Wildlife Bytes 17/8/11

Leading Story

A 300,000-strong bat colony is set to be “moved on” from Gayndah in the next five weeks – but where it will go, nobody knows. North Burnett Regional Council workers will start cutting branches from the trees where the animals roost in about five weeks time. It is a move that will pave the way for future flying fox colony relocations, with the Department of Environment and Resources pouring $40,000 into monitoring the impacts of dispersing the animals and the risk of spreading hendra virus. “We have to wait about five weeks until the little bats are able to fly before we move them on,” Mayor Joy Jensen said. “Where are these bats going to go? No one knows. But the permit has been granted for the full township of Gayndah so at least we know we can work on them until they leave.” Ms Jensen said residents were sick and tired of the bats, which not only posed a health risk but had caused “immeasurable” damage to the town’s riverbank since they arrived in September last year. A number of businesses had also been hit hard by the “smelly” and “noisy” colony, particularly the ones located along the river. “There has been no explanation as to why they’re in such large numbers. It’s an unbelievable sight to see that many bats hanging in so few trees,” Ms Jensen said. Anyone who couldn’t understand why residents were so distressed should come and have a look for themselves, Ms Jensen said. “It hasn’t been a pleasant situation and it’s driven a lot of people to say and threaten to do a lot of things they wouldn’t consider under normal circumstances. “Residents feel the bats were given priority over them.” *Fraser Coast Chronicle

Gt Barrier Reef

Pesticides are harming the Great Barrier Reef according to a study of water quality in the area. Dangerous levels of pesticides have been found up to 60 kilometres inside the World Heritage area, and threaten coral and sea grass beds. The WWF has called for limiting the use of pesticides including a ban on using Diuron. The report says that practices can be improved in the horticulture industry, but also in the sugar cane industry. *Ecomedia

Live Export; Today is National Call Your MP Day!
Tomorrow, Thursday, 18th August, the future of live exports will rest in the hands of our elected representatives in Canberra. Federal politicians will be presented a historic opportunity to right a dreadful wrong and end Australia's cruelest trade. If the Government rejects the proposed legislation and continues to support live export, it will be condemning millions of animals to unspeakable brutality and putting short-term profit before long-term benefits to the economy and Australian jobs. The animals need just 5 minutes of your time. With thousands of people making one urgent call to their elected member today, politicians will hear loud and clear that those they represent want an end to the cruelty. Please join us in a "National Call Your MP Day" urging politicians nationwide to support the Bills to end live export. This is your last chance to make your voice heard before the vote. Whether this is the first or twenty-first time you'll call your MP, please take this important opportunity to speak up.Please also call Julia Gillard's office (02) 6277 7700 to urge her to put the Bills to a conscience vote and free up politicians to honestly represent the will of the Australian public and support the Bills without the threat of being expelled from their party.
Click on the link below to find out who your local MP is: http://www.animalsaustralia.org/features/national-call-your-MP-day.php

Media Madness

In the wake of the recent Murdoch scandals in the UK, and other media excesses in Australia, like the flying fox, possum, and kangaroo media demonisation campaigns, many people think it’s time to take a look at our media here in Australia, and consider how we can support quality journalism. However, transforming our media is going to take a sustained, strategic, long-term commitment. NewsStand is a new organisation working for a fair and diverse media. They are hitting the ground running with a petition for a parliamentary inquiry, so we can start the conversation about what changes are needed right now. The latest intelligence from Canberra is that Cabinet will discuss whether or not to hold a media inquiry as early as Monday next week. NewsStand have arranged to deliver their petition that very day.
Sign the petition on their new website here .... http://www.NewsStand.org.au

Sparrows

Chirping sparrows are actually trading insults like gangster rappers, a new study has shown. What sounds like harmonious song is really the noise of males trying to appear macho, say researchers. And, just like humans, most of the boasting and trading of insults is done to impress the girls. "Song sharing among sparrows is actually an aggressive behaviour akin to flinging insults back and forth," said lead researcher Janet Lapierre, from the University of Western Ontario in Canada. Sparrows have a large repertoire of songs but, when advertising for a mate, males stick to a 'greatest hits' selection that they perform repeatedly. "The birds sing as aggressively and loudly as possible," said Ms Lapierre. Sparrows living in more competitive environments are likely to perform a more aggressive but smaller selection of songs, the researchers say. This is like trying to prove themselves in a tough neighbourhood. Those living in less competitive areas are more likely to sing their own songs rather than compete with other males by chirping the same tunes as them, the study adds. The research has been published in the journal Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology. *Orange.co.uk

Golf Course Kangaroos

Meadow Springs Golf and Country Club (WA) is promoted as ‘golf as nature intended’ but increased kangaroo numbers from encroaching development has decimated the biodiversity of the club’s bushland. Course superintendent Greg Simmonds fears the grounds could soon resemble wasteland. For 25 years Mr Simmonds maintained 40ha of natural bushland at the course. “As surrounding land was developed, I wanted this parcel of bushland to be a legacy for future generations to see what was endemic to the area before the development,” he said. But Mr Simmonds’ dreams have been thwarted because he claims the golf course has become a dumping ground for kangaroos. “Last summer the undergrowth was gnawed to oblivion and the grounds were thick with roo faeces,” he said. “The kangaroos eat all the native understorey and leave the weeds. “Any new shoots are eaten. “The whole ecosystem will be changed with the understorey depleted.” Mr Simmonds said kangaroos had already cleared 20ha of natural vegetation. “Through no fault of our own the kangaroos have become our problem,” he said. “All my efforts will be for nothing. I feel disheartened and need help.” The transient nature of the kangaroos meant it was hard to determine their numbers. About 180 kangaroos were counted on one occasion and about 100 of them were carrying joeys. *Inmycommunity Mandura

Wildlife Trade

Even pygmy spiny-tailed skinks have DNA which can link them to the scene of a crime. More used to investigating murders, ex-homicide cop Steven James is now part of a crack team of investigators taking on one of the fastest-growing criminal industries - the illegal trade in Australian wildlife. Acting on a tip-off, the squad found the seven pygmy spiny-tailed skinks among about 100 other animals when they raided the Northmead home of a 52-year-old reptile collector. The collector said he had bought them from a registered breeder. The Australian Crime Commission this year revealed criminal groups linked to the illegal trade in wildlife were highly specialised and had networks, methodologies and illicit markets. Sometimes drugs are the currency of payment. Native animals including western bearded dragons, parrots, thorny devils, northern green tree frogs and oblong turtles were among 36 reptiles and amphibians seized in 600 operations as part of the Interpol-led Operation RAMP. *Telegraph
Read More .. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/sydney-nsw/experts-crack-down-on-an-animal-act-the-illegal-trade-in-australian-wildlife/story-e6freuzi-1226114088396


The North Carolina Museum of Natural History is taking care of an extra 60 snakes and lizards this week, many of which have deadly venom. It’s not part of an exhibit though – the reptiles were seized from a man’s mobile home in western North Carolina. More than 50 of them are venomous, including several species of rattlesnakes, cobras, and the largest kind of viper in the world. Henderson County sheriffs deputise also found nearly 100 dead and frozen reptiles in the mobile home. They searched it after a local hospital told them a man had been bitten by a poisonous snake, according to the Hendersonville Times-News. The Museum of History will hold onto the snakes and lizards while authorities decide whether to press charges against the owner. *TimesNews

Saving Wildlife

Bob Irwin explains why he is trying his best to save our wildlife .. http://wildtimeonline.blogspot.com/2011/08/save-australias-dugongs-and-turtles-in.html http://www.mixcloud.com/player/

Gibbons

Scientists have uncovered the secret behind the extraordinary jumping ability of the white-handed gibbon, capable in the wild of leaping across more than 10 metres in gaps in the forest canopy. Using high-speed cameras and laser measurement, researchers recorded two captive gibbons - one an adult male, the other a juvenile female - as they jumped between trunks at a wildlife park in Belgium. They found the apes were able, in a single movement, to accelerate their bodies to a stunning 8.3 metres per second - nearly 30km/h - in order to make a vertical jump of 3.5 metres. To achieve this performance, the gibbon (Hylobates lar) needs to muster a reserve of pent-up energy and release it efficiently in a jolt through its muscles, tendons and skeletons. But the gibbon's biomechanics are not those of specialised leapers, like the locust, the flea and bushbaby, whose anatomies have been sculpted by evolution to make them super-jumpers. The ape, a native of tropical forests in south-east Asia, does the trick through a mixture of resources, the investigators believe.
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/environment/animals/gibbons-leap-secrets-unveiled-20110810-1imi3.html#ixzz1V2LpGIH3

Albatrosses

A young albatross that had lost its bearings had to be given some tender, loving care by an East Coast resident this week. The shy albatross was found far from sea sitting in the corner of a paddock at Seymour, north of Bicheno, on Tuesday. Fearing it was hurt, the owner of the property called Parks and Wildlife. Wildlife biologist Kris Carlyon said shy albatrosses had only three colonies in the world, all in Tasmania. "Obviously a paddock is not where an albatross should be so Parks and Wildlife staff from Freycinet boxed it up and brought it to Hobart," Mr Carlyon said. However, he said this episode was hard to explain. "This happens rarely and they are an oceanic species," he said. "When we've seen this before it's following a big storm or weather event, but there was nothing like that on the East Coast." Wildlife officers found the young bird was slightly underweight but not injured. "They're such big birds they need quite a long runway to get airborne," Mr Carlyon said. "It could be that he got stuck in the corner of a paddock where there wasn't room to take off." After keeping the 4-5kg youngster overnight, the bird was taken to waters near Bruny Island and released on Wednesday. "We just took it out and dropped it off the side of the boat, they're quite happy sitting on the surface," Mr Carlyon said. "He stretched his wings, spent about 30 seconds getting his bearings, then got a big run up and took off." *Mercury

Snakes

A Yellow-Faced Whip Snake attacked by a cat has been treated and released by The Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital. The Hospital luclily found only some small superficial wounds over the middle of the body. After a total of four days in care at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital, Angus was successfully released back into native habitat. Over 153 animals have been admitted so far this year as a result of a domestic cat attack. Accoding to the Queensland Museum, the Yellow-faced Whip Snake is very slender and is pale bluish grey to light olive green. It typically has a reddish tinge on the neck and front third of its back. The eye is large and is encircled by a pale ring. There is a black, comma-shaped marking beneath the eye and a dark, pale-edged line on the tip of the snout running between the nostrils. The belly is usually greenish-grey. This species grows to 1 m. This snake is widespread over a large portion of mainland Australia, found in open forests, farmland and suburban gardens. The Yellow-faced Whip Snake is potentially dangerous and should be treated with caution. The symptoms are usually local. If bitten, apply first aid and seek urgent medical attention. *WPAA

Sharks

Hammerhead sharks are being targeted by Lake Macquarie (NSW) fishermen seeking food and thrills, and a washed-up shark is thought to have been hooked first. A marine biologist said a hammerhead carcass found on Saturday at Myuna Bay, where another hammerhead beached and died last month, had probably been caught. ‘‘My guess would be that these sharks were killed and possibly dumped,’’ Department of Primary Industries shark biologist Vic Peddemors said. ‘I think it’s an incidental mortality rather than a natural mortality.’’ Some lake anglers are targeting hammerheads for their size and prestige. Several videos of hammerheads in the lake have popped up on YouTube and one shows two men on a boat hooking a shark, reeling it in and letting it go. *Newcastle Herald

Greens' MP Cate Faehrmann is on the New South Wales mid-north coast highlighting risks faced by the grey nurse shark. Ms Faehrmann, the Greens' environment spokeswoman, dived at Fish Rock near South West Rocks yesterday, a well known aggregation point for the sharks. She says the experience confirmed to her the need for protection of the species at Fish Rock. Ms Faehrmann says fishing bans that were in place before last year's election should be reinstated. "When you go down there and see the number of sharks that are hanging out at the bottom, it isn't rocket science to think that if you have fishing boats over the areas where these shark sleep during the day, hang out during the day, feed at night, then they are going to get accidentally hooked," she said. "It isn't rocket science. It really has to happen. "Divers and locals are telling me that boats are there almost every day. "Recreational fishing charter boats are going out to Fish Rock and fishing directly over the top of the grey nurse shark aggregation site. "Now the grey nurse shark hang down the bottom and they do take bait. "There was a study that the Department of Primary Industries has that of course shows that grey nurse shark take bait and they do get hooked." *ABC

Climate Change

About half of the recent record loss of Arctic sea ice can be blamed on global warming caused by human activity, a leading climate research centre has found. The study, funded by the US National Science Foundation is the first to attribute a specific proportion of the ice melt to greenhouse gases and pollution. It used one of the world's most sophisticated climate models to reach its conclusions, said lead author Jennifer Kay, a scientist at the National Centre for Atmospheric Research in Colorado. The paper was published last week in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. Ms Kay said her study was an attempt to learn how much Arctic Ocean melting could be attributed to ''natural variability'' and how much to greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide. In doing so, she was also able to look ahead to future fluctuations. She said conditions would become more volatile from year to year. That meant there would be years, perhaps decades, when the ice pack expands. But the trend is in the other direction. *Age
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/environment/climate-change/humans-to-blame-for-half-of-arctic-sea-ice-melt-says-study-20110815-1iuv0.html#ixzz1VDlw9UOS

Koalas and Logging

State forests is defending its strategy for koala safety during its logging operations. Logging is scheduled to start next week in the Boambee State Forest. Conservationists say Boambee is one of the last remaining key habitats for north coast koalas. David Wilson from Forests New South Wales says the search for koalas before logging is thorough. "We do a data base search, show our records, we then do another search on the ground and then when the operation commences it's true that the supervising officer is required and also the logging crews, all of these people have attended ecology training," he said. "I know they know what a koala looks like." However, the vice-president of the North Coast Environment Council, Susie Russell, says the system for protecting koalas is far from adequate. "You've got to remember that the guys who are marking up the forest, who are advancing only a couple of hundred metres in front of the machinery, they don't have time or the training to scrabble around at the base of the tree trying to count koala droppings," she said. "I mean they are quite hard to see and that's really the only mechanism that they have for identifying koala habitat." *ABC

Another Fish Kill

A giant groper has died in the Burrum River, (Qld) prompting speculation as to why fish are perishing in an apparently healthy waterway. The stench of decaying fish hangs over sections of the river and stunned barramundi are reportedly being caught by hand as they swim aimlessly in the shallows. Lifetime local Peter Pearson said he had never seen anything like it in his time living and fishing in the region. After finding a dead Queensland estuary groper near his Pacific Haven property on Thursday, Mr Pearson said it was time something was done about the problem. “I would have seen 10 dead barra today,” he said. “And that groper, they are hardy critters, it takes a fair bit to knock one of those around.” After 49 years spent on and around the Burrum, Mr Pearson said the river had always been one of the cleanest in the region. “We used to test the water monthly, used to send it away for analysis and never found anything wrong with it,” he said. He also dismissed the theory that cold water was responsible for the string of recent fish deaths. “It's not the water temperature; we've had colder winters than this and fish didn't die, plus there were a lot more barra then. “I'm worried about it; of course we are worried. We've lived nearby all this time and what's happening is new in our experience.” A spokesperson from the Department of Environment and Resource Management said reports had been made to Wide Bay Water and the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI). DERM will continue to liaise with those groups and will conduct an investigation as further information becomes available,” the spokesperson said. *FC Chronicle

Gouldian Finch

The Northern Territory Government says it is still concerned about the future of the Gouldian finch, despite considering taking it off the endangered species list. The move is one of 75 recommended changes to wildlife classifications in the Territory. Department of Natural Resources spokesman Simon Ward says the birds are not going to die out as quickly as was previously thought. Populations of the rare finch are no longer declining and there are signs of a recovery in numbers, he says. If the reclassification is approved, the Gouldian finch would go from being listed as endangered to vulnerable. "We are getting more frequent reports of larger numbers of birds," Mr Ward said. "It is easier to see them around Katherine but they are also popping up in places like the Victoria River district. "There are also quite large populations in the Maningrida area, quite large relative to what they were of course." He said there were a number of reasons for the recovery in Gouldian Finch numbers. These included better land management and fire regimes. The Environment Department says it is working to address threats to wildlife in the Territory. Environment Minister Karl Hampton says work is being done to address threats to wildlife in the Territory. "We know that the biodiversity of our landscape, of our animals and plants is very delicate," he said. "We know there are a number of issues that we have to deal with in terms of feral animals, particularly the cane toad in the Top End and the cat in central Australia, as well as the threat of fires." The recommended changes to wildlife classifications are open for public comment until early next month. *ABC

Ancient Birds

Scientists believe they have found the complete fossilised skeleton of a prehistoric wedge-tailed eagle during excavations on the Nullarbor Plain. The fossils were found in a cave known as Leaena's Breath about 100 kilometres north-west of Eucla in Western Australia, just over the South Australian border. The excavation work is being carried out by scientists from Flinders University and the Western Australian Museum. The discovery was made in a pit about one metre deep. Palaeontologist Dr Gavin Prideaux from Flinders University says the bones are likely to belong to a wedge-tailed eagle or a closely related species. "We're very confident that they're older than 780,000 years of age and we think they might be perhaps even a million or more. That's yet to be verified but they're certainly in the vicinity of a million years old or so," he said. "As soon as we pull [the bones] out we preserve them and wrap them up so we haven't really got a good opportunity to study them and what we really need to do to ascertain whether it is a different species to the wedge-tailed eagle or not is get those bones back to the lab." "We're hopeful that it will in fact be a different species or perhaps even an ancestor of the modern wedge-tailed eagle," he said. Dr Prideaux says the cave is ideal for the work because it has acted as a death trap for birds for at least a million years. He says the discovery is exciting because very little is known about the history of the wedge-tailed eagle. "It's such an iconic species in Australia's fauna. It's the largest predatory bird and we know very little of its history. So because it's such a brilliantly preserved specimen, perhaps a complete skeleton, it's going to provide us with a much better appreciation of the history of that animal." *ABC

Possums

A second man who admitted torturing, burning and blowing up possums appeared in court yesterday. Callum Dane Broomhall, 20, of Main Rd, Meander, pleaded guilty in the Launceston Magistrates Court to three counts of animal cruelty. He also pleaded guilty to two counts of doing an act which caused the death of an animal, five counts of taking wildlife without a permit and four counts of illegal hunting. He was remanded in custody for sentence on August 26. Last month Mr Broomhall's co-accused Jason Stephen Hampton, 20, of Deloraine, received a two-month suspended sentence and 98 hours of community service after spending 13 days in jail awaiting sentence. The court heard that the two men had tortured, burned and blown up possums in a systematic demonstration of cruelty in 2009. Broomhall and Hampton had videoed the torture acts in Deloraine and Bronte Park, and their actions came to the attention of the RSPCA after they openly talked about them in public. RSPCA prosecutions officer Glenn Carey said the men used a vehicle to catch the brushtail possums and filmed the acts of cruelty. "There was systematic killing and wounding of five possums over a sustained period," Mr Carey said. "It was not just one act or one night." Three counts comprised the men driving a car at the possums, one count involved the stabbing of a caged possum with a knife on a stick and a third count involved beating the possum to death with a broom handle. Three of the possums were set on fire and blown up. Mr Carey said the animals would have suffered much pain and they died in an extremely brutal way. Magistrate Tim Hill described the offences as deliberate and callous acts. And he said Hampton had taken sadistic pleasure from the acts. *Mercury

Become a Wildlife Warrior

By making a one-off donation or joining our monthly giving program you can become part of a global wildlife force that is working hard to preserve our natural environment. Monthly Giving Program; Sign up to become a regular giver for wildlife conservation! Donations start from as little as $2.50 a week and can go to helping our native wildlife at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital. Nearly 100 wildlife emergency calls are received every day at the Hospital, Up to 30 different species are admitted to the hospital every day, Currently around 80 koalas undergoing treatment, Approximately 70% of patients are victims of car accidents or domestic pet attacks, The cost to treat one animal ranges from $100 to thousands of dollars To sign up or find out more please visit http://www.wildlifewarriors.org.au

WA Wallabies Saved

A four month operation to save wallabies marooned by floodwaters on small islands in Lake Argyle is over. “In the future, we know these islands are going to be cut off from the mainland and we may have to respond to future wallaby entrapments.”—Mr Terry. Image: flickr One NelsDepartment of Environment and Conservation Wildlife Officer Len Terry who led the operation said recent Kimberley floods had isolated 600–700 wallabies on what was normally a rocky headland. He said rising floodwaters caused the animals to retreat on to what became two temporary islands and four small outcrops. Neither the agile wallaby (Macropus agilis nigrescens) nor the nail-tail wallabies (Onychogalea unguifera) are endangered species. “[To save them] was more of an animal welfare issue,” Mr Terry said.

Local veterinarian Sarah Brett, who volunteered to assess the animals, was on the initial helicopter flight in March that landed on one of the islands. “It was a brief visit to reduce stress to the animals,” Ms Brett said. DEC biologist Winston Kay said macropods (kangaroos and wallabies) are susceptible to a potentially fatal condition called capture myopathy. Affected animals may die acutely from lactic acidosis or may live several days and show muscular stiffness or become recumbent. Sarah Brett while visiting the island noted a number of wallabies had already died as a result of stress. “The majority of those that were dead were nail-tailed wallabies.” Mr Terry said he began bringing commercially sourced feed to the animals and later took the difficult decision to trap and relocate most of them to the mainland. The wallabies were removed by boat using static traps and a hand net, placing the animals in hessian bags.

Mr Terry said they were then released on a flat sand plain near Lake Argyle’s Main Dam, about 30km from the islands. Orphaned juveniles were placed in the care of Sarah Brett, who also runs a voluntary service called Kimberley Wildlife Rescue from her veterinary practice. “They were considered too small or weak to release on the mainland,” Ms Brett said. Mr Terry said he expects flooding of a similar level to occur about once every 10 years and this flood event has enabled them to establish “trigger points” in water level heights. “In the future, we know these islands are going to be cut off from the mainland and we may have to respond to future wallaby entrapments.” About 330 wallabies were relocated with 25 of the animals retained on the islands with supplementary feeding over a four-month period. Despite relocating over 300 wallabies, a similar number died while trapped on the islands. He said about 90 per cent of the animals stranded were agile wallabies and 10 per cent were nail-tail wallabies. The operation was a joint effort involving the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC), Kimberley Wildlife Rescue, and Lake Argyle Cruises which supplied the boat. *ScienceNetwork

Whaling

Japan's powerful Fisheries Agency has publicly floated the idea of ending the country's controversial whaling program. A report by an official agency panel has raised the option stopping the whaling program, saying constant harassment by the militant Sea Shepherd conservation group has made whaling too dangerous for Japanese crews. Harassment by Sea Shepherd has limited the whaling fleet's effectiveness, and last season it was forced to return to Japan after harpooning only a fifth of its total quota of whales. The agency panel was convened to examine the impact of Sea Shepherd's actions and make recommendations for the upcoming Southern Ocean whaling season. Panel member Hisa Anan says she does not believe Sea Shepherd will ever stop its anti-whaling campaign. "The crew of the whaling fleet should not be exposed to danger, and the government should not force the fleet to go out," Ms Anan said. "So, I think Japan should end its research whaling." Only a minority of the fisheries panel agreed with Ms Anan's call to end the whaling program.

Other options include keeping the whaling expeditions as they are, or scaling back operations in the Antarctic and taking a smaller catch. For advocates of the whaling program, any talk of putting the harpoons away is defeatism and a capitulation to what is denounced as Sea Shepherd's "eco-terrorism". Masayuki Komatsu, a former Japanese representative to the International Whaling Commission, argues the whalers are doing nothing wrong. "We believe this is perfectly legal and scientifically justified," he said. "We should not give up." Mr Komatsu's assertion that the whaling program is scientifically vital is dismissed by Ms Anan. "Research whaling has been conducted for more than 20 years now," Ms Anan said. "I think they've gathered enough scientific data. And even if they want more, they can conduct non-lethal research."

But increasingly, more and more Japanese are calling an end to whaling because of the high cost of the program. According to Japan's Nikkei newspaper, it costs around $40 million a year to equip and supply the fleet and send it thousands of kilometres south. Few Japanese want to eat the meat the fleet harvests, and it mostly ends up in growing stockpiles in freezers around the country. With the whaling fleet due to embark on its annual hunt in November, Japan's Fisheries Agency has just three months to make a decision whether to continue with the program. *ABC

Penguins

Granite Island's (SA) penguin population is on the brink of being wiped out. The number of penguins at the popular tourist destination has dropped from 1548 to 146 in the past 10 years and researchers fear tomorrow's penguin census will reveal the trend is continuing. But penguin experts who work on the island say culling seals, an idea raised this week over concerns for Kangaroo Island's disappearing penguin population, is not the answer. Natalie Gilbert, who works in penguin management and conservation at Granite Island Nature Park, said investigations had begun to determine what was responsible for the decrease. "We need to investigate all possibilities," Ms Gilbert told the Sunday Mail. "We shouldn't be making such important decisions (on culling seals) without being completely knowledgeable on the subject. We haven't been able to pinpoint the problem." City of Victor Harbor director of planning and regulatory services Graham Pathuis said council would wait for recommendations from the research before determining if they could help. Mr Pathuis said council would have to look at shifting the direction of local tourism if the penguins disappeared all together from the island. "It's a long-standing tourism activity associated with Granite Island," he said.

But he was confident if the species vanished from the area tourism would not be affected overall. "There might be a shift, with more of a focus on other things; we have a large variety of tourism attractions." Ms Gilbert said work was already being done to address the declining penguin numbers, including research and improving the habitat on Granite Island to encourage breeding. A program encouraging people to bring in any dead penguins they discovered for autopsy was proving useful and indicated disease was not responsible for deaths. "Some carcasses show definite evidence of predators," Ms Gilbert said. "There's nothing conclusive. There's no doubt seals are involved but to what extent?" As well as seals, other potential threats included dogs and cats, rats and possums. As part of the program to save the Granite Island penguins, motion sensor cameras have been set up on the island to capture footage of predators in the penguin colonies.

Penguins are also being tagged with microchips for future identification and a tag reader has been installed that records when the penguin goes to and from the sea. School children and volunteers recently made and installed 35 penguin nesting boxes. Vegetation on the island is also closely monitored to ensure it meets the penguins' needs and Ms Gilbert said fish stocks did not appear to be a problem for the penguins. Penguin ecologist Annelise Wiebkin said while there was no denying seals were part of the problem, culling them was not the answer. "If we started culling them we would have to keep that up at a huge rate and also they're a native species," Ms Wiebkin said. "And there's just not enough information to prove it's going to work." Ms Wiebkin said the best way of dealing with the problem was managing things on the land. "If land predators like cats, rats and dogs are an issue - which have been in other colonies in Australia - if we can address that and improve habitat, that might counteract things happening out at sea," she said. She said some areas of Granite Island could be fenced off to protect the penguins from land predators. *Adelaide Now

Anti-Land Clearing Campaign

Outspoken animal rights campaigner Jaylene Musgrave says she has been the target of bullying and death threats, but it won’t stop her continuing her passionate campaign to protect animals. And she was true to her word yesterday, adding mining magnate Clive Palmer and Coast MP Alex Somlyay to the list of people she risks upsetting with her campaign. Ms Musgrave has challenged Mr Palmer, Queensland’s richest man, to make a real commitment to caring for wildlife at the Hyatt Regency Coolum he recently purchased and attacked Mr Somlyay, the Federal Member for Fairfax, for failing to condemn live animal export. Speaking at an animal protection rally at Cotton Tree Park yesterday morning, Ms Musgrave said she did not fear either of the public figures but was “embarrassed for them”. “I learned a long time ago not to be scared because the animals don’t have a lot of people out there fighting for them,” she said. “I have had death threats from the rodeo and circus industries ever since I started this journey. If fear stays us, then nothing is achieved.”

Mr Somlyay declined an invitation to attend yesterday’s rally, which attracted about 30 people, but released a statement which failed to condemn live animal export, as Ms Musgrave had hoped. He said there was no need for animals to be mistreated anywhere. “I was employed in the export inspection branch of Primary Industry in the era when the American meatworks insisted we had on-site meat inspectors under veterinary supervision,” his statement said. “The Americans insisted that Australian meatworks met their standards if we wanted to export meat into their markets. “Many northern Australian families rely on the live export trade and I support this industry.” A Coolum resident for seven years, Ms Musgrave also took a swipe at the land-clearing history of Mr Palmer’s newly acquired resort, claiming the land was being “raped” by bulldozers. “The resort’s website trumpets how they think holistically about the environment and replenish the planet, but because they make such gluttony of money from land clearing in our region, they should make a substantial contribution to the ongoing rescue and care of wildlife here,” she said. Ms Musgrave said she was yet to receive a reply from Mr Palmer. *SC Daily

Kangaroo Industry

The export of kangaroo meat is a multi-million dollar industry but right now, it’s hanging on by its fingertips – or paws, as the case may be. The $200 million industry has seen more than 200 jobs lost since the Russian Government blocked imports from meat producers in 25 countries over food safety concerns two years ago, citing hygiene concerns. The Russian market took up 70 per cent of all kangaroo exports. Executive officer of the Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia (KIAA), John Kelly, said processing was down 50pc as a direct result and processing centres across Australia were closing. "The processing of kangaroo meat across the country has halved since trade to Russia halted,” Mr Kelly said. “There’s kangaroo processing premises closed in places like Brewarrina, Walgett and Broken Hill, and in Queensland at Charleville, St George, Roma and Longreach – the list goes on – and we think those towns deserve a bit more than that. “We’d like to see the Federal Government get a bit more active on the issue.”

In March, a Russian delegation – including the country’s agriculture minister – visited Australia to investigate the procedures for processing kangaroo meat. During talks about what needed to be done to get kangaroo meat back into the country, Russia’s agriculture minister asked Australian Trade Minister, Craig Emerson, to lend support to Russia’s efforts to join the World Trade Organisation. Discussions have remained largely quiet since then but Mr Kelly said last week, the Federal Government picked the issue back up again. “We’re now waiting to see what happens,” he said. “The other market we have been working on is China.” “Protein-hungry” China has been in talks with the Australian kangaroo industry for several years and Mr Kelly said he thought there was a good chance trade to China would be opened before Russia. More than $100 million in export income has been lost since the closure of Russia, as well as 60pc of the processing capacity being sidelined.

Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) now want to increase fees to kangaroo meat processors and harvesters by 40pc. “Last year the take of kangaroos was half the level we had when we had Russia, and the lowest in 25 years," Mr Kelly said. “This downturn is driven almost entirely by the Russian suspension. “If we get Russia back tomorrow, it would turn around almost instantaneously.” While the sustainability of pastoral activities in much of the Australian arid rangelands was under constant investigation, they are currently supporting a large population of kangaroos which, if uncontrolled, would threaten the economic viability of the pastoral industry and the environmental sustainability of huge tracks of land. These are fragile areas which can support a limited number of grazing animals, according to the KIAA. The KIAA said allowing the grazing pressure from all animals to increase was one of the most serious environmental hazards in the rangelands.

During the past 40 years a significant industry has developed which utilises the kangaroo resource. Initially its focus was largely on pest control for the pastoral industries, however, there has been a growing realisation that the kangaroo industry has significant economic and environmental benefits. Mr Kelly said intensive kangaroo farming was not a commercial proposition mainly because handling and husbandry presents difficulties, as does the low reproduction and growth rates in captivity. Rangeland farming would be high cost due to the amount and type of fencing required. Mr Kelly said the long–term future for the kangaroo industry (five to 10 years) was looking very strong. “There may be an opportunity some time down the track for pastoralists to devote some space to feeding kangaroos – the demand is definitely there to push that situation if we can get the numbers.”

At Southern Game Meat Pty Ltd, Seven Hills, the processing of kangaroo meat is mainly focused on that for human consumption, particularly for export. “We were mainly focused on the export component to Russia until July 2009,” Southern Game Meat manager, Greg Bates, said. He said the biggest demand for kangaroo meat was from Russia, with China still a relatively unknown quantity. Other markets such as the Philippines and Ukraine were also being investigated, however, exports to the European Union – in particular, France and Germany – and to Japan, South Africa, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, continued. Prior to the closure of the Russian market, Mr Bates said Southern Game Meat were processing about 20,000 bodies a week. Currently, that is back to 4000. The company has two processing facilities, at Walgett for the domestic trade and at Hamilton, Queensland, for export. Export-bound meat goes directly from the Hamilton facility, while the domestic product is sent to Seven Hills for distribution. Vacuum sealed packs are used for distribution, largely to the restaurant trade. Mr Bates said the most popular cuts were the primal and leg cuts, particularly the fillets, for both the domestic and export trades. Kangaroo skins were also exported in “pickled” condition (the first stage of tanning). “Kangaroo leather is one of the strongest in the world,” Mr Bates said. *Land