Sydney Pet Rescue & Adoption, has launched the Animal Flood Victims Emergency Appeal, and together with various other rescue groups, they are working hard to raise funds to support animals affected by the recent devastating floods in Qld. The Wildlife Protection Association of Australia is one of the organisations they have chosen to support with the Appeal. We will be using the funds they raise to support foster carers in the worst affected and priority areas, with financial support to assist with the rescue and foster care of wildlife. ……….We thank SPRA and all the rescue groups who are working hard with them, for their support…..
Please click on this link to find out more about the appeal: SPRA Flood Animal Appeal Here!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Wildlife Bytes Australia 19/1/11
Editorial
We have been amazed at the number people who care enough about wildlife to donate to our Wildlife Flood Appeal. Thank you all very, very, much, you are all wonderful people indeed. Donations have come in from far and wide, (lots from the US) and we are now contacting groups working in the flood affected areas. Funds will be sent to them this week to help with fuel and food for the flood affected wildlife. Funds are still coming into the Appeal, so we will be able to send them some more funds later on, as the water subsides, and more flood affected wildlife are found.
There is no doubt the Queensland floods will have an enormous impact on a large number of native species. Those that have survived will be short on food, and even shorter on habitat. Echidnas, bettongs, bandicoots, wallabies, kangaroos, water birds, fish, freshwater turtles, flying foxes, dingoes, and many other species have been heavily impacted. When the floodwaters finally all subside, we will really know how bad the impact has been. As well, marine species in Moreton Bay will have been affected too, (see story below) and along the Gt Barrier Reef Marine Park, especially around the Central Queensland Coast. Much of the Central Qld floodwater is contaminated with manure from farms and feedlots, and farm and industrial chemicals.
We've also had another dingo incident on Fraser Island and another dingo will be killed because it was starving, and harassed a tourist. We've said it before many times, and we say it again, the Fraser Island Dingo Mangement Plan is the greatest wildlife management blunder ever committed in Queensland.
Fundraising
The Australian Wildlife Protection Council Inc. is collecting funds to offer a reward for information leading to a prosecution or conviction of the person or persons responsible for running down and killing kangaroos in the grounds of Morriset Hospital, near Newcastle. All donations made in Australia are tax deductible if made out to AWPC Public Fund or just AWPC donation. Post your cheque/money order to Australian Wildlife Protection Council Inc. C/- Maryland Wilson, President, 1098 Stumpy Gully Rd Moorooduc 3933 Victoria. A tax-deductable receipt can be sent to you. OR Make a deposit straight into AWPC’s account at your local Commonwealth Bank branch: BSB 063535, Account 10090791 Please include your name and purpose as reference when making a deposit. Eg. Freda Bloggs, Morisset Reward. Also, email Maryland Wilson, kangaroo@ hotkey.net.au and leave your name and address so a receipt can be sent to you. *AWPC
Wildlife Protection Association of Australia Inc has set up a Donation Fund, where people who wish to donate to help flood-affected wildlife can do just that. Any moneys donated to this Fund will only be provided to non government funded wildlife carers groups or individuals who are actively working on helping wildlife flood victims, orphaned or injured. Funding will be provided to wildlife carers for fuel to get into the flood affected areas, and for wildlife food, over the next months. We know who these carers are, and where they are, and we'd like to help them too, so if you would like to help the wildlife flood victims you can donate here, tax-deductible within Australia. WPAA has kick-started the Fund with $500. Donate here..... http://www.kangaroo-protection-coalition.com/floodwildlife.html
QWRC has also set up a trust fund to receive donations for wildlife carers affected by floods. Donations can be made to the wildlife disaster relief fund by direct deposit to the QWRC Trust Fund account BSB 814-282 and account number 30932248 and QWRC ask that people please use their surname as a reference. They will ensure all funds are distributed where they are most needed.
Floods and Wildlife
Just as Queensland is cleaning up after the floods, and as the water slowly subsides, towns in Victoria are flooding. Echuca and Horsham are set to be hit by their worst floods in 100 years as Victoria deals with unprecedented conditions. The swollen Campaspe River could flood up to 100 Echuca properties when it peaks tonight. Hundreds of businesses and homes could be flooded in Horsham on Monday and Tuesday when the Wimmera River near the town peaks at midday on Monday. The situation with Queenslands wildlife is expected to be grim, but is still far from clear. There is no doubt we have lost many animals. We heard a report of an echidna being rescued from a tree in Central Queensland, in Brisbane hundreds of flying fox babies are in care, and wildlife carers are having trouble getting fruit and milk for the orphans. Phone, roads, email, and postal contacts are not good across Queensland, so its still hard to tell just how bad the situation is.......but it appears to be pretty bad! The good news is that our WPAA Appeal for funds for the wildlife carers has been heard around the World, and we are now in the process of trying to contact those wildlife carers in the flood affected areas to see how we can help them. Those caring people who have donated to the Appeal would have received a Paypal receipt, but eventually we will send WPAA receipts to everyone who donates. To donate go here http://www.kangaroo-protection-coalition.com/floodwildlife.html
Dead Birds and Fish
In the last 2 months, 22 instances of thousands, sometimes hundreds of thousands, of dead birds and fish have been recorded worldwide. There have been many speculations about the cause of death, and autopsies apppear to have found nothing untoward. Some local wildlife carers are telling us they are getting more birds into care than ever before.....
Read more http://www.naturalnews.com/030985_mysterious_deaths_birds.html
and here http://www.naturalnews.com/030996_bird_deaths_pole_shift.html
Climate Change
Australian Conservation Foundation President Ian Lowe has expressed his concern for those affected by severe recent flooding in Queensland and says the “floods are another reminder of what climate science has been telling us for 25 years. As well as a general warming and increasing sea levels, it predicted more frequent extreme events: floods, droughts, heatwaves and severe bushfires.” Although he notes that, “It is still too early to say with certainty that climate change is responsible for the strong El Nino event which brought devastating drought to eastern Australia and the equally strong La Nina event which has produced the terrible floods,” Professor Lowe warns, “If we don’t want to see more events like the 2009 Victorian bushfires and the floods now happening, we need a concerted program of action to reduce greenhouse pollution.” * Econews
Kangaroos
A Victorian State department has upheld its decision to issue a permit allowing 300 kangaroos to be culled in Eden Park. Wildlife protection groups and local residents have written to the Department of Sustainability and Environment requesting that the control wildlife permit be overturned. The permit - as reported by the Leader last month - is for the Northern Lodge Stud, which is managed by the Northern Metropolitan Institute of TAFE (NMIT). The DSE’s group manager for biodiversity services, Mark Winfield, said a review of the whole process was done in the wake of the public backlash. But he confirmed last week that the original decision would stand. Animal Active spokeswoman Rheya Linden said there were less destructive ways for NMIT to protect its land. “What the DSE have issued is very sneaky. NMIT have been granted a 12-month permit, when they’re usually three-month permits”, Ms Linden said. “Two-metre kangaroo proof fencing would be much more practical. Locals believe they’ve already started (culling kangaroos).” Ms Linden said that Animal Active protesters would not hesitate to protest at Eden Park in a bid to stop the cull. NMIT didn’t respond to the Leader’s inquiries before deadline. * Leader
Ed Comment; Local wildlife groups believe there may be a connection here to a proposal by the new Victorian Coalition Government to set up a kangaroo Industry in Victoria. Local groups are looking at the possibility of taking legal action, and more protests are likely.*
The National Parks and Wildlife service wants people on the New South Wales far south coast to get tough with kangaroos. There have been a number of reports of people and domestic dogs being attacked by the animals at Pambula Beach. The Park Service's area manager, Stephen Dovey, says the hungry kangaroos are coming into backyards looking for food after being displaced at a nearby busy caravan park. He says it is important that people discourage the animals from staying in built-up areas. "We have had reports of dogs being attacked and we have had reports of people being attacked as well when they have approached large kangaroos," Mr Dovey said. "This is especially the case with the alpha males which are trying to set up a territory for their harem. "Don't allow kangaroos in your backyard so just discourage them from settling in their by running a cold hose on them or don't leave any feed out." *ABC
Wallabies
A samuraI sword or machete may have been used to behead a wallaby in another brutal mutilation of an animal on the Coffs Coast. Authorities are investigating the continuing disturbing mutilation of kangaroos in the area. The most recent this week saw a wallaby cruelly killed and dumped at Emerald Heights. RSPCA and National Parks and Wildlife rangers believed a samurai sword or machete was used to behead the animal. It’s the third attack of its kind on kangaroos and wallabies at Emerald Heights and follows similar incidents in the past at Safety Beach. Those investigating the crimes are completely stumped why anyone would want to harm a placid animal in such a way. “This is extremely troubled behaviour and not the first attack we’ve seen on kangaroos or wallabies in the area,” RSPCA regional inspector Andrew Kelly said. “What is most concerning is the motivation behind these attacks.
Mr Kelly said police have been informed and investigations are continuing. By alerting the public to the sickening attacks, rangers hope the public provide information identifying who’s responsible. “We can’t work out why the bodies of the animals are always found, but not the heads,” Coffs Harbour NPWS ranger Ann Walton said. “We thought maybe that fishermen were responsible, using the heads in crab pots, but anglers we have spoken to have said most likely fishermen would use the whole animal, so we just don’t know why someone would do this." If prosecuted, the offender or offenders face considerable penalties. Aside from police charges for using prohibited weapons to harm animals, the culprits face prosecution by the RSPCA for animal cruelty. This offence carries a maximum $10,000 fine and five years imprisonment, while the National Parks and Wildlife Service has its own offence of causing harm to a protected species. Anyone who has information surrounding these sickening attacks is urged to call the RSPCA hotline on 1300CRUELTY. Coffs Coast Advocate
Frogs
Pobblebonk. It might resemble a name from a Harry Potter story, but this slippery, bubble-eyed and wide-mouthed little fella lives closer to home, in burrows, creeks and swamps from Aspendale Gardens through Mernda to Yarra Glen. Chances are you've heard his distinctive call - from which he gets his other, less-onomatopoetic name, the eastern banjo frog. It's a single wet-sounding plunk like a note struck on a slack-tuned banjo. In chorus with an army of his fellows, he seems to be repeating that first, more evocative name. And from this weekend Melbourne Water's Healthy Waterways program is hoping to hear more from him and at least 13 other varieties of Melbourne amphibians through its annual frog census, in which volunteers record frog calls at their local rivers, creeks and wetlands.
Project adviser Rohan Long says they're hoping to hear MP3s of, say, the cree-cree-cree of the southern brown tree frog; the low, repeated squeak of the southern toadlet; the purring, click of the painted burrowing frog and, particularly, the hoarse rasp of Victoria's most endangered species, the growling grass frog. The census aims to monitor frog populations across the Westernport and Port Phillip regions, by having people make digital recordings - often using mobile phones - in areas where they've heard frog calls before. The calls are verified and identified by an ecologist and the results included in the Department of Sustainability and Environment's Victorian wildlife atlas. Melbourne Water has launched a frog census website where people can listen to local frog calls and learn which frogs live in their area and how to get involved.
''There are two reasons for the survey,'' says Mr Long. ''First, is to get the community connected to the animals living in their waterways; and the other is for us to measure the health of those waterways.'' It's often said that frog populations are a barometer of environmental health, he says. ''At the most basic level, if you have unhealthy waterways you don't have frogs and if you do have healthy waterways you do get frogs. Amphibians are a particularly good indication of water health because they breathe through their skin and if there's anything in the water that's going to be bad for them they take it right into their bodies.''
Amphibian populations have been in decline for more than a decade, partly due to a strange fungus called chrytid which clogs the pores, preventing frogs breathing through their skin and which is a factor in the loss of about 170 frog species. ''But just as culpable is land use by the population,'' says Mr Long. ''We're expanding Melbourne into the nice grassy and swampy areas that frogs like to live in.'' Despite the decline, Melbourne's frogs seem to be doing relatively well, he says. ''I'm always surprised at the number of frogs people send in, the different places where they hear them and the diversity we get here. I guess Melbourne's a fairly green town: we've got a lot of waterways, a lot of places for frogs to hang out.
''The negative is that people like to hang out in the same places. We like water, we like green and sometimes we can take over the habitat of the frogs. Sometimes we displace them and sometimes we don't.'' It is too early to tell, but the past wet year may have been a boon for frogs, many species of which postpone breeding during dry spells. But why should we care? ''Well, they eat mozzies and bugs. They're part of the greater scheme of things keeping our rivers ticking over and healthy. But there is an aesthetic aspect as well, I think people just like frogs, they like hearing them.'' *Age frogs.melbournewater.com.au/
Moreton Bay Flood Impacts
Thousands of fish are dying as the floodwaters enter Moreton Bay. The huge plume of muddy water is spreading across the bay and starting to damage the seagrass beds. All beaches on the Redcliffe Peninsula have been shut due to dead fish and debris washing ashore. Moreton Bay Regional Councillor James Houghton told the ABC: "We've had several thousand fish wash on the beaches and some of those have been even freshwater fish, so that looks like they've come from Somerset or Wivenhoe Dam even further up the river. "We've already had the result of some testing back and the result is that that's been caused by so much freshwater in dealing with saltwater varieties and also turbidity in the water." Peter Schneider, The Healthy Waterways CEO told the ABC that the flood will have a major impact. Dr Peter Schneider says the full impact might not be known for months.
Australian Defence Minister Stephen Smith said HMAS Huon will arrive in Brisbane tonight and will patrol the waters in Moreton Bay for debris. "Together with two of our hydrological survey ships, it will start a survey of Brisbane River in the area close to the Port of Brisbane, to ensure that the waterway itself is clear from underwater obstructions," he said. Cairns based Royal Australian Navy Survey Ships HMAS Shepparton and HMAS Paluma departed Cairns in the early hours of Saturday morning to proceed at best speed towards Moreton Bay and Brisbane. Expected to arrive on Tuesday, the ships will meet up with Sydney-based mine hunter, HMAS Huon to help with efforts to re-open the shipping channel to deep-draught commercial vessels. Shepparton and Paluma are equipped with some of the most advanced survey technology, and are ideally suited to this type of hydrographic survey work.
Proving the main shipping channel clear of obstructions from the floods ultimately allows the recovery effort to proceed faster, rebuilding to accelerate, and restores vital economic activity for all of Queensland. As the flood waters travel at speed, they have the ability to transport great volumes and larger sizes of sediment, gravels, rocks and other debris. As the waters enter the wider expanses of Moreton Bay, the speed of the water decreases, and the greatest majority of the sediments will precipitate out of the flood waters. This has the potential to create blockages of the shipping channel - although the extent of this is currently unknown. "I have a great sense of pride in being able to help our fellow Queenslanders, and hope that our efforts, as a small part of the help being provided by the ADF, other Queenslanders, and Australians in general, will help Brisbane and SE Queensland with the task of re-building", said Lieutenant Commander Adam Muckalt Commanding Officer, HMAS Shepparton.
Leading Seaman Hydrographic Systems Operator Kelly Denner added: "I am proud to assist and provide ongoing support to the people of SE Queensland throughout this natural disaster". Seaman Marine Technician Nick Cook said "When I was told that we were deploying to help with the flood relief I couldn't wait to start helping out with the clean-up effort, and I will be extremely proud to be wearing uniform whilst doing so." "We may see coral die back in the eastern side of the bay," he said. "We may then see the sea grasses die back - it's probably a fair bet to say that we'll see some algal blooms occurring in a fairly widespread fashion across the bay - there'll be a number of things happening." Dr Schneider says they are expecting an increase in the number of animals killed by eating or getting caught in rubbish.
Queensland Conservation Council chairman Simon Baltais that the bay looked like a war zone. Mr Baltais said under normal conditions, wildlife had evolved to recover from such large-scale natural events. "But they are already stressed from pollution and over-development," he said. Although the seagrass beds nearest the mainland, along which dugong graze, will be damaged, reports from Moreton Island's Tangalooma Resort director Trevor Hassard told the Courier Mail that the eastern side of the bay remained relatively clear. A worry is that if the seagrass beds are not cared for they will die and with them the Moreton Bay dugong herds. Mr Baltais said no timeframe had been set for an inspection and clean-up, but it probably should include the Navy. "We're in the hands of the recovery taskforce," he said.
"We don't want to compromise activities and plans that are already being put in place." Mr Baltais said until the array of material such as sunken boats, refuse and construction material was removed, the bay would remain dangerous for boats. The toxic heavy metals now in the water represent one of three main threats to the ecosystem in the wake of the disaster. Sediment washed off the Lockyer Valley and sewage that has mixed with river water could also cause damage, according to Queensland Conservation Council executive director Toby Hutcheon. “This is a major issue and it’s something the government should assess in the coming months once this all settles down,” he told the Brisbane Times. “Anything and everything could have been washed down in the flood.”
Fish species could also be at risk from algal bloom, with the high nitrogen content in sewerage making it a distinct possibility, particularly if there is a spell of warm weather in coming weeks. So unexpected were the force and magnitude of the flooding that little could have been done to prevent the contamination of the water, according to Mr Hutcheon. And just as it was nature that caused the devastation, it will be nature that mends it and Mr Hutcheon said there was nothing we could do to reverse the damage. “It’s up to nature to heal itself,” he said. “The reality with sediment is to make sure it is captured before it gets into the bay. But there was very little we could do on this occasion.” *Bay Journal
Dingoes
The dingo that attacked a Korean tourist on Fraser Island at the weekend will be killed if it can be identified. The incident early on Sunday morning saw the 41-year-old tourist bitten on the leg, hand and forearm by a dingo on 75 Mile Beach at Eurong. The woman and her friend had been surrounded by a pack of five dingoes when one lunged forward, attacking her. DERM's Regional Manager Ross Belcher said the behaviour of the dingo had posed a clear threat to the safety of visitors and the local community. “If the dingo is positively identified, it will have to be put down to protect public safety,” he said. “Through the introduction of the Dingo Management Strategy the number of dingoes having to be destroyed as a result of dangerous behaviour has decreased from as many as 14 in 2002 to five in 2010. “This incident serves as an ongoing reminder of the unpredictable and dangerous nature of dingoes on Fraser. They are wild animals and need to be treated as such.”
As rangers tried to identify the dingo yesterday politicians and wildlife lobby groups seized on the incident to attack DERM's current dingo management policy. State Member for Hervey Bay Ted Sorensen said Fraser Island was a major tourist attraction and people had the right to be safe from these attacks. “DERM's dingo strategy has never been peer-reviewed and problems identified by the island's visitors and residents have simply been ignored,” he said. Malcom Kilpatrick from Save Fraser Island Dingoes said the bottom line was that the management strategy “had some good points, but it did have problems and they needed to be fixed now”. “If it was the alpha male leader of the pack that attacked the tourist and it is chased down and shot you can just about say goodbye to the other members of the pack because they won't survive without their leader. “That means five dingoes may die because of this one incident and that is a tragedy,” Mr Kilpatrick said. *Fraser Coast Chronicle
We have been amazed at the number people who care enough about wildlife to donate to our Wildlife Flood Appeal. Thank you all very, very, much, you are all wonderful people indeed. Donations have come in from far and wide, (lots from the US) and we are now contacting groups working in the flood affected areas. Funds will be sent to them this week to help with fuel and food for the flood affected wildlife. Funds are still coming into the Appeal, so we will be able to send them some more funds later on, as the water subsides, and more flood affected wildlife are found.
There is no doubt the Queensland floods will have an enormous impact on a large number of native species. Those that have survived will be short on food, and even shorter on habitat. Echidnas, bettongs, bandicoots, wallabies, kangaroos, water birds, fish, freshwater turtles, flying foxes, dingoes, and many other species have been heavily impacted. When the floodwaters finally all subside, we will really know how bad the impact has been. As well, marine species in Moreton Bay will have been affected too, (see story below) and along the Gt Barrier Reef Marine Park, especially around the Central Queensland Coast. Much of the Central Qld floodwater is contaminated with manure from farms and feedlots, and farm and industrial chemicals.
We've also had another dingo incident on Fraser Island and another dingo will be killed because it was starving, and harassed a tourist. We've said it before many times, and we say it again, the Fraser Island Dingo Mangement Plan is the greatest wildlife management blunder ever committed in Queensland.
Fundraising
The Australian Wildlife Protection Council Inc. is collecting funds to offer a reward for information leading to a prosecution or conviction of the person or persons responsible for running down and killing kangaroos in the grounds of Morriset Hospital, near Newcastle. All donations made in Australia are tax deductible if made out to AWPC Public Fund or just AWPC donation. Post your cheque/money order to Australian Wildlife Protection Council Inc. C/- Maryland Wilson, President, 1098 Stumpy Gully Rd Moorooduc 3933 Victoria. A tax-deductable receipt can be sent to you. OR Make a deposit straight into AWPC’s account at your local Commonwealth Bank branch: BSB 063535, Account 10090791 Please include your name and purpose as reference when making a deposit. Eg. Freda Bloggs, Morisset Reward. Also, email Maryland Wilson, kangaroo@ hotkey.net.au and leave your name and address so a receipt can be sent to you. *AWPC
Wildlife Protection Association of Australia Inc has set up a Donation Fund, where people who wish to donate to help flood-affected wildlife can do just that. Any moneys donated to this Fund will only be provided to non government funded wildlife carers groups or individuals who are actively working on helping wildlife flood victims, orphaned or injured. Funding will be provided to wildlife carers for fuel to get into the flood affected areas, and for wildlife food, over the next months. We know who these carers are, and where they are, and we'd like to help them too, so if you would like to help the wildlife flood victims you can donate here, tax-deductible within Australia. WPAA has kick-started the Fund with $500. Donate here..... http://www.kangaroo-protection-coalition.com/floodwildlife.html
QWRC has also set up a trust fund to receive donations for wildlife carers affected by floods. Donations can be made to the wildlife disaster relief fund by direct deposit to the QWRC Trust Fund account BSB 814-282 and account number 30932248 and QWRC ask that people please use their surname as a reference. They will ensure all funds are distributed where they are most needed.
Floods and Wildlife
Just as Queensland is cleaning up after the floods, and as the water slowly subsides, towns in Victoria are flooding. Echuca and Horsham are set to be hit by their worst floods in 100 years as Victoria deals with unprecedented conditions. The swollen Campaspe River could flood up to 100 Echuca properties when it peaks tonight. Hundreds of businesses and homes could be flooded in Horsham on Monday and Tuesday when the Wimmera River near the town peaks at midday on Monday. The situation with Queenslands wildlife is expected to be grim, but is still far from clear. There is no doubt we have lost many animals. We heard a report of an echidna being rescued from a tree in Central Queensland, in Brisbane hundreds of flying fox babies are in care, and wildlife carers are having trouble getting fruit and milk for the orphans. Phone, roads, email, and postal contacts are not good across Queensland, so its still hard to tell just how bad the situation is.......but it appears to be pretty bad! The good news is that our WPAA Appeal for funds for the wildlife carers has been heard around the World, and we are now in the process of trying to contact those wildlife carers in the flood affected areas to see how we can help them. Those caring people who have donated to the Appeal would have received a Paypal receipt, but eventually we will send WPAA receipts to everyone who donates. To donate go here http://www.kangaroo-protection-coalition.com/floodwildlife.html
Dead Birds and Fish
In the last 2 months, 22 instances of thousands, sometimes hundreds of thousands, of dead birds and fish have been recorded worldwide. There have been many speculations about the cause of death, and autopsies apppear to have found nothing untoward. Some local wildlife carers are telling us they are getting more birds into care than ever before.....
Read more http://www.naturalnews.com/030985_mysterious_deaths_birds.html
and here http://www.naturalnews.com/030996_bird_deaths_pole_shift.html
Climate Change
Australian Conservation Foundation President Ian Lowe has expressed his concern for those affected by severe recent flooding in Queensland and says the “floods are another reminder of what climate science has been telling us for 25 years. As well as a general warming and increasing sea levels, it predicted more frequent extreme events: floods, droughts, heatwaves and severe bushfires.” Although he notes that, “It is still too early to say with certainty that climate change is responsible for the strong El Nino event which brought devastating drought to eastern Australia and the equally strong La Nina event which has produced the terrible floods,” Professor Lowe warns, “If we don’t want to see more events like the 2009 Victorian bushfires and the floods now happening, we need a concerted program of action to reduce greenhouse pollution.” * Econews
Kangaroos
A Victorian State department has upheld its decision to issue a permit allowing 300 kangaroos to be culled in Eden Park. Wildlife protection groups and local residents have written to the Department of Sustainability and Environment requesting that the control wildlife permit be overturned. The permit - as reported by the Leader last month - is for the Northern Lodge Stud, which is managed by the Northern Metropolitan Institute of TAFE (NMIT). The DSE’s group manager for biodiversity services, Mark Winfield, said a review of the whole process was done in the wake of the public backlash. But he confirmed last week that the original decision would stand. Animal Active spokeswoman Rheya Linden said there were less destructive ways for NMIT to protect its land. “What the DSE have issued is very sneaky. NMIT have been granted a 12-month permit, when they’re usually three-month permits”, Ms Linden said. “Two-metre kangaroo proof fencing would be much more practical. Locals believe they’ve already started (culling kangaroos).” Ms Linden said that Animal Active protesters would not hesitate to protest at Eden Park in a bid to stop the cull. NMIT didn’t respond to the Leader’s inquiries before deadline. * Leader
Ed Comment; Local wildlife groups believe there may be a connection here to a proposal by the new Victorian Coalition Government to set up a kangaroo Industry in Victoria. Local groups are looking at the possibility of taking legal action, and more protests are likely.*
The National Parks and Wildlife service wants people on the New South Wales far south coast to get tough with kangaroos. There have been a number of reports of people and domestic dogs being attacked by the animals at Pambula Beach. The Park Service's area manager, Stephen Dovey, says the hungry kangaroos are coming into backyards looking for food after being displaced at a nearby busy caravan park. He says it is important that people discourage the animals from staying in built-up areas. "We have had reports of dogs being attacked and we have had reports of people being attacked as well when they have approached large kangaroos," Mr Dovey said. "This is especially the case with the alpha males which are trying to set up a territory for their harem. "Don't allow kangaroos in your backyard so just discourage them from settling in their by running a cold hose on them or don't leave any feed out." *ABC
Wallabies
A samuraI sword or machete may have been used to behead a wallaby in another brutal mutilation of an animal on the Coffs Coast. Authorities are investigating the continuing disturbing mutilation of kangaroos in the area. The most recent this week saw a wallaby cruelly killed and dumped at Emerald Heights. RSPCA and National Parks and Wildlife rangers believed a samurai sword or machete was used to behead the animal. It’s the third attack of its kind on kangaroos and wallabies at Emerald Heights and follows similar incidents in the past at Safety Beach. Those investigating the crimes are completely stumped why anyone would want to harm a placid animal in such a way. “This is extremely troubled behaviour and not the first attack we’ve seen on kangaroos or wallabies in the area,” RSPCA regional inspector Andrew Kelly said. “What is most concerning is the motivation behind these attacks.
Mr Kelly said police have been informed and investigations are continuing. By alerting the public to the sickening attacks, rangers hope the public provide information identifying who’s responsible. “We can’t work out why the bodies of the animals are always found, but not the heads,” Coffs Harbour NPWS ranger Ann Walton said. “We thought maybe that fishermen were responsible, using the heads in crab pots, but anglers we have spoken to have said most likely fishermen would use the whole animal, so we just don’t know why someone would do this." If prosecuted, the offender or offenders face considerable penalties. Aside from police charges for using prohibited weapons to harm animals, the culprits face prosecution by the RSPCA for animal cruelty. This offence carries a maximum $10,000 fine and five years imprisonment, while the National Parks and Wildlife Service has its own offence of causing harm to a protected species. Anyone who has information surrounding these sickening attacks is urged to call the RSPCA hotline on 1300CRUELTY. Coffs Coast Advocate
Frogs
Pobblebonk. It might resemble a name from a Harry Potter story, but this slippery, bubble-eyed and wide-mouthed little fella lives closer to home, in burrows, creeks and swamps from Aspendale Gardens through Mernda to Yarra Glen. Chances are you've heard his distinctive call - from which he gets his other, less-onomatopoetic name, the eastern banjo frog. It's a single wet-sounding plunk like a note struck on a slack-tuned banjo. In chorus with an army of his fellows, he seems to be repeating that first, more evocative name. And from this weekend Melbourne Water's Healthy Waterways program is hoping to hear more from him and at least 13 other varieties of Melbourne amphibians through its annual frog census, in which volunteers record frog calls at their local rivers, creeks and wetlands.
Project adviser Rohan Long says they're hoping to hear MP3s of, say, the cree-cree-cree of the southern brown tree frog; the low, repeated squeak of the southern toadlet; the purring, click of the painted burrowing frog and, particularly, the hoarse rasp of Victoria's most endangered species, the growling grass frog. The census aims to monitor frog populations across the Westernport and Port Phillip regions, by having people make digital recordings - often using mobile phones - in areas where they've heard frog calls before. The calls are verified and identified by an ecologist and the results included in the Department of Sustainability and Environment's Victorian wildlife atlas. Melbourne Water has launched a frog census website where people can listen to local frog calls and learn which frogs live in their area and how to get involved.
''There are two reasons for the survey,'' says Mr Long. ''First, is to get the community connected to the animals living in their waterways; and the other is for us to measure the health of those waterways.'' It's often said that frog populations are a barometer of environmental health, he says. ''At the most basic level, if you have unhealthy waterways you don't have frogs and if you do have healthy waterways you do get frogs. Amphibians are a particularly good indication of water health because they breathe through their skin and if there's anything in the water that's going to be bad for them they take it right into their bodies.''
Amphibian populations have been in decline for more than a decade, partly due to a strange fungus called chrytid which clogs the pores, preventing frogs breathing through their skin and which is a factor in the loss of about 170 frog species. ''But just as culpable is land use by the population,'' says Mr Long. ''We're expanding Melbourne into the nice grassy and swampy areas that frogs like to live in.'' Despite the decline, Melbourne's frogs seem to be doing relatively well, he says. ''I'm always surprised at the number of frogs people send in, the different places where they hear them and the diversity we get here. I guess Melbourne's a fairly green town: we've got a lot of waterways, a lot of places for frogs to hang out.
''The negative is that people like to hang out in the same places. We like water, we like green and sometimes we can take over the habitat of the frogs. Sometimes we displace them and sometimes we don't.'' It is too early to tell, but the past wet year may have been a boon for frogs, many species of which postpone breeding during dry spells. But why should we care? ''Well, they eat mozzies and bugs. They're part of the greater scheme of things keeping our rivers ticking over and healthy. But there is an aesthetic aspect as well, I think people just like frogs, they like hearing them.'' *Age frogs.melbournewater.com.au/
Moreton Bay Flood Impacts
Thousands of fish are dying as the floodwaters enter Moreton Bay. The huge plume of muddy water is spreading across the bay and starting to damage the seagrass beds. All beaches on the Redcliffe Peninsula have been shut due to dead fish and debris washing ashore. Moreton Bay Regional Councillor James Houghton told the ABC: "We've had several thousand fish wash on the beaches and some of those have been even freshwater fish, so that looks like they've come from Somerset or Wivenhoe Dam even further up the river. "We've already had the result of some testing back and the result is that that's been caused by so much freshwater in dealing with saltwater varieties and also turbidity in the water." Peter Schneider, The Healthy Waterways CEO told the ABC that the flood will have a major impact. Dr Peter Schneider says the full impact might not be known for months.
Australian Defence Minister Stephen Smith said HMAS Huon will arrive in Brisbane tonight and will patrol the waters in Moreton Bay for debris. "Together with two of our hydrological survey ships, it will start a survey of Brisbane River in the area close to the Port of Brisbane, to ensure that the waterway itself is clear from underwater obstructions," he said. Cairns based Royal Australian Navy Survey Ships HMAS Shepparton and HMAS Paluma departed Cairns in the early hours of Saturday morning to proceed at best speed towards Moreton Bay and Brisbane. Expected to arrive on Tuesday, the ships will meet up with Sydney-based mine hunter, HMAS Huon to help with efforts to re-open the shipping channel to deep-draught commercial vessels. Shepparton and Paluma are equipped with some of the most advanced survey technology, and are ideally suited to this type of hydrographic survey work.
Proving the main shipping channel clear of obstructions from the floods ultimately allows the recovery effort to proceed faster, rebuilding to accelerate, and restores vital economic activity for all of Queensland. As the flood waters travel at speed, they have the ability to transport great volumes and larger sizes of sediment, gravels, rocks and other debris. As the waters enter the wider expanses of Moreton Bay, the speed of the water decreases, and the greatest majority of the sediments will precipitate out of the flood waters. This has the potential to create blockages of the shipping channel - although the extent of this is currently unknown. "I have a great sense of pride in being able to help our fellow Queenslanders, and hope that our efforts, as a small part of the help being provided by the ADF, other Queenslanders, and Australians in general, will help Brisbane and SE Queensland with the task of re-building", said Lieutenant Commander Adam Muckalt Commanding Officer, HMAS Shepparton.
Leading Seaman Hydrographic Systems Operator Kelly Denner added: "I am proud to assist and provide ongoing support to the people of SE Queensland throughout this natural disaster". Seaman Marine Technician Nick Cook said "When I was told that we were deploying to help with the flood relief I couldn't wait to start helping out with the clean-up effort, and I will be extremely proud to be wearing uniform whilst doing so." "We may see coral die back in the eastern side of the bay," he said. "We may then see the sea grasses die back - it's probably a fair bet to say that we'll see some algal blooms occurring in a fairly widespread fashion across the bay - there'll be a number of things happening." Dr Schneider says they are expecting an increase in the number of animals killed by eating or getting caught in rubbish.
Queensland Conservation Council chairman Simon Baltais that the bay looked like a war zone. Mr Baltais said under normal conditions, wildlife had evolved to recover from such large-scale natural events. "But they are already stressed from pollution and over-development," he said. Although the seagrass beds nearest the mainland, along which dugong graze, will be damaged, reports from Moreton Island's Tangalooma Resort director Trevor Hassard told the Courier Mail that the eastern side of the bay remained relatively clear. A worry is that if the seagrass beds are not cared for they will die and with them the Moreton Bay dugong herds. Mr Baltais said no timeframe had been set for an inspection and clean-up, but it probably should include the Navy. "We're in the hands of the recovery taskforce," he said.
"We don't want to compromise activities and plans that are already being put in place." Mr Baltais said until the array of material such as sunken boats, refuse and construction material was removed, the bay would remain dangerous for boats. The toxic heavy metals now in the water represent one of three main threats to the ecosystem in the wake of the disaster. Sediment washed off the Lockyer Valley and sewage that has mixed with river water could also cause damage, according to Queensland Conservation Council executive director Toby Hutcheon. “This is a major issue and it’s something the government should assess in the coming months once this all settles down,” he told the Brisbane Times. “Anything and everything could have been washed down in the flood.”
Fish species could also be at risk from algal bloom, with the high nitrogen content in sewerage making it a distinct possibility, particularly if there is a spell of warm weather in coming weeks. So unexpected were the force and magnitude of the flooding that little could have been done to prevent the contamination of the water, according to Mr Hutcheon. And just as it was nature that caused the devastation, it will be nature that mends it and Mr Hutcheon said there was nothing we could do to reverse the damage. “It’s up to nature to heal itself,” he said. “The reality with sediment is to make sure it is captured before it gets into the bay. But there was very little we could do on this occasion.” *Bay Journal
Dingoes
The dingo that attacked a Korean tourist on Fraser Island at the weekend will be killed if it can be identified. The incident early on Sunday morning saw the 41-year-old tourist bitten on the leg, hand and forearm by a dingo on 75 Mile Beach at Eurong. The woman and her friend had been surrounded by a pack of five dingoes when one lunged forward, attacking her. DERM's Regional Manager Ross Belcher said the behaviour of the dingo had posed a clear threat to the safety of visitors and the local community. “If the dingo is positively identified, it will have to be put down to protect public safety,” he said. “Through the introduction of the Dingo Management Strategy the number of dingoes having to be destroyed as a result of dangerous behaviour has decreased from as many as 14 in 2002 to five in 2010. “This incident serves as an ongoing reminder of the unpredictable and dangerous nature of dingoes on Fraser. They are wild animals and need to be treated as such.”
As rangers tried to identify the dingo yesterday politicians and wildlife lobby groups seized on the incident to attack DERM's current dingo management policy. State Member for Hervey Bay Ted Sorensen said Fraser Island was a major tourist attraction and people had the right to be safe from these attacks. “DERM's dingo strategy has never been peer-reviewed and problems identified by the island's visitors and residents have simply been ignored,” he said. Malcom Kilpatrick from Save Fraser Island Dingoes said the bottom line was that the management strategy “had some good points, but it did have problems and they needed to be fixed now”. “If it was the alpha male leader of the pack that attacked the tourist and it is chased down and shot you can just about say goodbye to the other members of the pack because they won't survive without their leader. “That means five dingoes may die because of this one incident and that is a tragedy,” Mr Kilpatrick said. *Fraser Coast Chronicle
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Australia's Wildlife Flood Victim Appeal
The authorities tell us that the widespread floods in Queensland cover an area of the size of both France and Germany combined, or an area as big as NSW. In some degree we are lucky in Queensland that much of the flooding occured in agricultural areas, where there is not a lot of wildlife anyway. Except for Brisbane, which surprisingly carries large numbers of many different wildlife species. The kangaroos are fairly okay, because in most cases in rural areas the water came up relatively slowly and they could get away. We'll still lose a lot of kangaroos of course, but the shooters can't access many areas because the tracks are too wet, so that compensates a bit we suppose.
We'll lose lot's of the smaller macropods of course, especially the wallabies. Bandicoots, native rats and mice, invertabrates etc, will all be heavily impacted, but the reptiles and spiders etc, seem to be able to get on fenceposts and trees, although there are lots of dead snakes on the roads. I did hear a report from Lowood where some idiots in a boat were going around shooting the snakes in the trees. Some houses have found hundreds of snakes crawling over them, as the snakes head for any high ground in a flood, even a house!
Some koalas have been drowned, but mostly they can stay up the trees until the water subsides. In most areas it will take some weeks for the floodwaters to recede, so we wont know much about the wildlife losses until then, except we know the losses will be huge. We can be sure that much wildlife habitat, grasses and shrubs etc, will die after long periods underwater, so that will create a severe loss of habitat, which in turn will make it harder for smaller species to recolonise previously flooded areas.
One huge impact will on the Gt Barrier Reef, when the silt, containing mud, cow manure and farm chemicals, pours out of the rivers and onto the coral. After the 1991 Rockhampton floods, I spent several years snorkelling and diving on the Central GBR, and much of the coral was covered in mud and silt. That year was followed by almost 20 years of drought and high temperatures, with subsequent coral bleaching. Another siltation period now from this flood event may be devastating to remnant coral....and devastating to those marine species that depend on it.
At this stage its difficult to determine accurately what wildlife species have been mostly affected. We know some wildlife carers have been out rescuing whatever they can, but its difficult to access many areas because of flooded and damaged roads. Just today, I spent 7 hours sitting on the side of the Bruce Highway, waiting for flood waters to go down, so I could get home. In spite of the bad conditoins, some wildlife carers have been feeding marooned kangaroos and other wildlife species where they can.
Overall though, its a disaster for wildlife. When we add these floods on top of previous ongoing road kills, habitat loss, and all the other threats, it's a very grim picture for Australian wildlife.
We've been asked to set up a Donation Fund, where people who wish to donate to help flood-affected wildlife can do just that. Any moneys donated to this Fund will only be provided to non government funded wildlife carers groups or individuals who are actively working on helping wildlife flood victimes, orphaned or injured. Funding will be provided to wildlife carers for fuel to get into the flood affected areas, and for wildlife food, over the next months. We know who these carers are, and where they are, and we'd like to help them too, so if you would like to help the wildlife flood victims you can donate here, tax-deductable within Australia.
WPAA will kickstart the Fund with $500. Donate here.......... http://www.kangaroo-protection-coalition.com/floodwildlife.html
or simply mail a cheque to WPAA PO Box 309, Beerwah, Qld, 4519, Australia
Whaling Duplicity
Former prime minister Kevin Rudd launched legal action against Japan's whaling program despite strong opposition from senior ministers and bureaucrats, who warned it was likely to fail and might strengthen the hand of the Japanese. Leaked US diplomatic cables also indicate the decision to take Japan to the International Court of Justice was aimed to divert public pressure on Labor over whaling. The Foreign Affairs department warned the case against Japan's ''scientific'' whaling program would ''either fail completely or, at best, set up the Japanese to simply make changes to their program to improve the science''. And a senior Australian diplomat told the Americans that both the then foreign minister Stephen Smith and trade minister Simon Crean had made clear their opposition to such a legal challenge.
According to the cables, obtained by WikiLeaks and provided exclusively to Fairfax, Australian officials told US diplomats that even if successful, legal action against Japan would be ''unlikely to stop the whale hunt entirely''. They said that ''equally importantly, such action would probably take a long time, removing some of the pressure on the Government for the next few years''. The cables also reveal the Japanese Government's confidence Australia's legal challenge would fail and vindicate Japan's position. In February last year, the US embassy reported discussions with the Japanese deputy head of mission in Canberra, who observed that then foreign minister Katsuya Okada had ''made clear his growing annoyance with Australian complaints about whaling''. ''FM Okada is very confident that Tokyo will win a legal challenge and has suggested internally that it would be good for Japan to show that its whaling program is on firm legal ground,'' it said. The Federal Government yesterday attempted to play down earlier revelations Australia had been prepared to secretly negotiate a compromise deal to allow continued Japanese whaling. Acting Attorney-General Brendan O'Connor claimed the ICJ case showed the Government was not soft on whaling. 'I think that underlines the seriousness of the matter and the fact that this Government the Gillard Government opposes whaling and will continue to fight through the courts so that we can stop this particular activity,'' Mr O'Connor said. *Canberra Times
Kangaroos
Kangaroo meat supplies are down to one third of normal levels because of recent heavy rain and floods which have prevented shooters from harvesting kangaroos as road access becomes limited. And with a year of good rain providing plenty of good feed in more areas, kangaroos have become more widely dispersed making it harder for shooters to track them down. Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia executive officer, John Kelly, said the extent of the supply problem was unusual. “It is quite often the industry gets held up by floods but this is certainly the worst we have seen it,” he said. “There have been widespread effects.” He said harvest numbers were usually lower after drought-breaking events as more feed was available. “The population disperses because of the feed, and they are harder to track down,” he said. “We have also come out of an extended period of drought so the population is down as it is.” He said the supply issue was costing the industry in the order of several tens of millions of dollars in lost production. *Land
Snakes
A snake expert has warned Burton residents to keep an eye on their children and pets after the shedded skin of a 2.7m Queensland carpet python was found in a local park. Mother Tracy Skitt and her two children found the skin on a path in the Janine Drive Park on Tuesday, January 4, about 2pm. Snake expert Ian Renton, from Snake-Away Services, told the News Review Messenger the skin was from a carpet python. He said the snake had probably travelled south by attaching itself to a truck, caravan or four-wheel-drive. “A snake of this size could easily eat a possum, small cat or dog, so locals should lock away their pets,” Mr Renton said. *Adelaide Now Ed comment; more likely a pet that has been released or escaped.
Flood Survivor
Gulliver’s travels have nothing on Gilbert the lizard’s. Normally found in Winton, it is a mystery how far this little fella travelled before he washed up behind the St Vincent De Paul building on Gladstone Road in Rockhampton. The Gilbert’s Dragon water lizard, nicknamed after his species, has had one wet and wild ride. Fortunately he was discovered by the 12-year-old son of two wildlife carers, Kayren Chapman and Peter Kummerfeld. Peter specializes in lizards and snakes, and was able to identify the water dragon. “They’re a rare listing. Even the EPA doesn’t have a listing on them because there is not a lot of research on them,” he said. Now that the couple has bandaged Gilbert’s tail and found him a warm sleeping spot to curl up in, the only problem is finding his food of choice, termites. “Where do you find termites in a flood?” Kayren said. Kayren and Peter said they would send Gilbert back to Winton with a friend of theirs when his tail had healed in 10 days. *Morning Buletin
Climate Change
The La Nina weather system brought about the third wettest year on record for Australia in 2010, with a mean total rainfall of 690mm surpassing the long-term average of 465mm. Extreme flooding was seen across parts of the country, with Queensland experiencing its wettest year on record, and it was the third wettest year for the Northern Territory, New South Wales and South Australia. Although a cooler than average year overall, 2010 saw the close of the hottest decade on record for Australia, and Western Australia’s southwest region had its driest year on record.
Possums
Heidi the cross-eyed opossum has hit a new high - with her own Facebook page. The two-year-old marsupial shot to fame when pictures of her bizarre boss-eyed look emerged from Leipzig Zoo in Germany. Now Heidi has her own Facebook entry and has already gathered more than 34,000 fans. "She's very cute and if you write her a message of support you get a reply back from here. More and more of us are joining every hour" said one. Experts believe Heidi's condition may be caused by fat deposits around her eyes because of a poor diet. Now keepers have put her on a diet and she has already lost 500 grams following a healthy eating plan. "The fat around her tail is another symptom of the same problem. But with the right diet and exercise we can reverse them," said one. *
Saudi Arabian security services have captured a vulture suspected of being a Mossad spy sent over by Israel. The bird, which was carrying a GPS transmitter and a tag from Tel Aviv University, strayed into Saudi Arabian territory, according to a report in the Israeli daily Ma'ariv. Residents and reporters told Saudi Arabia's Al-Weeam newspaper the matter seemed to be linked to a "Zionist plot" and swiftly alerted security services. The bird has since been placed under arrest. The accusations went viral with hundreds of posts on Arabic-language websites and forums claiming "Zionists" had trained the birds for espionage. Israeli authorities said the bird's activities were innocent and that it was part of a long-term study of the migratory habits of the vulture. The incident comes amid growing paranoia among Israel's neighbours over the nation's growing military might. An Egyptian official reportedly claimed a shark that attacked tourists off the coastal resort of Sharm el Sheikh was acting on behalf of the Israeli spy service. *
Wombats
Wombats might look cute and cuddly, but to some people they are fast becoming a marauding pest at one of Victoria's most famous national parks. Visitors to Wilsons Promontory in the state's south-east are increasingly reporting cases of wombats breaking into their tents at night as they forage for food in the summer holiday season. Steve Grocott's family experienced a wombat invasion on their first night camping in the park. Mr Grocott was asleep in his tent with his wife Pia, and their children Olivier and Daisy, when he was woken by a wombat who had ripped a hole in the tent and bowled over their food supply. Prom wombats are deadly. Deadly hungry. They'll go to any length to feed; even nibble on your legs. The Grocott family (above) learnt the hard way. Unperturbed by the disturbance, the big, furry marsupial pushed confidently on to the kids' room in search of food. ''The kids slept straight through it,'' an incredulous Mr Grocott said. ''The wombat was even pushing their beds up before I managed to chase it out.'' The incident was one of many wombat stories aired in the park yesterday. One camper told The Age he thought some teenagers were stealing his beer supply in the middle of the night recently, but when he investigated found a wombat trying to get into his Esky . Another visitor, Daniel Born, of Narre Warren North, said a wombat snapped the tail fin on his surfboard while searching for food last week. 'And last year a friend came down with me and was bitten by one because he had food on his leg,'' Mr Born said. 'It didn't hurt him and it was pretty funny … If you are silly enough to to leave food in your tent then I guess it is bad luck,'' he said. Customer service manager at the park, Scott Griggs, said although most visitors enjoyed the interaction, there had been complaints about the wombats damaging property.
He said research carried out on the park's wombats about 10 years ago showed they doggedly pursued the scent of food - even satisfying their ravenous appetites by gobbling down chillies and curry paste.
'Nothing tends to be sacred with them … and nothing seems to deter them,'' he said. Mr Griggs said the wombats were not aggressive and that he had not heard of them biting people, but he said they could cause problems when they got stuck in tents. ''People say they usually find their way into the tents OK, but it's on the way out that they have trouble. ''They're quite flighty so if they get disturbed, they'll take off any which way they can, so that's when they start to rip and shred. Their claws are pretty sharp because they're diggers,'' he said. 'They'll push Eskies around, too, and try to get the lids off them.'' The reports come as the park participates in a Melbourne University trial of contraceptive devices on 20 females. Dave Bone, a program manager, denied the contraceptive trial was linked to them becoming pests to campers. He said the research was examining the devices to see if they would help control wombat populations in areas they were damaging throughout Australia. ''I don't think this is the wombats' problem. People coming into the park need to be aware that they need to store food in airtight containers that aren't emitting scents that will attract wildlife,'' he said. ''I think we're lucky that wombats are not bears. If they were lethal animals, I'm sure people would start storing their food properly.'' * Herald Sun
Birds
The west Victorian pied currawong is one of six Australian bird species missing for decades that will soon be listed as ''presumed extinct''. A study of Australian birds by Charles Darwin University and four wildlife conservation organisations has found no trace of a type of currawong previously found in the Grampians and grasslands of western Victoria, despite numerous searches over two decades. It is one of six critically endangered Australian birds now recommended to be upgraded to ''presumed extinct'' on the ''Red List'' of species, published by the world's largest conservation organisation. The International Union for Conservation of Nature was involved in the bird survey and is considered the global arbiter of existence. Also believed lost forever are a thick-billed grasswren from around Alice Springs, a hooded robin that lived on the Tiwi Islands, a spotted quail-thrush from the Mount Lofty Ranges near Adelaide, a white-breasted white-eye from Norfolk Island and a type of star finch that once lived between Townsville and northern New South Wales. They are the first Australian bird species upgraded to the presumed extinct or extinct list in 20 years, taking the national tally to 30 lost birds.
Professor Stephen Garnett, who led the study, said many of the birds, including the currawong, were so rare that no known photographs existed. He believed the currawong had been overrun by its stronger relatives, leaving no pure specimens. ''People are familiar with a large black and white currawong found in eastern Victoria, but this was a form of currawong that was completely dark.'' 'They've been overwhelmed by the genes of their relative who adapted more successfully to human pressures and moved west. That's one of the paths to extinction.'' The study concluded that most of the lost species could have been saved at little cost had their plight been known earlier. Professor Garnett said it had taken a long time to recommend the six birds be listed as extinct because bird watchers had kept hoping that survivors would be found. *Age
The authorities tell us that the widespread floods in Queensland cover an area of the size of both France and Germany combined, or an area as big as NSW. In some degree we are lucky in Queensland that much of the flooding occured in agricultural areas, where there is not a lot of wildlife anyway. Except for Brisbane, which surprisingly carries large numbers of many different wildlife species. The kangaroos are fairly okay, because in most cases in rural areas the water came up relatively slowly and they could get away. We'll still lose a lot of kangaroos of course, but the shooters can't access many areas because the tracks are too wet, so that compensates a bit we suppose.
We'll lose lot's of the smaller macropods of course, especially the wallabies. Bandicoots, native rats and mice, invertabrates etc, will all be heavily impacted, but the reptiles and spiders etc, seem to be able to get on fenceposts and trees, although there are lots of dead snakes on the roads. I did hear a report from Lowood where some idiots in a boat were going around shooting the snakes in the trees. Some houses have found hundreds of snakes crawling over them, as the snakes head for any high ground in a flood, even a house!
Some koalas have been drowned, but mostly they can stay up the trees until the water subsides. In most areas it will take some weeks for the floodwaters to recede, so we wont know much about the wildlife losses until then, except we know the losses will be huge. We can be sure that much wildlife habitat, grasses and shrubs etc, will die after long periods underwater, so that will create a severe loss of habitat, which in turn will make it harder for smaller species to recolonise previously flooded areas.
One huge impact will on the Gt Barrier Reef, when the silt, containing mud, cow manure and farm chemicals, pours out of the rivers and onto the coral. After the 1991 Rockhampton floods, I spent several years snorkelling and diving on the Central GBR, and much of the coral was covered in mud and silt. That year was followed by almost 20 years of drought and high temperatures, with subsequent coral bleaching. Another siltation period now from this flood event may be devastating to remnant coral....and devastating to those marine species that depend on it.
At this stage its difficult to determine accurately what wildlife species have been mostly affected. We know some wildlife carers have been out rescuing whatever they can, but its difficult to access many areas because of flooded and damaged roads. Just today, I spent 7 hours sitting on the side of the Bruce Highway, waiting for flood waters to go down, so I could get home. In spite of the bad conditoins, some wildlife carers have been feeding marooned kangaroos and other wildlife species where they can.
Overall though, its a disaster for wildlife. When we add these floods on top of previous ongoing road kills, habitat loss, and all the other threats, it's a very grim picture for Australian wildlife.
We've been asked to set up a Donation Fund, where people who wish to donate to help flood-affected wildlife can do just that. Any moneys donated to this Fund will only be provided to non government funded wildlife carers groups or individuals who are actively working on helping wildlife flood victimes, orphaned or injured. Funding will be provided to wildlife carers for fuel to get into the flood affected areas, and for wildlife food, over the next months. We know who these carers are, and where they are, and we'd like to help them too, so if you would like to help the wildlife flood victims you can donate here, tax-deductable within Australia.
WPAA will kickstart the Fund with $500. Donate here.......... http://www.kangaroo-protection-coalition.com/floodwildlife.html
or simply mail a cheque to WPAA PO Box 309, Beerwah, Qld, 4519, Australia
Whaling Duplicity
Former prime minister Kevin Rudd launched legal action against Japan's whaling program despite strong opposition from senior ministers and bureaucrats, who warned it was likely to fail and might strengthen the hand of the Japanese. Leaked US diplomatic cables also indicate the decision to take Japan to the International Court of Justice was aimed to divert public pressure on Labor over whaling. The Foreign Affairs department warned the case against Japan's ''scientific'' whaling program would ''either fail completely or, at best, set up the Japanese to simply make changes to their program to improve the science''. And a senior Australian diplomat told the Americans that both the then foreign minister Stephen Smith and trade minister Simon Crean had made clear their opposition to such a legal challenge.
According to the cables, obtained by WikiLeaks and provided exclusively to Fairfax, Australian officials told US diplomats that even if successful, legal action against Japan would be ''unlikely to stop the whale hunt entirely''. They said that ''equally importantly, such action would probably take a long time, removing some of the pressure on the Government for the next few years''. The cables also reveal the Japanese Government's confidence Australia's legal challenge would fail and vindicate Japan's position. In February last year, the US embassy reported discussions with the Japanese deputy head of mission in Canberra, who observed that then foreign minister Katsuya Okada had ''made clear his growing annoyance with Australian complaints about whaling''. ''FM Okada is very confident that Tokyo will win a legal challenge and has suggested internally that it would be good for Japan to show that its whaling program is on firm legal ground,'' it said. The Federal Government yesterday attempted to play down earlier revelations Australia had been prepared to secretly negotiate a compromise deal to allow continued Japanese whaling. Acting Attorney-General Brendan O'Connor claimed the ICJ case showed the Government was not soft on whaling. 'I think that underlines the seriousness of the matter and the fact that this Government the Gillard Government opposes whaling and will continue to fight through the courts so that we can stop this particular activity,'' Mr O'Connor said. *Canberra Times
Kangaroos
Kangaroo meat supplies are down to one third of normal levels because of recent heavy rain and floods which have prevented shooters from harvesting kangaroos as road access becomes limited. And with a year of good rain providing plenty of good feed in more areas, kangaroos have become more widely dispersed making it harder for shooters to track them down. Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia executive officer, John Kelly, said the extent of the supply problem was unusual. “It is quite often the industry gets held up by floods but this is certainly the worst we have seen it,” he said. “There have been widespread effects.” He said harvest numbers were usually lower after drought-breaking events as more feed was available. “The population disperses because of the feed, and they are harder to track down,” he said. “We have also come out of an extended period of drought so the population is down as it is.” He said the supply issue was costing the industry in the order of several tens of millions of dollars in lost production. *Land
Snakes
A snake expert has warned Burton residents to keep an eye on their children and pets after the shedded skin of a 2.7m Queensland carpet python was found in a local park. Mother Tracy Skitt and her two children found the skin on a path in the Janine Drive Park on Tuesday, January 4, about 2pm. Snake expert Ian Renton, from Snake-Away Services, told the News Review Messenger the skin was from a carpet python. He said the snake had probably travelled south by attaching itself to a truck, caravan or four-wheel-drive. “A snake of this size could easily eat a possum, small cat or dog, so locals should lock away their pets,” Mr Renton said. *Adelaide Now Ed comment; more likely a pet that has been released or escaped.
Flood Survivor
Gulliver’s travels have nothing on Gilbert the lizard’s. Normally found in Winton, it is a mystery how far this little fella travelled before he washed up behind the St Vincent De Paul building on Gladstone Road in Rockhampton. The Gilbert’s Dragon water lizard, nicknamed after his species, has had one wet and wild ride. Fortunately he was discovered by the 12-year-old son of two wildlife carers, Kayren Chapman and Peter Kummerfeld. Peter specializes in lizards and snakes, and was able to identify the water dragon. “They’re a rare listing. Even the EPA doesn’t have a listing on them because there is not a lot of research on them,” he said. Now that the couple has bandaged Gilbert’s tail and found him a warm sleeping spot to curl up in, the only problem is finding his food of choice, termites. “Where do you find termites in a flood?” Kayren said. Kayren and Peter said they would send Gilbert back to Winton with a friend of theirs when his tail had healed in 10 days. *Morning Buletin
Climate Change
The La Nina weather system brought about the third wettest year on record for Australia in 2010, with a mean total rainfall of 690mm surpassing the long-term average of 465mm. Extreme flooding was seen across parts of the country, with Queensland experiencing its wettest year on record, and it was the third wettest year for the Northern Territory, New South Wales and South Australia. Although a cooler than average year overall, 2010 saw the close of the hottest decade on record for Australia, and Western Australia’s southwest region had its driest year on record.
Possums
Heidi the cross-eyed opossum has hit a new high - with her own Facebook page. The two-year-old marsupial shot to fame when pictures of her bizarre boss-eyed look emerged from Leipzig Zoo in Germany. Now Heidi has her own Facebook entry and has already gathered more than 34,000 fans. "She's very cute and if you write her a message of support you get a reply back from here. More and more of us are joining every hour" said one. Experts believe Heidi's condition may be caused by fat deposits around her eyes because of a poor diet. Now keepers have put her on a diet and she has already lost 500 grams following a healthy eating plan. "The fat around her tail is another symptom of the same problem. But with the right diet and exercise we can reverse them," said one. *
Saudi Arabian security services have captured a vulture suspected of being a Mossad spy sent over by Israel. The bird, which was carrying a GPS transmitter and a tag from Tel Aviv University, strayed into Saudi Arabian territory, according to a report in the Israeli daily Ma'ariv. Residents and reporters told Saudi Arabia's Al-Weeam newspaper the matter seemed to be linked to a "Zionist plot" and swiftly alerted security services. The bird has since been placed under arrest. The accusations went viral with hundreds of posts on Arabic-language websites and forums claiming "Zionists" had trained the birds for espionage. Israeli authorities said the bird's activities were innocent and that it was part of a long-term study of the migratory habits of the vulture. The incident comes amid growing paranoia among Israel's neighbours over the nation's growing military might. An Egyptian official reportedly claimed a shark that attacked tourists off the coastal resort of Sharm el Sheikh was acting on behalf of the Israeli spy service. *
Wombats
Wombats might look cute and cuddly, but to some people they are fast becoming a marauding pest at one of Victoria's most famous national parks. Visitors to Wilsons Promontory in the state's south-east are increasingly reporting cases of wombats breaking into their tents at night as they forage for food in the summer holiday season. Steve Grocott's family experienced a wombat invasion on their first night camping in the park. Mr Grocott was asleep in his tent with his wife Pia, and their children Olivier and Daisy, when he was woken by a wombat who had ripped a hole in the tent and bowled over their food supply. Prom wombats are deadly. Deadly hungry. They'll go to any length to feed; even nibble on your legs. The Grocott family (above) learnt the hard way. Unperturbed by the disturbance, the big, furry marsupial pushed confidently on to the kids' room in search of food. ''The kids slept straight through it,'' an incredulous Mr Grocott said. ''The wombat was even pushing their beds up before I managed to chase it out.'' The incident was one of many wombat stories aired in the park yesterday. One camper told The Age he thought some teenagers were stealing his beer supply in the middle of the night recently, but when he investigated found a wombat trying to get into his Esky . Another visitor, Daniel Born, of Narre Warren North, said a wombat snapped the tail fin on his surfboard while searching for food last week. 'And last year a friend came down with me and was bitten by one because he had food on his leg,'' Mr Born said. 'It didn't hurt him and it was pretty funny … If you are silly enough to to leave food in your tent then I guess it is bad luck,'' he said. Customer service manager at the park, Scott Griggs, said although most visitors enjoyed the interaction, there had been complaints about the wombats damaging property.
He said research carried out on the park's wombats about 10 years ago showed they doggedly pursued the scent of food - even satisfying their ravenous appetites by gobbling down chillies and curry paste.
'Nothing tends to be sacred with them … and nothing seems to deter them,'' he said. Mr Griggs said the wombats were not aggressive and that he had not heard of them biting people, but he said they could cause problems when they got stuck in tents. ''People say they usually find their way into the tents OK, but it's on the way out that they have trouble. ''They're quite flighty so if they get disturbed, they'll take off any which way they can, so that's when they start to rip and shred. Their claws are pretty sharp because they're diggers,'' he said. 'They'll push Eskies around, too, and try to get the lids off them.'' The reports come as the park participates in a Melbourne University trial of contraceptive devices on 20 females. Dave Bone, a program manager, denied the contraceptive trial was linked to them becoming pests to campers. He said the research was examining the devices to see if they would help control wombat populations in areas they were damaging throughout Australia. ''I don't think this is the wombats' problem. People coming into the park need to be aware that they need to store food in airtight containers that aren't emitting scents that will attract wildlife,'' he said. ''I think we're lucky that wombats are not bears. If they were lethal animals, I'm sure people would start storing their food properly.'' * Herald Sun
Birds
The west Victorian pied currawong is one of six Australian bird species missing for decades that will soon be listed as ''presumed extinct''. A study of Australian birds by Charles Darwin University and four wildlife conservation organisations has found no trace of a type of currawong previously found in the Grampians and grasslands of western Victoria, despite numerous searches over two decades. It is one of six critically endangered Australian birds now recommended to be upgraded to ''presumed extinct'' on the ''Red List'' of species, published by the world's largest conservation organisation. The International Union for Conservation of Nature was involved in the bird survey and is considered the global arbiter of existence. Also believed lost forever are a thick-billed grasswren from around Alice Springs, a hooded robin that lived on the Tiwi Islands, a spotted quail-thrush from the Mount Lofty Ranges near Adelaide, a white-breasted white-eye from Norfolk Island and a type of star finch that once lived between Townsville and northern New South Wales. They are the first Australian bird species upgraded to the presumed extinct or extinct list in 20 years, taking the national tally to 30 lost birds.
Professor Stephen Garnett, who led the study, said many of the birds, including the currawong, were so rare that no known photographs existed. He believed the currawong had been overrun by its stronger relatives, leaving no pure specimens. ''People are familiar with a large black and white currawong found in eastern Victoria, but this was a form of currawong that was completely dark.'' 'They've been overwhelmed by the genes of their relative who adapted more successfully to human pressures and moved west. That's one of the paths to extinction.'' The study concluded that most of the lost species could have been saved at little cost had their plight been known earlier. Professor Garnett said it had taken a long time to recommend the six birds be listed as extinct because bird watchers had kept hoping that survivors would be found. *Age
Monday, January 3, 2011
Wildlife Bytes 4/1/11
Lead Stories
The Opposition says the Federal Government should seek an interim injunction to stop Japan from whaling while Australia's legal challenge to the program is ongoing. Japan's Fisheries Agency has reprimanded five officials for accepting gifts of whale meat from a fishing company operating a government-funded whaling program. The powerful agency has apologised and vowed to stamp out corruption in the whaling industry. Opposition environment spokesman Greg Hunt says the episode again reveals that Japan's scientific whaling program is a sham. "Now we have confirmation that it's a sham, this is the moment the Government can come true on its promise of five years ago to take action on whaling," he said. "This is the moment for an interim injunction. Any later than this and the slaughter will commence for this season." Prime Minister Julia Gillard has condemned the actions of the Japanese officials who accepted the gifts. But she says the revelations reinforce the Government's legal action against Japan's whaling program.
"The Australian Government is completely opposed to whaling. That's why we're taking appropriate action through the international court system," she said. "We view whaling as unacceptable, so I'm opposed to it in every circumstance, including [this] circumstance." The Greens also say the Government's legal action will be bolstered by the recent revelations. Greens Senator Rachel Siewert says the episode demonstrates that so-called scientific whaling is a farce. "To claim it's scientific whaling - the whole world knows it's not true and this has highlighted it yet again," she said. "It's such a complete fraud that's been perpetrated on the world to say it's scientific whaling - it's commercial whaling and this highlights it once again." Six months ago the ABC broadcast allegations by two whaling crew members that officials and crew were illegally taking thousands of dollars worth of whale cuts. At the time, the Fisheries Agency denied the allegations, but it has now reprimanded officials for taking more than $3,000 worth of whale meat.
"I deeply apologise for this act in which officials took whale meat," said agency spokesman Toyohiko Ota. "It's an act for which we will lose credibility. We will take prevention measures so it will never happen again." The original allegations, broadcast on ABC TV's Foreign Correspondent program, undermined Japan's claim that its whaling program was purely for science. At the time, the allegations were dismissed by the Institute for Cetacean Research, which helps run Japan's whaling program. The Fisheries Agency also denied officials or crew took whale meat for personal consumption or profit. Although the agency now admits more than $3,000 worth of meat was taken, Greenpeace and the two whistleblowers believe that is just a fraction of the amount embezzled. Two Japanese Greenpeace activists, known as the Tokyo Two, are hoping the admission means their convictions for stealing whale meat will be overturned. They intercepted whale meat in an effort to expose the corruption, but their claims were dismissed by the authorities at the time. *ABC
Koala Habitat to be Logged
The NSW state Environment Department has approved logging of almost 2000 hectares of significant koala habitat contrary to its own guidelines, conservationists say. Since 2007, at least 60 separate logging applications on private land have been approved in areas containing ''core koala habitat'' around Coffs Harbour, according to an analysis by the North Coast Environment Council. The department does not dispute the council's figures, but said the Coffs Harbour koala plan of management, which identifies the vulnerable species' local habitats, is not officially gazetted. Because of this, the prohibition on logging that normally applies to important koala habitats under state environmental planning policies could not be enforced in that council area, the department's director of landscapes and ecosystems conservation, Tom Grosskopf, said. ''We're helping them to get their plan updated and get it going,'' he said.
But local environmentalists are appalled and have accused the department of playing word games. The environment council's vice-president, Susie Russell, said the department knew full well where the region's key koala areas were. It had been integral in mapping the habitats, but was ignoring the results and approving their destruction. The NSW Private Native Forestry code of practice prohibits forestry operations in core koala habitats. Mr Grosskopf said that despite the logging approvals around Coffs Harbour, the department protected koalas. The department could not say when the koala management plan would be officially gazetted. *Age
Please dont forget that the 'Senate Inquiry into the status, health and sustainability of Australia's koala' has to recieve all Submissions before February the 8th 2011. Anyone can submit to Senate inquiry. The more submissions the Senate Environment, Communications and the Arts References Committee receives in relation to the risks to our koala population, the better the chances of having the koala deemed "vulnerable" in accordance with the EPBC Act. If we are to protect the koala we all must act now, and you can make your submission online at the following address:
http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/ec_ctte/koalas/index.htm
Climate Change
The CSIRO says short-term climate variations, including good rainfall on Australia’s eastern coastline, mean little in the bigger picture, as we experience a gradual warming of the planet caused by CO2 emissions and forest clearing. Long term climate trends remain a serious concern and challenge. *ecomedia
Wildlife Falling from the Sky!
The town of Beebe, Arkansas, had a nasty surprise this New Year's Eve. By midnight, more than 1,000 dead red-winged blackbirds had fallen out of the sky on to city streets. Dozens of lawns, streets and rooftops for more than a mile in Beebe, Arkansas, US, were covered with the corpses of red-winged black birds. An aerial survey showed that no other dead birds were found outside that area, and only redwinged blackbirds died. Some birds have been sent off for autopsies, but lightning, hail, and NY Eve fireworks have been suggested as the cause. There is a chemical factory in the area. *From NY Times
Meanwhile in February 2010, thousands of fish fell from the sky in a Northern Territory town. The freak phenomena happened not once, but twice, at Lajamanu - about 550km southwest of Katherine. The fish were alive when they hit the ground. The small white fish are believed to be spangled perch, which are very common through much of northern Australia.
Sealions
Wildlife officials in California have seen a slight rise in the shooting of ocean mammals in recent years, and investigators often struggle to find a culprit. There are few witnesses to such shootings, making it nearly impossible to bring a case. "We always try to do an investigation, but unless there's an eyewitness to the shooting it's hard to make a case for our enforcement folks," said Joe Cordaro, a wildlife biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration who tracks reports of the shootings.The NOAA said there were 43 reported marine mammal shootings in 2009 in the waters off the California coast - nine more than in 2008 and 14 more than five years earlier. Of the reported shootings in 2009, all were sea lions. And officials say many more cases likely go unreported. *U/W Times
Kangaroos
Kangaroos are proving to be a big danger to Victorian motorists, according to data from the RACV. The data shows RACV Insurance processed more than 10,500 claims in three years from animal-related incidents and of that number 7,383 incidents related to kangaroos, an average of six a day. The damage repair costs from wildlife and other animal-related accidents during the three years was more than $35 million. In the financial year to June 30 this year, RACV Insurance dealt with 3,308 animal-related claims, 69 per cent of them involving kangaroos. RACV Insurance general manager Paul Northey said drought conditions in recent years and bushfire damage to habitat, had forced wildlife to search for food by the roadside or close to urban areas, increasing the risk of animal related accidents. "Constant awareness of the possibility of animals moving unexpectedly on roads is a vital element of accident prevention, particularly in twilight or night-driving conditions," Mr Northey said. "Motorists need to be aware that these incidents do not just occur in the country - domestic pets are also a driving danger as close to 1000 claims relating to accidents involving domestic dogs have been lodged over the three year period." RACV Insurance claims data from 2009-10 lists the major areas to look out for animals on roads with Heathcote at 59 claims, Bendigo (51), Halls Gap (40) and the urban fringe zone around Sunbury (30). "Crashing into a medium to large sized kangaroo can cause serious vehicle damage and, in some instances, injury to the driver and passengers," Mr Northey said. "Vehicles damaged in animal collisions can also cost a significant amount to repair with an average claim in 2009-10 costing more than $3500, up from $3280 the previous year." In the last year 2009/2010, 2275 motor vehicle repair calims were for kangaroos.*Weekly Times
Below is link to a disturbing video on uTube about the kangaroo Industry. The video has subtitles in 42 languages, which we think is a very clever move to allow overseas non-english speaking viewers to know how bad the kangaroo Industry really is. There are quite a few other kangaroo videos on uTube too that are worth watching.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5J5oy5DUo5M&feature=related
Wildlife Pets
A town north of Edmonton (Canada) may soon ban elephants and armadillos. According to the Calgary Herald, those two animals are just two of 130 different critters expected to be officially banned by the town of Morinville. The town council is considering a new bylaw that would specifically name animals not allowed as pets. The bylaw covering it at the moment simply outlaws the ownership of animals deemed dangerous or objectionable to a medical health officer. Others on the proposed new list of animals that would not be allowed in the town as pets include, armadillos, spiders, walruses and kangaroos. *660News
Meanwhile a pet python that strangled a two-year-old girl in Florida 18 months ago had not been fed in about a month. Court documents also revealed the 260cm albino Burmese python had escaped its tank 10 times since its last meal. The snake killed Shaianna Hare in her crib on July 1, 2009. A review of investigative reports showed the child's mother and her boyfriend had kept the snake in violation of wildlife rules and apparently could not afford to feed it. The death spurred a statewide hunt of exotic reptiles and fuelled a crackdown on the imported constrictors. Shaianna's mother, Jaren Hare, 21, and her boyfriend, Jason Darnell, 33, have pleaded not guilty to charges of manslaughter, third-degree murder and child abuse. They are expected to stand trial this year. The attack was believed to be the first in Florida of a non-venomous constrictor killing a child.
Crocodiles
A record-breaking number of saltwater crocodiles has been pulled out of Territory waterholes this year. The largest beast was a 4.6m man-eater captured in Shady Camp on the Mary River in March. The rogue animal, killed during the complicated capture, had been causing problems among anglers at the river. It died when rangers harpooned it. A total of 305 salties were removed from Territory waterways in 2010 as part of the Government's croc management plan. Most of the animals were caught in the Darwin region while 23 were from Katherine. This year's tally broke the 2004 record of 274 captures with the largest live animal pulled out of Katherine River in August. The 4.5m monster was stuck in a trap near Taylors Park, 45km downstream from the Katherine township. Croc catcher Tommy Nichols used the high number of catches to remind people of the dangers of the animals. "A total of 21 crocodiles have been removed from Territory waterways this month, a timely reminder wet season conditions can lead to the increased presence of estuarine crocodiles," he said. "We urge everyone to be extremely cautious around all waterways and to heed safety signs." The croc management plan received a financial boost from the Territory Government with 20 additional traps placed throughout the Top End and Katherine region. A new custom-fitted croc boat Muk Muk was also added to the ranger's tools and the management zone was extended. *NTNews
Crabs
Crabzilla, a gigantic Japanese spider crab who measures more than 12 feet across is getting ready to make his debut at the Scheveningen Sea Life centre in The Hague, Netherlands. The scary-looking sea beast weights more than 30lbs, and at about 40 years old is one of the largest examples of his species yet captured. The Japanese spider crab (Macrocheira kaempferi) is undeniably a big sea crab, but it seems so enormous because of its astoundingly long legs. The scary-looking sea beast weights more than 30lbs, and at about 40 years old is one of the largest examples of his species yet captured. The Japanese spider crab (Macrocheira kaempferi) is undeniably a big sea crab, but it seems so enormous because of its astoundingly long legs. Graham Burrows, curator of the National Sea Life Centre in Birmingham, said: 'The Japanese Spider Crab is the largest known member of the arthropod family, which includes all invertebrates with jointed limbs. 'Crabzilla's front limbs are his feeding arms, each over five feet long and ending in sizeable claws. 'They are a Japanese delicacy and are usually salted and steamed, but eating them in the spring is banned because that is when they lay their eggs.' See photos, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1299992/Meet-Crabzilla-giant-Japanese-spider-crab.html#ixzz1A0pxYjzI *Daily Mail
Turtles
A $2000 concrete ramp has been built by a city council to save a local turtle population from having to trek across a six-lane road. Rockdale City Council (NSW) has approved the construction of the project, aimed at protecting a colony of eastern snake-neck turtles that have lived for years in Bicentennial Park. A man-made drain wall prevents them from reaching safety when heavy rainfalls wash them into a stormwater canal contaminated by saltwater and oil. Instead they are forced to cross busy President Ave to return to their freshwater home. A spokesman for Australian Freshwater Turtle Conservation and Research Association said a recent check of the canal revealed many of the animals to be dehydrated and close to death because they were trapped. *Daily Telegraph
Little Terns
The National Parks and Wildlife Service is preparing for a record number of rare migratory chicks at Towra Point in Sydney's south. Little terns are small birds which migrate from Siberia every year. It is hoped this year they will better the 50 chicks hatched in 2010. But Michael Shepherd from the National Parks and Wildlife Service warns crews have a hard job protecting the rare chicks on the exposed Towra Spit Island. "Feral animals and foxes in particular, particularly like to predate upon these little birds and also the parents when they are quite vulnerable on their nest," he said. "But also unintentional visitors, including people. "We do our best to manage the threats to come ashore there - it's the only location they can actually have an exposed sandy area to nest in Sydney. "Everything else has basically been developed." *ABC
Penguins
An elderly volunteer penguin protector was allegedly pushed to the ground by a member of a prominent yachting family as she tried to guard Manly's endangered colony of little penguins from a dog. Police claim a 27-year-old James Oatley, of Mosman - connected to multimillionaire Robert Oatley, the owner of Wild Oats 11 which took line honours in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race - was among a number of people and a dog aboard a vessel that arrived at Manly Cove about 9pm on Saturday. The dog allegedly jumped from the boat and ran towards the penguins, causing the 72-year-old volunteer to try to head it off. It is claimed Oatley, whose family own Hamilton Island and Rob Oatley wines, got into an argument, splashing water on the volunteer and pushing her on to the sand. The head penguin warden Angelika Treichler, one of the other women on duty, said her friend has been left "frail". "We just tried to set up a barrier between the penguins and the dog, because the dog was running towards the penguin," she said. "About seven police came to help us after I called, which was a big relief as my friend is over 70 years old and has been left quite frail. "She's been in bed all day with a headache and sounds dreadful. She's told me she never wants to do the penguin duty ever again." Ms Treichler described the boat involved as a tender or runabout boat. Oatley has been charged with common assault and will appear at Manly Local Court on January 27. The 27-year-old driver of the vessel, who is from Manly, will appear in court on the same day charged with mid-range drink driving. *Daily Telegraph
Whaling
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society crew in the Southern Ocean has an ambitious New Year's resolution: to prevent a single whale from being killed by the Japanese harpoon fleet this season. The activist group located the harpoon ships Friday in the Southern Ocean, about 1,700 miles southeast of New Zealand, and launched 2011 with a series of clashes that reportedly involved several near collisions, water cannon blasts by whaling crews and the hurling of stink bombs onto whaling boats by the activists. It marked the first time in seven campaigns it had found the fleet before the whalers had logged a kill, the group claimed. The encounter took place in Antarctic waters, where icebergs created a surreal setting and dangerous conditions. Paul Watson, the group's controversial captain and founder, said the whalers began shooting water cannons at the group's inflatable harassment boat as he had been conducting interviews with the Associated Press. "They just turned their cannons on our Zodiac," Watson told the AP. "Right at this moment." *Underwater times
Dolphins
Dolphins are the latest marine mammal to delight Tasmanians with their antics as the state revels in a fantastic whale-watching season. However, coming closer to our shores as an increasing number of dolphins are doing can have dire consequences for them. Dancing dolphins, thought to be bottlenose, were spotted frolicking and jumping in the calm waters off Verona Sands in the state's South last week. The dolphins were photographed by a kayaker. Environment Department head of biodiversity monitoring Rosemary Gales said it was not uncommon for dolphins to play and feed so close inshore. "And in such calm sea conditions they are highly visible," Dr Gales said. She said summer was the peak season for whale and dolphin strandings and urged members of the public to keep their distance and report sightings to the whale hotline (0427WHALES). The call comes as eight dolphins were saved by quick-acting locals at Tatlows Beach near The Nut at Stanley on Saturday. The pod of 10 dolphins had been stranded in the shallow waters off the beach. Two of the dolphins, a female adult and a female juvenile, were dead before they were found but the others were saved. Parks and Wildlife Service incident manager Mark Fordham said there were fears the dolphins would return to the shallow waters off the beach after they were returned to deeper water yesterday. However, there had been no sightings of the dolphins since. "No news is good news," he said. "It was disappointing that we had lost two yesterday but they were dead before anyone knew they were there so there was nothing that could be done." *mercury
More Whaling
Pressure is growing on the federal government to send its new Southern Ocean patrol ship to monitor any confrontation as anti-whaling activists pursue the Japanese whaling fleet towards waters off the Australian Antarctic Territory. Customs commissioned the 4500 tonne Ocean Protector last September to replace the Oceanic Viking, which monitored the whaling in 2008. The Ocean Protector was moored yesterday in Fremantle, not due to leave port for a fortnight, as both the Coalition and Greens stepped up calls for the vessel to be used for surveillance. ''This could be an ideal platform for Southern Ocean surveillance,'' the Coalition's environment spokesman, Greg Hunt, said. ''The government needs to explain why, if it is not needed for northern border protection, it can't take on the role in independent monitoring and search and rescue.''
The Greens leader, Bob Brown, said filmed evidence should be released to the world's media to shame the whaling fleet. ''Surveillance by Australia could also prevent human lives being lost during the whale-killing season,'' Senator Brown said. Japan's Institute of Cetacean Research has called for Australia, as the anti-whaling organisation Sea Shepherd's ''virtual home port'', to take every means available to restrain the group. The Environment Minister, Tony Burke, has declined to rule out sending a ship south. The Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, said it was primarily up to the crew of the ships involved to act carefully. Yesterday the whalers and the activists were navigating along pack ice near the Ross Sea, having sailed about 600 nautical miles since Sea Shepherd vessels encountered the whalers on New Year's Eve.
The Sea Shepherd leader, Paul Watson, said there were indications the key Japanese vessel, the factory ship Nisshin Maru, could keep running for days. ''We know where it is, about 100 nautical miles ahead of us, but they'll have to stop running before we can catch up with them,'' Mr Watson said. ''Sometimes they will run for more than a week.'' In the first close confrontation of the whaling season, on New Year's Day, activists hurled bottles of a foul chemical on to the harpoon post of the whale chaser Yushin Maru No. 3. The Japanese chaser ships are heavily netted against projectiles or boarding, and Mr Watson said it appeared they were fitted with ''spurs'' to deal with fouling ropes, which are used to entangle the rudder and propellers. One of the ropes was dropped into the path of a chaser ship without effect. *Age
Australia discussed cutting a secret deal with Japan to accept a continued whale hunt as it publicly moved to bring Tokyo before an international court, the latest WikiLeaks cables reveal. US diplomatic cables obtained by WikiLeaks show that as late as February last year, Australia was willing to compromise with Japan, but the deal had to result in a much lower level of whaling and exclude the hunt from waters near Antarctica, Fairfax newspapers report. A compromise was discussed that would see Japan kill 5000 fewer whales over 10 years and larger varieties such as humpbacks not be taken. The cables also show former environment minister Peter Garrett warned the US ambassador in Canberra on February 5 last year Labor felt boxed in by moves by the Greens in parliament to examine Japanese spy flights over anti-whaling ships. Mr Garrett said the flights had strengthened the anti-whaling mood in Australia and made it difficult for the government to compromise with Japan.
Two weeks later, then prime minister Kevin Rudd publicly called for an end to the hunt. At the same time, Australian diplomats were urging politicians to strike a deal. In January last year, Paula Watt, of the marine environment section of the Foreign Affairs Department, told the US that Japan was using tough tactics in the negotiations, but for any deal to be acceptable to Australia, it must include a minimum number of whales saved, suggesting 5000 over 10 years, Fairfax reports. But in later cables she said efforts to strike a deal had "bounced off" Mr Garrett and his staff. The revelations come as the federal government is under pressure from the coalition and Australian Greens to stop Japan's whale hunt in the Southern Ocean. Both the opposition and the Greens also want the government to take a watchdog role following clashes between anti-whaling protesters and the Japanese whaling fleet at the weekend. *West.com.au
Ed Comment, Noone should be surprised that the Federal Labor government would try to cut a secret compromise deal with the whalers. The Keating Government was about to do the same when they got kicked out in 1996. The Gillard Government may now try to do the same thing, given that new Environment Minster Tony Burke is more sympathetic to farmers than to wildlife.
The Opposition says the Federal Government should seek an interim injunction to stop Japan from whaling while Australia's legal challenge to the program is ongoing. Japan's Fisheries Agency has reprimanded five officials for accepting gifts of whale meat from a fishing company operating a government-funded whaling program. The powerful agency has apologised and vowed to stamp out corruption in the whaling industry. Opposition environment spokesman Greg Hunt says the episode again reveals that Japan's scientific whaling program is a sham. "Now we have confirmation that it's a sham, this is the moment the Government can come true on its promise of five years ago to take action on whaling," he said. "This is the moment for an interim injunction. Any later than this and the slaughter will commence for this season." Prime Minister Julia Gillard has condemned the actions of the Japanese officials who accepted the gifts. But she says the revelations reinforce the Government's legal action against Japan's whaling program.
"The Australian Government is completely opposed to whaling. That's why we're taking appropriate action through the international court system," she said. "We view whaling as unacceptable, so I'm opposed to it in every circumstance, including [this] circumstance." The Greens also say the Government's legal action will be bolstered by the recent revelations. Greens Senator Rachel Siewert says the episode demonstrates that so-called scientific whaling is a farce. "To claim it's scientific whaling - the whole world knows it's not true and this has highlighted it yet again," she said. "It's such a complete fraud that's been perpetrated on the world to say it's scientific whaling - it's commercial whaling and this highlights it once again." Six months ago the ABC broadcast allegations by two whaling crew members that officials and crew were illegally taking thousands of dollars worth of whale cuts. At the time, the Fisheries Agency denied the allegations, but it has now reprimanded officials for taking more than $3,000 worth of whale meat.
"I deeply apologise for this act in which officials took whale meat," said agency spokesman Toyohiko Ota. "It's an act for which we will lose credibility. We will take prevention measures so it will never happen again." The original allegations, broadcast on ABC TV's Foreign Correspondent program, undermined Japan's claim that its whaling program was purely for science. At the time, the allegations were dismissed by the Institute for Cetacean Research, which helps run Japan's whaling program. The Fisheries Agency also denied officials or crew took whale meat for personal consumption or profit. Although the agency now admits more than $3,000 worth of meat was taken, Greenpeace and the two whistleblowers believe that is just a fraction of the amount embezzled. Two Japanese Greenpeace activists, known as the Tokyo Two, are hoping the admission means their convictions for stealing whale meat will be overturned. They intercepted whale meat in an effort to expose the corruption, but their claims were dismissed by the authorities at the time. *ABC
Koala Habitat to be Logged
The NSW state Environment Department has approved logging of almost 2000 hectares of significant koala habitat contrary to its own guidelines, conservationists say. Since 2007, at least 60 separate logging applications on private land have been approved in areas containing ''core koala habitat'' around Coffs Harbour, according to an analysis by the North Coast Environment Council. The department does not dispute the council's figures, but said the Coffs Harbour koala plan of management, which identifies the vulnerable species' local habitats, is not officially gazetted. Because of this, the prohibition on logging that normally applies to important koala habitats under state environmental planning policies could not be enforced in that council area, the department's director of landscapes and ecosystems conservation, Tom Grosskopf, said. ''We're helping them to get their plan updated and get it going,'' he said.
But local environmentalists are appalled and have accused the department of playing word games. The environment council's vice-president, Susie Russell, said the department knew full well where the region's key koala areas were. It had been integral in mapping the habitats, but was ignoring the results and approving their destruction. The NSW Private Native Forestry code of practice prohibits forestry operations in core koala habitats. Mr Grosskopf said that despite the logging approvals around Coffs Harbour, the department protected koalas. The department could not say when the koala management plan would be officially gazetted. *Age
Please dont forget that the 'Senate Inquiry into the status, health and sustainability of Australia's koala' has to recieve all Submissions before February the 8th 2011. Anyone can submit to Senate inquiry. The more submissions the Senate Environment, Communications and the Arts References Committee receives in relation to the risks to our koala population, the better the chances of having the koala deemed "vulnerable" in accordance with the EPBC Act. If we are to protect the koala we all must act now, and you can make your submission online at the following address:
http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/ec_ctte/koalas/index.htm
Climate Change
The CSIRO says short-term climate variations, including good rainfall on Australia’s eastern coastline, mean little in the bigger picture, as we experience a gradual warming of the planet caused by CO2 emissions and forest clearing. Long term climate trends remain a serious concern and challenge. *ecomedia
Wildlife Falling from the Sky!
The town of Beebe, Arkansas, had a nasty surprise this New Year's Eve. By midnight, more than 1,000 dead red-winged blackbirds had fallen out of the sky on to city streets. Dozens of lawns, streets and rooftops for more than a mile in Beebe, Arkansas, US, were covered with the corpses of red-winged black birds. An aerial survey showed that no other dead birds were found outside that area, and only redwinged blackbirds died. Some birds have been sent off for autopsies, but lightning, hail, and NY Eve fireworks have been suggested as the cause. There is a chemical factory in the area. *From NY Times
Meanwhile in February 2010, thousands of fish fell from the sky in a Northern Territory town. The freak phenomena happened not once, but twice, at Lajamanu - about 550km southwest of Katherine. The fish were alive when they hit the ground. The small white fish are believed to be spangled perch, which are very common through much of northern Australia.
Sealions
Wildlife officials in California have seen a slight rise in the shooting of ocean mammals in recent years, and investigators often struggle to find a culprit. There are few witnesses to such shootings, making it nearly impossible to bring a case. "We always try to do an investigation, but unless there's an eyewitness to the shooting it's hard to make a case for our enforcement folks," said Joe Cordaro, a wildlife biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration who tracks reports of the shootings.The NOAA said there were 43 reported marine mammal shootings in 2009 in the waters off the California coast - nine more than in 2008 and 14 more than five years earlier. Of the reported shootings in 2009, all were sea lions. And officials say many more cases likely go unreported. *U/W Times
Kangaroos
Kangaroos are proving to be a big danger to Victorian motorists, according to data from the RACV. The data shows RACV Insurance processed more than 10,500 claims in three years from animal-related incidents and of that number 7,383 incidents related to kangaroos, an average of six a day. The damage repair costs from wildlife and other animal-related accidents during the three years was more than $35 million. In the financial year to June 30 this year, RACV Insurance dealt with 3,308 animal-related claims, 69 per cent of them involving kangaroos. RACV Insurance general manager Paul Northey said drought conditions in recent years and bushfire damage to habitat, had forced wildlife to search for food by the roadside or close to urban areas, increasing the risk of animal related accidents. "Constant awareness of the possibility of animals moving unexpectedly on roads is a vital element of accident prevention, particularly in twilight or night-driving conditions," Mr Northey said. "Motorists need to be aware that these incidents do not just occur in the country - domestic pets are also a driving danger as close to 1000 claims relating to accidents involving domestic dogs have been lodged over the three year period." RACV Insurance claims data from 2009-10 lists the major areas to look out for animals on roads with Heathcote at 59 claims, Bendigo (51), Halls Gap (40) and the urban fringe zone around Sunbury (30). "Crashing into a medium to large sized kangaroo can cause serious vehicle damage and, in some instances, injury to the driver and passengers," Mr Northey said. "Vehicles damaged in animal collisions can also cost a significant amount to repair with an average claim in 2009-10 costing more than $3500, up from $3280 the previous year." In the last year 2009/2010, 2275 motor vehicle repair calims were for kangaroos.*Weekly Times
Below is link to a disturbing video on uTube about the kangaroo Industry. The video has subtitles in 42 languages, which we think is a very clever move to allow overseas non-english speaking viewers to know how bad the kangaroo Industry really is. There are quite a few other kangaroo videos on uTube too that are worth watching.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5J5oy5DUo5M&feature=related
Wildlife Pets
A town north of Edmonton (Canada) may soon ban elephants and armadillos. According to the Calgary Herald, those two animals are just two of 130 different critters expected to be officially banned by the town of Morinville. The town council is considering a new bylaw that would specifically name animals not allowed as pets. The bylaw covering it at the moment simply outlaws the ownership of animals deemed dangerous or objectionable to a medical health officer. Others on the proposed new list of animals that would not be allowed in the town as pets include, armadillos, spiders, walruses and kangaroos. *660News
Meanwhile a pet python that strangled a two-year-old girl in Florida 18 months ago had not been fed in about a month. Court documents also revealed the 260cm albino Burmese python had escaped its tank 10 times since its last meal. The snake killed Shaianna Hare in her crib on July 1, 2009. A review of investigative reports showed the child's mother and her boyfriend had kept the snake in violation of wildlife rules and apparently could not afford to feed it. The death spurred a statewide hunt of exotic reptiles and fuelled a crackdown on the imported constrictors. Shaianna's mother, Jaren Hare, 21, and her boyfriend, Jason Darnell, 33, have pleaded not guilty to charges of manslaughter, third-degree murder and child abuse. They are expected to stand trial this year. The attack was believed to be the first in Florida of a non-venomous constrictor killing a child.
Crocodiles
A record-breaking number of saltwater crocodiles has been pulled out of Territory waterholes this year. The largest beast was a 4.6m man-eater captured in Shady Camp on the Mary River in March. The rogue animal, killed during the complicated capture, had been causing problems among anglers at the river. It died when rangers harpooned it. A total of 305 salties were removed from Territory waterways in 2010 as part of the Government's croc management plan. Most of the animals were caught in the Darwin region while 23 were from Katherine. This year's tally broke the 2004 record of 274 captures with the largest live animal pulled out of Katherine River in August. The 4.5m monster was stuck in a trap near Taylors Park, 45km downstream from the Katherine township. Croc catcher Tommy Nichols used the high number of catches to remind people of the dangers of the animals. "A total of 21 crocodiles have been removed from Territory waterways this month, a timely reminder wet season conditions can lead to the increased presence of estuarine crocodiles," he said. "We urge everyone to be extremely cautious around all waterways and to heed safety signs." The croc management plan received a financial boost from the Territory Government with 20 additional traps placed throughout the Top End and Katherine region. A new custom-fitted croc boat Muk Muk was also added to the ranger's tools and the management zone was extended. *NTNews
Crabs
Crabzilla, a gigantic Japanese spider crab who measures more than 12 feet across is getting ready to make his debut at the Scheveningen Sea Life centre in The Hague, Netherlands. The scary-looking sea beast weights more than 30lbs, and at about 40 years old is one of the largest examples of his species yet captured. The Japanese spider crab (Macrocheira kaempferi) is undeniably a big sea crab, but it seems so enormous because of its astoundingly long legs. The scary-looking sea beast weights more than 30lbs, and at about 40 years old is one of the largest examples of his species yet captured. The Japanese spider crab (Macrocheira kaempferi) is undeniably a big sea crab, but it seems so enormous because of its astoundingly long legs. Graham Burrows, curator of the National Sea Life Centre in Birmingham, said: 'The Japanese Spider Crab is the largest known member of the arthropod family, which includes all invertebrates with jointed limbs. 'Crabzilla's front limbs are his feeding arms, each over five feet long and ending in sizeable claws. 'They are a Japanese delicacy and are usually salted and steamed, but eating them in the spring is banned because that is when they lay their eggs.' See photos, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1299992/Meet-Crabzilla-giant-Japanese-spider-crab.html#ixzz1A0pxYjzI *Daily Mail
Turtles
A $2000 concrete ramp has been built by a city council to save a local turtle population from having to trek across a six-lane road. Rockdale City Council (NSW) has approved the construction of the project, aimed at protecting a colony of eastern snake-neck turtles that have lived for years in Bicentennial Park. A man-made drain wall prevents them from reaching safety when heavy rainfalls wash them into a stormwater canal contaminated by saltwater and oil. Instead they are forced to cross busy President Ave to return to their freshwater home. A spokesman for Australian Freshwater Turtle Conservation and Research Association said a recent check of the canal revealed many of the animals to be dehydrated and close to death because they were trapped. *Daily Telegraph
Little Terns
The National Parks and Wildlife Service is preparing for a record number of rare migratory chicks at Towra Point in Sydney's south. Little terns are small birds which migrate from Siberia every year. It is hoped this year they will better the 50 chicks hatched in 2010. But Michael Shepherd from the National Parks and Wildlife Service warns crews have a hard job protecting the rare chicks on the exposed Towra Spit Island. "Feral animals and foxes in particular, particularly like to predate upon these little birds and also the parents when they are quite vulnerable on their nest," he said. "But also unintentional visitors, including people. "We do our best to manage the threats to come ashore there - it's the only location they can actually have an exposed sandy area to nest in Sydney. "Everything else has basically been developed." *ABC
Penguins
An elderly volunteer penguin protector was allegedly pushed to the ground by a member of a prominent yachting family as she tried to guard Manly's endangered colony of little penguins from a dog. Police claim a 27-year-old James Oatley, of Mosman - connected to multimillionaire Robert Oatley, the owner of Wild Oats 11 which took line honours in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race - was among a number of people and a dog aboard a vessel that arrived at Manly Cove about 9pm on Saturday. The dog allegedly jumped from the boat and ran towards the penguins, causing the 72-year-old volunteer to try to head it off. It is claimed Oatley, whose family own Hamilton Island and Rob Oatley wines, got into an argument, splashing water on the volunteer and pushing her on to the sand. The head penguin warden Angelika Treichler, one of the other women on duty, said her friend has been left "frail". "We just tried to set up a barrier between the penguins and the dog, because the dog was running towards the penguin," she said. "About seven police came to help us after I called, which was a big relief as my friend is over 70 years old and has been left quite frail. "She's been in bed all day with a headache and sounds dreadful. She's told me she never wants to do the penguin duty ever again." Ms Treichler described the boat involved as a tender or runabout boat. Oatley has been charged with common assault and will appear at Manly Local Court on January 27. The 27-year-old driver of the vessel, who is from Manly, will appear in court on the same day charged with mid-range drink driving. *Daily Telegraph
Whaling
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society crew in the Southern Ocean has an ambitious New Year's resolution: to prevent a single whale from being killed by the Japanese harpoon fleet this season. The activist group located the harpoon ships Friday in the Southern Ocean, about 1,700 miles southeast of New Zealand, and launched 2011 with a series of clashes that reportedly involved several near collisions, water cannon blasts by whaling crews and the hurling of stink bombs onto whaling boats by the activists. It marked the first time in seven campaigns it had found the fleet before the whalers had logged a kill, the group claimed. The encounter took place in Antarctic waters, where icebergs created a surreal setting and dangerous conditions. Paul Watson, the group's controversial captain and founder, said the whalers began shooting water cannons at the group's inflatable harassment boat as he had been conducting interviews with the Associated Press. "They just turned their cannons on our Zodiac," Watson told the AP. "Right at this moment." *Underwater times
Dolphins
Dolphins are the latest marine mammal to delight Tasmanians with their antics as the state revels in a fantastic whale-watching season. However, coming closer to our shores as an increasing number of dolphins are doing can have dire consequences for them. Dancing dolphins, thought to be bottlenose, were spotted frolicking and jumping in the calm waters off Verona Sands in the state's South last week. The dolphins were photographed by a kayaker. Environment Department head of biodiversity monitoring Rosemary Gales said it was not uncommon for dolphins to play and feed so close inshore. "And in such calm sea conditions they are highly visible," Dr Gales said. She said summer was the peak season for whale and dolphin strandings and urged members of the public to keep their distance and report sightings to the whale hotline (0427WHALES). The call comes as eight dolphins were saved by quick-acting locals at Tatlows Beach near The Nut at Stanley on Saturday. The pod of 10 dolphins had been stranded in the shallow waters off the beach. Two of the dolphins, a female adult and a female juvenile, were dead before they were found but the others were saved. Parks and Wildlife Service incident manager Mark Fordham said there were fears the dolphins would return to the shallow waters off the beach after they were returned to deeper water yesterday. However, there had been no sightings of the dolphins since. "No news is good news," he said. "It was disappointing that we had lost two yesterday but they were dead before anyone knew they were there so there was nothing that could be done." *mercury
More Whaling
Pressure is growing on the federal government to send its new Southern Ocean patrol ship to monitor any confrontation as anti-whaling activists pursue the Japanese whaling fleet towards waters off the Australian Antarctic Territory. Customs commissioned the 4500 tonne Ocean Protector last September to replace the Oceanic Viking, which monitored the whaling in 2008. The Ocean Protector was moored yesterday in Fremantle, not due to leave port for a fortnight, as both the Coalition and Greens stepped up calls for the vessel to be used for surveillance. ''This could be an ideal platform for Southern Ocean surveillance,'' the Coalition's environment spokesman, Greg Hunt, said. ''The government needs to explain why, if it is not needed for northern border protection, it can't take on the role in independent monitoring and search and rescue.''
The Greens leader, Bob Brown, said filmed evidence should be released to the world's media to shame the whaling fleet. ''Surveillance by Australia could also prevent human lives being lost during the whale-killing season,'' Senator Brown said. Japan's Institute of Cetacean Research has called for Australia, as the anti-whaling organisation Sea Shepherd's ''virtual home port'', to take every means available to restrain the group. The Environment Minister, Tony Burke, has declined to rule out sending a ship south. The Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, said it was primarily up to the crew of the ships involved to act carefully. Yesterday the whalers and the activists were navigating along pack ice near the Ross Sea, having sailed about 600 nautical miles since Sea Shepherd vessels encountered the whalers on New Year's Eve.
The Sea Shepherd leader, Paul Watson, said there were indications the key Japanese vessel, the factory ship Nisshin Maru, could keep running for days. ''We know where it is, about 100 nautical miles ahead of us, but they'll have to stop running before we can catch up with them,'' Mr Watson said. ''Sometimes they will run for more than a week.'' In the first close confrontation of the whaling season, on New Year's Day, activists hurled bottles of a foul chemical on to the harpoon post of the whale chaser Yushin Maru No. 3. The Japanese chaser ships are heavily netted against projectiles or boarding, and Mr Watson said it appeared they were fitted with ''spurs'' to deal with fouling ropes, which are used to entangle the rudder and propellers. One of the ropes was dropped into the path of a chaser ship without effect. *Age
Australia discussed cutting a secret deal with Japan to accept a continued whale hunt as it publicly moved to bring Tokyo before an international court, the latest WikiLeaks cables reveal. US diplomatic cables obtained by WikiLeaks show that as late as February last year, Australia was willing to compromise with Japan, but the deal had to result in a much lower level of whaling and exclude the hunt from waters near Antarctica, Fairfax newspapers report. A compromise was discussed that would see Japan kill 5000 fewer whales over 10 years and larger varieties such as humpbacks not be taken. The cables also show former environment minister Peter Garrett warned the US ambassador in Canberra on February 5 last year Labor felt boxed in by moves by the Greens in parliament to examine Japanese spy flights over anti-whaling ships. Mr Garrett said the flights had strengthened the anti-whaling mood in Australia and made it difficult for the government to compromise with Japan.
Two weeks later, then prime minister Kevin Rudd publicly called for an end to the hunt. At the same time, Australian diplomats were urging politicians to strike a deal. In January last year, Paula Watt, of the marine environment section of the Foreign Affairs Department, told the US that Japan was using tough tactics in the negotiations, but for any deal to be acceptable to Australia, it must include a minimum number of whales saved, suggesting 5000 over 10 years, Fairfax reports. But in later cables she said efforts to strike a deal had "bounced off" Mr Garrett and his staff. The revelations come as the federal government is under pressure from the coalition and Australian Greens to stop Japan's whale hunt in the Southern Ocean. Both the opposition and the Greens also want the government to take a watchdog role following clashes between anti-whaling protesters and the Japanese whaling fleet at the weekend. *West.com.au
Ed Comment, Noone should be surprised that the Federal Labor government would try to cut a secret compromise deal with the whalers. The Keating Government was about to do the same when they got kicked out in 1996. The Gillard Government may now try to do the same thing, given that new Environment Minster Tony Burke is more sympathetic to farmers than to wildlife.
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