo Day will at Dayman Park, Hervey Bay, and features the World famous candle art, entertainment, sausage sizzle, skydivers, indigenous dancers and singers, raffles, alltogether a really spectacular day to help the Fraser Island dingoes. *

Feral Fish

An Illinois fishing company is helping to tackle the Asian carp invasion by marketing them as a delicious culinary treat to food companies in China. Big River Fish Company, based in Pearl, Illinois, decided that instead of lamenting the way that Asian carp were taking over Great Lakes fishing areas, they would turn it into a profitable business opportunity. Achieving sizes of up to 4-feet in length and 100 pounds each, carp destroy ecosystems by gorging themselves, and starving out other species. Ross Harano, the international marketing director for Big River Fish Co., said that by marketing the fish as "wild" and "unpolluted" they've be able to attract attention of high-end restaurants looking to augment their fish selection. Of course, the Great Lakes are home to their fair share of pollution, but they're relatively clean when compared to Chinese waters. In June, the Associated Press reported that, for the first time ever, a 20-pound bighead carp was caught by a fisherman in Illinois's Lake Calumet, on the South Side of Chicago--beyond the electric fences meant to keep them out, and only six miles from Lake Michigan. The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation recently pledged $500,000 to find environmental solutions to prevent this ravenous species from threatening the Great Lakes' ecosystem and jeopardizing the region's $7 billion annual sports fishing industry. The Big River Fish Company recently received $2 million in federal funding to expand its processing plant after securing a contract with a company in China for 30 million pounds of carp meat (NPR).

Penguins

Seven little penguins from the endangered colony at Manly have been found dead and a dog attack has been blamed for at least some of the massacre. The penguins - three breeding pairs and a chick - were found dead on the Harbour shoreline at Federation Point near Oceanworld. Three penguins were found dead on Friday, one on Saturday and another three on Sunday. Preliminary results from a post mortem examination at Taronga Zoo of three of the birds discovered on Friday found they had apparently been killed by a dog. Dogs had been banned from the foreshore at Federation Point to try to protect the penguins which dig their nests there, separate from other breeding areas at Manly. The National Parks and Wildlife Service has appealed for witnesses who may have been in the area last Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Manly's little penguins are the last mainland breeding colony in New South Wales. *Daily Telegraph

Climate Change

Climate change is expected to cause sea levels to rise -- at least in some parts of the world. Elsewhere, the level of the ocean will actually fall. Scientists are trying to get a better picture of the complex phenomenon, which also depends on a host of natural factors. When presented as a globe, the Earth looks as round and smooth as a billiard ball. To anyone standing on a beach, the ocean looks as flat as a pancake. But perception is deceptive. "In reality, the water in the oceans wobbles all over the place," says oceanographer Detlef Stammer. He isn't talking about waves, but large-scale bulges and bumps in the sea level. Stammer, who is the director of the Center for Marine and Climate Research at the University of Hamburg, is familiar with the incorrect notions that lay people have, which is why he likes to present them with two numbers to shatter their illusions. "In the Indian Ocean, the sea level is about 100 meters (330 feet) below the average, while the waters around Iceland are 60 meters above the average." *Read more http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,732303,00.html

Flying Foxes

The Charters Towers Regional Council, south-west of Townsville in north Queensland, says it will resubmit an application to have thousands of bats moved from the town centre early this week. A protest rally was held last month, calling on the State Government to move the bats which are roosting in the town's main park. Charters Towers Mayor Ben Callcott says despite assurances that Queensland Sustainability Minister Kate Jones would meet him to discuss the matter, he is yet to hear from her. "It's an absolute difficult struggle," he said. "I would like to see the Government become mature enough to have a look at this legislation and change it but they are adamant that that's not going to happen. "They wants us to work within the existing legislation and that is almost impossible. "I've met Kate Jones personally and I would hope that she might talk to me directly on these things - that's what I wish her to do. "It hasn't happened on the last couple of occasions and I'm not totally satisfied with it." *ABC

Asian Crow Sighted

An Asian bird capable of killing calves and kid goats is on the loose in North Queensland after reaching Australia by boat. Biosecurity Queensland has enlisted the help of birdwatchers to find an Indian house crow, seen in Innisfail almost eight weeks ago. Birds Australia North Queensland secretary Ivor Preston said he spotted the pest being hassled by native species at Flying Fish Point on October 11th. Mr Preston, who has seen house crows in their native Malaysia and Vietnam, said he knew the bird was not local, but was shocked once he realised its identity. A Biosecurity Queensland spokeswoman said the crow, which hails from central Asia, is considered a "major pest". It is working with local authorities and birdwatchers to find the pest which, if not caught, could have a devastating effect on the state's agriculture. "The pest is known to raid crops such as wheat, maize and sunflower as well as causing severe damage to vegetables and fruit crops including mango, guava, pawpaw, fig, apple, pear, grape and stone fruit," she said. A national animal pest alert says the house crow can kill animals. "The house crow will attack and kill poultry, new-born calves and kid goats," the alert reads.*

Beavers

As many as 20 feral beavers that have been released illegally or escaped from private collections in Tayside (Scotland) are to be trapped by wildlife authorities. The beavers currently loose in parts of Tayside are to be recaptured after a decision following agreement between members of the National Species Reintroduction Forum. According to the authorities, the animals are to be recaptured because it is illegal to allow their escape or release into the wild and because their welfare may be at risk. There was no consultation with local people; there was no licence issued for their release; there is no monitoring of their welfare; and there is no certainty that they are the appropriate species of beaver for Scotland. The beavers will be rehoused in Zoos. *

Guard Donkeys

A rural lobby group says an increasing number of farmers are turning to donkeys to ward off wild dogs. It is an idea that has been laughed at, but farmers are increasingly using the animals to protect their stock from being mauled to death. Wild dogs are causing widespread damage to Queensland's livestock industry costing about $67 million a year. AgForce president Brent Finlay says farmers are increasingly using guard animals like donkeys or alpacas to protect their sheep and cattle. "The problem is still increasing, it's still out of control and people will use whatever they can to control wild dogs," he said. Mr Finlay says donkeys are a sensible part of reducing the attacks. "Guard animals complement the trapping, the shooting, the baiting programs that are out there already, people are using donkeys," he said. Gwynneth Poulton breeds donkeys near Agnes Waters north of Bundaberg and says she has not been able to supply enough of them to meet demand. "People are becoming more, instead of laughing at you for having donkeys, they're saying, 'gee i'm hearing they're good guard animals'," she said. Ms Poulton says for farmers at the end of their tether, it is worth giving donkeys a ride. "They'd say 'what good is a donkey' but now people are finding out that there is more than just heehaw," she said. *ABC

Seals

Authorities are warning sightseers to keep a safe distance from seals after three people were bitten at a seal colony off the coast of Sorrento. The Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) senior wildlife officer Glenn Sharp says two tourists and a diver off a charter boat last week were bitten by seals sitting on the Chinaman's Hat in Port Phillip Bay. "Australian fur seals are big creatures with sharp teeth and can be aggressive, particularly during summer, if people get too close to them or they think people are going to feed them," Mr Sharp said. "A bite from an Australian fur seal can cause serious injuries and the only way to reduce the risk of being bitten is to keep your distance." Mr Sharp said there was no indication the three people who suffered bites had been trying to feed or had come too close to the marine mammals. "It's unusual for seals to bite, but acts as a reminder that people need to aware seals are wild animals." He said a distance of at least five metres should be observed. * 9News

Kangaroos and Toxoplasmosis

A new law passed inthe US Senate recently is S.510, which is supposed to be about food safety, but in reality is more about restricting the supply of fresh food. An interesting component of S.510 is that out of the 1,809 people who die in America every year from food-borne pathogens (CDC estimate), only a fraction die from the manufacturer's contamination of fresh produce. By far the majority of food poisoning is caused by the consumption of spoiled processed foods, dead foods and animal-human transmission of pathogens. For example, one of the largest food-borne killers according to the CDC is Toxoplasma gondii, a disease that people acquire from cat feces coming into contact with their food, and is also widely found in kangaroo and other game meat. Toxoplasmosis is a condition of special concern to pregnant women. Salmonella poisoning accounts for 553 deaths a year in the US. Salmonella has been widely found in kangaroo meat produced for human consumption, in kangaroo meat purchased in major supermarkets across Australia. An interesting sideline is that data presented by Maplight.org, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization, shows that big industry groups and large food producers spent millions of dollars buying off Congressmen to garner support for the Bill. According to Maplight.org, Senators that supported the Bill, and were responsible for approving the bill, received nearly $10 million in political contributions from Industry interest groups that also supported the bill.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/030587_Senate_Bill_510_Food_Safety.html#ixzz16tB7UcIZ

Read more about kangaroo meat and toxoplasmosis here http://www.kangaroo-protection-coalition.com/kangaroos-toxoplasmosis.html


Wildlife organisations and residents are outraged by a permit issued to NMIT to shoot 300 kangaroos in Eden Park. The permit, issued by the Department of Sustainability and Environment, is for the 320-hectare NMIT Northern Lodge training centre on Glen Robbins Court in Eden Park. Wildlife Victoria rescuer Narelle Smith, who was contacted by concerned residents notified about the culling, called the move "a cop-out" and said shooting kangaroos was ineffective and inhumane. "I say without a doubt that the culling system doesn't work, there needs to be a property management plan put in place," Ms Smith said. NMIT said up to 1500 kangaroos were damaging fences, grapevines, native flora and fauna and disturbing the natural habitat at the training centre, used primarily for the school's equine and racing studies. "If we're going to survive economically we have to do it," NMIT faculty of earth sciences associate director Wayne Pappin said. The DSE's policy of culling kangaroos is being challenged by kangaroo research group THINKK, based at the University of Technology in Sydney, which released a research report suggesting there is little scientific evidence to justify culling. The report found that kangaroos rarely compete with livestock for food and do little damage to the environment. The DSE said the permit had been issued after the applicant submitted a kangaroo management plan to minimise animal welfare concerns, manage pasture and protect biodiversity in the area. Ms Smith said the DSE didn't want to consider other options, such as relocation or sterilisation, as they were too expensive."There needs to be an independent body overseeing wildlife, as I don't think the DSE are working for the best interests or our wildlife," Ms Smith said. * Northern Weekly

Comment here http://www.northernweekly.com.au/news/local/news/general/eden-park-roo-cull-has-neighbours-hopping-mad/2017374.aspx

Albino Kookaburras

ITt's a rare double act - two blue-winged albino baby kookaburras have shown up at a wildlife sanctuary at Ravenshoe in far north Queensland. Eagles Nest Wildlife Hospital founder Harry Kunz, who is caring for the pair, believes they are the only ones in captivity in Australia. "No one I have spoken to has ever heard of, or seen albino blue wing kookaburras before. There are a few albino laughing kookaburras around but not the blue-winged variety – so these guys are extremely rare." Mr Kunz said albino birds rarely live long in the wild because they have no camouflage and are an easy target. *Cairns Post

Birds

Flooding in the New South Wales central west has led to the Macquarie Marshes experiencing their best conditions in 10 years. The Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water says around 50,000 hectares of land in the marshes are currently flooded and if the wet weather continues the floodwaters could surpass the record of 150,000 hectares set 11 years ago. The Conservation Officer, Debbie Love, says more than 35,000 waterbirds including ibis, egrets and cormorants are breeding and are expected to remain in the wetlands until next April. But she says the current flooding is not enough to repair years of damage from the drought. "There's been a lot of changes over the last 20 to 30 years and loss of wetland vegetation," she said. "We're starting to see some re-establishment in areas that have been degraded, the marsh is capable of recovery, it's just whether the seasons and our capacity to deliver water will be sufficient to really return the marshes to a more resilient state." She says the rain needs to continue in the long term. "The amount of water that we have been able to deliver to the marsh either through environmental flows or through the rainfall that brought tributary flows into the system has meant that the wettest areas of the marsh are looking quite healthy and it's those areas on the margins, the next zone out, that we're really starting to see some changes in now with the bigger (flood) events that are lasting longer." *ABC

Fishing

Commercial fishermen have defended themselves against claims they are "raping, pillaging and plundering'' reefs off southeast Queensland beaches, saying sharks eat more baitfish than they catch. The Courier-Mail revealed yesterday recreational anglers had accused federally registered long-line tuna fishermen of launching night raids on reefs less than a kilometre off the Gold Coast and harvesting precious local fish stocks. The Federal Government has revealed one Southport-based long-line operation has taken five tonnes of baitfish so far this year, but tuna fishermen say the amount is ``a drop in the ocean''. ``The sharks of North Straddie would eat more than that,'' said Mooloolaba-based fisherman Gary Heilmann, who serves on a tuna fishing industry advisory committee. ``The recreational guys going out in their tinnies catching all the snapper would be doing more damage.'' Mr Heilmann admitted Fisheries Queensland received ``a lot'' of complaints about commercial fishermen coming in close to catch baitfish. But he said the baitfish were in ``prolific'' numbers and most long-line fishermen used frozen bait caught interstate. However, Mr Heilmann said that long-line fishermen acknowledged their incursion into inshore areas popular with recreational anglers was a sensitive issue and the industry was discussing trade-offs with the State Government. This could involve an agreement to stop taking live bait in return for an easing of catch restrictions on certain fish species. Mr Heilmann rejected suggestions New Zealand long-liners were targeting local reefs. He said local fishermen were probably confused as a long-line boat baitfishing on Palm Beach reef this week had a NZ-sounding name and may have had Kiwi crew on board. An Australian Fisheries Management Authority spokesman said only Australian-flagged vessels were allowed to fish for tuna and swordfish off the east coast. *Courier Mail

Gidgee Bugs

Scientists say there is not much known about the gidgee bugs being reported in big numbers in Queensland's central-west, but they are not a pest and only a nuisance. The Longreach Aquatic Centre had problems with hundreds of thousands of bugs clogging a swimming pool earlier this week after they were attracted by bright lights. Queensland Museum spokeswoman Christine Lambkin says the big numbers are due to the excellent season. She says the museum is asking for specimens of the insects because little is known about them. "It would appear that they are possibly members of a genus called cepaloplatus and it's a type of true bug," she said. "Most people would commonly refer to them as a stink bug. "It's interesting also that that genus is not reported anywhere as occurring in these sorts of numbers." She says they bugs do not pose a big risk to people. "They can actually bite but all they are really doing is giving you a little nip because they think you are a plant," she said. "They are testing out whether or not you are a good feed - they certainly won't have any effect on you if they do give you a little nip. "As far as we know, they are not a crop pest but they are definitely a nuisance because of the numbers you've got at the moment." *ABC

Another Mass Extinction?

Australian scientists fear the planet is on the brink of another mass extinction as ocean dead zones continue to grow in size and number. More than 400 ocean dead zones - areas so low in oxygen that sea life cannot survive - have been reported by oceanographers around the world between 2000 and 2008. That is compared with 300 in the 1990s and 120 in the 1980s. Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (CoECRS) and from the University of Queensland, says there is growing evidence that declining oxygen levels in the ocean have played a major role in at least four of the planet's five mass extinctions. "Until recently the best hypothesis for them was a meteor strike," he said. "So 65 million years ago they've got very good evidence of the cretaceous exctinction event. "But with the four other mass extinction events, one of the best explanations now is that these periods were preceded by an increase of volcanic activity, and that volcanic activity caused a change in ocean circulation. "Just as we are seeing at a smaller scale today, huge parts of the ocean became anoxic at depth. "The consequence of that is that you had increased amounts of rotten egg gas, hydrogen sulfide, going up into the atmosphere, and that is thought to be what may have caused some of these other extinction events."

Professor Hoegh-Guldberg says up to 90 per cent of life has perished in previous mass extinctions and that a similar loss of life could occur in the next 100 years. "We're already having another mass extinction due to humans wiping out life and so on, but it looks like it could get as high as those previous events," he said. "So it's the combination of this alteration to coastlines, climate change and everything, that has a lot of us worried we are going to drive the sixth extinction event and it will happen over the next 100 years because we are interfering with the things that keep species alive. "Ocean ecosystems are in a lot of trouble and it all bears the hallmarks of human interference. "We are changing the way the Earth's oceans work, shifting them to entirely new states, which we have not seen before." He says while it is impossible to predict the future, in a century from now the world will be vastly different. "A world without the Great Barrier Reef, where you don't have the pleasure of going to see wild places any more," he said. "We might be able to struggle on with much lower population densities, but ultimately it won't be the world we have today. "The idea of walking in the Daintree will be a forgotten concept because these changes have occurred."

Scientists say ocean dead zones, which vary in size from one square kilometre to 70,000 square kilometres, have been found all over the world. Particular hotspots include the Gulf of Mexico, off Namibia in the South Atlantic, in the Bay of Bengal, in the Baltic, the Black Sea, the tropical South Pacific, off China and south-eastern Australia. "We're seeing an expansion of areas of the ocean which are very low in oxygen and also very low in nutrients," Professor Hoegh-Guldberg said. "Climate change is driving changes to water circulation - so winds, strange weather patterns, have a consequence for how the ocean turns over and aerates and so on, and it's the winds which are delivering a lot of organic compounds into the deep sea. "At the same time we are putting a lot of fertiliser off coastlines, those sorts of things are incubating these deep water anoxic zones. "So it's the combination of those two things that are having a big change on how the ocean works." He says organic matter building up in the sea is a huge problem. "You get enormous amounts of organic carbon building up at depth, bacteria then likes to break down that organic matter and bacteria uses up the oxygen," he said. "So then what you get is a substantial drop in oxygen - that then has the consequences for fishers, for the productivity of coastlines and so on."

Associate Professor Mark McCormick, also of CoECRS and from James Cook University, says low oxygen levels increase stress on fish. "We know from our recent work that increases in stress result in deformities, leading to poorer survival of fish larvae," he said. "It has also been found they can cause fish to have smaller ovaries, produce fewer eggs, so larvae are also smaller and less likely to survive." Professor Hoegh-Guldberg says the problem is not as significant in Australia as other parts of the world, but that it is heading along the same, destructive path. "We've been altering coastal areas, delivering nutrients into the ocean, and of course you see the Great Barrier Reef, which has been quite damaged due to nutrient run-off," he said. "But the point is that our activities on land have a big influence on what goes on in the oceans and now we are starting to reap the harvest of those changes." He says the heart and lungs of the planet are being tampered with. "We are starting to see changes in the ocean's ability to produce oxygen and to produce food and produce all of the ecosystem's services that are so important to not only us, but all of the other organisms on the planet," he said. "It's mucking around with the heart and lungs of the planet - that's essentially what the oceans are, a huge respiratory system. "We damage them, the consequences could be very serious." Professor Hoegh-Guldberg says while the dead zones may only exist in pockets of ocean today, it will affect a far greater area in the future unless steps are taken to reduce the impact of human activities on the world's oceans and their life. *ABC

Whaling

The Federal Government's willingness to crack down on illegal whaling will be tested if Sea Shepherd's newest and only Australian registered vessel is rammed or attacked by Japanese whalers. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society today launched its new interceptor vessel Gojira, named after the widely-feared monster of Japanese film known in English as Godzilla. The non-for-profit organisation's director Jeff Hansen said the Gojira will be a game-changer in this year's fight against illegal Japanese whaling as it can out-run harpoon vessels. "This vessel can out-run any Japanese vessel, so it means we'll have the element of surprise and we can find the factory ship," Mr Hansen said. "The factory ship is the one we're after and if we can find it, we can shut down whaling. "We save 10 to 12 whales a day by blocking the slipway on the factory ship so really this vessel is going to play a huge part in shutting down the Japanese whaling fleet for the entire summer."

The Gojira set off from Fremantle today to join the Steve Irwin and Bob Barker in Hobart before leaving on December 2 to defend the Southern Ocean whale sanctuary. Its captain, Locky MacLean, said having the fast, new vessel combined with Japanese whalers still to leave port, it was anticipated Sea Shepherd would be able to stop all whales from being slaughtered this year. "If we can get down there before they do we can stop them straight off the bat which would be a big blow to the whaling industry down there," Mr McLean said. "Last year we followed them for 45 days and during the 45 days they didn't kill a single whale. If we can do that again this year and be there right when they get there, we've got a full quota on our side." The Gojira is Sea Shepherd's first Australian registered vessel, with Fremantle as designated as home port, and will have Australian citizens on board.

In January the crew of Sea Shepherd's protest boat the Ady Gil claimed they were rammed by a Japanese whaling ship in the Southern Ocean but New Zealand authorities found both vessels were at fault. Mr Hansen said the Federal Government would be tested in its response if a similar incident occurred with the Gojira. "We hope the Australian Government, if there's any issues down there, that they will step up and defend a vessel that's named and birthed as a home port in Australia and has Australian citizens on board," he said. "We hope the Australian Government will have the guts to take on the whalers." *News.com.au

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/national/japanese-whalers-to-be-chased-by-godzilla/story-e6frfkvr-1225962906703#ixzz16tgb3SyQ

Road Carnage in Victoria

Eight koalas have been hit by cars in the past month near the town of Gisborne, 10 kilometres north-west of the Melbourne boundary. The latest victim, a five-year-old female dubbed Bess, was found blind and stumbling in circles in the middle of the Gisborne road to Bacchus Marsh on Tuesday of last week. Wildlife rescuers say horrific injuries to native animals have become commonplace since intensive housing development in the country town and the neighbouring Melbourne growth suburb of Sunbury. As The Age revealed last week, suburban-style development now stretches far beyond the official urban growth boundary into rural towns, from Drouin in Gippsland to Wallan on the Northern Highway and Bacchus Marsh in the west. Melbourne could grow even bigger under the incumbent Baillieu government, which promised before the state election to review the urban growth boundary every two years to ensure there is 20 to 25 years' worth of land supply for housing.

The Department of Planning and Community Development would conduct the biennial audit of land in Melbourne, Geelong and major regional centres, and ''only recommend [urban growth boundary] expansion if population and housing demand projections determine it necessary''. Macedon Ranges Wildlife Network co-ordinator Fiona Corke said the new government should educate residents on the urban fringe about how to coexist with wildlife and keep buffer zones between housing and habitat. The network blames urban sprawl for the increased workload of its rescuers, who have been called out attend to more than 1100 distressed koalas, kangaroos, wombats, possums, echidnas and birds so far this year. The number has risen steadily from 715 animals in 2007. ''The landscape is home to many species of wildlife and not just a cheap place to buy a house and land package and commute back to Melbourne,'' Ms Corke said. ''More housing means more cars and more cat and dog attacks. 'The carnage and displacement of our native wildlife is horrific and it's getting much, much worse.''

The network will soon launch a website, funded by Macedon Ranges Shire, to survey the number of koalas with help from the public. Residents in the Yarra Valley, Hepburn, Moorabool and Mornington Peninsula shires have also reported a similar trend of wildlife deaths and injuries. Children in Mount Eliza were moved last month to post handmade signs on roadsides asking motorists to slow down and be alert to animals. East Trentham wildlife carer Linda Healy is now caring for Bess and another koala that was struck just days later on the same Gisborne road. She said Bess still could not see well and clawed defensively in the air at loud noises and shadows. 'But she's eating well and depending on whether she recovers her vision, she will be released.'' *Age

Kangaroos and Lumpy Jaw

Kangaroos living in captivity all over the world are known to suffer from “lumpy jaw disease,” which results in periodontal diseases, severe gingivitis and abscesses which may lead to death in high percentages. However, scientists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have now developed an innovative medicine in the form of topical applied varnish to treat periodontal diseases in kangaroos – thus increasing the survival rate from gum disease to 100 percent. The quality of the captive diet as well as environmental stress often leads to development of periodontal diseases in kangaroos, which has severe ramifications. Four years ago, at the Gan Guru zoo in Israel, an outbreak of the disease led to the death of about forty percent of the zoo’s kangaroos. Without proper treatment, a kangaroo that becomes ill will soon lose its appetite, starve and will die within a short space of time. The high mortality rate from the illness results in dwindling populations — compounding the already low reproduction rates among the kangaroos and low survival rates of baby kangaroos.

Existing treatment of periodontal diseases for kangaroos requires forced insertion of an antibiotic by anesthetic or by force several times a day, followed by solitary confinement of the animal to prevent cross infection of other animals. This treatment modality only increases the pressure subjected to the kangaroo and, as one can imagine, it is not easy to force-feed a kangaroo that weighs on average between 70 kg and 80 kg. This means that many of the kangaroos don’t benefit from the treatment and therefore may die from the illness. The innovative varnish treatment for periodontal diseases in kangaroos was developed by Prof. Michael Friedman of the School of Pharmacy at the Hebrew University’s Faculty of Medicine, Prof. Doron Steinberg of the Faculty of Dental Medicine and Dr. Eran Lavy of the Koret School of Veterinary Medicine at the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment. The treatment combines disinfectant agents, embedded in a polymeric matrix, and is based on the principle of sustained release of the drug from the varnish. The attending veterinarian applies the drug on the affected areas in the kangaroo’s mouth. “The disinfectant materials are released gradually over several days, thereby increasing the effectiveness of the treatment of inflammation,” says Prof. Friedman.

The researchers hypothesized that by using a version of the medicine that they developed, which is commonly used for treating oral diseases in humans, many kangaroos can be saved. The study, whose results were published recently in the Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine, was conducted over three years among kangaroos in Gan Guru at Kibbutz Nir David and at the Tisch Family Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem, in collaboration with veterinarians Dr. Meytal Bakal-Weiss and Dr. Nili Avni-Magen. Treatment proved to be successful: All the kangaroos in which periodontal disease was detected early on and which were treated with the novel sustained release varnish made a complete and a speedy recovery from the disease.

“The new treatment is easier to implement compared to the current available treatment, because it doesn’t require continued force-feeding over time, and it doesn’t have side-effects as the current oral/systemic dosage form,” explains Prof. Steinberg. “The delayed release mechanism greatly reduces the rate of suffering of the animal, leads to quick recovery and enables rapid return to the group, a fact which is of crucial importance in wild animal and zoo medicine.” The new treatment is good news for cats and dogs too. Most dogs aged four and above have, in one form or another, various dental problems. Like kangaroos, even dogs have severe periodontal infections that can lead to systemic diseases. In a recent study among dozens of dogs, it was found that the proposed application of a sustained release dental varnish is also effective in treating canine dental disorders.

“The new treatment can also be applied to other animals suffering from dental diseases and gingivitis, thereby reducing their suffering and long term of treatments,” says Dr. Lavy. The researchers are now examining ways to integrate food supplements into the medicine to make it tastier for dogs. As this oral problem is not confined only to Israel, the researchers have been approached by veterinarians from zoos in other countries to use this novel application in kangaroos and other animals as well. The animal application has been patented by Yissum – the Hebrew University’s technology transfer company – and is being offered for commercialization. Partners are now being sought to develop the treatment for wild animals and pets. *JWire.com.au

Green Iguanas

Iguanas are a variety of reptiles, which are mostly found all over Central and South America. There is a green breed of iguanas, that is commonly seen in Paraguay, Brazil, Mexico and Caribbean Islands. Green iguana is the favorite of hunters, but it is not yet considered as imperiled species. Hunters prefer to catch the large female iguanas. Green iguana is recognized as “Bamboo Chicken” and is a favorite delicacy for many people. The green iguana normally grows between 4 to 6 feet or longer. Their tail constitutes almost half of their total length. In spite of being green they have a dominant black stripe on the body. They have a monochromatic green color. Their green shade is different from bright green or grayish and dull green. Their skin is rough like a rasp and they have pointed scurfs on their back. They possess big claws and long fingers and can effortlessly grasp and climb up trees and rocks.

Green iguanas mostly live in the rainforests in tropical regions particularly in places having lower altitudes and approachable water bodies like rivers and streams. They spend most of their time in the forest generally at a height of forty to fifty feet from ground. Besides their rigid claws and large fingers, young iguanas have several admirable features. The iguanas have a very sharp sense of hearing, smell and sight. Their tail is their defensive measure. It is pointed at the end. When they sense any danger they flick the tail high up in the air. Often the vultures will get a chance and snatch the tail off. It can grow again without impairment. These animals have very tough skin, which can ward off scratches or cuts and it is also resistant to water. The skin pigmentation is helpful to the smaller iguanas as they can hide by camouflaging themselves. Often when they are threatened by predators, young iguanas will jump from the trees into the water. They are fabulous swimmers as well. Over and above these qualities, the baby green iguanas are very strong. They jump and fall from the height of 40 to 50 feet without any sign of injury. The male iguanas are found with a flap called dewlap on their skin. They impress the female iguana with this flap. Also, their dewlap is useful to scare the predator. They use dewlaps to look bigger in size. They have another peculiar quality that they can store the fat below their neck or jaws for a very long time, especially during those times of scarcity of food. * WPAA

Seals

Twenty-three seals, including eight newborn pups, have been found clubbed to death on the Kaikoura (NZ) coast. The bashed seals were found on Wednesday by Department of Conservation contractors at the Ohau Point seal colony, about 22km north of Kaikoura township. Some of the pups killed were just a few days old. The dead seals also included 13 females and two bulls. Other live seals had injuries suggesting they had also been struck, the Department of Conservation (DoC) said. New Zealand fur seals are protected by law and it is an offence to kill or harm them. Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson called on anyone with information on the attack to contact authorities. "I'm beyond appalled," Mrs Wilkinson said. "This isn't just a random act of violence. To go around and club 23 seals to death over a number of days is very deliberate and you have to question the state of mind of someone who can carry out such a cruel and abhorrent attack." She said DOC was determined to catch the offenders. "I call on the public to help out. If you know who did this or have suspicions then turn them in. New Zealanders hate this sort of behaviour and we need to send a message that we're not going to put up with it."

Under the Marine Mammals Protection Act 1978 there are penalties of up to six months' imprisonment or a fine of up to $250,000 for killing or harming fur seals or other marine mammal plus a further fine of up to $10,000 for every marine mammal the offence was committed against. DoC South Marlborough area manager Dave Hayes said the condition of the dead seals suggested whoever was behind the seal attacks had carried it out over a number of days. "Some of the dead seals appear to have been killed a week ago; others look to have been killed around a week or so beforehand. "This is a callous and cowardly attack on seals, especially newborn pups, unable to defend themselves against someone striking them with a bat or similar club-like object. "The smashed skulls of several dead seals we examined suggest they may have died in one forceful blow to the head indicating it was a person or persons of some strength who carried out the attacks." Seal pups from the Ohau Point colony have in recent recent years been hanging out at the Ohau Stream waterfall pool between April and November, while their mothers head out to sea. Between 100 to 200 pups have been seen up the stream at the pool.

Mr Hayes said Ohau Point was visited by thousands of people every year and visitors enjoyed watching seal pups in the nearby Ohau Stream. "It is deeply disappointing to see such a lack of respect and appreciation for these captivating marine mammals that are an important part of Kaikoura's internationally-renowned marine wildlife tourism," he said. "The Ohau Stream waterfall pool has particularly become a major attraction being visited by around 5000 people a month in the eight months or so of the year seal pups from the Ohau Point colony gather there. "People have great pleasure in seeing the young pups playfully cavorting at the pool. The eight young pups killed in this attack might have been among them in four to five months' time had they not been killed. Mr Hayes said antagonism towards seals sometimes came from the "misplaced belief" they were competing for fish caught for human consumption. "That isn't the case. Research on Kaikoura seals indicates the seals primarily eat lantern fish which are not sought after in fishing. The Kaikoura District Mayor Winston Grey described the attack as "beyond belief".

He said the region's wildlife is an important part of the district's tourism industry. "The town is busy with people - they're here to see our marine wildlife." Mr Grey said the spot is a popular tourist destination and the majority of people know to keep their distance. "They've been here for hundreds of years. Most people do not approach them." A Department of Conservation spokesperson said attacks on seals were rare, with only three of four reported nationally each year. It was unusual to have this many animals killed, she said. DoC recommends staying at least 20m away from seals at all times. Last month Harley McKenzie, a 20-year-old Southland man with a history of violence and a previous conviction for animal cruelty, was jailed for four months for his role in an attack on a leopard seal in October last year in which fist-sized stones were thrown at the seal and it was dragged around a beach by its tail. Two other men were fined $5000 and $7000 respectively for their part in the attack. In 2005, All Black Andrew Hore and friends Hamish Wilson and Matthew O'Connell were each fined $2500 after they shot at seals, killing one, on the Otago coast. Prior to the arrival of Europeans about two million fur seals lived around the New Zealand coast, but in the early 1800s they were nearly wiped out in Kaikoura and other areas due to hunting. Seals were given full protection by the New Zealand government in 1849. *NZ Herald

Humans and Wildlife

Generally humans are bad news for wild spaces and creatures, and we appear to be good for nothing else besides procreating with as much ease as falling off a log. But in this piece, I'm going to celebrate the fact that some adaptable creatures never had it so good until humans appeared on the scene. No, it's not just the crows, rats and cockroaches which have us to thank for their ever increasing numbers. Take leopards. For a long time we thought that these animals ought to live in the forest. “That's where they belong, of course” say the wise. If any was unfortunate enough to be seen outside, we said, “Poor thing. It's lost its home or perhaps it has no food in the forests.” So like the Good Samaritan we trapped the creature and transferred it to a forest we determined was appropriate for its survival. Recent research shows that these animals are not lost, nor are they randomly straying; the farmlands are what they call home. Where there are no forests, they hide in sugarcane fields. Where there are no monkeys or deer to eat, they survive on free-ranging livestock, stray dogs and feral pigs.

There are many places across the country where leopards don't even know what a forest is nor have they ever seen a wild deer. Similar is the case of three of the commonest venomous snakes of India: cobras, kraits, and Russell's vipers. Farmlands are rich not just with grain but also fat rats and mice who build intricate burrows. Rodent-eating snakes get plenty of prey and a place to stay when the surrounding fields are flooded. Thanks to our super-abundance of rats and mice there are many more of these snakes in farmlands than in any forest. And sarus cranes, the world's tallest flying birds, breed and raise their young in the mosaic of rice fields and wetlands of Uttar Pradesh!

Over the last decade, vultures have been in sharp decline, poisoned by the veterinary anti-inflammatory drug for livestock, diclofenac. But prior to the crisis, these birds were seen by the hundreds because of our habit of leaving animal carcasses out in the open. Vultures are the ultimate cleaning machines, able to strip the flesh from dead animals in minutes. In cities, we are used to seeing stray dogs rummaging in the garbage but in their heyday, the avian scavengers ruled these stinky refuse piles. In some cities such as Bangalore and Mysore, black kites have taken over and where there is water, brahminy kites. Mysteriously, vultures never crossed the Palk Strait to colonise Sri Lanka. On a recent visit to the island nation, Rom and I pointed and gasped at a variety of creatures that locals take for granted. Obese water monitor lizards filled the niche of vultures by lording over the garbage dumps. Star tortoises thrive in farmlands and are perhaps the only tortoises in the world to be called a pest as they chomp on succulent tomatoes!

In some parts of Sri Lanka, man's activities have benefited even elephants. Wherever one-crop, rain-fed agriculture is practised (in areas with elephants), the pachyderms thrive on regenerating weeds in the fallow season. Researchers say that if not for these rich, human-created feeding grounds, Sri Lanka would not support such high densities of elephants. In and around Yala National Park in Sri Lanka's deep South, are numerous irrigation ponds where hundreds of mugger crocodiles live. Thanks to the ancient people who once grew rice here, this tiny part of the country holds more of these reptiles than anywhere in the vast subcontinent of India. In all these instances, farming practices accidentally combined with farmers' tolerance to create an animal-rich landscape. With a little more focussed effort outside of forests and sanctuaries, we could do so much for the creatures that are a bit more finicky in their requirements for survival. *Janaki Lenin, The Hindu

Wildlife Pets

They arrive in the US from Amazon rainforests, central African savannahs and south Asian jungles, crated passengers in the cargo holds of airliners. Spitting cobras, common death adders, Zanzibar dwarf geckos, green iguanas, chinchillas, emperor scorpions and hundreds of other non-native species enter the United States each year to serve the demand for unusual pets. A lot of time has gone into an unsuccessful campaign to clear the Everglades of Burmese pythons, just one of the non-native species to find a congenial home in Florida. But the federal government continues to allow wide-open imports of a vast range of wildlife, conducting few screenings for disease and permitting most shipments to enter without inspection. A report on wildlife imports by the Government Accountability Office last month found "gaps that could allow the introduction of diseases into the United States." A Sun Sentinel review of live wildlife import records from 2004 through April of 2010 found that the United States imported these animals:

More than 739,000 rodents, despite warnings from the federal Centers for Disease Control and prevention that rodents can transmit to humans diseases such as hantavirus, bartonella and typhus. Nearly 20,000 venomous snakes, including 632 puff adders, 113 black mambas and 357 king cobras. More than 1.2 million green iguanas, as well as 39,673 Nile monitor lizards and 20,806 Burmese pythons.

A bill in Congress would have restricted imports to those species that had been approved as harmless, but an outcry from wildlife owners and the pet industry defeated it. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is completing the process to declare the Burmese python and eight other big snakes injurious species, which would end imports except for zoos and a few other purposes. "If the federal government had listed the Burmese python as injurious 20 years ago, we wouldn't have had this problem," said Beth Preiss, exotic pets director for the Humane Society of the United States. "It may be too late to stop the invasion of the Everglades, but it's not too late to stop it in the rest of the U.S." But the pet industry and hobbyist groups have fought back. They note that a cold snap last year killed a lot of the Everglades pythons. They say import limits represent an extreme response to problems caused by a few species. And they say tough restrictions would cost jobs and undermine a beneficial pastime that fosters in children an appreciation of science and nature. "A lot of children spend hours in front of the TV and the computer and have very little contact with nature," said Jamie Reaser, vice president of environmental policy for the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council, a trade group. "So I think it's very important children have the opportunity to learn about animals and the environment." *SunSentinel