Wildlife Bytes: March 2011

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Wildlife Bytes Australia 30/3/11

Leading Story

Nearly 900 southern hairy-nosed wombats have been shot with Government sanction since 2006, while many more have been slaughtered illegally. The Government also has rules which state that any young wombats found in the pouch of a shot wombat should be killed by decapitation, as this achieves "a sudden and painless death". Parliament has been told that apart from the official deaths, hundreds more wombats are being killed illegally by landholders across the state. As well as being the state's animal emblem, the wombat is classed as a vulnerable species, but farmers claim its burrows destroy their land and damage farm machinery. Official figures show that between January 1, 2006, and December 22 last year, 139 permits were issued for destruction of South Australian wombats. Environment Department databases show 887 of the marsupials were destroyed under permit in this period, although the data is incomplete pending returns on current permits.

The permits were issued for use on West Coast and Murraylands properties. Under present laws, shooting is the only allowable method for legal destruction of adult southern hairy-nosed wombats in SA.
The figures were released by Environment Minister Paul Caica in answer to questions from Greens Upper House MP Tammy Franks. Mr Caica said the Government had actively investigated past reports of the illegal taking or killing of wombats and took all reports seriously. Ms Franks said reports by animal welfare organisations indicated there was illegal wombat culling, including the use of bulldozers and explosives to destroy burrows and bury the animals alive. "The Wombat Awareness Organisation's 2010 first quarterly report indicates illegal burrow destruction is commonplace and landholders are illegally killing the state's faunal emblem en masse," she said. "The minister's claims fail to stand up against the evidence." She called on the Government to immediately ensure it adequately supported and promoted non-lethal management strategies in the first instance "and prosecutes to the fullest extent of the law landholders who cruelly and illegally kill wombats". Mr Caica said that in no instance was bulldozing of burrows authorised as a method of destruction.

Cruelty Charges

A Mission Beach man has been charged with animal cruelty after he shot a dog which was allegedly attacking a wallaby on his property. The 58-year-old was charged by police after shooting the dog in the leg at his Dargin Rd property on Saturday afternoon. He told police the dog, which belonged to a neighbour, had been chasing a wallaby when he was forced to intervene. The dog survived the ordeal after a short vet stay. The man is due to appear in Tully Magistrates Court on April 21. *CM

Kangaroos Killed for Bait

The Environment department says it believes kangaroos are being killed and used as fishing bait in the River Murray. Kangaroos are a protected species and killing them without a permit attracts a fine of up to $10,000 or two years' jail. The department's Tim Fraser says there have been reports of unauthorised kangaroo shootings and he believes they are being used to catch yabbies. "You've got local butchers and you've also the local kangaroo processing works here at Lyrup doing a very, very good job at supplying bait at a reasonable price but there's other people that think they can just go off and kill a kangaroo and that's a lot cheaper," he said. "[It's] lazy and it's greedy and it's easy and it's totally illegal, the easy way out, the cheap way out. "Certain people in the community just will naturally take that course and I guess they're just running that risk and obviously if they get caught they'll be up before the magistrate, see how they get on there." *ABC

Fisherperson Fined

A commercial fisherman has been convicted over the deaths of eight native birds that became entangled in his fishing nets at the Vasse Estuary near Busselton, WA.. Nicholas Michael Lucas was ordered to pay a $2000 fine and $119 in court costs after he pleaded guilty to three charges of taking protected fauna in Busselton Magistrate's Court. The Department of Environment and Conservation said two blue-billed ducks (Oxyura australis), five hoary-headed grebes (Poliocephalus poliocephalus) and three musk ducks (Biziura lobata) became trapped when the nets were left unattended overnight. Two birds were found alive and released by a wildlife officer but eight drowned. DEC prosecutions coordinator Gail Ritchie urged fishers to place nets carefully and monitor them at all times. "There are many native birds and other wildlife which live in the estuary and it is important their protection is not compromised by inappropriate fishing activities," she said. Anyone who sees a sick or injured animal is asked to call the DEC Wildcare hotline on 9474 9055. *WA Now

Foeiegn Plants

There are fears a foreign water plant could spread into the ACT's Murrumbidgee River. The Mexican waterlily has been growing in large clusters in several locations across the Jerrabomberra wetlands on the eastern edge of Canberra's Lake Burley Griffin. Molonglo Waterwatch coordinator Dr Stephen Skinner says it forms a very thick coat over the water, giving little space for other fauna. He says it is difficult to remove the plants. "You've got to get the whole lot of that stolon which is like an iceberg, the rhizome, it goes down into the mud," he said. "It's as many times longer than the stem of the waterlily above the surface and it'll last for a long, long time. If you break it off, it'll just regenerate from that broken fragment that's left behind." *ABC

Turtles Killed

Over 150 Olive Ridley turtles found dead after they were trapped in the nets of fishermen at Vajrapukotturu village in Srikakulam ( India) district on Friday. In one of the worst disasters, around 150 Olive Ridley turtles got trapped in a single net and found dead on Kothapeta beach under Vajrapukotturu mandal in Srikakulam district on Friday. The village sarpanch, Mr Ambati Raju, said he never saw so many dead turtles in his life and blamed the fishermen from Visakhapatnam for not taking preventive measures. He defended that the local fishermen never used such nets in which the turtles get trapped and dead. The founder chairman of Visakha society for prevention and care of animals, Mr Pradeep Nath, said the disaster took place as the mechanised boats and trawlers did not using turtle excluding devices. *Deccan Chronicle

Cats Killed

A feral cat eradication project on Tasman Island in Tasmania's south east is close to being declared a success. Cats were first introduced to the island in the 1940s as pets for the lighthouse keepers. The light was automated in the 1970s and the keepers left, but the cats stayed behind. The population grew to about 50 feral cats which have been feasting on up to 50,000 sea birds a year. The cats fed almost exclusively on vulnerable fairy prions and short-tailed shearwaters. Two years ago, the State Government began planning an eradication program backed with funding from tourism operator Rob Pennicott. He says the cats were having a devastating effect on the birds. "We had photos of cats with birds in their mouths and also when you went walking on the island just everywhere there were dead carcasses," he said. Baiting, trapping and hunting began last May after the birds had finished breeding and there was fewer for the cats to feed on. *ABC

Koalas

Beerwah-based Wildlife Warriors have launched a world-first research project into the high number of deaths among hand-reared male koalas after release. Australian Wildlife Hospital manager Gail Gipp said as part of the project, driven by Steve Irwin's father Bob and Wildlife Warriors, 12 hand-reared male koalas would be fitted with radio-tracking collars when released in Blackbutt next month. "We know from data that males are finding it hard and aren't surviving when they should be," she said. "They are young and healthy. There's no reason this should be happening, but the females are doing well in the same areas." The 12-month research project will investigate migration patterns of rehabilitated koalas returned to the wild and their ability to re-establish home ranges. Wildlife Hospital senior veterinarian Jon Hanger said the koalas would be recaptured after data was collated, and released without collars into their natural habitat. The project had a $5,000 kick-start from Zarraffa's Coffee shops and hopes to raise $20,000 from a fundraiser. Caboolture and Pine Rivers shires are among the biggest problem areas for sick and injured koalas. *Northern Times

Outback Wildlife Boost

In some of the driest parts of Queensland, native animals are breeding prolifically after a big wet season and a rat plague is also being reported. Floodwaters from Queensland are flowing to Lake Eyre, in South Australia's far north, with the lake this year expected to reach levels not seen since 1974. At the Lochern National Park, south-west of Longreach, ranger Shane Hume says wildlife is blooming and that is attracting all sorts of rodents and birds. "There's a fairly large rat plague that's coming through at the moment ... they are native long-haired rats and with them obviously comes lots of other things," he said. "But with them, we are also noticing lots and lots of whistling plumed ducks - there are lots of those this year and lots of babies. "There are also huge groups of little black cormorants - those blokes are having a great time." *ABC

Seal Hunt Starts

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans says high winds and a lack of ice are making the annual harp seal hunt difficult so far. "With the storms that have blown through over the last few days and the high winds, a lot of the ice is dispersing quite rapidly," said Alain Belle-Isle, a spokesman for the department. "The seals are moving around quite a bit." The hunt began Sunday at 6 a.m. for all sealers from the Gulf, Maritimes and the Magdalen Islands, but the department said only one boat from the Magdalen Islands reported plans to take part in the hunt on Monday. Belle-Isle said four observer permits have been issued so far and the department does not want a large number of observers overwhelming a small number of sealers. "We do try to treat every request and try to accommodate everyone but given the low level of sealing activity there may be a need to restrict the number of observers that can be allowed out at one time," he said. There will be three buffer zones around the coast of New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island during the harp seal hunt, with most of the activity likely taking place between North Cape, P.E.I. and Miscou Island, N.B. The Northwest Atlantic harp seal population is estimated at nine million animals, more than four times what it was in the 1970s. In 2010, 67,327 harp seals were harvested. *CBC News

Leopards

Please sign the petition (link below) to save the Indian leopard. Please forward.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/5/Save-Indian-Leopards/ *Network Item

Quolls

The National Parks and Wildlife Service has confirmed the rare discovery of a threatened species south of Eden on the New South Wales far south coast. The first ever digital photograph of a spotted-tailed quoll has been captured on a remote camera in the Nadgee Nature Reserve. There is only one previous record of the quoll, on the edges of the reserve more than 20 years ago. An ecologist with the Service, Dr Andrew Claridge, says it confirms the health of the habitat. "It's a very significant finding," he said. "The species is an endangered species, and it's a top order native carnivore. "It performs vital ecological roles in the ecosystem. "It preys on a whole bunch of other species, and the fact that we have recorded quolls in that heathland environment means the heath must be in terrific condition." Dr Claridge says it is a rare find. "The only other record that we had of that animal down there was from 20 years ago, and it came from the periphery of the reserve," he said. "In order to support an animal like a spotted-tailed quoll there must be a diversity of different native prey for it. "So it's significant on a whole range of levels." *ABC

Pigmy Possums

For more than a decade they've been one of Australia's cutest poster critters for the perils of climate change, but now scientists are discovering the mountain pygmy possum may be able to adapt to a warming world. Australia's top expert on this rare alpine marsupial, NSW parks and wildlife ecologist Linda Broome has discovered a thriving population of the endangered possums in a large basalt boulder field just 30km north of the town of Cabramurra in Kosciuszko National Park. The area is 500m lower than other sites in the southern end of the park where the species are known to occur. Dr Broome said, ''It suggests the possums could be more resilient to climate change than we previously thought. * Canberra Times, Read More.....
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/cute-critter-only-playing-possum/2118295.aspx

Flying Foxes

Licensed shooting of fruit bats will be phased out in NSW from July and farmers will be given a share of $5 million to install nets to protect crops. The decision, which the government said was approved by Treasury before it entered caretaker mode on Friday, resolves a long battle between environmentalists and farmers over how to keep bats, also known as grey-headed flying foxes, out of orchards. Grey-headed flying fox numbers have declined 30 per cent in the past 10 years, the government says, due to shooting and clearing of native vegetation. The Premier, Kristina Keneally, said licences to shoot flying foxes would be phased out over three years from 2011-12. ''The [government] has worked hard to conserve and protect the many significant native animal populations … in NSW," she said. "The grey-headed flying-fox is one … we must work hard to preserve.'' But the Coalition's environment spokeswoman, Catherine Cusack, said three years was too long and a Coalition government would phase licences out in two. It also pledged to spend an extra $103 million on environment protection. The NSW Farmers' Association wants the government to pay for half the cost of nets. *ABC

Frogs

High rainfall and strong River Murray flows have significantly boosted the population of the endangered southern bell frog in the Riverland. It was one of the most common frog species in Australia's south-east until its numbers started to dwindle from the late 1970s. Callie Nickolai from the Natural Resource Management Board says many of the frogs have been seen hopping across roads at Overland Corner near Barmera. "As we're doing our frog surveys we've noticed that as we walk along the edge of wetlands that you just hear this like little 'plop plop' of frogs jumping into the water and when we do manage to catch a glimpse of them we are finding that they're mainly the southern bell frogs," she said. *ABC

NMIT Kangaroos

A Brunswick vet has confirmed a female eastern grey kangaroo, discovered by wildlife volunteers at the Nothern Metropolitan Institute of TAFE’s Eden Park property, was shot from the front and died a slow and painful death. ``She would mostly likely have died as a result of complications associated with the bullet injury,’’ Dr Alistair Brown said. `On the video provided, a large amount of faeces was present at the exact location were she was found, indicating that her death would not have been instantaneous, rather, her death would more likely be slow and agonising.’‘ Australian Society for Kangaroos spokewoman Fiona Corke called on the RSPCA to prosecute the TAFE because she believed it had breached the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (1986). Ms Corke said the TAFE’s cull permit should be revoked immediately. An RSPCA officer inspected another three carcasses last Friday. None of the bodies had bullet wounds to the brain, despite the cull permit conditions requiring the kangaroos to be shot in the head.

It is unclear who was responsible for shooting the kangaroos and Environment Minister Ryan Smith is on the record as saying that ``there has been no shooting that does not comply with the permit’‘. The RSPCA told the Whittlesea Leader it would investigate claims of animal cruelty to kangaroos at Eden Park after the first two carcasses were found by wildlife activists last week. Australian Society for Kangaroos spokeswoman Fiona Corke said the body of a male kangaroo was found with a gunshot wound to the ribs just metres from the Northern Metropolitan Institute of TAFE’s Northern Lodge farm boundary on Tuesday, March 22. “It would have taken 12-15 hours for that kangaroo to die; the ants would have started eating its eyes out before it died,” Ms Corke said. “And it was a body shot.”

The body of a female kangaroo was also found on NMIT grounds the following night, she said. “We believe it was shot in the guts and it has fallen down an embankment and its neck has snapped backwards,” she said. “There was no gunshot to the head, but there was a big hole in its stomach.” The protesters, who vowed to intervene at the first sign of shooting, said the animals were not shot in accordance with the permit. The carcasses provided proof that NMIT had breached cull regulations set out by the DSE, they said. The cull permit states that wounded animals must be tracked down immediately and killed humanely and that animals should be killed by a single shot to the head. RSPCA spokesman Tim Pilgrim confirmed the society would investigate the complaint. “This is of obvious concern to the RSPCA if an offence under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act has occurred,” Mr Pilgrim said. NMIT refused to comment. The Department of Sustainability and Environment approved a 12-month permit to shoot 300 eastern grey kangaroos at the TAFE last October. The TAFE has the option of applying for two more yearly permits which, if approved, could see the slaughter of 900 kangaroos over three years. *Whittlesea Leader

Coal Seam Gas

Veteran environmental campaigner Drew Hutton has been arrested while protesting against the coal seam gas industry on a property near Tara in southwest Queensland. Landowners near Tara, west of Dalby, had warned that protesters would form a blockade to stop a Queensland Gas Company pipeline coming into the community. Mr Hutton's wife, Greens spokeswoman Libby Connors, said he was arrested after refusing to move and remained in custody this afternoon. She said the “Lock the Gate” blockade took place on a private property with the landowner's permission, but legislation meant the company had right of access. Mr Hutton was a co-founder of the Australian Greens and Queensland Greens. It was the second consecutive day of drama at the Tara Estate protest. Yesterday, protesters formed a human barricade in an attempt to prevent the Queensland Gas Company from building a 16-kilometre pipeline to take coal seam gas from five wells on the estate to the nearby Kenya gas processing plant.

Friends of the Earth member and fellow campaigner Cassie McMahon said Mr Hutton was among about 25 people at the site today. Ms McMahon said a large number of police officers arrived on the scene this afternoon. “They told us under section 804 of the Petroleum and Gas Act that we were not allowed to be there and that we had to leave the premises,” she said. “The remainder of us were in the process of departing when he [Mr Hutton] was arrested. “Drew Hutton has refused the bail conditions and could be in custody for 30 days at the Toowoomba watch house.” Comment has been sought from the Queensland Police Service. Ms McMahon, who yesterday chained herself to a bulldozer as part of the protest, said campaigners were undeterred by the developments today. “I’m very surprised that landholders do not have the ability to invite people to stay on their property to protect their property,” Ms McMahon said. “It leaves us feeling even more determined that we need people power to prevail and force the current laws to be changed to protect property holders’ rights, as long as the long term impact on our land and water.” *Age

Meanwhile the Mining Industry has said...Queensland’s “horrible” environment for mining exploration is becoming even uglier, the industry’s peak body says. Queensland Resources Council chief Michael Roche says the state’s policy settings are bad and getting worse, with the Labor government buckling to green pressure and reneging on promises to miners. And the Queensland Greens say the coal seam gas (CSG) industry will be the focus of their next state election campaign. Greens spokeswoman Libby Connors says CSG mining is at the top of the Greens environmental concerns for the state.

Wallabies Stranded

Up to 500 wallabies have been marooned on an island in the middle of Lake Argyle in the east Kimberley. The animals, known as agile wallabies, became stranded late last week while trying to seek refuge from record rains and flooding in the region. The Department of Environment and Conservation's Daryl Moncrieff says the Kimberley office is keeping a close eye on the animals. "We've already flown over the island twice with a fixed-wing aircraft to get a rough estimate of the number of animals we're dealing with and DEC officers, accompanied by a veterinarian will be landing on the island with a helicopter this Monday to further assess the situation," he said. Mr Moncrieff says the island may not provide a safe haven for the animals. "Flood waters are expected to rise over the coming weeks, which will see the animals confined to an even smaller area of dry land for at least two to three months," he said.

"At present the island is approximately 10km from the lake's shore and measures about 300 x 100 metres. "During the dry season the island is part of a rocky promontory so there is little in the way of food to sustain the animals. "After we land on the island we will have a better idea of the options that are available to us to prevent animal suffering. "We will make a decision on the appropriate action to be taken in the coming days." Mr Moncrieff says the Department is warning people to keep away from the area. "Because agile wallabies can be prone to stress-induced death, we are asking people to keep clear of the animals and not approach them closely by air or water," he said. *WA Now

Wallabies

The hooligans who slaughtered 13 wallabies in a national park tore joeys from the pouches of the dead mothers and threw them into a river. Wildlife rangers believe about five or six babies were drowned. Ranger Sally Heaton said: "I'm disgusted - we've got to catch these people." Fishermen have given the NT Parks and Wildlife Service excellent descriptions of the three men and one woman and their vehicles. "These people had nothing to do one day so they thought they'd go and wipe out wallabies," Ms Heaton said. "Apparently, they were all drunk." The agile wallabies were shot with high-powered rifles in Djukbinj National Park, near Fogg Dam, about 60km south-east of Darwin, last Sunday. Ms Heaton said the killers were probably after dog meat. But they dumped the carcasses in a small quarry on the side of the road leading to the Arnhem Highway, where they were found by a ranger.

Fishermen said the wallabies were piled in the back of four-wheel-drives and the gang brazenly pulled out the joeys and hurled them live into Scotts Creek. "I imagine they had planned to take the carcasses home for their dogs, but the animals became bloated as the day went on and they discarded them by the side of the road," Ms Heaton said. The gang face a string of charges, including killing native wildlife, discharging a firearm in a national park and cruelty to animals. All four were caucasian. One of the men was described as being "very skinny'. Another was tall with dark hair and a goatee and the third had blond hair. The woman had light, brown hair. Both vehicles were HZJ75 series V6 diesel (no turbo) Toyota Landcruisers. One was metallic sky blue with a black, steel bull bar and tinted windows. It had a hard roof top over the tray and a wide sticker across the windscreen. The ute had driving spotlights and blue writing on the number plates. The driver was possibly carrying a white pup. The other Landcruiser was white, also with a black steel bull bar and tinted windows. It had a highlift jack across the roll bar, a winch and driving spotlights, blue tarp, white steel tray and HF aerial. The vehicle was fitted with 35 inch Goodridge tyres. Anyone with information about the shootings is urged to call Parks and Wildlife on 0401 110 205. *NT News

Tigers

Wildlife lovers across India are celebrating the increase in the population of big cats in the country from 1,411 to 1,706 including 70 found in the Sunderbans which was not part of the 2006 count . And, the northeast can proudly claim it has contributed substantially to the 16 per cent rise in the big cat count, which in figures amounts to 295. According to the 2010 tiger census results released by Union minister for environment and forest Jairam Ramesh in New Delhi on Monday, the NE region, covering the hilly states, Brahmaputra floodplains and the northern part of West Bengal, is home to an estimated 148 tigers with the upper and lower limits hovering between 178 and 118 respectively. Of this, Assam has the highest number of tigers 143. Mizoram has five, while Arunachal Pradesh was not included in the census operation. The region itself, according to the latest census, shows a considerable increase in its tiger population as compared to Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India's 2008 report. According to the earlier report, Assam had 70 tigers, Mizoram had six and northern West Bengal had 10.

The 2010 census also reported that a total forest area of 2,206 sq km is now covered in Assam as compared to 1,164 sq km in 2006 (the report came out in 2008).The tigers in West Bengal's Buxa Tiger Reserve, however, have not been included in the latest census report, though the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology has found 12 big cats here. Buxa field director R P Saini said this figure was accepted by the Centre. "The government has accepted the report of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, but the figure has not been included in the latest census yet," Saini said. MoEF sources said a comprehensive report on the census would come out in July. Although the break-up of the tiger population in each of the tiger reserves in the northeast and northern West Bengal was not available in the 2010 census, sources involved in the big cats estimation works in Assam said Kaziranga National Park has made a significant contribution to the rise in the tiger population in the region. The park has an estimated 88 tigers, followed by Orang national park with 13 and Manas national park with nine.

"The fact is that the northeast still has a substantial tiger population. We have found out the figures through our estimation work," wildlife biologist M Firoz Ahmed of Aaranyak, which was involved in tiger census work in the region, said. Ahmed said the tiger population outside the protected areas has not yet been assessed. "If non-protected areas in the region are taken into account, the number would rise further," Ahmed said. The 2010 tiger census has shown the promise of further increase in the big cat population of the region, and dealing with poachers has become an even bigger challenge than before. With the porous international border with Myanmar falling in the region and the soaring demand for tiger parts in China, the threat of poaching has increased further. There have been several hauls of tiger bones in Assam and Manipur in recent years. "There is a need to strengthen the anti-poaching mechanism in the region. We are worried about the tigers in non-protected areas," Ahmed said. *India Times

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Wildlife Bytes 23/3/11

Leading Stories

Up to 45 native species in Western Australia's Kimberley region will die out within 20 years if no action is taken, a CSIRO-led study says. It's called for an immediate cash injection of $95 million to save creatures like the Golden Bandicoot, the Scaly-Tailed Possum and the Monjon Rock Wallaby from extinction. The study, released today, was commissioned by the Wilderness Society, which has gone on to urge all tiers of government to open their wallets. At the moment, just $20 million a year is spent on conservation efforts in the Kimberley, which is home to an assortment of threatened species. But the report said even if that money was spent properly, the region would still lose some 31 native animals. The numbers of many more birds, reptiles and mammals, such as the Spotted Tree Monitor and the Western Chestnut Mouse, would dwindle.

The report said containing feral cats was the best cost-effective measure to prevent species decline, which would be a three-pronged attack, including education, research and an end to dingo baiting. But it conceded the "feasibility of success" was low. Next best would be to effectively manage the threats of fire and foreign herbivores, which would see improvements for almost all wildlife species. "This report is like a business plan for nature," one of the report's six co-authors Hugh Possingham said. "Our analysis shows the best bang for the buck and identifies not just the best things to do but what we can't afford not to do." About $40 million would be needed annually in the Kimberley to protect its species, as well as boost plant life, help the climate and conserve indigenous land. "This investment is great value," Prof Possingham said. "We can save some of Australia's most iconic mammals and birds at a cost of only about $1 million per species per year." The Priority Threat Management to Protect Kimberley Wildlife report relied heavily on expert feedback because of a lack of available data on certain species and costs. It recommended getting other social, economic and cultural perspectives to round out a more comprehensive action plan. *AAP

Forestry Talks Meltdown

Tasmania's forest peace talks look ever shakier after one of the state's fieriest environment groups abandoned the process yesterday. Several groups have vowed to keep protesting despite State Government and industry pleas to stop for the sake of the negotiations. Yesterday, the Huon Valley Environment Centre said it was quitting the talks because a moratorium on logging in high conservation-value forests scheduled for March 15 had not been imposed. While not a signatory to the Statement of Principles accepted by environment and industry groups last October, the centre is one of the state's most active protest groups. Spokeswoman Jenny Weber said the group had lost confidence that the forest industry and the Government would deliver on an agreement. "There has been a failure to deliver a key first step, that is the failure to deliver a full and true moratorium on high conservation-value forests," Ms Weber said.

She said the group would not stop protesting. "We are committed to seeing protection of Tasmania's forests and we will continue our dedicated campaign," she said. Miranda Gibson from Still Wild Still Threatened said her organisation was also considering its position. "We share similar concerns. We are in negotiations with our members to work out how we want to proceed," she said. Ms Gibson rejected calls for protests to stop, saying the Government had acted "in bad faith" by not imposing a moratorium from March 15. "As long as high conservation value forests are falling, the Tasmanian community will continue to stand up for them." Wilderness Society spokesman Vica Bayley said while his organisation shared the disappointment over the lack of a moratorium, it would not abandon negotiations. "A new moratorium process is being negotiated. We have some concerns around the timeline but at this point we remain committed," he said.

Mr Bayley said the Huon Valley Environment Centre's decision did not signal a split in the forest movement. Resources Minister Bryan Green said the centre was known for "disruptive protests" and the group's move was undermining the peace process. "For any talks to succeed, it's vital to focus on the moderate groups, who represent the majority of Tasmanian stakeholders," Mr Green said. Opposition forestry spokesman Peter Gutwein said the move was evidence that the "disastrous" agreement to overhaul the state's forest industry should be abandoned. * Mercury

Ostriches

An ostrich stolen from a farm in Romania showed the homing skills of a pigeon by escaping and running all the way home at 40mph. The big flightless birds, native to Africa, are famous for their ability to run at high speeds but are not so well known for their sense of direction. But one lucky ostrich in Romania managed to navigate all the way back home after being stolen by ostrich rustlers, reports Metro. Making a run for it, the big bird from a farm in Pitesti escaped her captors and dashed back to safety. Owner Florin Diaconescu, 47, was very relieved to see her return back to the farm and was amazed at how she had managed to return by herself. "I had given her up as gone forever," he explained. "But I saw this cloud of dust heading towards the farm and she came running into the yard as fast as her legs would carry her." *Orange.uk

Feral Fish

A task force will be formed to help deal with a fish species which is threatening the River Murray. The oriental weatherloach was introduced to Australia in the 1980s as an aquarium fish and later used as live bait. Higher Murray flows in recent months have washed the fish into South Australia from upstream. Lara Suitor from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources says the fish was detected recently on the Chowilla floodplain near Renmark. "They might not necessarily establish themselves very quickly, they sort of have to become adapted to the different environments, but yeah obviously it is a concern that we are finding them in reasonable numbers and yeah they could breed up and be a similar problem as the european carp are now," she said. "It's a pretty hardy fish [and can] go across land for short periods of time. "Females lay up to, you know, thousands of eggs which makes it a pretty tough competitor for our native fish." *ABC

Emus

Some Australians find the idea of eating a national icon a bit hard to stomach. But a growing number of Queenslanders are developing a taste for emu - one of the healthiest meats on the menu. Sarah and Stephen Schmidt own the state's only commercial emu farm at Marburg, west of Ipswich. The couple have about 1500 birds and recently started selling emu kebabs, sausages and steaks from their farmgate and their Redcliffe shop to the public as well as restaurants. A local pie shop has also bought their emu meat to start its own range of pies. "There's been a bit of a stigma about eating an animal that appears on our coat of arms," said Mrs Schmidt. "But we believe that with the interest in health, it's a growing industry." On the menu at Tukka restaurant in West End, chef/owner Bryant Wells said the emu dish was a best-seller, particularly with tourists. "People are usually surprised to discover how rich and tender it is," said Mr Wells, who also cures emu meat. "It's like venison compared to veal and everyone seems to really enjoy it. Emu is just not very mainstream at the moment, but I think once people try it and realise how great it is and how easy to cook, they'll buy it more and the price would come down like it did with kangaroo." *Courier Mail

Coal Mining

The Federal Government has given the go-ahead to what could be the biggest coal mine in the Southern Hemisphere. Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke has imposed strict conditions on Xstrata Coal's proposed mine at Wandoan on Queensland's Western Darling Downs. The mine would produce 30-million tonnes a year but has the potential to expand to 100-million tonnes a year, making it the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. The company says it will make a final investment decision later this year. Work on the project was suspended last year because of concerns about the Federal Government's proposed mining tax, but Xstrata spokesman James Rickards says it is now back on track. "We remain committed to the Wandoan project," he said. Environment group Friends of the Earth has launched legal action to stop the mine, while some landholders are still concerned about the environmental impacts of the project. *ABC

Sandmining

Sandmining on North Stradbroke Island will end two years earlier than planned, infuriating miners and upsetting local environmentalists as well. Last year, Queensland Premier Anna Bligh announced that all mining would end in 2027 but yesterday she told parliament it would now wind up in 2025. Ms Bligh announced a fast-tracked timetable for the closure of the island's largest mine, Enterprise, which accounts for 60 per cent of production. The mine's owner, Sibelco, had agreed to close by 2027 but will now be forced to shut by 2019. "That means that by 2021, after a two-year decommissioning and rehabilitation period, 75 per cent of the island will be declared national park," Ms Bligh told parliament. The island's two other mines, Yarraman and Vance, would close in 2015 and 2025 respectively as originally planned. "All mining will cease on North Stradbroke Island by 2025," Ms Bligh said. Nikki Parker from anti-sand-mining group Save Straddie Campaign said the end date was not important. "The miners will do just as much damage in a shorter time," Ms Parker said in a statement. "This announcement does not stop sandmining. All this will do is accelerate destructive sandmining on Straddie, further threatening the island's ecosystems, fragile water bodies and the island's economic future." *Courier Mail

CSG Mining

The Wilderness Society says the rapid spread of coal seam gas (CSG) exploration into the Lake Eyre Basin in Queensland poses a threat to one of Australia's natural wonders. The Society says it is alarmed there is more coal seam gas exploration projects in grazing areas of western Queensland. Spokesman Glenn Walker says while the Stat Government has refused to place a moratorium on development in southern Queensland, the fragile and unique environment of the Lake Eyre Basin means the region should be protected. "Because of its unique and large natural values, this area needs special consideration," he said. Mr Walker says the fragile environment of the Lake Eyre Basin should prompt governments to act. "Obviously the Government has shown that they recognise the value of the Lake Eyre Basin by moving ahead with Wild Rivers declarations," he said. "They recognise through an inter-governmental agreement about the Lake Eyre region that it is a very special place, so there is a strong argument because of its unique and large natural values, this areas needs special consideration." *ABC

Wallabys Shot

Wildlife officers are investigating the slaughter of 13 wallabies in a national park south-east of Darwin. The animals were shot and dumped in the Djukbinj National Park at the weekend. Some of them had legs missing. "The rangers come across a pile of wallaby carcasses," wildlife officer Sally Heaton said. "Wallabies are protected wildlife and they're not allowed to be shot anywhere in the Northern Territory and especially not in a national park. She says the people responsible will face hefty fines if caught. "We have contacted traditional owners, who sometimes use the park for traditional hunting and they're unaware of any hunting that's gone on recently. "Only three of [the wallabies] had legs missing, the rest of them were left intact. "So it's just a blatant waste of wildlife really." *ABC

NMIT Kangaroos

Whittlesea Senior-sergeant Tony Higgins has confirmed the gunshots reported by a concerned Eden Park resident last night were part of the Northern Metropolitan Institute of TAFE (NMIT) kangaroo cull.
Seven days ago, Victoria Police spokeswoman Natalie Webster said the cull had not begun. The Department of Sustainability and Environment late last year approved NMIT’s application to kill 300 kangaroos until October. Sen-Sgt Higgins refused to say whether NMIT had notified police at least 24-hours before the shooting began, as required by the Department of Sustainability and Environment-approved permit. “That is a matter between police and the permit holder,’’ he said. “There was a report of shots fired. It was part of the cull.’‘ Sen-Sgt Higgins said he was not sure if police attended the call. Tenth Ave residents Trish Wileman and Keith Mason heard shooting from about 5pm until 8.30pm last night. Ms Wileman, who said she had not received notification about the NMIT kangaroo cull, said the shots sounded very close to her home and phoned Mill Park police station about 6pm in fear.

“I rang for information and to see if we should be alarmed about this,’’ she said. “I think as residents we should be advised, and I don’t think it’s acceptable for them to be shooting willy-nilly at all times of the day. “We don’t have any information about this; it could be a larrikin out there having fun, or in this day and age it could be a madman on the loose.’‘ Ms Wileman said that despite being told police would attend last night, she never saw a police car or any officers. “It hasn’t left us with much faith in the police,’’ she said. “I know it wasn’t a murder or anything but you’d think they’d look into any kind of gun shots.’‘ Mr Mason said he saw a white four-wheel drive utility with a man in an orange fluoro safety vest on the back, about 150m from his Tenth Ave home. “I had the binoculars out but I couldn’t see the number plate, but it did look like an NMIT car,’’ Mr Mason said. “It was intermittent; we thought they’d finished and then they’d start up again.

“The kangaroos were going from one side of the hill to the other. They were very agitated; they didn’t know whether to come through the fence. They were flying all over. “There was about 40 of them last night. “There are a lot of kangaroos out around 4.30(pm). “They (the shooters) don’t have to use a spot light then either. “I couldn’t distinguish if it was a shotgun or a rifle.’‘ On February 17, Mr Mason saw two men on motorbikes who appeared to be herding kangaroos in the same area, in front of a large hill. Last Saturday, just after midnight, Mr Mason and his wife were woken by loud gun shots, very close to his home, he said. “I don’t know who it was; with all the publicity people might just be coming out to have a shot,’’ he said. “Once we turned the lights on, they stopped shooting and we didn’t see anything. “I’m not comfortable with it. I don’t like that gun fire, it sounds like it’s too close. “And it must be relatively close because they stopped shooting when they saw our lights come on.’’ Whittlesea Leader

Whittlesea Council will seek the support of all five local MPs to stop the slaughter of 300 kangaroos at NMIT Eden Park. Chief executive David Turnbull told the council’s March 15 meeting that it sent letters, dated March 1, to state Environment Minister Ryan Smith and NMIT asking that they suspend the cull permit. But the meeting heard neither letter had been responded to. Opposition environment spokeswoman Lisa Neville called on Mr Ryan to discuss the issue. “The minister should at the very least tell the community as to why this particular cull was approved in the first place and listen to all views being expressed,” Ms Neville said. “The community needs to be consulted about any fu- ture culls.” West Ward councillor Frank Merlino, who initiated the council’s stance, said he was disappointed by the silence. His second notice of motion on the issue, to seek help from local MPs for an immediate moratorium on the cull, was passed unanimously last Tuesday. “It’s most disappointing that NMIT has failed to reply to this considering it is a public institute and it’s got to be transparent and accountable and to answer reasonable questions,” he said. “We will continue to advocate on behalf of residents and get some answers.” East Ward councillor Sam Alessi said the Department of Sustainability and Environment had failed the community with its lack of communication. The council will also seek details from Nillumbik Council on its protocol with the DSE in a similar roo cull five years ago. *Leader

RSPCA Victoria president Hugh Wirth says the animal welfare group will investigate all reports of animal cruelty in the Eden Park kangaroo cull. Dr Wirth said the RSPCA had not received any reports, but would take seriously any oral or physical evidence that the Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE had breached the Department of Sustainability and Environment cull permit. He said herding of kangaroos, reported at whittlesealeader .com.au, was in breach of a Victorian kangaroo management plan compiled by the DSE and approved by the RSPCA years ago. Dr Wirth and the RSPCA were unable to provide the document and the DSE did not respond to the Leader’s request for a copy. Online searches by the Leader also failed to unearth a copy, and could only find kangaroo management plans for other Australian states. Dr Wirth is adamant the plan exists, saying he was on the consultation committee that approved it. He said residents reports of two men herding kangaroos in Eden Park on the back of trail bikes was a breach of the state management plan. “That’s (herding) strictly outside the document, and if it is brought to our attention, it will be investigated,” Dr Wirth said. “You can not humanely herd kangaroos because they don’t behave like domestic animals. “They go all over the place, they get hung up on fences and go into fences.” He said the RSPCA had not seen or approved the Northern Lodge kangaroo management plan, which was prepared by Ecoplan Australia. To contact the RSPCA, phone 9224 2222. *Whittlesea Leader

Kangaroos Shot

Wildlife Victoria wants the shooter who left a kangaroo with half of its face missing near Myrniong to be prosecuted. Shocked guests at Lake Dewar Lodge, south of Bullengarook, found the maimed female kangaroo, which manager Janet Mason believed was the same injured kangaroo seen five days earlier. The kangaroo, who was unable to eat and drink after suffering for days, was immediately put down. Wildlife Victoria has asked the Department of Sustainability and Environment to determine if a culling permit was issued. If so, it has asked DSE to follow-up with the landowner regarding the professionalism of the shooter and possible prosecution for inhuman practices. If no permit was issued, Wildlife Victoria will report the incident to the police. Illegal shooters can be fined up to $5000 or jailed for six months.

Wildlife Victoria rescuer Manfred Zabinskas said the injured kangaroo was in great pain. “The nature of the wound was consistent with a gunshot wound from a high-powered rifle,” he said. “It is time that we really put a stop to this abhorrent treatment of our wildlife.” In the past 18 months, Mr Zabinskas says he has responded to 11 incidents of mangled or dead kangaroos involving a “distasteful human element.” Incidents included: * Three kangaroos with portions of their faces blown off, having to be put down. * Three calls where kangaroo body parts were dumped, one near a Myrniong school bus stop.
* Two calls involving a kangaroo and a wallaby with arrows in their necks. * A number of calls reporting motorists chasing animals in their cars and beating them to death. Ms Mason said two schoolgirls were left distressed after finding the injured kangaroo. * Illegal shootings of kangaroos can be reported to DSE on 136 186. Injured wildlife can be reported 24-hours to Wildlife Victoria on 0500 540 000. *Macedon Leader

A bit of Windowdressing for the Kangaroo Industry

Thanks to a shot in the arm of $400,000 from Tony Burke via the RIRDC, the Kangaroo Harvester Skill Enhancement training program initiated by KIAA will soon be rolled out nationally in a highly refined program. A consortium of Regency, South Queensland and
Oten institutes of technology have been awarded the tender to produce and deliver training material to all registered Harvesters this year. The consortium is finalizing the training material which expands on that produced by KIAA under a smaller RIRDC project last year. Safefoods Qld are kindly and efficiently administering the expanded project, which is on course to deliver up to 68 half day training sessions across Qld, NSW and SA before Oct this year. All Harvesters accredited in 2009 or 2010 in those states will be able to attend the training free of charge. Each state meat hygiene authority will make course attendance a requirement for re-accreditation in 2011. Pet meat only Harvesters in NSW will not be required to do the course in order to be reaccredited in 2011.

The course will help update Harvesters on the best methods of field dressing to minimise carcass contamination. It will touch on the importance of hygienic practices to the industry, and importantly, their personal income. Also covered are the new tagging requirements, and of course, the importance of animal welfare issues. Each Harvester will receive a manual of field harvesting kangaroos, a field dressing DVD and certificate of attendance. This course is an important part of on-going industry improvements in product standards to ensure kangaroo meat remains competitive in the global market. The generous support of the RIRDC, Safefoods Qld and the NSW and SA governments in delivering this is much appreciated by industry. Participants may register to attend workshops via the Southern Queensland Institute of TAFE’s website http://www.sqit.tafe.qld.gov.au

440,000 Joeys Campaign

Kangaroo ban hits its first hurdle in EU but starts new phase from very strong position! In what can only be described as a astonishing development, the Australian Wildlife Protection Council had to admit that the fight to have kangaroo meat and products banned in the EU today hit its first obstacle when at a meeting of the Petitions Committee, a vote of four MEPs gave the thumbs down to progress the petition further. Philip Woolley, AWPC - EU Campaign Director said: "This vote was not unexpected as we are aware that the Australian Government had been strongly lobbying various MEPs on the Petition Committee behind closed doors since last October when amongst others, Matt Koval (Minister-Counsellor (Agriculture) in Brussels) visited MEP Giles Chichester to discuss the petition. Chichester has admitted that at first he didn't know if he had anything to contribute to the meeting but also said that he would look favourably now on the industry point of view. When John Kelly of the KIAA said last year he was not at all worried about what our petition could achieve, his and others' actions in lobbying MEPs clearly shows that he was very worried indeed that his industry could be shut down by any EU action. If I were one of his members I too would be worried."

After the meeting with the Petitions Committee, Woolley added: " This is just phase one in our campaign and whilst the result is a little disappointing we have more avenues available to us now and we know exactly where the kangaroo industry's weaknesses lie. We start phase two with over 19,000 people supporting us which is a very strong position to be in and we are getting together a very strong legal team. Remember the seal ban took nine years to come in and for us to be here so quickly, is very encouraging." Virginia McKenna OBE, a supporter of the campaign for the ban in Europe said: "I am very pleased to add my name to the growing numbers of supporters for this very valuable and worthwhile campaign. My late husband Bill Travers and I established Zoo Check, which became the Born Free Foundation, in order to protect wildlife and promote animal welfare. When I found out that kangaroos are being slaughtered in their millions every year just to give people a "thrill", I knew I had to support the Australian Wildlife Protection Council's campaign in Europe to have kangaroo meat and products banned. A ban in Europe will make a massive difference and will help to stop these killings and save baby kangaroos from barbaric deaths. I strongly urge others to support the campaign." Media release

Cane Toads

The march of cane toads across Australia is helping to rewrite the textbooks on evolution, say biologists. Some of the toxic invaders are evolving longer legs as they spread across the country - but not by natural selection, the usual process by which species change and adapt. Instead, Australian biologists have identified a rival mechanism of evolution that has nothing to do with survival of the fittest. The alternative theory helps to explain why toads at the forefront of the invasion tend to have longer legs than those lagging further behind. Toads at the invasion front are faster than average, because they have covered the most ground to get there. The resulting "spatially sorted" population means that fast toads tend to breed with other fast toads, simply because they are nearby. This promotes the evolution of ever-faster toads without having to invoke survival of the fittest, explained University of Sydney biologist Rick Shine.

Normally, species evolve because individuals that are better adapted for the conditions tend to reproduce more successfully, passing more of their genes down to future generations. But in the case of the cane toads, there is no penalty for not having long legs, so survival of the fittest does not occur. Instead, longer-legged toads just happen to be found together more frequently, so long-legged genes are favoured among toads at the front line of the invasion, Professor Shine explained. This process of "spatial sorting" has been overlooked by many evolutionary theorists, Professor Shine and his colleagues reported in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The process could apply to any invasive pest, such as fire ants or agricultural weed species, he said. "It fits the whole frontier ethos," he said. *WA Now

Wildlife Bytes 23/3/11

Monday, March 14, 2011

Wildlife Bytes 15/3/11

Leading Stories

Whaling

Federal Police have again raided Sea Shepherd ships despite repeated failures to find legal grounds to pursue the anti-whaling group at Japan's request. For the fourth year in a row, the police yesterday began an investigation into Sea Shepherd, following the Southern Ocean clashes with the Japanese whaling fleet over the summer. This came despite advice there was insufficient evidence to prosecute in the only investigation yet finalised, and admissions by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade that it has exhausted legal avenues to ban the ships. The Greens leader, Bob Brown, said officials were being pressured by the Japanese government to act against Sea Shepherd, and he urged the Foreign Affairs Minister, Kevin Rudd, to lodge a complaint with Tokyo. Sea Shepherd's flagship, Steve Irwin, and the group's long-range vessel, Bob Barker, docked in Hobart after forcing the whaling fleet to withdraw from the Antarctic halfway through its season having taken less than one-fifth of its quota. ''I'm actually quite convinced, about 75 per cent certain, that they won't be back again,'' the group's leader, Paul Watson said. ''But if they are we will be ready to go back.''

He said in each of the past seven Antarctic campaigns, Sea Shepherd's operations grew stronger, while the heavily subsidised whaling fleet's capacity declined under the weight of financial pressures from Tokyo. The fisheries agency of Japan regards the prospect of returning to the Antarctic as ''extremely gloomy'', according to the national newspaper, Yomiuri Shimbun. However, no public statement of permanent withdrawal has been made by the Japanese government. Declassified government documents obtained under freedom-of-information laws by Senator Brown show that Australia has repeatedly acted against the group at Japan's request under the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against Safety of Maritime Navigation. The police confirmed it had received referrals to investigate incidents in the past four seasons. Its 2007-08 investigation focused on clashes between the Steve Irwin and whale chaser Yushin Maru No. 2. ''These matters were finalised on September 21, 2009, following advice from the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions that there was insufficient evidence to commence a prosecution,'' a police spokeswoman said. She said investigations into seasons 2008-09 and 2009-10 were continuing. *Brusseton Mail

Koalas

Car stickers suggesting people should eat koalas have outraged environmental groups, the RSPCA and politicians. The stickers feature a black knife and fork crossing over the top of the Redland City Council's colourful koala logo with the words Save The Redlands ... Eat a Koala. The stickers and slogan sparked debate on Fairfax Radio 4BC, prompting Cleveland MP Mark Robinson to phone in and condemn them. "I talked about the importance of koalas to our area and that they are in decline and we need to look for ways to mitigate the human impact on them," Mr Robinson said. "We need to find better ways for koalas and humans to coexist in the Redlands without stopping development and growth." Sticker designer and businessman Graham Parker said he designed the tongue-in-cheek slogan to make Redland City Council take notice of the "dying breeds of businesses" in the area, south-east of Brisbane. "The stickers I have been making are a protest against the council's single focus on koalas and lack of interest in protecting businesses," Mr Parker said.

"The eat-a-koala stickers are not meant to encourage people to eat the furry little critters, they are just highlighting the other extreme and opposite point of view to the council's. "Redland City Council spent $193,000 on a koala communication strategy which included a Facebook page and a communication officer but only $170,000 of council's economic development budget was allocated for business retention and expansion. "The council bangs on about [Facebook star] Pan Da Koala, who died of disease, but it has spent no money on disease research." RSPCA Queensland spokesman Michael Beatty said he had received about 15 complaints about the stickers, which he claimed were a political ploy. "These stickers are very irresponsible and are sending out the wrong message, which is contrary to the message from all the conservation groups and animal welfare organisations, such as the RSPCA," Mr Beatty said.

"We're trying to protect the koalas and I would imagine a great deal of the Redland community would be in favour of protecting the koala too. "The RSPCA has been working to instil in younger generations some sort of empathy towards animals and this sticker debases our efforts. "I'm presuming some idiot who thought it up thinks it's funny but it's not. "It's just a political ploy that is going to backfire." Redland Mayor Melva Hobson said the stickers were "reprehensible and in extremely bad taste". "Fortunately, we know from all our surveys that most Redland residents treasure and want to protect our urban koalas and believe they add enormously to the special place that is the Redlands," she said. "I reject the inference that the council has got the balance between development and the environment wrong." The mayor said the council's total budget for economic development activities for 2010-11 was $1.3 million, which included wages. * Bayside Bulletin

Editorial

We regret not being able to issue last weeks Wildlife Bytes, but I was in Melbourne meeting with local groups about wildlife issues. It seems that some of the issues of concern include mismanagement of our National Park Estate, animal welfare issues relating to Indigenous hunting, and Melbourne City Council wanting to eradicate possums from the Melbourne Parks. We also did quite a bit of work on the commercial kangaroo kill. One thing that is perfectly obvious is the sad state of our wildlife. While we all continue to work on issues relating to koalas, kangaroos, flying foxes, possums etc etc, the big picture for all our wild creatures is extremely grim. Many people we spoke to thought we needed to focus on "wildlife" holistically, rather than focusing on one species at time. But we are not superpeople, we are all just ordinary Australians trying our best to protect our wildlife from the ravages of an uncaring political system based on greed, incompetance, and corruption. There are a multitude of wild species populations out there that are in very poor shape, including invertebrates, marine species, small and large reptiles, and many others that are not so cute and cuddly, so they dont get the attention they deserve. After all, if we cant save the koalas, what hope is there for woodlice? The article below raises some frightening scenarios. *

Are humans causing a mass extinction on the magnitude of the one that killed the dinosaurs? The answer is yes, according to a new analysis - but we still have some time to stop it. Mass extinctions include events in which 75 percent of the species on Earth disappear within a geologically short time period, usually on the order of a few hundred thousand to a couple million years. It's happened only five times before in the past 540 million years of multicellular life on Earth. (The last great extinction occurred 65 million years ago, when the dinosaurs were wiped out.) At current rates of extinction, the study found, Earth will enter its sixth mass extinction within the next 300 to 2,000 years. "It's bittersweet, because we're showing that we have this crisis," study co-author Elizabeth Ferrer, a graduate student in biology at the University of California, Berkeley, told LiveScience. "But we still have time to fix this." Others aren't so optimistic that humans will actually do anything to stop the looming disaster, saying that politics is successfully working against saving species and the planet. * Foxnews
Read more http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/03/02/humans-verge-6th-great-mass-extinction-experts-say/?intcmp=obinsite

Hunting

A Gold Coast man is dead after a shotgun accidentally fired into his chest while he was driving. It's believed the victim, 51, was on a shooting trip with his friends and the gun was registered. He died at the scene before an ambulance arrived. The accident occurred at Linville, near Kilcoy, northwest of Caboolture, about 8pm yesterday. Police investigators said three other men were with him when the gun went off but there were no suspicious circumstances and no other injuries. *Courier Mail Ed Comment; We have to wonder what sort of a hunter would put a loaded shotgun in a vehicle with the barrrels pointing towards him. And what was he hunting with a shotgun anyway?

Nuclear Winter?

The fuel rods in the number two reactor at a quake-damaged nuclear power plant in Japan are again "fully exposed", officials said, boosting fears of an eventual partial meltdown. Air pressure inside the reactor at the Fukushima No.1 plant, located 250 kilometres north of Tokyo, rose suddenly when the air flow gauge was accidentally turned off, operator Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) said. That blocked the flow of cooling water into the reactor, leading to full exposure of the rods at around 11pm last (1.00am AEDT), TEPCO said. The 4m fuel rods were exposed to the air to a length of 3.7 metres. Water was later pumped back into the reactor, so the danger was unlikely to get worse in the short term, the company said. "We are not optimistic but I think we can inject water once we can reopen the valve and lower air pressure," a TEPCO official told reporters. * Yet there are still people (and politicians) in Australia who support the use of nuclear energy.

Whales

U.S. scientists using sound say they have made a significant discovery that sheds new light on the wintering grounds of the Pacific humpback whale. Researchers from the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the primary humpback breeding ground for the North Pacific was always thought to be the main Hawaiian Islands, ScienceDaily.com reported Wednesday. However, scientists recording whale songs have discovered these breeding grounds extend all the way throughout the Hawaiian Archipelago and into the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, also known as the Leeward Islands, a chain of small islands and atolls stretching thousands of miles northwest from the island of Kauai. An endangered species once near extinction, between 8,500 and 10,000 whales migrate to Hawaii each winter, while other humpback populations can be found in Taiwan, the Philippines, the Mariana Islands and Baja California. Marc Lammers, a researcher at HIMB, said, "These findings are exciting because they force us to re-evaluate what we know about humpback whale migration and the importance of the (Northwestern Hawaiian Islands) to the population."

Read more: http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2011/03/09/New-humpback-whale-wintering-grounds-found/UPI-90521299722145/#ixzz1GbtS9qh2

NT Blasting Questioned

The Northern Territory Environment Centre is calling on the Territory Government to tell the Japanese gas company Inpex it cannot set off explosive charges in Darwin Harbour. The centre says it is disappointing that Inpex did not rule out the option of blasting when updating recreational fishermen on its gas plant plans yesterday. The centre's Stuart Blanch says he still hopes the Government will tell Inpex it must use an alternative way to remove the Walker Shoal rock outcrop from its shipping channel. "I think they would come up with a no blasting option if Paul Henderson said: 'You will not blast our dolphins'," he said. "There are options on the table that if Inpex were made to put their mind to it I think they could come up quickly with a no blasting option."

Hanging Rock Wildlife

Wildlife volunteers want assurances there will be no killing of native wildlife at Hanging Rock and surrounds. Wildlife Network spokeswoman Fiona Corke said a call by a Macedon Ranges councillor to bring in help from the Department of Sustainability and Environment, Parks Victoria and Melbourne Water was not justified. At a previous council meeting, Cr Morabito called for council to bring in outside agencies because of the “alarming increase in numbers of kangaroos and wombats on private land”. However, the motion lapsed when it was not seconded. Cr Morabito had put up the same motion in May, but that was also defeated. He said wombats suffering mange and a boom in kangaroo numbers in the shire were problems, and outside agencies should be consulted on what to do about the problem. He said he wasn’t calling for a cull and criticised wildlife carers. “These people who purport to be animal lovers let these animals suffer and do nothing about it,” Cr Morabito said. But Ms Corke said a management plan was not necessary. “I don’t know why you’d kill the native animals that are contracting mange rather than the feral, introduced animals that are spreading it,” she said. Ms Corke said if any landholder had a problem with wombats or kangaroos on their property they should call the wildlife network. “We have a lot of knowledge and expertise in the shire and I’d like Cr Morabito to come to us before seeking outside help,” she said. *Macedon Ranges Leader

Crickets

A cricket plague has hit South Australia, but most are expected to hop until they drop within two weeks. Large numbers of the harmless insects have been seen throughout the state, including Adelaide's CBD. University of Adelaide entomology lecturer John Jennings said the explosion only happened once in about 50-100 years. "The conditions have been perfect for the crickets since last autumn when they laid their eggs," he said. "More than usual survived and they have thrived in the moderate conditions." He said he had never seen cricket numbers so high in SA. "It's uncommon to see crickets like this. You see it with other animals, like mice. "The crickets will probably die-off when there is some rainfall or a change in the moderate weather. I wouldn't expect them to come back like this next year." *Adelaide Now

NMIT Kangaroos

Krystal Demenna was devastated to find a dead joey at her parents’ rural Beveridge property last month. The Demenna’s Merriang Rd home is about 4km north-west of Eden Park, where the Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE has a permit to shoot 300 eastern grey kangaroos living on its Northern Lodge stud farm. Ms Demenna believes the lone joey died as a result of the cull. “They must have killed the mother because it (the joey) looked healthy,” she said. “I saw two wedgetailed eagles landing in the back paddock and I went to see what they were doing. “There was this little dead baby kangaroo. It was still warm and soft.” Ms Demenna said kangaroos used to gather in mobs of about 60 every evening at her parents’ home, but over the past two months the numbers had dropped. “They were a talking point; we had people coming here just to watch the kangaroos,” Ms Demenna said. “It’s very sad and I’m angry because I know they are shooting for no reason. They’ve (kangaroos) never damaged the property or our fences.” *Whittlesea Leader

Whittlesea Council fired off letters to the State Government and Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE last Wednesday asking a moratorium be placed on the culling of 300 kangaroos at Eden Park. West Ward councillor Frank Merlino, who prompted the action at the February 22 council meeting, said the council would wait for Environment Minister Ryan Smith’s response before investigating further options. “We’ve had a very strong response from the community and getting a moratorium on the culling is the most important thing,” Cr Merlino said. “It all depends on the information we get from the minister and from the (NMIT) board. “Hopefully we can look at options other than shooting.” Last month, Cr Merlino moved that the council investigate the possibility of taking over the 320ha Northern Lodge stud farm and turning it into a wildlife reserve.

His plan to review the council’s planning approval processes - to include provisions for wildlife relocation before development - was also passed unanimously. Northern Metropolitan Greens MP Greg Barber said the Department of Sustainability and Environment had issued countless unsubstantiated wildlife cull permits across Victoria before the Eden Park case. Through Freedom of Information, Mr Barber has asked for details of three cull permits, including Eden Park’s, and wants to initiate a state-wide reform. “There is no criteria for the issuing of wildlife destruction permits; they seem to be handed out willy-nilly,” he said. “The (permit) conditions are inconsistent from region to region.” He plans to start a formal debate once his Freedom of Information request is processed. *Whittlesea Leader

Kangaroo Research

Kangaroos used in a university experiment will be caged and suffer extreme distress from confinement, Animal Liberation says. The University of Wollongong will keep kangaroos in a cage 1m by 1.3m by 1.7m for nine months to measure the methane gas they expel, Animal Liberation executive director Mark Pearson said. "For the NSW State Government to approve such a pathetic experiment for someone's PhD on global warming is unconscionable," Mr Pearson said. "The same experiment was done 40 years ago." Professor Steve Garlick, a specialist in kangaroo rehabilitation, said the kangaroos were gentle, affectionate, free ranging social animals that lived on a diet of certain grasses and dirt. "This proposed experiment denies the kangaroo these basic needs and is therefore cruel in the extreme," he said. "The result is that the animal will be highly stressed in its confinement and will be subject to a range of disease and illness which will make survival unlikely and the research project totally flawed." But university spokesman Bernie Goldie said no decision had yet been made by the ethics committee about using kangaroos for an experiment. "The matter is still under consideration," Mr Goldie said. "The university fully abides with the various government regulation in place in regards to the use of animals." * News.com.au

Ed note; this story ran also in SMH, TheAge, The Australian, Yahoo News, PerthNow, Courier mail, Brisbane Times and Adelaide Now! But then......

A controversial animal trial at the University of Wollongong has been abandoned after the student behind the experiment cancelled his research, after widespread criticism. The State Government recently approved funding for a Wollongong PhD student to confine wild kangaroos and possibly wombats to cages measuring 1m by 1.3m by 1.7m for up to nine months, to measure the methane gas they expel. The Mercury understands the experiments were going to be used as part of a wider study on global warming. A university spokesman yesterday said a meeting of UOW's animal ethics committee, scheduled this month to determine the future of the project, had been cancelled. "The meeting has been cancelled as the researcher involved has withdrawn his application for the project," the spokesman said. "If the project had got to the committee stage, they would have had to consider the possibility of kangaroos and wombats being used as part of the research work. "The committee is comprised of people from the university as well as off-campus representatives from WIRES, the RSPCA and veterinary clinics. If it had gone through to the committee, due consideration would be made." Animal Liberation executive director Mark Pearson said the decision was a breakthrough for animal rights. "The experiment was going to be extremely cruel to those animals involved and it was certainly a very flawed piece of research," he said. "Not often are experiments exposed like this. "It shows that the structures and methods that the State Government's ethics committees have in place are flawed and do not meet the requirements of animal welfare that the public expects." *Illawarra Mercury

Roadkill Menu

When they first discussed dubbing their Wednesday evening menu ''Roadkill Night'', the owners of the Royal Mail on Spencer hotel in West Melbourne admit they were hesitant. ''It's not exactly politically correct,'' says co-owner Anna Lidgerwood, ''but it gets people talking, and they do want to try something a bit different.'' How different? Try a plate of camel sausages with mash ($17), an emu burger with the lot ($16) or ostrich filet mignon ($31). Wallaby, mutton bird, possum, venison, crocodile, goat and wild boar all turn up on the menu, as well as Cape Barren goose, the relatively mundane kangaroo, and today's colourful special, pheasant. The term ''roadkill'' is, mercifully, tongue-in-cheek but most of the meat dished up has been caught in the wild, just as our hunter-gatherer forebears used to do. And it's fresh. Royal Mail co-owner Peter Moore is a pilot, and flies regularly across Bass Strait to Flinders Island or north to places such as Wycheproof's Glenloth Game to collect delicacies.

One of the pioneers was Ken Lang, who started Yarra Valley Game Meats in 1984. These days, he says, thanks to the ever-broadening Australian palate and the influx of Mediterranean, Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine, game is booming. Mr Lang started off supplying venison, in between work as a bricklayer. His range has expanded to goat, camel, emu, duck, wild boar, rabbit, hare and kangaroo. The roo comes from interstate, which frustrates him. ''In Victoria the rule is no native fauna can be harvested for commercial gain,'' he says. ''Many, many kangaroos are culled each year, but they can't be utilised. It's a terrible waste.'' It's all the more frustrating with the floods up north restricting supply at the moment. But other meat is in demand. ''Wild rabbit has always been popular, but now there's great interest in hare, duck, pheasant and guinea fowl. Wild boar is slowly picking up too.''

Game meat has a number of fashionable qualities: it's high in protein, low in fat, and has a small carbon footprint because it has fed on whatever plants and water nature provided. ''It's the ultimate free-range,'' says Matt Fowles, a winemaker and keen hunter. He and his wife, Luise, launched the label Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch, an award-winning wine finessed to match the strong flavours of game. ''Increasingly, people want to understand the provenance of their food,'' Mr Fowles says. If you want evidence of game's growing popularity, just look at the number of books dedicated to it, he says. ''Fifteen years ago you could not a find a game cookbook. In the last couple of years we've seen this surge.'' Mr Fowles is presenting a dinner, Two Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, at this month's Melbourne Food & Wine Festival with Sarti chef Riccardo Momesso, aiming, he says, to bring some sanity to the debate about hunting.

''Everyone who eats meat should confront the reality,'' he says. ''We make sure our equipment is well maintained and it's a safe shot so the animal doesn't suffer. To my mind, it's more honest than going to a supermarket shelf.'' Game Dinner, Wednesday, March 9, Royal Mail on Spencer, West Melbourne. Two Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, Wednesday, March 9, Sarti, city. The Sunday Age is a sponsor of the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival. *Sunday Age

Eastern Cougar Extinct

Many locals swear they've seen a cougar in the wild of Western North Carolina mountains, but the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has news for them: the big cat is offiicially extinct. The eastern cougar has been on the endangered species list since 1973, but that has never slowed alleged sightings. Sometimes called catamount, puma, panther or mountain lion, Eastern cougars had largely disappeared from the wild by the late 1800s. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted a formal review and in a report issued today concluded the eastern cougar is extinct. The service also recommends the subspecies be removed from the endangered species list. “We recognize that many people have seen cougars in the wild within the historical range of the eastern cougar,” Martin Miller, the service’s Northeast Region Chief of Endangered Species, said in a press release. “However, we believe those cougars are not the eastern cougar subspecies. We found no information to support the existence of the eastern cougar.”

Reports of cougars observed in the wild examined during the review process described cougars of other subspecies, often South American subspecies, that had been held in captivity and had escaped or been released to the wild, according to the press release. Some were wild cougars of the western United States subspecies that had migrated eastward to the Midwest. During the review, the service received 573 responses to a request for scientific information about the possible existence of the eastern cougar. It also extensively reviewed U.S. and Canadian scientific literature and requested information from the 21 States within the historical range of the subspecies. No states expressed a belief in the existence of an eastern cougar population. Mark McCollough, the Service’s lead scientist for the eastern cougar, said the subspecies of eastern cougar has likely been extinct since the 1930s. In 2007, several residents of West Asheville reported seeing a cougar, but no hard evidence emerged. At the time, Gary Peeples, spokesman for the Asheville office of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, said the only evidence anyone turned in was a photo, and that turned out to be a bobcat.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park also had hired biologists to search for evidence of cougars in the mountains, but none has turned up any evidence. In 2007, park spokesman Bob Miller said "...the fact is we've never been able to sustain that we have a breeding population." The Fish & Wildlife Service did the review as part of its obligations under the Endangered Species Act. It will prepare a proposal to remove the eastern cougar from the endangered species list, since extinct animals are not eligible for protection under the Endangered Species Act. The proposal will be made available for public comment. In its press release, the service stated this decision has no bearing on the status of the Florida panther, another wild cat subspecies listed as endangered. Though the Florida panther once ranged throughout the Southeast, it now exists in less than five percent of its historic habitat and in only one breeding population of 120 to 160 animals in southwestern Florida. Additional information about eastern cougars, including frequently asked questions and cougar sightings, is at: http://www.fws.gov/northeast/ecougar. Find information about endangered species at http://www.fws.gov/endangered.

GBR Damage

Powerful cyclone Yasi caused patchy but severe damage to Australia's famed Great Barrier Reef when it tore through last month, with some areas little more than rubble, scientists said on Monday. But while pockets of centuries-old coral was destroyed and recovery may take decades, most of the damage was confined to areas with so little tourism that many of the reef sites don't even have names, with major areas spared. The assessment, carried out by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Authority (GBRMPA) and Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, surveyed 36 reefs or some 300 km (186 miles) of the 2,400 km-long reef that makes up the popular tourist site, which contributes billions of dollars to Australia's economy annually. "There were some reefs that were very severely damaged, in some of those areas there was hardly a coral left alive and big places of coral rubble and broken plates that had been ripped off the reef," said Paul Marshall, GBRMPA assessment co-ordinator. "That was pretty heart-wrenching, to see just how some of these areas have been affected. Some of these areas were coral gardens I knew quite well and now they're just reduced to rubble."

Yasi was rated a maximum-strength category five storm and was roughly the size of Italy. While corals known as "bommies" or coral heads are generally more robust, Marshall said that during the course of the survey they came across broken bommies, some up to 4 metres (13 ft 1.4 in) wide, lying on the ocean bed. "You start to imagine the force that must have been happening underwater," he said. The good news was that damage was quite patchy, with neighbouring reefs and coral structures in some cases remaining relatively unscathed, which will help foster rebuilding of the severely damaged areas.
Signs of recovery should start to emerge in about five years, but it will take more than 20 years to get good coral cover and some damage to the reef may take quite a lot longer to repair, Marshall added. He and his colleagues were also concerned about the potential impact from the devastating Queensland flooding that came in the months before Yasi, with toxic, pesticide-laden sediment carried out to the reefs stressing or damaging the fragile coral.

Though tourist areas near places such as Cairns escaped damage despite Yasi passing through them, a much larger threat remains due to global warming, which could lead to further devastating cyclones such as Yasi and the massive 2009 Cyclone Hamish, which had gusts of up to 295 km (183 miles) an hour. "If you look at the track of the last five major cyclones for the Great Barrier reef you do see a fair bit of overlap -- all affect similar areas, so some of these reefs have copped a 'triple whammy' from cyclones in the last couple of years," Marshall said. "With climate change the whole regime of disturbance is going to change, so we're very concerned these cumulative effect of disturbance after disturbance." The Great Barrier Reef (GBR.L) contains an abundance of marine life and comprises of over 2,000 individual reef systems and coral cays as well as hundreds of picturesque tropical islands. It contributes A$5.4 billion to the Australian economy every year from fishing, recreational use and tourism. *Reuters

440,000 Kangaroos Campaign, A call for the total ban of all kangaroo products across the European Union.

For Overseas Readers in the European Union, please support this Petition. Cause Petition is here http://www.causes.com/causes/478932-440-000-reasons-not-to-eat-kangaroo-meat?m=4fac76fd

Please write to EU in support of our petition being read on Wednesday 16 March. Send to: Erminia Mazzoni, the Chairwoman of the Petitions Committee: erminia.mazzoni@europarl.europa.eu

Dear Erminia Mazzoni, Chairwoman EU Petitions Committee
Reference:- On Wednesday 16 March 2011, Petition 1447/2009 will be tabled for discussion calling for a ban on all kangaroo products in EU. I want your vote to say "YES in favour of the ban."

As a concerned citizen, I am concerned that kangaroo products are available throughout the 27 Member States with no regard for the fate of at least 440,000 baby kangaroos, who are violently ripped from their dead or dying mother’s pouch, only to have their heads bashed in with a blunt object. I also lodge my concern that the young-at-foot babies face a slow death through dehydration, starvation and predation, once the mother is killed. In 2009 the adult kangaroos killed were estimated to be approximately 1.9 million which according to the kangaroo industry would mean some 20 per cent were females with babies. This means almost 800,000 baby animals were killed as a "by-product" of the industry. It is worth noting that the recent Seal ban brought in to protect seals referred to 330,000 animals. We are asking the ban to protect more then double number of kangaroo babies.

This appallingly cruel situation, whereby the biggest slaughter of wildlife land mammals is allowed to continue, is completely unacceptable to me as a caring citizen. Sports footwear companies are some of the biggest users of kangaroo skin. These companies (with the exception of NIKE*) are aware of the suffering of baby kangaroos but still continue to support the kangaroo killing industry in my country.

* NIKE stated in the press in 2010 that they were to "eradicate" kangaroo skins from their sports footwear as other materials were available.

These companies and those who profit from using kangaroo skin, have a commercial advantage over those who don't, as the public is not informed. Manufacturers and importers of kangaroo skin and products do not need to label their products as such and do it purely voluntary, which means that as a member of the public, I may not know what I am buying, which puts me at a disadvantage. Kangaroo meat products are of equal concern to me from a health and hygiene point of view in as much as there is clear evidence to show that kangaroo meat carries the parasitic disease toxoplasmosis, E.coli and salmonella bacteria, which would be harmful to my health. Initial tests carried out in Australia for the banned preservative E220 (Sulphur Dioxide) are starting to show up in some tested samples. This has great risk potential for all asthma sufferers who happen to eat kangaroo meat. On the 1st of August 2009 Russia placed a ban on all kangaroo meat for these very same reasons, yet the EU allows kangaroo meat across its borders without, it would seem, any proper control.

For these and other reasons, I request that you offer the same protection to baby kangaroos as you do to seals. I fully and without condition, support the ban calling for the prohibition of kangaroo products namely but not exclusively:-

1. Any Kangaroo product (meat, skin, finished other products) from entering the EU from third countries like Indonesia, Australia and others

2. The restriction of trade in all kangaroo products and especially in the case of football boots.

I call on you as my elected MEP to "Vote YES in favour of the ban" at the committee meeting on Wednesday 16 March 2011 I look forward to hearing of your support of Petition 1447/2009.

Yours sincerely

(ADD YOUR NAME AND COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE)

Wildlife Flood and Storm Appeal

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. If you would like to help the wildlife flood and cyclone victims you can donate here, tax-deductible within Australia. Donate here..... http://www.kangaroo-protection-coalition.com/floodwildlife.html

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