Fraser Island Dingoes
The last of two dingoes who attacked a three-year-old girl on Fraser Island has been caught and has also been put down, says a spokesman from the Department of Environment and Resource Management He said witnesses gave descriptions of the dogs' ear tags, which contain up to three colours, to identify the animals involved in the attack. A male and female dingo were destroyed after the incident at Hook Point yesterday afternoon. Department of Environment and Resource Management general manager Terry Harper said the dingoes were humanely destroyed. Authorities said the wild dog bit the girl's legs, inflicting several puncture wounds. "It looks like she was about to board the barge when it happened," a Department of Community Safety said. The attack occurred about 2.45pm, at the southern end of an island famed for its natural environment but synonymous also with problem dingoes.
The girl's injuries were not serious and authorities were unsure if she needed to stay overnight at Gympie Hospital. "She was with family members when the attack occurred,'' Mr Harper said. "The girl received first aid at the site and then was taken to Gympie Hospital for treatment to her wounds. Mr Harper also reminded visitors to the island to be aware of the animal. "All visitors should be careful," he said. "They need to keep their distance from dingoes and follow the safety message available on our website." It was the second attack on the island in about three months. On January 16, a Korean woman was surrounded by a pack of five dingoes and suffered minor injuries. Authorities were last night unable to explain the circumstances of the latest attack, including whether the girl was trying to feed the dingo. Earlier this year, Environment and Resource Management Minister Kate Jones repeated government warnings not to feed nor interact with the wild dogs and to supervise children at all times. "The dingoes on Fraser Island are wild animals and should be left alone," she said at the time. "The best food for native animals is the food they find themselves, and that is why it is important that dingoes do not learn to associate humans with food." Those who feed dingoes or leave food exposed on the island risk a maximum $4000 penalty.
Ed Comment, It now appears another witness claims the girl was not being supervised, and ran into the dunes where she was bitten. The two dingoes have been killed by DERM. Last week another Fraser Island 9 month old dingo known as Staples was killed by the Queensland Government. Apparently a woman complained that she and her four children felt terribly threatened by this dingo, and once an animal bites someone they said they have to follow procedure.....and killed the dingo. Many people are now saying the girls parents should be prosecuted for leaving a 3-year-old unsupervised on the Island. But tourism Industry spokepeople say the Island crowds were the best they have seen since 2009, and if the Government wasnt so frightened of the Tourism Industry, now would be a good time to cap vistors to the Island ...especially at times like Easter!
Coal Seam Gas
The Lock the Gate movement has gone national and this national movement against under-regulated coal and coal seam gas mining. As well as farmers and other rural residential landholders, environmental groups from around the state and country are backing a four-day event including displays, workshops and direct action, at Tara on the western Darling Downs in Queensland.
Local organisers the Western Downs Alliance are engaged in a confrontation with the British Gas-owned QGC that intends to establish a gas field early 2011 on the Tara rural residential estates, home to more than 2,000 people. Farmers, environmentalists and scientists have been warning the State and federal governments for some time that CSG activities are potentially hazardous to human health, agricultural land and underground water and could damage the Great Artesian Basin for centuries. They have called on these governments to impose a moratorium on the industry until all outstanding social and environmental issues have been addressed. Their only response has been to give the companies the go-ahead to bulldoze their way onto people’s properties and conduct an uncontrolled experiment on the Australian environment, meanwhile crossing their fingers that nothing disastrous happens – at least while they are in office.
Tara 2011 will be based at the Tara Showground and supporters are urged to gather showing the widespread popular concern. Bring lightweight camping gear as the showground has basic camp sites along with toilets, showers etc. Cheap, basic meals will also be provided. An itinerary and full list of facilities will be sent out shortly. Please let us know if you coming, how many people are coming with you and, very importantly, if you want to present a workshop. Let us know the name and nature of the workshop and anything you might need from us for its presentation. Please also let us know if you are prepared to help with organisation of the event and setting up on Friday. Remember, the coal seam gas industry has plans to move into many, many parts of Australia, so while this is happening on the Western Downs, it could be happening in your area tomorrow.
Massive coal seam gas projects in the Darling Downs have received government approvals, but not community approval. Rural landholders are now holding them off at their front gates and now is the time to show them that they have your support. When: Fri 29 April – Tues 4 May 2011 Where: Tara Showgrounds (300km west of Brisbane) What: 4 days of workshops, forums, displays, entertainment and direct action
How: to register your interest or for more details. Email tara2011@lockthegate.org.au or phone 07 4669 4864 See http://westerndowns.group-action.com/events/
Rhinos
Increased security and working closely with the local community has led to a significant rise in Nepal's rhinoceros population. Maheswor Dhakal, an ecologist with Nepal's Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, says a survey this month showed that the country's rhino population was 534 compared to 435 in 2008, when the last count was done. Dhakal said Tuesday that the number of rhinos had decreased during the decade of fighting between government troops and Maoists rebels that ended in 2006. During the conflict, soldiers were pulled out of conservation duty, leaving the forest unguarded. Since the end of the fighting, soldiers have returned to the forests to keep poachers out, and the government has introduced programs with local villagers.
Kangaroos
An exhausted kangaroo has been rescued by lifesavers on the Gold Coast after being discovered swimming in the Southport Broadwater. The ailing kangaroo was spotted swimming in the Broadwater near Wavebreak Island by an off-duty lifesaver about 2.30pm. He managed to drag the exhausted animal into his tinnie before meeting volunteers from Wildcare at Runaway Bay. Once recovered, the kangaroo was released into the wild in the Gold Coast hinterland. The kangaroo may have come from South Stradbroke Island, which has a small population of wild kangaroos. *Courier Mail
Crocodiles
The Northern Territory government are hoping that Prince William and Kate Middleton sign their wedding certificate with crocodile skin pens from Darwin. The pens - a reddish one for him and a brownish one for her - were part of the NT's bargain basement wedding present to the royal couple. They cost only $120 each. We also understand that Posh Spice Victorian Beckham owns $1.5 million worth of dead saltwater crocodile in the shape of handbags. *WPAA
A headless crocodile was found on the beach between Lake Alexander and Pee Wee's restaurant off Alec Fong Lim Drive in East Point Reserve. The headless crocodile was also tailless, meaning in all it was only about a 1.5m trunk with legs. A group calling itself the Easter Orphans noticed the safety croc when celebrating their Easter on the quiet beach. The crocodile appeared to have been slaughtered overnight or early yesterday morning. The NT News believes the crocodile was shot inside a trap at Woods Inlet and then dragged out to the beach where it was cut up. In December, amendments to existing laws made it an offence to interfere with or damage crocodile traps, with a fine of up to $6500 or a maximum of six months in prison. The act expanded the definition of interference of a trap to mean touching, standing on, entering, moving or otherwise disturbing a crocodile trap owned by the NT Government. *NTNews
Tassie Devils
The latest effort to create a disease-free population of tasmanian devils is underway in Tasmania's north. A 10-hectare sanctuary has been set up near Launceston to breed a wild, healthy devils. The land was donated by Tasmania Zoo and the sanctuary has been funded in part by the State Government. Bruce Englefield from the Devil Island Project says healthy populations are needed to replenish wild stocks once the facial tumour disease has been beaten. "We need devils we can put back in the wild, ones that are bred in captivity are simply not suitable to go back to the wild and so we are producing devils ready for the day when we put them back to the wild and re-populate Tasmania mainland," he said. Environment Minister Brian Wightman says the sealed enclosure allows devils to breed away from the risk of facial tumour disease. "What the free range enclosures provide us, is a chance to keep devils safe while we continue to work and look for a cure." Mr Englefield says they also allow devils to retain their wild characteristics. "They are learning that when an eagle comes over, get down your burrow." The Devil Island program aims to breed 2,500 genetically diverse and healthy devils by 2050. The sanctuary is one of four now open across the state. *ABC
Whaling
Japanese whalers have launched their annual coastal hunt, with five crew from the tsunami-devastated whaling town of Ayukawa joining the first voyage since the March 11 disaster. Two whaling vessels left Kushiro on the east coast of the northern island of Hokkaido after their departure was delayed by one day due to bad weather, said Hiroko Furukawa, a fisheries agency official. The crew from Ayukawa Whaling, the only whaling company in Ayukawa, are expected to catch up to 60 minke whales off Kushiro until June, the official said. "Local whaling officials are preparing to accept people from Ayukawa who were victimised by the disaster," Mr Furukawa said, adding that a further 23 people from Ayukawa had come to Kushiro to work in processing whale meat. The tsunami that last month slammed into Japan's north-east coast destroyed Ayukawa Whaling's storage facility and carried its fleet of three whaling ships hundreds of metres inland, where they remain. Ayukawa Whaling chairman Minoru Ito has said he would lay off all 28 employees and suspend whaling operations in the town until further notice. The tsunami came shortly after Japan recalled its Antarctic whaling fleet a month early, citing the threat posed by environmentalist group Sea Shepherd. The group, which says its tactics are non-violent but aggressive, has hurled paint and stink bombs at whaling ships, snared their propellers with rope and moved its own boats between the harpoon ships and their prey. Japan has continued to hunt whales under a loophole that allows killing of the sea mammals for what it calls scientific research, although the meat is later sold openly in shops and restaurants. Japan also argues whaling is an integral part of the island nation's culture. *AFP
Dolphins
The US Navy has concluded that it would have been dangerous to stop an underwater training blast believed to have killed three or four dolphins last month off San Diego Bay. The 3rd Fleet public affairs office said Monday that Navy divers monitored the area for marine mammals for more than 90 minutes before placing a charge on the ocean floor. The Navy says that 10 minutes into the 15-minute countdown, observers spotted dolphins approaching and the commanders determined it would have been too dangerous to try to stop the detonation. They instead placed their boat between the dolphins and the detonation site in an attempt to head off the pod. Three dead dolphins were recovered there. Another was found days later near Ocean Beach. Training remains suspended. *SunNews.com
EPBC Act Reform on Hold
The government will wait at least two years until it responds to a comprehensive review recommending a shake-up of national environment laws. The two-year wait has been questioned by the review's spearhead, Allan Hawke, who calls the decision ''curious''. Under the laws the federal environment minister can approve or reject major industrial projects such as pulp mills and mines based on their impact on endangered species and other threatened environment. The Hawke Review recommended the laws be significantly strengthened to give them greater environmental teeth while making them easier for business to navigate. The report was first delivered to then environment minister Peter Garrett in October 2009. But current Environment Minister Tony Burke said the government did not expect to legislate any changes to the laws - known as the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act - until 2012. ''I've made it clear now is the time to be discussing the full range of options on how to improve our national environmental law, both to better protect the environment and cut red tape for businesses,'' Mr Burke said. ''These are complex reforms and I want to take time to talk them through in detail with community, industry and business groups.'' Dr Hawke, formerly secretary of the Defence Department and chancellor of ANU, said: ''It is curious the government will take longer to respond to the review than it took a team of experts to investigate and write it.'' *Age
NSW DECCW Changes
There have been some structural changes to NSW government departments following the recent state election. The former Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (DECCW) has now become the Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) which sits within the Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPC). The government assures us that this change has not affected Parks and Wildlife Group's management of protected areas and native animals. The policy on the rehabilitation of protected fauna is still in effect and all licences issued by PWG are still valid. They have assured wildlife groups that they will continue to consult with the them on any future proposed changes to rehabilitation policies, codes or the licensing system. Meanwhile, a proposed partnership between Queensland's DERM and the Qld RSPCA has quite understandably alarmed some wildlife carers.*WPAA
Call for More Habitat
Coolum animal rights activist Jaylene Musgrave has launched a campaign appealing to Sunshine Coast developers to rethink the increase in land clearing from Noosa to Bribie Island. According to the director of Farm Animal Rescue Australia and Sunshine Coast Koala Wildlife Rescue, land on the Sunshine Coast is being rapidly cleared to make way for development. Vegan Warriors, of which Ms Musgrave is a part of, is concerned the clearing will reduce the natural habitat for Coast wildlife. Ms Musgrave has met with the council and the Greens to discuss buy-back alternatives with “no luck”. “There has been no action taken on suggestions to buy back land from developers,” she said. “I have been meeting with (them) to discuss options on incorporating wildlife areas within land marked for clearing, but have had no response. “If we don’t start demanding action, we will be looking at concrete jungles where once many native animals lived.” She said the pressure on animal carers and the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital was enormous. “There are nearly 90 koalas being cared for at the hospital at any given time and endless surgery to roos and other native wildlife. “The reality is, what we love so dearly about our region, is inevitably disappearing forever.” Ms Musgrave said she held grave concerns for the future of Australian fauna. “Native marsupials struggle to survive with all the odds stacked against them – drought, loss of habitat, encroachment of civilisation, illegal and legal culling by farmers, roadside deaths as well as culling in state forests, parks, reserves, national parks,” she said. “And of course threat from the kangaroo industry which kills close to four million roos nationwide annually to supply meat for export and pet food. “Let’s start making some noise and give our native animals a voice.” *CoolumNews
Koalas
It is the battle of the bulldozer versus a national icon. At stake is the survival of dwindling numbers of koalas, tens of thousands of jobs and Queensland's fragile economy. Property developers say a push to list koalas as endangered will threaten an industry which employs 11 per cent of the state's workforce. But conservation groups claim koalas are staring down the barrel of extinction unless urgent action is taken. The Urban Development Institute of Australia has told a Senate inquiry that further protection of koalas was premature and would cost much-needed jobs. UDIA Queensland chief executive Brian Stewart said while it was important to protect koalas, decisions had to be made on "sound science" and not "emotion". "This is not the time to be tinkering with a well thought out, comprehensive state policy," Mr Stewart said. "The industry desperately needs a level of certainty." The Property Council of Australia said koalas were adequately protected. But koala groups are sounding the alarm, pointing to a recent picture of a koala clinging to a bulldozed tree at Worongary on the Gold Coast as evidence greater protection was needed.
The Redland-based Koala Action Group said new roads and housing estates had had a dramatic affect on koala numbers in the area. More than 200 were killed by cars every year in southeast Queensland. The KAG's submission said the State Government was "cramming in" residents and "two major arterial roads have been upgraded to four lanes ... this has to be one of the main causes of the catastrophic decline in koala numbers". And disease was as much a risk to koalas as road traffic, the Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors' submission said. When veterinarians tested 37 koalas from the Brendale area, almost half had chlamydiosis - a killer disease. Al Mucci, general manager of life sciences at Dreamworld, said the koala was as iconic as the giant panda and had to be saved at all costs. "The koala is unmistakenly Australian," he said. "This makes koala conservation an imperative of more than just biological and cultural concern, but an issue of national identity, international image and reputation." The UQ Koala Ecology Group said listing koalas as endangered would at least provide a "speed bump in the road to extinction". *Courier Mail
Ed Comment; We understand that few wildlife groups expect the Inquiry to actually recommend appropriate protection for the koalas, and at the end of the day its the politicians that make the important decisions about protection anyway.
Cane toads
Solid evidence has been found of a breeding colony of cane toads, one of Australia's worst invasive species, in Sydney. Since their introduction to Australia in the 1930s, the ugly, poisonous cane toad has multiplied and spread across the country. They are a familiar sight in north Queensland and the Top End, but every now and then, a cane toad will hitch a ride in a truck and make it further south. Authorities are worried because it is difficult to turn back the clock once these hitchhikers turn into breeding populations. Sutherland Shire Mayor Phil Blight says toads have made themselves at home at Taren Point in Sydney's south. "We first found cane toads in Taren Point industrial area some years ago now," he said. "Initially the numbers were small, just odd examples of hitchhikers, but the beginning of last year our pest control officer found increasing numbers. "He was able to collect evidence that we suspected there was breeding occurring in the southern part of Sydney."
Rick Shine, from the University of Sydney, is part of a team that is trying to better understand the local toad population. He says already there has been some success. "We put these small transmitters on toads that we capture out there at Taren Point and we follow them around," he said. "That very quickly found a breeding site with some tadpoles, which tells us that clearly that gives us an opportunity to take a few thousand potential toads out of the system before they can become a problem." Professor Shine says it is vital to interrupt the breeding cycle because of how quickly toads can breed. That is also when the extremely hardy toads are at their most vulnerable. It is not just pest controllers that toads need to fear. "The toads quite frequently use drains as cover and the drains contain rats," Professor Shine said. "We don't normally think of [them] as our best friends, but rats evolved in the northern hemisphere, in the same place that toads did, and they're capable of dealing with the toad's poison. "One of our telemetered toads got massacred and eaten by a rat. Unlike a native predator, for which a toad would be a fatal meal, for a rat a toad is just a pretty nice breakfast. "We may actually have some of the old invaders helping get rid of some of the new invaders in the drains of Taren Point."
Yamba, on the New South Wales north coast, is the southernmost boundary of where permanent, breeding populations of cane toads are found. But an isolated colony did take root further south in Port Macquarie. That is one of the few places where man appears to have triumphed over toad, but those responsible for stopping them say it is not necessarily a victory that is easy to replicate. Brad Nesbitt, a Pest Management Officer with the National Parks and Wildlife service, says there are no guarantees. "We haven't had a record of cane toads in that area now for three to four years," he said. "There was a muster that was organised but in addition there was some development that occurred in that area that encroached into a man-made dam where the cane toads were breeding. "It looks like that habitat modification might have been one of the key factors in removing the cane toads from the area. "I think that gives some optimism, but there's no guarantees with this type of work." *ABC
Flying Foxes
The New South Wales Government plans to make it easier for farmers to cull a threatened species of flying fox by halving the time it takes to get a special shooters licence. The grey-headed flying fox is listed as “vulnerable” under state and federal laws and it currently takes 48 hours for a culling licence to be approved. Primary Industries Minister Katrina Hodgkinson said the Government plans to reduce this to 24 hours and also fast track approval for the forced relocation of colonies. “There is no question something must be done to stop the destruction of valuable fruit crops like apples and stone fruit,” Ms Hodgkinson said. "Where there are no alternatives, licences for the control of flying foxes will continue to be issued.” She said the Coalition could also call on the Federal Government to re-assess the flying fox’s listing as a vulnerable species under the Threatened Species Conservation Act. The move breaks a pre-election promise to end the culling within two years. It comes after extensive lobbying by farmers who say the fruit-eating mammals cause hundreds of thousands of dollars in crop losses.
A 2009 independent review commissioned by the former state government found that shooting flying foxes did not protect orchards and was hastening the decline of the species, whose numbers have dropped 30 per cent nationally in the past decade. They are listed as under threat mainly because of habitat loss. The animals are considered essential to a number of plants that require seed pollination. It is estimated a single flying fox can disperse up to 60,000 seeds a night. NSW Greens MP and environment spokesperson Cate Faehrmann said the move was another instance of the Government lowering the status of the environment and selling it out to commercial interests. “I'm extremely worried about what is yet to come," Ms Faehrmann said. In Sydney, the Royal Botanic Gardens recently won a High Court challenge to evict a colony of up to 22,000 grey-headed flying foxes permanently. *News.com.au
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Wildlife Bytes 20/4/11
Leading Stories
Flying Foxes
The state's new Agriculture Minister is calling on the federal government to reassess the vulnerable species listing of the grey-headed flying fox. Regions such as Young, Orange, Bathurst and Tumut have had significant numbers of the foxes over the last few years. The Minister for Primary Industries, Katrina Hodgkinson said something must be done to stop the destruction of valuable fruit crops like apples and stone fruit. She has commissioned a report into the species. "The options paper raises the possibility of calling on the Federal Government to reassess the listing o the grey-headed flying fox as a vulnerable species under the Threatened Species Conservation Act," she said. "Also the options paper invetigates the extension of netting grants and also financial assistance for NSW fruit producers." An environmental group says any review of the vulnerable species listing of the grey-headed flying fox would need to consider its population nationally. The President of the Environmentally Concerned Citizens of Orange, Neil Jones, said while the flying foxes are a local problem, the animals are a national treasure. "The current evidence is that their populations are still declining despite what might appear to be the contrary locally," he said. "Any change to that status would require a very careful audit nationally.
"It's not just an issue for New South Wales, it's Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and probably other states as well." The Primary Industries Minister has halved the time it takes to get a license to shoot flying foxes. Ms Hodgkinson said she has fast tracked the issuing of shooting licences from 48 hours to 24 hours and the application and approval for relocating camps if required. I'm determined this will not happen again next year," she said. So I'll be looking at whatever it takes to make sure we get this issue under control. "I'm working very closely also with Environment Minister Robyn Parker. "We've had a discussion about the bat problem and also the need to ensure we have food security here in New South Wales. "Together we're also working with the Premier to make sure we get a proper solution to this problem." Mr Jones said shooting will have little impact, and nets are the only way to protect crops. "All the evidence indicates that it is the only way that you can guarantee that you won't have damage by flying foxes," he said. "The other issue is too is an assessment of just how significant the damage is this year. "We know last year the amount of damage, I believe this year it's not as great and I that needs to be carefully considered in relation to the cost." *ABC
Uranium Leak
More than 10 million litres of "radioactive contaminated" water is sitting in ponds at the Territory's only uranium mine, an indigenous leader said yesterday. Northern Land Council chief executive Kim Hill said a CSIRO study estimated 150,000 litres a day leaked into Kakadu National Park from the Ranger mine. He called on Energy Resources Australia to guarantee that the "environmental monitoring process" would not suffer during the shutdown of the mine. Ranger will be closed until July because the heavy wet season has almost filled the tailings dams. Mr Hill said ERA would "cut cost wherever possible" because of its falling share price and "disastrous environmental record". "The World Heritage-listed environment that surrounds the mine mustn't suffer further as the company looks to protect its bottom line," he said. Mr Hill said the troubles at Ranger added weight to his calls for an end to self-regulation in the Territory mining industry. But Ranger is unusual because it is not self-regulated it is monitored by the Federal Government-appointed Office of the Supervising Scientist and is often described as the most highly regulated mine in the world. ERA spokeswoman Shannon McRae said Ranger was independently monitored and the Supervising Scientist had confirmed in all its reports "that the surrounding environment has remained protected". She said additional water monitoring stations were being set up. "The water is confined to the mine site there has been no evidence of contamination of Kakadu National Park," Ms McRae said. "The Supervising Scientist has a comprehensive chemical and biological monitoring program which demonstrates that Ranger continues to have no detrimental impact on the environment of Kakadu. Any review of costs will not compromise any aspect of environmental protection." *NT News
Snakebite
A boy who chopped off the head of a deadly taipan snake after it bit him will escape prosecution. Walker Dudman, a curious Year 6 student on Easter holidays in Townsville, had picked up the nearly two metre-long black taipan and was carrying it to the family home in Bluewater, 30km north of the city, when it bit him on the hand on Sunday. The 12-year-old chopped off the snake's head with an axe, but collapsed minutes later from the highly venomous snake bite. The boy was rushed to Townsville hospital where he has been in a serious but stable condition for three days suffering vomiting, dizziness and eyesight loss after the envenomation by one of the world's most lethal creatures. It is illegal to kill the protected species, but the Environmental Protection Agency yesterday confirmed they would not be prosecuting the child. "I had it around the neck," Walker told The Courier-Mail from his hospital bed on Monday. "I was holding it tight, but its head could move, and it got me. I was carrying it up to the house to show to my grandad." He said he had learnt his lesson "not to pick up and play with big black snakes". *Courier Mail
Bob Irwin Arrested
Veteran wildlife campaigner Bob Irwin reckons his late famous son would have been proud of his arrest at a coal seam gas protest in Queensland. Mr Irwin has been charged with ignoring police orders to remove himself from a road blockade aimed at stopping the construction of a 16km gas pipeline in the state's south. The father of the late "crocodile hunter" Steve Irwin, along with Greens spokeswoman Libby Connors, joined the protest at the Tara Estate, south of Chinchilla, but within hours were in police custody. Protesters have been manning the blockade since last month trying to frustrate construction of the pipeline, which will take CSG from five wells on the estate to the nearby Kenya gas processing plant. Opponents fear the expanding CSG industry will contaminate groundwater, present risks to human health and devalue land. Read more ... http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/bob-irwin-arrested-at-gas-protest/story-e6freon6-1226037843372
White Rhinos
Australia Zoo has a cute new addition to its family - a baby white rhino. She's about 60kg and a bit wobbly after being born at 3.15am yesterday. Zoo spokeswoman Manu Ludden said the female calf was doing well and had already started feeding from proud mum Caballe. "Our little rhino calf was on the move immediately after being born and she has already had at least three good long feeds," Ms Ludden said. "Mum is also doing well. She is super relaxed and she seems quite content." The calf will not be on display until September to give her and her mum time to grow and bond. Caballe was brought from Hamilton Zoo in Auckland, NZ, last year. She is a southern white rhinoceros. One of Africa's "big five" animals, wild white rhino numbers are estimated at 20,150, with a further 780 in captivity. They are close to being listed as threatened but compare well with Queensland's northern hairy nosed wombat of which only about 140 survive. "White rhinos are doing the best of all the rhino species, numbering more than all the other species put together," Ms Ludden said. "This hasn't always been the case though, with numbers dropping to less than 100 individuals at the turn of the century, so they are a great success story. "Poaching remains the rhinos' biggest threat but through intense anti-poaching strategies, numbers have climbed. However they are still highly at risk." This is Caballe's fourth calf and is the first rhino born at the zoo. The far more endangered wombats also are celebrating a birth in the wild, with a population set up by Environment Department scientists near St George just having recorded its first birth. Australia Zoo is offering the public to name the rhino via auction website eBay. All money will go to conservation projects in Africa. *Courier Mail
Snakes
The "scales of justice" will have new meaning for a Winnipeg man charged with illegally keeping snakes and other reptiles in his apartment on Assiniboine Avenue. Police discovered the cache of critters after a panicky call from a 72-year-old neighbour who found a huge snake under his bathroom sink. Police and animal services officers captured the 5 to 6 foot long animal. “In the middle of the night I heard a glass break,” says Morley Wilson. He thought there was an intruder in his apartment, somewhat relieved to discover what he describes as a black an orange python. Police eventually discovered the reptile had slithered its way from another suite in the same building, and found the 33-year-old resident was keeping 50 more snakes and lizards. Nine snakes were seized as they are believed to be prohibited, and the owner is facing charges under the City of Winnipeg Exotic Animal By-Law. But officers say there’s no evidence the animals were mistreated. “It appears that these animals were very well looked after,” Cst. Jason Michalyshen told a news conference Tuesday. “He described himself as a hobby breeder or someone that certainly has significant knowledge with regards to snakes and other reptiles.” *WinnipegNews
Bees
Honeybees are taking emergency measures to protect their hives from pesticides, in an extraordinary example of the natural world adapting swiftly to our depredations, according to a prominent bee expert.
Scientists have found numerous examples of a new phenomenon – bees "entombing" or sealing up hive cells full of pollen to put them out of use, and protect the rest of the hive from their contents. The pollen stored in the sealed-up cells has been found to contain dramatically higher levels of pesticides and other potentially harmful chemicals than the pollen stored in neighbouring cells, which is used to feed growing young bees. "This is a novel finding, and very striking. The implication is that the bees are sensing [pesticides] and actually sealing it off. They are recognising that something is wrong with the pollen and encapsulating it," said Jeff Pettis, an entomologist with the US Department of Agriculture. "Bees would not normally seal off pollen." But the bees' last-ditch efforts to save themselves appear to be unsuccessful – the entombing behaviour is found in many hives that subsequently die off, according to Pettis. "The presence of entombing is the biggest single predictor of colony loss. It's a defence mechanism that has failed." These colonies were likely to already be in trouble, and their death could be attributed to a mix of factors in addition to pesticides, he added. * Guardian Read More .. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/apr/04/honeybees-entomb-hives
Wolves
US Congress for the first time is directly intervening in the Endangered Species List and removing an animal from it, establishing a precedent for political influence over the list that has outraged environmental groups. A rider to the Congressional budget measure agreed to last weekend dictates that wolves in Montana and Idaho be taken off the endangered species list and managed instead by state wildlife agencies, which is in direct opposition to a federal judge’s recent decision forbidding the Interior Department to take such an action. While the language on the Rocky Mountain wolves was a tiny item in budgetary terms, environmental groups said it set an unnerving precedent by letting Congress, rather than a science-based federal agency, remove endangered species protections. * NY Times
Cassowaries
North Queensland authorities have received reports of hundreds of cassowary sightings across the Cardwell Ranges through to Innisfail after Cyclone Yasi. Residents and the Environment Department have set up almost 100 feeding stations for the endangered birds after some of their habitat was affected by the cyclone. Environment authorities say they may have to leave cassowary feeding stations in parts of far north Queensland for up to a year to help the endangered species. Wet Tropics operations manager Andrew Millerd says rangers are monitoring the birds' droppings to find out how much forest fruit they are eating. "There's two reasons for that - one is to actually have a look at what is passing through the gullet of the cassowary to see what sort of food resource they're feeding on," he said. "That's giving us some information about whether their diet is heavily made up of foods that are going into feed stations or whether it's native fruits or a combination." Mr Millerd says the birds' activity is also being captured on film. "There's quite a lot of cassowaries being sighted, many adults, quite a few chicks and juveniles are readily apparent from the sightings and from the camera data," he said. "They are actively using the feed stations, so were able to ... identify those things and help to confirm that the effort that we're putting in is being effective." *ABC
Turtles
Recreational fishing group Sunfish says net fishing should not be used in areas near Gladstone after turtles were found washed up on central Queensland beaches. The bodies of 15 green turtles have been found south of Gladstone over the past week. The Department of Environment and Resource Management says turtles may have become entangled in nets after recent flooding. Sunfish spokeswoman Judy Lynne says she does not want a blanket ban on using nets in Australia but it is an issue which needs to be addressed in the Boyne Island and Tannum Sands area. "I don't have any issues with the way the commercial lines fishermen run their businesses but Sunfish does have a problem with net fishing in principle," she said. "It's non-selective, most things that get caught in those nets die, whereas a commercial lines fisherman is a lot like a recreational catch, if he's got something he doesn't want, it's released." *ABC
Wildlife Hero
Not many people knew what environmental activism was when Jill Chamberlain took up placards and hit the pavement to lobby developers and the government of the time - 30 years on Jill has worked consistently and tirelessly behind many causes to save the environment and ultimately improve the lives of residents living on the Sunshine Coast. Now living in Mooloolaba, this proactive 77-year-old has been instrumental in preserving wildlife and conservation in Queensland. Awarded with a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2010, Jill also has a 48-hectare bush reserve named after her at Caloundra and is set to become an Honorary Senior Fellow of the University of the Sunshine Coast. "I want to get more people interested in the importance of our environment" Jill laments, "I'm trying to save as much of our natural bush as possible from development for the sake of wildlife." Currently Jill is campaigning to protect the sensitive Pumicestone Passage catchment from degradation as the proposed Caloundra South development progresses. "A lot of the creeks and waterways running through the proposed development go into the Pumicestone Passage - which is an extremely sensitive waterway. In fact, in the last Healthy Waterways survey it went from a rating of C down to a D and that's very concerning. *ABC
4WD runs over tent
A 71-year-old man is in a serious condition at Nambour hospital after being run over while sleeping in a tent in a State Forest south of Maryborough yesterday. The elderly man was camping with a 26 yr old companion at Tuan State Forest, 7km south of Maryborough, when, at about 1.00am, another man drove his four-wheel-drive ran over the tent . The older man suffered a suspected broken pelvis and internal bleeding and was flown to Nambour General Hospital for treatment. Police said his condition was critical. The 26-year-old man who was also in the tent was admitted to hospital but was not critically injured. Forensic Crash Unit police are investigating. *Sunshine Coast Daily
Penguins
Young penguins in the Antarctic may be dying because they are having a tougher time finding food, as melting sea ice cuts back on the tiny fish they eat, U.S. researchers suggested on Monday. Only about 10 per cent of baby penguins tagged by researchers are coming back in two to four years to breed, down from 40-50 per cent in the 1970s, said the study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Chinstrap penguins, known for their characteristic head markings that resemble a cap with a black line just under the neck, are the second largest group in the area after the macaroni penguins, and are at particular risk because their population is restricted to one area, the South Shetland Islands. "It is a dramatic change," lead researcher Wayne Trivelpiece, of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Antarctic Ecosystem Research Division, told AFP. "There are still two to three million chinstrap pairs in this region but there were seven to eight million two decades ago," he said. *GlobalNews Read more .. http://www.globalnews.ca/technology/Young+penguins+dying+lack+food+Study/4596766/story.html
Kangaroo Bow Shot
The National Parks and Wildlife Service says it holds little hope of finding the kangaroo that was shot with an arrow at Maloneys Beach this month. NPWS spokesman Stuart Cohen said the male eastern grey kangaroo, which has not been seen since April 4, had most likely succumbed to its wounds. “It would be very nice to catch it, remove the arrow, give it a couple of doses of antibiotics and let it go, but the chances are it’s not alive anymore,” he said. WIRES representative Jeanie Miller explored the tracks that are frequented by kangaroos in the Maloneys Beach area on Sunday and failed to find the animal. She has come to the same conclusion. “Unfortunately I think he would have died by now,” she said. Ms Miller is hoping that the perpetrator or perpetrators will not return during the holiday period. “We will just have to wait and see what happens,” she said. *Moruya Leader
Shooting
Hunting in 29 national parks, relaxation of gun licensing laws and shooting as a school sport: these are some of the demands the Premier is about to be confronted with by the Shooters and Fishers Party, which now shares the balance of power in the NSW upper house. As the make-up of the Legislative Council was decided yesterday, documents obtained by the Herald reveal the extent and cost of the shopping list likely to be presented to Barry O'Farrell as he tries to negotiate his legislation through the new Parliament. They show the Shooters and Fishers want access to at least 29 national parks for shooting of feral animals and deer. ''These are just a few to start with,'' the party's MP Robert Brown writes in one of the documents used in negotiations with the former government. ''Some are big reserves out west where it would be great to get acces [sic] to pigs, goats, foxes & cats.'' The wish list includes no more national parks or marine parks and removal of the 28-day cooling off period for licence renewals for firearms of the same category. Introducing shooting as an official school sport is estimated to cost $1 million a year and the creation of private game reserves has a price tag of $500,000 attached to it. The documents were used in negotiations between Mr Brown, the late Shooters Party MP Roy Smith and the Labor government. The cost of the policies was estimated at $94.3 million between 2007 and 2011. *SMH
Meanwhile, police are investigating the fatal shooting of a man near Wagga Wagga. A group of four men were preparing to go for a night-time shoot last night when one man's rifle discharged while he was loading it, hitting a 36-year-old man in the chest. He was rushed from the Borambola property to Wagga Wagga Hospital where he died during surgery. Police set up a crime scene at the rural property on the Sturt Highway about 25km east of Wagga Wagga.
Polar Bears
Thanks to the efforts of a conservation group tied with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, open season for hunting polar bears has been canceled in Russia this year. A Russian-U.S. commission last year agreed to restrict polar bear hunting to 29 animals per year for each country, reports the Associated Press. But the Polar Bear program, established under Putin's patronage, said this week that Russia had waived its quota for bear hunting. In 2010, the U.S.-Russia Polar Bear Commission met in Anchorage, Alaska to lift the 50-year ban on polar bear hunting for the benefit of indigenous peoples in Alaska and in far-eastern Russia across the Bering Strait. At that time, the Commision decided the annual take would be limited to 19 females and 39 males per year (it has been estimated that hunting and poaching accountsfor 100 polar bear deaths a year). It was also agreed that quota numbers would be re-evaluated every year based on scientific data. "Measures taken by Russia will ensure that the United States will be killing at least 70 polar bears fewer than before, which, according to Russian specialists, will help to sustain and boost the population of this beautiful Arctic animal," members of The Polar Bear Program said in a statement posted on Putin's official website. Last year Putin, a longtime defender of large endangered animals, helped Russian scientists put a tracking collar on a sedated male polar bear. Before leaving the bear, he patted the animal affectionately, shook his paw and said "take care" (AP). According to Polar Bear International (PBI), "scientists have concluded that the threat to polar bears is ecological change in the Arctic from global warming. Polar bears depend on sea ice for hunting, breeding, and in some cases, denning. Summer ice loss in the Arctic now equals an area the size of Alaska, Texas, and the state of Washington combined." *Care2
CSG
The ranking Queensland Police officer attending the blockade of the coal seam gas giant QGC has told protesters sitting in a tree in the path of bulldozers they could be charged under the state's anti-terror legislation. Friends of the Earth spokesperson and blockade organiser Drew Hutton said he was outraged by any suggestion the peaceful protesters would be targeted by Police anti-terrorism action. "We have never used anything other than strictly non-violent action," Mr Hutton said. "We have been courteous and co-operative with Police and QGC and have not allowed the slightest hint of anti-social behaviour among our group. "If these two young men sitting six metres up a gum tree are terrorists, then so so am I and so is that great Australian, Bob Irwin." Mr Hutton said the two in the tree were fine young men who were simply trying to protect the last mature tree in a bulldozed corridor. This corridor is forty metres wide instead of the ten metres stipulated in QGC's environmental authority. "The real law breaker here is QGC which is breaching section 804 of the Petroleum and Gas Act by causing "unreasonable interference" to the landowner's property but the police are more intent on focusing on a couple of lads in a gum tree," Mr Hutton said. *Chronicle
Meanwhile coal seam gas company QGC has been fined $20,000 for illegally clearing trees at its project site near Tara in October.
Barbed Wire
Tasmanian wildlife carers are pleading with property owners to reconsider using barbed wire in fencing after a spate of fatal injuries to native animals. Bonorong Wildlife Park owner Greg Irons said that since late last year there had been an increase in animals reported trapped in barbed-wire fences. All the injured animals have had to be put down, including rosellas, an eastern quoll, a pademelon, a Tasmanian devil, and two tawny frogmouths. Mr Irons said night hunters like the tawny frogmouth were especially vulnerable to barbed wire. Birds caught were likely to suffer broken wings and deep cuts as they flapped their wings in a panicked attempt to free themselves. "Tawny frogmouths hunt with their mouth not their talons, they're often chasing a moth or insect with their mouth open and they're focused on an insect and they run into barbed wire," he said. "It's one of those things that's cropping up again and again." Mr Irons said barbed wire was a hazard for endangered devils. A healthy young female devil had to be put down this year after being caught in a fence. "We see the ones that get stuck and that people find. How many more are out there? We're only seeing a very small percentage of the animals that are being hurt by barbed wire," he said. "Barbed wire is designed so that once it goes in, it won't come back out again. If the injuries don't kill them, the stress will be enough to kill them." He said there were many alternative fencing materials. *Mercury
Sharks
The government of Palau says it is reconsidering an agreement to have the conservation group Sea Shepherd patrol a marine sanctuary in its waters. The group had offered to patrol - at its own expense - an area designated as the world's first shark sanctuary. But the Japanese government, which describes the conservationists as "terrorists", objected to the plan and has offered to send its own patrol vessel instead. Sea Shepherd has regularly clashed with Japanese whalers and this year forced them to cut short their annual hunt in the Southern Ocean. *NetworkNews
Fish Vanishing
A new study suggests that more than 40 fish species in the Mediterranean could vanish in the next few years. The study released Tuesday by the International Union for Conservation of Nature says almost half of the species of sharks and rays in the Mediterranean and at least 12 species of bony fish are threatened with extinction due to overfishing, pollution and the loss of habitat. Commercial catches of bluefin tuna, sea bass, hake and dusky grouper are particularly threatened, said the study by the Swiss-based IUCN, an environmental network of 1,000 groups in 160 nations. "The Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic population of the Atlantic bluefin tuna is of particular concern," said Kent Carpenter, IUCN's global marine species assessment coordinator. He cited a steep drop in the giant fish's reproductive capacity due to four decades of intensive overfishing. Japanese diners consume 80 percent of the Atlantic and Pacific bluefins caught and the two tuna species are especially prized by sushi lovers. *NetworkItem
Swan Killer Fined
A Gold Coast teenager who used a jet-ski to run down a black swan that later died has been fined more than $11,000 and ordered to perform 180 hours of community service. Kale Francis Falchi, 19, had no conviction recorded against him and escaped a jail term when he appeared before Southport magistrate Brian Kucks for sentencing today. However Mr Kucks ordered Falchi, who will soon be on a full wage after completing a carpentry apprenticeship, to repay Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary $11,060 compensation for costs. The sanctuary spent four months trying to save the swan after it was severely injured on Boxing Day last year. The magistrate told Falchi he had shown a "callous disregard" for the swan's welfare, and owed a debt to society. In a statement to the court, Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary vet Dr Michael Pine said that, despite their best efforts, Cassie the swan had to be euthanased on April 4. "Her will to live captured the emotion of all the staff who treated her," he said. Mr Kucks said the teenager probably would not have been caught if it wasn't for the fact that the attack was filmed on video. *AGE
King Crabs
It's like a scene out of a sci-fi movie – thousands, possibly millions, of king crabs are marching through icy deep-sea waters and up the Antarctic slope. "They are coming from the deep, somewhere between 6,000 to 9,000 feet down," said James McClintock, Ph.D., University of Alabama at Birmingham Endowed Professor of Polar and Marine Biology. Shell-crushing crabs haven't been in Antarctica, the Earth's southernmost continent, for hundreds or thousands, if not millions, of years, McClintock said. "They have trouble regulating magnesium ions in their body fluids and get kind of drunk at low temperatures." But something has changed, and these crustaceans are poised to move by the droves up the slope and onto the shelf that surrounds Antarctica. McClintock and other marine researchers interested in the continent are sounding alarms because the vulnerable ecosystem could be wiped out, he said. * Underwater Times
Read more ... http://www.underwatertimes.com/news.php?article_id=62741005319
Rights for Wildlife?
Giving animals legal ownership of their habitat and affording them standing before the courts may hold the key to protecting biodiversity, an Australian researcher says. Australia is one of only 17 countries recognised as being mega-diverse, but it also has one of the highest extinction rates, with around 126 species of plants and animals sent to extinction in the past 200 years. Doctor John Hadley from the University of Western Sydney says land clearing is the leading cause of biodiversity loss. "We have this policy that allows farmers to offset any habitat they destroy. So they are allowed to remove habitat if they promise to restore habitat elsewhere," he said. "It is essentially saying [to animals] it's OK if we destroy your home because we will build you another one nearby, but in the interim you have to fend for yourselves." Dr Hadley says under his idea, certain animals would be afforded legal property rights, and human guardians would be appointed to advocate for them in court. "We have a system in place now for human beings that are unable to manage their property due to some sort of mental impairment, known as guardianship," he said. "So I was thinking, could we extend this idea to animals and would this be a way of bolstering protection for habitat?"
He says guardians would be registered with an independent tribunal and people who wanted to modify habitat on their land would have to negotiate with the guardians before taking any action. "I'm not saying that this is something that animals are owed as a right. It's not going to apply to all animals everywhere," he said. "The idea would be that somebody comes forward - say an NGO or it could even be a private individual - who agrees to represent a group of animals whose home is impacted or potentially about to be impacted by land clearing." Dr Hadley says there is a "groundswell around the world" to secure legal rights for animals, including cases like 'Cetacean Community v George W Bush' in the United States. In that 2004 case the whales, porpoises and dolphins of the world sought the right to sue Mr Bush, Donald Rumsfeld and the US Navy for destruction of habitat caused by the Navy's use of sonar as part of submarine navigation systems.
While the case was unsuccessful, Dr Hadley says the idea of property rights for animals has been successfully floated in other parts of the world. "In Austria there's a system of animal solicitors where each state has to have a designated solicitor representing animals," he said. He says is time to "think outside the square and do something different", but admits that for his idea to ever become reality, it will take a "courageous government". "Probably not in my lifetime, but I think something like it down the track is inevitable," he said. "Native Title was similarly radical. 150 years ago people would have said that that would never work," he said.
But Dr Malcolm Caulfield, the principal lawyer at the Animal Welfare Community Legal Centre, says the legal system is highly unlikely to recognise any push for property rights for animals. "I honestly think it's kind of out in the realms of silly legal academic points," he said. "The loss of biodiversity... is nothing to do with the rights of the animals. It has to do with the respect for the environment and biodiversity. "It's the march for progress and the demand for development that is the issue here, not the legal rights of animals." Dr Caulfield says the law is already clear that animals must be considered before clearing land. "The Commonwealth Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Act is a huge umbrella-type legislation that makes huge references to animals, and animal welfare acts apply equally to wildlife as to any other form of animal," he said. "And I would argue that animal guardianship is almost where we are anyway." Dr Hadley says he is working on a case study involving a dingo population in Western Sydney. He hopes it will show that his idea can mesh with existing laws. "Hopefully my framework will be practical and useful enough for entertaining on a small scale and then it would grow from there," he said. "This is an option, if we care about biodiversity and saving habitat, that we might be interested in exploring." *ABC
NMIT Kangaroos
Four out of five local MPs have promised to lobby the State Government to stop the Northern Metropolitan Institute of TAFE’s kangaroo cull at Eden Park. Despite growing protests, Environment Minister Ryan Smith has refused to stop the cull and is supporting the Department of Sustainability and Environment’s approval of the Authority to Control Wildlife permit granted last October. Mr Smith’s response to the Whittlesea Council’s letter, appealing for a moratorium on the cull, failed to answer any of the council’s questions. At last week’s meeting, councillors voted to write back to the minister requesting he answer their questions. The council will seek clarification from police about how residents can best obtain information about the cull. The council will also approach the Interface Councils Group to help form a collaborative arrangement between them and the DSE in relation to the department’s management of kangaroos in semi-rural municipalities. McEwen federal Labor MP Rob Mitchell demanded the minister come clean about his decision and has written to the Ballieu government asking for answers.
“What justification is there for such a large number of kangaroos to be culled?” he asked. “I support those in our community who are concerned and outraged with the lack of information they are receiving and commend them on their passion and hard fought campaign.” At the April 6 Parliamentary sitting, Yan Yean state Labor MP Danielle Green called on Mr Ryan to suspend the cull and revoke the DSE-approved permit. “It is extremely disappointing the DSE has issued cull permits in this instance without consulting the local community,” she said. Ms Green said a protocol was adopted by former environment minister John Thwaites five years ago, following a similar kangaroo cull in Nillumbik. But a DSE spokeswoman, who did not want to be named, told the Whittlesea Leader that the protocol agreement Ms Green referred to was never formalised. Thomastown state Labor MP Bronwyn Halfpenny said there was disturbing evidence that the cull had been carried out ineptly, causing needless suffering to the roos. Mill Park state Labor MP Lily D’Ambrosio said the minister’s disregard of the issue was concerning and called on the RSPCA to investigate the treatment of the Eden Park kangaroos. Scullin Federal MP Harry Jenkins did not respond to the Leader’s questions. *Leader
Ed Comment; There has to be something really weird going on here. Its rare that a public facility like a TAFE College would so consistently ignore the objections of so many local residents...and the local Council, and the local State politicians. One day it will all come back to bite the TAFE College where it hurts the most....lack of local support for it. Something very peculiar is going on here.
Ending the Eden Park kangaroo cull remains an uphill battle for Whittlesea council, which has ruled out restricting firearms use around NMIT’s Northern Lodge property by claiming the area a populous place. Residents living near the 320ha horse stud say they are living in fear as the culling of 300 eastern grey kangaroos proceeds. Land owners say gunshots have rung out unexpectedly and without notice. After talks with police, Whittlesea’s acting director of planning and development, Griff Davis, said the populous place title did not apply to Eden Park. “We received advice from the police as to the definition of what a populous place is,” Mr Davis said. “We, as a council, do not have the authority to respond to this issue through these means.” Epping firearms safety officer Leading Sen-Constable Simon Busuttil said although a number of residents lived close to the NMIT property, it could not be classified as a populous place. “Just because there are people on the boundary doesn’t mean it’s a populous place,” Sen-Constable Busuttil said. He said not all shooting around the property was cull-related. “They can still shoot on that property because it’s rural; it’s not a criminal offence,” he said. “If they (residents) call the police every time they hear a gunshot, what a waste of police resources.” Sen-Constable Busuttil said permits were a Department of Sustainability and Environment responsibility. “All permit issues relating to police have been complied with,” he said. * Leader
Kangaroo Industry
With John Kelly’s rural Australian drawl, it is almost startling to hear him use Chinese cooking terms. “The Chinese have a strong culinary tradition in using wild foods, not just meat, but a wide range of wild foods called yaemei in Cantonese and yewei in Mandarin,” said Mr. Kelly, executive director of the Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia, a lobbying group. “Kangaroo will to a large extent just slot right into that existing tradition in much the same way it has in the European markets.” Or so he hopes. Soaring Chinese demand for other resources, like iron ore and coal, has helped to keep the Australian economy growing even through the worst of the global financial crisis. China has surpassed Japan to become Australia’s largest trading partner, accounting for 52.3 billion Australian dollars ($55.2 billion), or nearly 21 percent of this nation’s exports in the financial year that ended last June. Now, people like Mr. Kelly are hoping that Chinese demand can revive Australia’s kangaroo meat industry, which has been struggling since a food-safety import ban was imposed in 2009 by Russia, the former leading importer.
Within Australia, kangaroo meat has always been a tough sell, either because the animal is a national symbol, whose slaughter animal rights activists oppose — or because of its gamey, pungent flesh. A 2008 study showed that just 14.5 percent of Australians had knowingly eaten kangaroo more than four times in the preceding year — compared with 80 percent of Australian households that had eaten beef at least once a month. The bigger opportunity has long been exports of meat from kangaroos, which are widely considered pests in the country’s parched hinterlands, blamed for problems like soil erosion and nighttime road accidents. As recently as 2008, Australian kangaroo meat exports totaled 10,010 tons — worth 36.4 million Australian dollars, or $38.4 million, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Russia accounted for at least 58 percent of that market, until an E. coli outbreak linked to the meat in August 2009 led Moscow to ban the imports. Australian kangaroo exports plummeted, to 2,920 tons worth 11.7 million Australian dollars ($12.3 million) in 2010.
With Russia’s ban, the European Union has became the largest importer, buying 64 percent of the kangaroo meat that Australia sold overseas in 2010. The United States bought just 2.2 percent. Meat for human consumption makes up about 80 percent of total kangaroo exports, which also include meat for pet food and skins for clothing. Those sectors, too, have been affected, falling by about half since the Russian ban. And so Mr. Kelly’s group is looking toward China, which last December sent a government delegation to Australia to investigate the health and sanitary conditions of kangaroo producers. While an import framework has already been agreed upon, Beijing is awaiting the results of its review, according to Joe Ludwig, an Australian senator who is the minister for agriculture, fisheries and forestry. “A number of steps still remain before trade can commence,” Mr. Ludwig said, “including agreement of an export health certificate and approval of kangaroo processing establishments in Australia.”
Fang Xi, an economic official at the Chinese Embassy in Canberra, suggested the remaining steps were mere formalities. “We hopefully will see the Chinese people enjoy kangaroo meat very soon,” he said. It is not a welcome prospect for groups like the Australian Society for Kangaroos, which asserts that besides being unfit for human consumption, the animals are in danger of being hunted to extinction. Australia’s kangaroo population “can’t even deal with the domestic and European consumption,” said Nikki Sutterby, the society’s coordinator. “How would it deal with a country as large as China starting to eat kangaroo meat?” According to government statistics, kangaroo populations have held steady for nearly a decade. There are at least 25 million kangaroos living within commercial harvest areas — more than one for each of the 23 million people in Australia — which would seem to undermine claims of imminent extinction. But Ms. Sutterby asked potential consumers to put ecology before appetite. “If the Asians want to preserve our iconic population in the wild,” she said, “I recommend that they don’t agree to the importation of kangaroos.” Mr. Kelly, meanwhile, fairly salivates at the prospect of shipping kangaroo to the kitchens of the world’s potentially biggest consumer market. “I’d expect us to be putting product into China at some time this year,” he said, adding that he expected China “at some stage to be a larger market than Russia ever was.” *NY Times
Flying Foxes
The state's new Agriculture Minister is calling on the federal government to reassess the vulnerable species listing of the grey-headed flying fox. Regions such as Young, Orange, Bathurst and Tumut have had significant numbers of the foxes over the last few years. The Minister for Primary Industries, Katrina Hodgkinson said something must be done to stop the destruction of valuable fruit crops like apples and stone fruit. She has commissioned a report into the species. "The options paper raises the possibility of calling on the Federal Government to reassess the listing o the grey-headed flying fox as a vulnerable species under the Threatened Species Conservation Act," she said. "Also the options paper invetigates the extension of netting grants and also financial assistance for NSW fruit producers." An environmental group says any review of the vulnerable species listing of the grey-headed flying fox would need to consider its population nationally. The President of the Environmentally Concerned Citizens of Orange, Neil Jones, said while the flying foxes are a local problem, the animals are a national treasure. "The current evidence is that their populations are still declining despite what might appear to be the contrary locally," he said. "Any change to that status would require a very careful audit nationally.
"It's not just an issue for New South Wales, it's Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and probably other states as well." The Primary Industries Minister has halved the time it takes to get a license to shoot flying foxes. Ms Hodgkinson said she has fast tracked the issuing of shooting licences from 48 hours to 24 hours and the application and approval for relocating camps if required. I'm determined this will not happen again next year," she said. So I'll be looking at whatever it takes to make sure we get this issue under control. "I'm working very closely also with Environment Minister Robyn Parker. "We've had a discussion about the bat problem and also the need to ensure we have food security here in New South Wales. "Together we're also working with the Premier to make sure we get a proper solution to this problem." Mr Jones said shooting will have little impact, and nets are the only way to protect crops. "All the evidence indicates that it is the only way that you can guarantee that you won't have damage by flying foxes," he said. "The other issue is too is an assessment of just how significant the damage is this year. "We know last year the amount of damage, I believe this year it's not as great and I that needs to be carefully considered in relation to the cost." *ABC
Uranium Leak
More than 10 million litres of "radioactive contaminated" water is sitting in ponds at the Territory's only uranium mine, an indigenous leader said yesterday. Northern Land Council chief executive Kim Hill said a CSIRO study estimated 150,000 litres a day leaked into Kakadu National Park from the Ranger mine. He called on Energy Resources Australia to guarantee that the "environmental monitoring process" would not suffer during the shutdown of the mine. Ranger will be closed until July because the heavy wet season has almost filled the tailings dams. Mr Hill said ERA would "cut cost wherever possible" because of its falling share price and "disastrous environmental record". "The World Heritage-listed environment that surrounds the mine mustn't suffer further as the company looks to protect its bottom line," he said. Mr Hill said the troubles at Ranger added weight to his calls for an end to self-regulation in the Territory mining industry. But Ranger is unusual because it is not self-regulated it is monitored by the Federal Government-appointed Office of the Supervising Scientist and is often described as the most highly regulated mine in the world. ERA spokeswoman Shannon McRae said Ranger was independently monitored and the Supervising Scientist had confirmed in all its reports "that the surrounding environment has remained protected". She said additional water monitoring stations were being set up. "The water is confined to the mine site there has been no evidence of contamination of Kakadu National Park," Ms McRae said. "The Supervising Scientist has a comprehensive chemical and biological monitoring program which demonstrates that Ranger continues to have no detrimental impact on the environment of Kakadu. Any review of costs will not compromise any aspect of environmental protection." *NT News
Snakebite
A boy who chopped off the head of a deadly taipan snake after it bit him will escape prosecution. Walker Dudman, a curious Year 6 student on Easter holidays in Townsville, had picked up the nearly two metre-long black taipan and was carrying it to the family home in Bluewater, 30km north of the city, when it bit him on the hand on Sunday. The 12-year-old chopped off the snake's head with an axe, but collapsed minutes later from the highly venomous snake bite. The boy was rushed to Townsville hospital where he has been in a serious but stable condition for three days suffering vomiting, dizziness and eyesight loss after the envenomation by one of the world's most lethal creatures. It is illegal to kill the protected species, but the Environmental Protection Agency yesterday confirmed they would not be prosecuting the child. "I had it around the neck," Walker told The Courier-Mail from his hospital bed on Monday. "I was holding it tight, but its head could move, and it got me. I was carrying it up to the house to show to my grandad." He said he had learnt his lesson "not to pick up and play with big black snakes". *Courier Mail
Bob Irwin Arrested
Veteran wildlife campaigner Bob Irwin reckons his late famous son would have been proud of his arrest at a coal seam gas protest in Queensland. Mr Irwin has been charged with ignoring police orders to remove himself from a road blockade aimed at stopping the construction of a 16km gas pipeline in the state's south. The father of the late "crocodile hunter" Steve Irwin, along with Greens spokeswoman Libby Connors, joined the protest at the Tara Estate, south of Chinchilla, but within hours were in police custody. Protesters have been manning the blockade since last month trying to frustrate construction of the pipeline, which will take CSG from five wells on the estate to the nearby Kenya gas processing plant. Opponents fear the expanding CSG industry will contaminate groundwater, present risks to human health and devalue land. Read more ... http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/bob-irwin-arrested-at-gas-protest/story-e6freon6-1226037843372
White Rhinos
Australia Zoo has a cute new addition to its family - a baby white rhino. She's about 60kg and a bit wobbly after being born at 3.15am yesterday. Zoo spokeswoman Manu Ludden said the female calf was doing well and had already started feeding from proud mum Caballe. "Our little rhino calf was on the move immediately after being born and she has already had at least three good long feeds," Ms Ludden said. "Mum is also doing well. She is super relaxed and she seems quite content." The calf will not be on display until September to give her and her mum time to grow and bond. Caballe was brought from Hamilton Zoo in Auckland, NZ, last year. She is a southern white rhinoceros. One of Africa's "big five" animals, wild white rhino numbers are estimated at 20,150, with a further 780 in captivity. They are close to being listed as threatened but compare well with Queensland's northern hairy nosed wombat of which only about 140 survive. "White rhinos are doing the best of all the rhino species, numbering more than all the other species put together," Ms Ludden said. "This hasn't always been the case though, with numbers dropping to less than 100 individuals at the turn of the century, so they are a great success story. "Poaching remains the rhinos' biggest threat but through intense anti-poaching strategies, numbers have climbed. However they are still highly at risk." This is Caballe's fourth calf and is the first rhino born at the zoo. The far more endangered wombats also are celebrating a birth in the wild, with a population set up by Environment Department scientists near St George just having recorded its first birth. Australia Zoo is offering the public to name the rhino via auction website eBay. All money will go to conservation projects in Africa. *Courier Mail
Snakes
The "scales of justice" will have new meaning for a Winnipeg man charged with illegally keeping snakes and other reptiles in his apartment on Assiniboine Avenue. Police discovered the cache of critters after a panicky call from a 72-year-old neighbour who found a huge snake under his bathroom sink. Police and animal services officers captured the 5 to 6 foot long animal. “In the middle of the night I heard a glass break,” says Morley Wilson. He thought there was an intruder in his apartment, somewhat relieved to discover what he describes as a black an orange python. Police eventually discovered the reptile had slithered its way from another suite in the same building, and found the 33-year-old resident was keeping 50 more snakes and lizards. Nine snakes were seized as they are believed to be prohibited, and the owner is facing charges under the City of Winnipeg Exotic Animal By-Law. But officers say there’s no evidence the animals were mistreated. “It appears that these animals were very well looked after,” Cst. Jason Michalyshen told a news conference Tuesday. “He described himself as a hobby breeder or someone that certainly has significant knowledge with regards to snakes and other reptiles.” *WinnipegNews
Bees
Honeybees are taking emergency measures to protect their hives from pesticides, in an extraordinary example of the natural world adapting swiftly to our depredations, according to a prominent bee expert.
Scientists have found numerous examples of a new phenomenon – bees "entombing" or sealing up hive cells full of pollen to put them out of use, and protect the rest of the hive from their contents. The pollen stored in the sealed-up cells has been found to contain dramatically higher levels of pesticides and other potentially harmful chemicals than the pollen stored in neighbouring cells, which is used to feed growing young bees. "This is a novel finding, and very striking. The implication is that the bees are sensing [pesticides] and actually sealing it off. They are recognising that something is wrong with the pollen and encapsulating it," said Jeff Pettis, an entomologist with the US Department of Agriculture. "Bees would not normally seal off pollen." But the bees' last-ditch efforts to save themselves appear to be unsuccessful – the entombing behaviour is found in many hives that subsequently die off, according to Pettis. "The presence of entombing is the biggest single predictor of colony loss. It's a defence mechanism that has failed." These colonies were likely to already be in trouble, and their death could be attributed to a mix of factors in addition to pesticides, he added. * Guardian Read More .. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/apr/04/honeybees-entomb-hives
Wolves
US Congress for the first time is directly intervening in the Endangered Species List and removing an animal from it, establishing a precedent for political influence over the list that has outraged environmental groups. A rider to the Congressional budget measure agreed to last weekend dictates that wolves in Montana and Idaho be taken off the endangered species list and managed instead by state wildlife agencies, which is in direct opposition to a federal judge’s recent decision forbidding the Interior Department to take such an action. While the language on the Rocky Mountain wolves was a tiny item in budgetary terms, environmental groups said it set an unnerving precedent by letting Congress, rather than a science-based federal agency, remove endangered species protections. * NY Times
Cassowaries
North Queensland authorities have received reports of hundreds of cassowary sightings across the Cardwell Ranges through to Innisfail after Cyclone Yasi. Residents and the Environment Department have set up almost 100 feeding stations for the endangered birds after some of their habitat was affected by the cyclone. Environment authorities say they may have to leave cassowary feeding stations in parts of far north Queensland for up to a year to help the endangered species. Wet Tropics operations manager Andrew Millerd says rangers are monitoring the birds' droppings to find out how much forest fruit they are eating. "There's two reasons for that - one is to actually have a look at what is passing through the gullet of the cassowary to see what sort of food resource they're feeding on," he said. "That's giving us some information about whether their diet is heavily made up of foods that are going into feed stations or whether it's native fruits or a combination." Mr Millerd says the birds' activity is also being captured on film. "There's quite a lot of cassowaries being sighted, many adults, quite a few chicks and juveniles are readily apparent from the sightings and from the camera data," he said. "They are actively using the feed stations, so were able to ... identify those things and help to confirm that the effort that we're putting in is being effective." *ABC
Turtles
Recreational fishing group Sunfish says net fishing should not be used in areas near Gladstone after turtles were found washed up on central Queensland beaches. The bodies of 15 green turtles have been found south of Gladstone over the past week. The Department of Environment and Resource Management says turtles may have become entangled in nets after recent flooding. Sunfish spokeswoman Judy Lynne says she does not want a blanket ban on using nets in Australia but it is an issue which needs to be addressed in the Boyne Island and Tannum Sands area. "I don't have any issues with the way the commercial lines fishermen run their businesses but Sunfish does have a problem with net fishing in principle," she said. "It's non-selective, most things that get caught in those nets die, whereas a commercial lines fisherman is a lot like a recreational catch, if he's got something he doesn't want, it's released." *ABC
Wildlife Hero
Not many people knew what environmental activism was when Jill Chamberlain took up placards and hit the pavement to lobby developers and the government of the time - 30 years on Jill has worked consistently and tirelessly behind many causes to save the environment and ultimately improve the lives of residents living on the Sunshine Coast. Now living in Mooloolaba, this proactive 77-year-old has been instrumental in preserving wildlife and conservation in Queensland. Awarded with a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2010, Jill also has a 48-hectare bush reserve named after her at Caloundra and is set to become an Honorary Senior Fellow of the University of the Sunshine Coast. "I want to get more people interested in the importance of our environment" Jill laments, "I'm trying to save as much of our natural bush as possible from development for the sake of wildlife." Currently Jill is campaigning to protect the sensitive Pumicestone Passage catchment from degradation as the proposed Caloundra South development progresses. "A lot of the creeks and waterways running through the proposed development go into the Pumicestone Passage - which is an extremely sensitive waterway. In fact, in the last Healthy Waterways survey it went from a rating of C down to a D and that's very concerning. *ABC
4WD runs over tent
A 71-year-old man is in a serious condition at Nambour hospital after being run over while sleeping in a tent in a State Forest south of Maryborough yesterday. The elderly man was camping with a 26 yr old companion at Tuan State Forest, 7km south of Maryborough, when, at about 1.00am, another man drove his four-wheel-drive ran over the tent . The older man suffered a suspected broken pelvis and internal bleeding and was flown to Nambour General Hospital for treatment. Police said his condition was critical. The 26-year-old man who was also in the tent was admitted to hospital but was not critically injured. Forensic Crash Unit police are investigating. *Sunshine Coast Daily
Penguins
Young penguins in the Antarctic may be dying because they are having a tougher time finding food, as melting sea ice cuts back on the tiny fish they eat, U.S. researchers suggested on Monday. Only about 10 per cent of baby penguins tagged by researchers are coming back in two to four years to breed, down from 40-50 per cent in the 1970s, said the study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Chinstrap penguins, known for their characteristic head markings that resemble a cap with a black line just under the neck, are the second largest group in the area after the macaroni penguins, and are at particular risk because their population is restricted to one area, the South Shetland Islands. "It is a dramatic change," lead researcher Wayne Trivelpiece, of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Antarctic Ecosystem Research Division, told AFP. "There are still two to three million chinstrap pairs in this region but there were seven to eight million two decades ago," he said. *GlobalNews Read more .. http://www.globalnews.ca/technology/Young+penguins+dying+lack+food+Study/4596766/story.html
Kangaroo Bow Shot
The National Parks and Wildlife Service says it holds little hope of finding the kangaroo that was shot with an arrow at Maloneys Beach this month. NPWS spokesman Stuart Cohen said the male eastern grey kangaroo, which has not been seen since April 4, had most likely succumbed to its wounds. “It would be very nice to catch it, remove the arrow, give it a couple of doses of antibiotics and let it go, but the chances are it’s not alive anymore,” he said. WIRES representative Jeanie Miller explored the tracks that are frequented by kangaroos in the Maloneys Beach area on Sunday and failed to find the animal. She has come to the same conclusion. “Unfortunately I think he would have died by now,” she said. Ms Miller is hoping that the perpetrator or perpetrators will not return during the holiday period. “We will just have to wait and see what happens,” she said. *Moruya Leader
Shooting
Hunting in 29 national parks, relaxation of gun licensing laws and shooting as a school sport: these are some of the demands the Premier is about to be confronted with by the Shooters and Fishers Party, which now shares the balance of power in the NSW upper house. As the make-up of the Legislative Council was decided yesterday, documents obtained by the Herald reveal the extent and cost of the shopping list likely to be presented to Barry O'Farrell as he tries to negotiate his legislation through the new Parliament. They show the Shooters and Fishers want access to at least 29 national parks for shooting of feral animals and deer. ''These are just a few to start with,'' the party's MP Robert Brown writes in one of the documents used in negotiations with the former government. ''Some are big reserves out west where it would be great to get acces [sic] to pigs, goats, foxes & cats.'' The wish list includes no more national parks or marine parks and removal of the 28-day cooling off period for licence renewals for firearms of the same category. Introducing shooting as an official school sport is estimated to cost $1 million a year and the creation of private game reserves has a price tag of $500,000 attached to it. The documents were used in negotiations between Mr Brown, the late Shooters Party MP Roy Smith and the Labor government. The cost of the policies was estimated at $94.3 million between 2007 and 2011. *SMH
Meanwhile, police are investigating the fatal shooting of a man near Wagga Wagga. A group of four men were preparing to go for a night-time shoot last night when one man's rifle discharged while he was loading it, hitting a 36-year-old man in the chest. He was rushed from the Borambola property to Wagga Wagga Hospital where he died during surgery. Police set up a crime scene at the rural property on the Sturt Highway about 25km east of Wagga Wagga.
Polar Bears
Thanks to the efforts of a conservation group tied with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, open season for hunting polar bears has been canceled in Russia this year. A Russian-U.S. commission last year agreed to restrict polar bear hunting to 29 animals per year for each country, reports the Associated Press. But the Polar Bear program, established under Putin's patronage, said this week that Russia had waived its quota for bear hunting. In 2010, the U.S.-Russia Polar Bear Commission met in Anchorage, Alaska to lift the 50-year ban on polar bear hunting for the benefit of indigenous peoples in Alaska and in far-eastern Russia across the Bering Strait. At that time, the Commision decided the annual take would be limited to 19 females and 39 males per year (it has been estimated that hunting and poaching accountsfor 100 polar bear deaths a year). It was also agreed that quota numbers would be re-evaluated every year based on scientific data. "Measures taken by Russia will ensure that the United States will be killing at least 70 polar bears fewer than before, which, according to Russian specialists, will help to sustain and boost the population of this beautiful Arctic animal," members of The Polar Bear Program said in a statement posted on Putin's official website. Last year Putin, a longtime defender of large endangered animals, helped Russian scientists put a tracking collar on a sedated male polar bear. Before leaving the bear, he patted the animal affectionately, shook his paw and said "take care" (AP). According to Polar Bear International (PBI), "scientists have concluded that the threat to polar bears is ecological change in the Arctic from global warming. Polar bears depend on sea ice for hunting, breeding, and in some cases, denning. Summer ice loss in the Arctic now equals an area the size of Alaska, Texas, and the state of Washington combined." *Care2
CSG
The ranking Queensland Police officer attending the blockade of the coal seam gas giant QGC has told protesters sitting in a tree in the path of bulldozers they could be charged under the state's anti-terror legislation. Friends of the Earth spokesperson and blockade organiser Drew Hutton said he was outraged by any suggestion the peaceful protesters would be targeted by Police anti-terrorism action. "We have never used anything other than strictly non-violent action," Mr Hutton said. "We have been courteous and co-operative with Police and QGC and have not allowed the slightest hint of anti-social behaviour among our group. "If these two young men sitting six metres up a gum tree are terrorists, then so so am I and so is that great Australian, Bob Irwin." Mr Hutton said the two in the tree were fine young men who were simply trying to protect the last mature tree in a bulldozed corridor. This corridor is forty metres wide instead of the ten metres stipulated in QGC's environmental authority. "The real law breaker here is QGC which is breaching section 804 of the Petroleum and Gas Act by causing "unreasonable interference" to the landowner's property but the police are more intent on focusing on a couple of lads in a gum tree," Mr Hutton said. *Chronicle
Meanwhile coal seam gas company QGC has been fined $20,000 for illegally clearing trees at its project site near Tara in October.
Barbed Wire
Tasmanian wildlife carers are pleading with property owners to reconsider using barbed wire in fencing after a spate of fatal injuries to native animals. Bonorong Wildlife Park owner Greg Irons said that since late last year there had been an increase in animals reported trapped in barbed-wire fences. All the injured animals have had to be put down, including rosellas, an eastern quoll, a pademelon, a Tasmanian devil, and two tawny frogmouths. Mr Irons said night hunters like the tawny frogmouth were especially vulnerable to barbed wire. Birds caught were likely to suffer broken wings and deep cuts as they flapped their wings in a panicked attempt to free themselves. "Tawny frogmouths hunt with their mouth not their talons, they're often chasing a moth or insect with their mouth open and they're focused on an insect and they run into barbed wire," he said. "It's one of those things that's cropping up again and again." Mr Irons said barbed wire was a hazard for endangered devils. A healthy young female devil had to be put down this year after being caught in a fence. "We see the ones that get stuck and that people find. How many more are out there? We're only seeing a very small percentage of the animals that are being hurt by barbed wire," he said. "Barbed wire is designed so that once it goes in, it won't come back out again. If the injuries don't kill them, the stress will be enough to kill them." He said there were many alternative fencing materials. *Mercury
Sharks
The government of Palau says it is reconsidering an agreement to have the conservation group Sea Shepherd patrol a marine sanctuary in its waters. The group had offered to patrol - at its own expense - an area designated as the world's first shark sanctuary. But the Japanese government, which describes the conservationists as "terrorists", objected to the plan and has offered to send its own patrol vessel instead. Sea Shepherd has regularly clashed with Japanese whalers and this year forced them to cut short their annual hunt in the Southern Ocean. *NetworkNews
Fish Vanishing
A new study suggests that more than 40 fish species in the Mediterranean could vanish in the next few years. The study released Tuesday by the International Union for Conservation of Nature says almost half of the species of sharks and rays in the Mediterranean and at least 12 species of bony fish are threatened with extinction due to overfishing, pollution and the loss of habitat. Commercial catches of bluefin tuna, sea bass, hake and dusky grouper are particularly threatened, said the study by the Swiss-based IUCN, an environmental network of 1,000 groups in 160 nations. "The Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic population of the Atlantic bluefin tuna is of particular concern," said Kent Carpenter, IUCN's global marine species assessment coordinator. He cited a steep drop in the giant fish's reproductive capacity due to four decades of intensive overfishing. Japanese diners consume 80 percent of the Atlantic and Pacific bluefins caught and the two tuna species are especially prized by sushi lovers. *NetworkItem
Swan Killer Fined
A Gold Coast teenager who used a jet-ski to run down a black swan that later died has been fined more than $11,000 and ordered to perform 180 hours of community service. Kale Francis Falchi, 19, had no conviction recorded against him and escaped a jail term when he appeared before Southport magistrate Brian Kucks for sentencing today. However Mr Kucks ordered Falchi, who will soon be on a full wage after completing a carpentry apprenticeship, to repay Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary $11,060 compensation for costs. The sanctuary spent four months trying to save the swan after it was severely injured on Boxing Day last year. The magistrate told Falchi he had shown a "callous disregard" for the swan's welfare, and owed a debt to society. In a statement to the court, Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary vet Dr Michael Pine said that, despite their best efforts, Cassie the swan had to be euthanased on April 4. "Her will to live captured the emotion of all the staff who treated her," he said. Mr Kucks said the teenager probably would not have been caught if it wasn't for the fact that the attack was filmed on video. *AGE
King Crabs
It's like a scene out of a sci-fi movie – thousands, possibly millions, of king crabs are marching through icy deep-sea waters and up the Antarctic slope. "They are coming from the deep, somewhere between 6,000 to 9,000 feet down," said James McClintock, Ph.D., University of Alabama at Birmingham Endowed Professor of Polar and Marine Biology. Shell-crushing crabs haven't been in Antarctica, the Earth's southernmost continent, for hundreds or thousands, if not millions, of years, McClintock said. "They have trouble regulating magnesium ions in their body fluids and get kind of drunk at low temperatures." But something has changed, and these crustaceans are poised to move by the droves up the slope and onto the shelf that surrounds Antarctica. McClintock and other marine researchers interested in the continent are sounding alarms because the vulnerable ecosystem could be wiped out, he said. * Underwater Times
Read more ... http://www.underwatertimes.com/news.php?article_id=62741005319
Rights for Wildlife?
Giving animals legal ownership of their habitat and affording them standing before the courts may hold the key to protecting biodiversity, an Australian researcher says. Australia is one of only 17 countries recognised as being mega-diverse, but it also has one of the highest extinction rates, with around 126 species of plants and animals sent to extinction in the past 200 years. Doctor John Hadley from the University of Western Sydney says land clearing is the leading cause of biodiversity loss. "We have this policy that allows farmers to offset any habitat they destroy. So they are allowed to remove habitat if they promise to restore habitat elsewhere," he said. "It is essentially saying [to animals] it's OK if we destroy your home because we will build you another one nearby, but in the interim you have to fend for yourselves." Dr Hadley says under his idea, certain animals would be afforded legal property rights, and human guardians would be appointed to advocate for them in court. "We have a system in place now for human beings that are unable to manage their property due to some sort of mental impairment, known as guardianship," he said. "So I was thinking, could we extend this idea to animals and would this be a way of bolstering protection for habitat?"
He says guardians would be registered with an independent tribunal and people who wanted to modify habitat on their land would have to negotiate with the guardians before taking any action. "I'm not saying that this is something that animals are owed as a right. It's not going to apply to all animals everywhere," he said. "The idea would be that somebody comes forward - say an NGO or it could even be a private individual - who agrees to represent a group of animals whose home is impacted or potentially about to be impacted by land clearing." Dr Hadley says there is a "groundswell around the world" to secure legal rights for animals, including cases like 'Cetacean Community v George W Bush' in the United States. In that 2004 case the whales, porpoises and dolphins of the world sought the right to sue Mr Bush, Donald Rumsfeld and the US Navy for destruction of habitat caused by the Navy's use of sonar as part of submarine navigation systems.
While the case was unsuccessful, Dr Hadley says the idea of property rights for animals has been successfully floated in other parts of the world. "In Austria there's a system of animal solicitors where each state has to have a designated solicitor representing animals," he said. He says is time to "think outside the square and do something different", but admits that for his idea to ever become reality, it will take a "courageous government". "Probably not in my lifetime, but I think something like it down the track is inevitable," he said. "Native Title was similarly radical. 150 years ago people would have said that that would never work," he said.
But Dr Malcolm Caulfield, the principal lawyer at the Animal Welfare Community Legal Centre, says the legal system is highly unlikely to recognise any push for property rights for animals. "I honestly think it's kind of out in the realms of silly legal academic points," he said. "The loss of biodiversity... is nothing to do with the rights of the animals. It has to do with the respect for the environment and biodiversity. "It's the march for progress and the demand for development that is the issue here, not the legal rights of animals." Dr Caulfield says the law is already clear that animals must be considered before clearing land. "The Commonwealth Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Act is a huge umbrella-type legislation that makes huge references to animals, and animal welfare acts apply equally to wildlife as to any other form of animal," he said. "And I would argue that animal guardianship is almost where we are anyway." Dr Hadley says he is working on a case study involving a dingo population in Western Sydney. He hopes it will show that his idea can mesh with existing laws. "Hopefully my framework will be practical and useful enough for entertaining on a small scale and then it would grow from there," he said. "This is an option, if we care about biodiversity and saving habitat, that we might be interested in exploring." *ABC
NMIT Kangaroos
Four out of five local MPs have promised to lobby the State Government to stop the Northern Metropolitan Institute of TAFE’s kangaroo cull at Eden Park. Despite growing protests, Environment Minister Ryan Smith has refused to stop the cull and is supporting the Department of Sustainability and Environment’s approval of the Authority to Control Wildlife permit granted last October. Mr Smith’s response to the Whittlesea Council’s letter, appealing for a moratorium on the cull, failed to answer any of the council’s questions. At last week’s meeting, councillors voted to write back to the minister requesting he answer their questions. The council will seek clarification from police about how residents can best obtain information about the cull. The council will also approach the Interface Councils Group to help form a collaborative arrangement between them and the DSE in relation to the department’s management of kangaroos in semi-rural municipalities. McEwen federal Labor MP Rob Mitchell demanded the minister come clean about his decision and has written to the Ballieu government asking for answers.
“What justification is there for such a large number of kangaroos to be culled?” he asked. “I support those in our community who are concerned and outraged with the lack of information they are receiving and commend them on their passion and hard fought campaign.” At the April 6 Parliamentary sitting, Yan Yean state Labor MP Danielle Green called on Mr Ryan to suspend the cull and revoke the DSE-approved permit. “It is extremely disappointing the DSE has issued cull permits in this instance without consulting the local community,” she said. Ms Green said a protocol was adopted by former environment minister John Thwaites five years ago, following a similar kangaroo cull in Nillumbik. But a DSE spokeswoman, who did not want to be named, told the Whittlesea Leader that the protocol agreement Ms Green referred to was never formalised. Thomastown state Labor MP Bronwyn Halfpenny said there was disturbing evidence that the cull had been carried out ineptly, causing needless suffering to the roos. Mill Park state Labor MP Lily D’Ambrosio said the minister’s disregard of the issue was concerning and called on the RSPCA to investigate the treatment of the Eden Park kangaroos. Scullin Federal MP Harry Jenkins did not respond to the Leader’s questions. *Leader
Ed Comment; There has to be something really weird going on here. Its rare that a public facility like a TAFE College would so consistently ignore the objections of so many local residents...and the local Council, and the local State politicians. One day it will all come back to bite the TAFE College where it hurts the most....lack of local support for it. Something very peculiar is going on here.
Ending the Eden Park kangaroo cull remains an uphill battle for Whittlesea council, which has ruled out restricting firearms use around NMIT’s Northern Lodge property by claiming the area a populous place. Residents living near the 320ha horse stud say they are living in fear as the culling of 300 eastern grey kangaroos proceeds. Land owners say gunshots have rung out unexpectedly and without notice. After talks with police, Whittlesea’s acting director of planning and development, Griff Davis, said the populous place title did not apply to Eden Park. “We received advice from the police as to the definition of what a populous place is,” Mr Davis said. “We, as a council, do not have the authority to respond to this issue through these means.” Epping firearms safety officer Leading Sen-Constable Simon Busuttil said although a number of residents lived close to the NMIT property, it could not be classified as a populous place. “Just because there are people on the boundary doesn’t mean it’s a populous place,” Sen-Constable Busuttil said. He said not all shooting around the property was cull-related. “They can still shoot on that property because it’s rural; it’s not a criminal offence,” he said. “If they (residents) call the police every time they hear a gunshot, what a waste of police resources.” Sen-Constable Busuttil said permits were a Department of Sustainability and Environment responsibility. “All permit issues relating to police have been complied with,” he said. * Leader
Kangaroo Industry
With John Kelly’s rural Australian drawl, it is almost startling to hear him use Chinese cooking terms. “The Chinese have a strong culinary tradition in using wild foods, not just meat, but a wide range of wild foods called yaemei in Cantonese and yewei in Mandarin,” said Mr. Kelly, executive director of the Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia, a lobbying group. “Kangaroo will to a large extent just slot right into that existing tradition in much the same way it has in the European markets.” Or so he hopes. Soaring Chinese demand for other resources, like iron ore and coal, has helped to keep the Australian economy growing even through the worst of the global financial crisis. China has surpassed Japan to become Australia’s largest trading partner, accounting for 52.3 billion Australian dollars ($55.2 billion), or nearly 21 percent of this nation’s exports in the financial year that ended last June. Now, people like Mr. Kelly are hoping that Chinese demand can revive Australia’s kangaroo meat industry, which has been struggling since a food-safety import ban was imposed in 2009 by Russia, the former leading importer.
Within Australia, kangaroo meat has always been a tough sell, either because the animal is a national symbol, whose slaughter animal rights activists oppose — or because of its gamey, pungent flesh. A 2008 study showed that just 14.5 percent of Australians had knowingly eaten kangaroo more than four times in the preceding year — compared with 80 percent of Australian households that had eaten beef at least once a month. The bigger opportunity has long been exports of meat from kangaroos, which are widely considered pests in the country’s parched hinterlands, blamed for problems like soil erosion and nighttime road accidents. As recently as 2008, Australian kangaroo meat exports totaled 10,010 tons — worth 36.4 million Australian dollars, or $38.4 million, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Russia accounted for at least 58 percent of that market, until an E. coli outbreak linked to the meat in August 2009 led Moscow to ban the imports. Australian kangaroo exports plummeted, to 2,920 tons worth 11.7 million Australian dollars ($12.3 million) in 2010.
With Russia’s ban, the European Union has became the largest importer, buying 64 percent of the kangaroo meat that Australia sold overseas in 2010. The United States bought just 2.2 percent. Meat for human consumption makes up about 80 percent of total kangaroo exports, which also include meat for pet food and skins for clothing. Those sectors, too, have been affected, falling by about half since the Russian ban. And so Mr. Kelly’s group is looking toward China, which last December sent a government delegation to Australia to investigate the health and sanitary conditions of kangaroo producers. While an import framework has already been agreed upon, Beijing is awaiting the results of its review, according to Joe Ludwig, an Australian senator who is the minister for agriculture, fisheries and forestry. “A number of steps still remain before trade can commence,” Mr. Ludwig said, “including agreement of an export health certificate and approval of kangaroo processing establishments in Australia.”
Fang Xi, an economic official at the Chinese Embassy in Canberra, suggested the remaining steps were mere formalities. “We hopefully will see the Chinese people enjoy kangaroo meat very soon,” he said. It is not a welcome prospect for groups like the Australian Society for Kangaroos, which asserts that besides being unfit for human consumption, the animals are in danger of being hunted to extinction. Australia’s kangaroo population “can’t even deal with the domestic and European consumption,” said Nikki Sutterby, the society’s coordinator. “How would it deal with a country as large as China starting to eat kangaroo meat?” According to government statistics, kangaroo populations have held steady for nearly a decade. There are at least 25 million kangaroos living within commercial harvest areas — more than one for each of the 23 million people in Australia — which would seem to undermine claims of imminent extinction. But Ms. Sutterby asked potential consumers to put ecology before appetite. “If the Asians want to preserve our iconic population in the wild,” she said, “I recommend that they don’t agree to the importation of kangaroos.” Mr. Kelly, meanwhile, fairly salivates at the prospect of shipping kangaroo to the kitchens of the world’s potentially biggest consumer market. “I’d expect us to be putting product into China at some time this year,” he said, adding that he expected China “at some stage to be a larger market than Russia ever was.” *NY Times
Monday, April 11, 2011
Wildlife Bytes 12/4/11
Leading Story
Marine Parks
The federal government plans to spend $20 million for marine national parks in the south-west Australian ocean. The spending, yet to be announced, will compensate commercial fishers for the establishment of marine protection zones in the region, some of which will not allow any fishing. But the proposed spending falls short of the amount that green groups say is needed to ensure the system of marine parks is properly protected and industry well compensated. The marine campaigner for the Australian Conservation Foundation, Chris Smyth, said the plans represented a ''remarkable opportunity to establish a world-class network of marine sanctuaries in Australia's unique south-west''. He said: ''To avoid missing that opportunity the government needs to back its south-west regional marine plan with about $50 million of funding. ''That will maximise the protection of ocean life while doing the right thing by commercial fishers that may be affected.'' The federal government has committed itself to setting up by the end of next year marine parks along all parts of Australia's coast that are not already protected, to preserve marine environment and restore dwindling fish stocks.
Environmental protection for marine life can range from ''no take zones'' - which allow no fishing or resource drilling - to only limited protection, permitting a full range of industrial activity. Government sources have told the Herald that the level of protection for the south-western oceans will be significant when it is announced this month. This is because the government believes conflict with commercial fishing will be muted and the environmental values of the region are high. The government is also eyeing off a high level of environmental protection for the Coral Sea, which sits between the Great Barrier Reef and the edge of Australia's territorial water and is the site of a number of historic shipwrecks from World War II. The Herald also understands that commercial fishers working in the Coral Sea have approached the government and are prepared to stop fishing in the region in exchange for compensation. The exit of the fishing industry would pave the way for an extensive system of marine parks, though a final deal is not expected until next year.
But marine parks off north, north-west and eastern Australia will be limited. Along the NSW coast, Labor is expecting an angry reaction from fishing groups in a number of key marginal seats. The parliamentary secretary for Fisheries, Mike Kelly, whose seat of Eden-Monaro takes in south coast fishing communities, is understood to have been a vocal opponent in the Labor caucus of significant protection for the marine environment in the region. In the north-west seas the government is reluctant to intervene in the significant expansion of the oil and gas industries. Marine reserves were set up under the Howard government along the Victorian and Tasmanian coasts. Only 8 per cent of the parks set up were deemed off limits for industry. *SMH
Edirorial...Marine Debris
A vast field of debris, swept out to sea following the Japan earthquake and tsunami, is floating towards the U.S. West Coast, it has emerged. More than 200,000 buildings were washed out by the enormous waves that followed the 9.0 quake on March 11. There have been reports of cars, tractor-trailers, capsized ships and even whole houses bobbing around in open water. One expert is expecting parts of houses, whole boats and feet in sneakers to wash up. Several thousand bodies were washed out to sea following the disaster, and while most of the limbs will come apart and break down in the water, feet encased in shoes will float, he said. But much closer to home, on Fraser Island, vast areas of the Eastern beaches are covered with marine debris too. While it's easy to assume that the rubbish came out of the Brisbane River floods, photos indicate that much of the debris may have come from fishing boats. You can see the photos here on Jennifer Parkhurst's website, http://www.fraserislandfootprints.com/wp/?page_id=904 along with lots of other interesting info about Fraser Island. *WPAA
WPAA Facebook Page
We now have a WPAA facebook up and going if you would like to join or have a look at it. The Link to it, is ; http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_192770164084007 Join Wildlife Protection Association of Australia Inc. facebook page NOW!! For all your wildlife needs and updates on current wildlife issues happening.
Penguins
A scientific report and action plan for the conservation of Little Penguins in Gulf St Vincent is set to help the birds on the Fleurieu Peninsula and Kangaroo Island. The study was commissioned by the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management (NRM) Board last year following discussions with penguin and seal researchers and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) staff. The report to be completed this month, will be followed by information sessions on the findings in Adelaide, Victor Harbor and Kangaroo Island. "Despite a number of studies on various penguin colonies, there has been limited coordination of the actions needed across the Gulf. This work will help focus efforts on penguin conservation on the Fleurieu and Kangaroo Island," said Tony Flaherty, Manager Coast and Marine for the NRM Board. The Little Penguin, an iconic seabird and a tourist drawcard for the region is under pressure from predators such as rats, dogs and cats and disturbance from people. In recent years predation by New Zealand fur seals has been identified as an issue at some colonies.
Read more ... http://www.victorharbortimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/help-at-hand-for-penguins/2126132.aspx?src=rss
Shellfish Pollution
A Tasmanian man has become seriously ill after eating wild shellfish gathered from waters in Tasmania. Government warnings have been issued, and applied to a specific area of the channel south of a line between Middleton and Simpsons Point, north of Bruny Island and north of a line between South-East Cape and The Friars and South Bruny Island. While the present warning was specific to these areas, Tasmanians should always be careful about where they collected wild shellfish and should not consume it from the Derwent or Tamar estuaries at any time. Health authorities have also renewed warnings for people not to eat shellfish from the Huon Estuary and parts of the D'Entrecasteaux Channel. Much of the pollution stems from an algal bloom, and fecal waste generated from salmon farms. * WPAA
Penguins
Researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society, the University of Washington, and other groups are grappling with a wildlife mystery: Why are some penguin chicks losing their feathers? The appearance of "naked" penguins—afflicted with what is known as feather-loss disorder—in penguin colonies on both sides of the South Atlantic in recent years has scientists puzzled as to what could be causing the condition. A study on the disorder appears in a recent edition of the journal Waterbirds. "Feather-loss disorders are uncommon in most bird species, and we need to conduct further study to determine the cause of the disorder and if this is in fact spreading to other penguin species," said Boersma, who has conducted studies on Magellanic penguins for more than three decades. The feather-loss disorder first emerged in Cape Town, South Africa in 2006, when researchers for the South African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) first observed the disorder in African (or black-footed) penguins in a rehabilitation center. During that year, approximately 59 percent of the penguin chicks at the facility lost their feathers, followed by 97 percent of the chicks at the facility in 2007, and 20 percent of the chicks in 2008. Chicks with feather-loss disorder, it was discovered, took longer to grow to a size deemed suitable for release into the wild. The chicks eventually began growing new feathers. Read More ... http://www.underwatertimes.com/news.php?article_id=75610380412
Coral Poaching
A growing number of Filipinos are protesting the reported wholesale harvesting and selling of coral reefs from the Philippines by Shell Horizons whose company website proudly peddles its seemingly illegal and irresponsible business. The website of Shell Horizons, which claims to have been viewed 10 million times since 1998, describes itself as “US Largest Wholesaler of Seashells and Seashell Products, Finest Quality Seashells and Souvenirs Since – 1976.” “This is horrible. Boatloads of corals are taken away, including tritons,” said Filipino netizen Dave Ryan Bauron, who tweets about Philippine tourism and current events, referring to photos of corals featured on the Shell Horizons website. In its online product catalog, Shell Horizons boasts of selling corals and seashells, among hundreds of products, purportedly from the Philippines. Shell Horizons features photos of newly-harvested corals, purportedly from the Philippines. Photo from the Shell Horizons website. Philippines bans harvesting and trade of corals, and is a signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Republic Act 8550 and Presidential Decree 1219 explicitly ban coral harvesting and trade. Read More .. http://asiancorrespondent.com/52131/us-firm-shell-horizons-in-illegal-trade-philippine-corals/#
Wildlife Poaching
Police in Argentina arrested a man with 600 snakes and other reptiles, including some endangered species. He had 40 snakes on him and then they opened his luggage. Ranger Daniel Chersich, warden of Santa Fe province, simply observed that police “were terrified of opening the bags.” They found “444 boas, vipers and other snakes; 186 endangered tortoises; 40 lizards, and an armadillo.” The smuggler had spent three months trapping the creatures. *Network Item
Thailand says it has made its largest ever seizure of monitor lizards after finding more than 2,000 reptiles smuggled in a convoy of utility vehicles heading for the capital. The live Bengal monitors were found in plastic baskets on the back of three vehicles when they were stopped by authorities in Prachuap Khiri Khan province, south of Bangkok. Customs officials, who put the estimated street value of the reptiles at 1.8 million baht ($57,000), said officials believe they were destined for Chinese customers. "They are from Malaysia and transported through southern Thailand and north-eastern Laos to China for eating," said Seree Thaijongrak, head of the customs investigation and suppression bureau. "We knew there was a monitor lizard racket... this time it's the largest seizure ever." Wildlife anti-trafficking organisation Freeland said monitor lizards are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and are threatened with extinction.
International trade in the reptiles is banned and they are protected under Thai and Malaysian law. * AFP
Birdwatching
Birdwatchers in Central Australia believe proposed pastoral land changes will boost the hobby's popularity in the area. The Northern Territory Government is holding an information session in Alice Springs today to ask for comments on its proposed changes to the Pastoral Land Act. In the past, some pastoralists have not let visitors onto their land because of liability concerns with accidents and the cost of maintaining access roads. Birdwatcher Chris Watson says the Government is proposing to take on more liability, as well as the costs of infrastructure maintenance. "So with all those things taken over by the NT Government it probably takes greater incentives for pastoralists to let people onto their land, and to try and encourage people to come to their beautiful places they might have on their leases, to set up eco-tourism ventures," he said. Mr Watson says Kakadu has traditionally been the Territory's hot spot for bird watching but more people are starting to come to Central Australia for bird watching. "Increasingly we're seeing many more people choose to come to the Red Centre, because there are several birds you can only really see here," he said. "Especially with the increased season we've had, the increased rainfall, the birds are just flocking here from all over the shop." *ABC
Victorian Kangaroos
Landholders are permitted to cull about 30,000 kangaroos each year, but because of the ban must either bury or dump the carcasses. A draft commission report said the ban appeared "unnecessarily burdensome". It also said the ban was redundant "in light of other measures to protect biodiversity and animal welfare". The draft report said if the Government lifted the ban "impacts should be monitored closely and, in no later than three years, the operation of the scheme should be reviewed to assess whether removal of the ban has harmed welfare or biodiversity outcomes". The Weekly Times asked Victorian Environment Minister Ryan Smith for comment on the issue, but was referred instead to the office of Treasurer Kim Wells. A spokesman for Mr Wells said it was important to recognise it was a draft report and the Government would respond to recommendations once the final report was released later this year. The commission said the processing of culled kangaroos posed no threat to the marsupials given the Government issues Authority to Control Wildlife permits to landholders based on sustainable limits. The commission also called on the Government to simplify the process for obtaining permits, estimating the cost of issuing each permit was about $480. "Taking into account the need for a site visit and the rigour of the permit system ... yields an administrative cost associated with each application of approximately $480, or $863,000 across industry," the report said. "There may be further costs from ongoing damage from pest animals where control action is delayed by administrative processes." Victoria is the only mainland state to prohibit commercial processing of its kangaroos. Across the rest of Australia, about three million kangaroos are shot each year, although the NSW and Queensland floods restricted the 2010 take to just 1.2 million. *Weekly Times. Make a comment .. http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/article/2011/04/06/315571_national-news.html
Another Kangaroo Shot with Arrow
Police are investigating the shooting of a wild kangaroo with an arrow north of Brisbane this morning. The injured kangaroo, which was carrying a joey, was found with an arrow through her neck at the rear of a high school on Buchanan Street in Rothwell, near Redcliffe, about 7.30am. Police were unable to restrain the distressed animal and called in the Australia Zoo Rescue Unit, which transported the kangaroo to the zoo's wildlife hospital. An Australia Zoo spokesperson said the arrow was removed and the wound cleaned and treated before the kangaroo was released back into the wild this afternoon. "Antibiotics, fluids and pain relief medication were administered, and the kangaroo was kept under observation until it had made some recovery from the anesthetic," the spokesperson said. "The treating vet was satisfied with the condition of the kangaroo, and due to the nature of the wound, the decision was made to return the animal to the wild as quickly as possible, with the Australia Zoo Rescue Unit transporting the kangaroo to a safe location near the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital where they can monitor the animal’s condition. "In these circumstances, being able to return her to the wild so quickly gives her and her joey the best chance possible." Investigations are continuing and police are appealing to anyone who may have information to call their local station or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or at crimestoppers.com.au. *Brisbane Times
Kangaroo Mutilated
Police are investigating the cruel treatment of a kangaroo in Yarrambat, Victoria. It's believed that the kangaroo was initially injured but not killed by a vehicle somewhere in the vicinity of Red Box Court. Whilst laying on the ground injured it is then believed an unknown person or persons has attacked the animal, castrating it and removing the area below the tail called the mound. This mutilation took place some time between 6.30pm on Saturday and 8am on Sunday. The missing body parts have not been recovered after a search of the area and may have been taken by the offender/s. The kangaroo was alive during the mutilation and was put down by a wildlife officer at around 4pm on Sunday. Police are appealing for anyone who may have information about the incident to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or visit: www.crimestoppers.com.au It is the second case of extreme animal cruelty to be investigated by Victorian police within a week, following the stoning death of a nesting female black swan at Queens Park, Moonee Ponds. Victoria Police News
Frozen Zoo
An article on "Australia's frozen zoo and the risk of extinction" by Dr. Ian M Gunn. BVSc. FACVSc. has been published on The Conversation EMagazine. Here is the link:
http://theconversation.edu.au/articles/australias-frozen-zoo-and-the-risk-of-extinction-703
Hanging Rock Kangaroos
A working group has been formed to find a way to keep kangaroos out of the Hanging Rock racecourse on race days. Kyneton and Hanging Rock Racing Club chief executive Mark Graham said the group was working to find a solution that would fit the environment without harming the kangaroos. Mr Graham is part of the group, which will also be made up of a wildlife management consultant, and representatives from the Department of Sustainability and Environment, Racing Victoria and Country Racing Victoria. "The group's purpose is to come up with a recommended solution, and once we believe we've got something meaningful we will consult with other community groups and consider their input," he said. "I would like to make it clear that the club's view and it is the working group's view, that racing has been going at Hanging Rock for 125 years and the kangaroos have been there longer than that. ''We have successfully co-existed for that period of time and we can't see anything wrong with that continuing to happen. "'We are happy for the wildlife to pass through the course when we're not racing. We just need to exclude them during racing." *Macedon News
Kangaroos Shooter Arrested
A man has been arrested over the shooting of two kangaroos with arrows in Bundoora earlier this month. A Thomastown man, 27, was arrested in McDonalds Rd, Epping, today and two warrants were executed at separate Thomastown properties at 8am. An arrow and computer were seized from the first address, while police took two bows, five arrows, an arrow quiver, paper target, and camouflage clothing, including a jacket, pants, jumper, hat and backpack, from the second house. The man is being interviewed for reckless conduct endangering life, which relates to a May 8 incident in which a person was allegedly shooting a bow and arrows in a Bundoora park near other people. Police are also interviewing over aggravated cruelty and hunting protected wildlife offences, after a kangaroo found was found with an arrow in its rear on May 7 and another kangaroo was found with an arrow in its mouth on May 9. No charges have yet been laid. *Diamond Valley Leader
Flying Foxes
Fears have been raised this week about the impact of 22,000 flying foxes being driven from their home in the Sydney Botanic Gardens. The NSW Farmers Association is concerned that the creatures will head to the Sydney Basin and devastate fruit crops there. Last year Central West orchardists suffered significant damage from tens of thousands of flying foxes, and farmers are concerned the city eviction could send them inland. But environmental consultant Prof David Goldney says there should be sufficient food supplies around the Sydney area to keep them within the city or on the immediate margins. "It's unlikely they'll [bats] head back to the Central West - last year was a one in 25 year event and growers are more likely to suffer crop damage from hail in that region," he said. "The flying foxes have a history of establishing somewhere and then being very hard to move so I wish the authorities luck." *ABC Audio
Magpies
Pointing may be rude in the human world, but a new study has found magpies use it to communicate danger. In doing so, they may be the first example of a species other than humans and chimpanzees to use this communication method, proving that they have higher cognitive abilities than previously thought, says Professor Gisela Kaplan from the University of New England. Pointing is thought to be related to the development of language but "up until now all the literature has assumed that you need hands and arms to gesture," says Kaplan. "But I don't think that's true anymore and [this study] it undercuts that assumption," she says of her research, which appears online ahead of publication of the upcoming issue of Current Zoology.
Read More.... http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2011/03/28/3175630.htm
Native Rats
A reclusive native rat has been stirring up remote community residents in Australia's inland as it breeds in huge numbers. The long-haired rat normally lives on isolated black soil plains in the Barkly Tableland of the Northern Territory and in western Queensland. But it is taking advantage of high rainfall across the region to migrate en masse. The rat has been sighted in Alice Springs for the first time in 25 years, and has also been seen in the remote community of Aputula, 250 kilometres further south. "It really is a huge event and is pretty much down to that run of consecutive good, high rainfall seasons," acting scientist with Northern Territory Biodiversity Conservation, Peter McDonald, said. Mr McDonald says the rat migration is a unique event. "It is unusual in the rodent world but Rattus villosissimus are unique in that way and they're pretty famous for their eruptions," he said. "Probably the only similar expansion by a rodent is seen in the lemmings in the Northern Hemisphere with their eruptions. "So there's nothing else in Australia which erupts over such a large area." *ABC
NMIT Kangaroos
A female kangaroo was shot in the leg and died a slow and painful death at the Northern Metropolitan Institute of TAFE’s Eden Park property, according to an independent veterinarian’s report. The eastern grey was the second of four dead kangaroos discovered by wildlife volunteers while patrolling the 320ha Northern Lodge site. “She would most likely have died as a result of complications associated with the bullet injury,” Dr Alistair Brown said. “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.” Dr Brown said it was an example of animal cruelty that must be investigated. He called for a moratorium on the kangaroo cull and much greater scrutiny of applications for cull permits. “There really doesn’t seem to be a lot of accountability here at all,” Dr Brown said. “It has been said that roos are being rounded up and that they’re being shot through the stomach.” It is not known whether the kangaroo was shot by the cull permit holder or a member of the public.
Australian Society for Kangaroos spokeswoman Fiona Corke called on the RSPCA to prosecute the TAFE, claiming they had breached the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (1986). RSPCA spokesman Tim Pilgrim said the RSPCA had not examined the female kangaroo but did receive the vet’s report. “The RSPCA reasonably concludes that it is likely this particular kangaroo was not killed instantly and may have suffered during death, which is of concern,” Mr Pilgrim said. “The RSPCA has conducted a doorknock in the area to appeal for any information that will help us with our investigation. But to date no eye witnesses to the shooting of these kangaroos have come forward.” Mr Pilgrim confirmed RSPCA officers attended NMIT’s Northern Lodge property last month in response to another claim of animal cruelty. Society volunteers, who vowed to intervene at the first sign of shooting, found a male kangaroo with a gunshot wound to the ribs just metres from the NMIT farm boundary on March 22. Ms Corke said the TAFE’s cull permit should be revoked immediately. A DSE spokeswoman, who did not want to be named, said the department had been in contact with NMIT to reinforce permit conditions after receiving reports of animal cruelty. “DSE will investigate any credible reports or allegations of illegal hunting of native animals,” she said. * Whittlesea Leader
A former game hunter says he is disgusted by the reckless and inhumane way kangaroos are being slaughtered in Eden Park. Duane Milligan shot deer and pigs for almost 10 years in New Zealand, but now runs Wild About Wildlife Rescue Centre in Kilmore with his wife, Lisa. Mr Milligan said he hunted to feed his family and made sure all shooting was accurate, quick and humane. He helped wildlife volunteers remove the carcass of a female kangaroo from the Northern Metropolitan Institute of TAFE’s Northern Lodge stud farm, where the TAFE is culling 300 roos. The institute’s cull permit requires all animals to be shot in the head and injured animals to be tracked down and killed humanely. But a vet’s report confirmed a female roo was shot in the leg, and lay fly-blown and dying for hours. Three other kangaroos have been found with similar injuries.
“I’ve never come across this kind of mentality to just shoot kangaroos,” Mr Milligan said. “Kangaroos don’t get startled like deer, you can pretty much just walk right up to them. “A head shot is not that difficult, you’ve just got to be confident.” Mr Milligan said many kangaroo shooters in Victoria were “cowboys” and he feared for the safety of residents. “I don’t like the way they do things over here,” he said. “Someone’s going to get caught in the crossfire. “There are people living just 200m from the property. “I killed about two kangaroos after the bushfires because they were burnt and suffering. “There’s no need for this (Eden Park) cull.” *LeaderNews
More Kangaroos Shot
Maloneys Beach residents are worried about public safety after a kangaroo was shot with an arrow earlier this week. Resident Melissa Marshall has three young daughters and is worried about their safety in the wake of the attack. “I’m extremely concerned about this,” she said. Having an archery background herself, Ms Marshall knows the damage bows and arrows can do. “We wander around the reserve and in the bush around Maloneys Beach with the kids, and it is disturbing that people would not only be so cruel to do this to kangaroos, but so careless about the risk to human beings.” The male kangaroo was spotted at Maloneys Beach on Monday with an arrow through its neck, but has not been seen since. Residents are keeping watch for the animal and National Parks and Wildlife personnel are on standby to assist if it is found. “We don’t hold out great hope of finding it, but if we do, we will then assess what to do,” NPWS spokesman Stuart Cohen said.
Eurobodalla Archery secretary Pam Marriott was horrified by the attack. She said the arrow used in the kangaroo attack was a target arrow and was made of carbon, judging by the bend in it. “This has been used by someone who knows quite a bit about archery, because it is a good, expensive arrow,” she said. Ms Marriott said that anyone of any age could buy or make arrows, and that they were available in Batemans Bay and Moruya. The nature of the attack also worries WIRES representative and Long Beach resident Jeanie Miller. “If they are silly enough to do something like this, what else are they likely to do?” she said. NSW Shooter’s Party member Charles Bettington, of Mogo, said it was not the work of a serious registered shooter. “Our party members are aware that to go shooting you need a licence and permission from the relevant authorities,” he said. “This act is just stupid, wrong and cruel. Serious hunters know that you have to take an animal down with one shot. To leave it wounded and in pain is terrible.”
A resident, who lives near the Maloneys Beach reserve where the mobs congregate, agrees. "The important thing now is to catch the people doing this.” Unfortunately, it is not an isolated incident. Just over a fortnight ago, a kangaroo was able to remove an arrow that it had been shot with by rolling around on the ground. A female kangaroo was found with a rope tied around its neck last November. Fortunately residents were able to remove it. Batemans Bay Police are appealing to anyone who might have information to contact them on 4472 0099. *Moruya Examiner
Flying Foxes
Environmentalists say residents of eastern Sydney are about to be driven batty, after a court dismissed their 11th-hour bid to stop the eviction of thousands of flying foxes from Sydney's Royal Botanic Gardens. Animal advocacy group Bat Advocacy earlier this year challenged a 2010 decision by the federal government to approve the relocation of up to 22,000 grey-headed flying foxes. The Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust had asked for the removal of the threatened native species because the animals were destroying important trees and palms. But the court dismissed Bat Advocacy's application in February, saying the then environment minister Peter Garrett had properly considered the issues. The group then took the matter to the Federal Court, arguing Mr Garrett hadn't considered the impact of the dispersal on the whole of the species, and the importance of their "critical habitat". But their appeal was dismissed in Sydney on Friday and the flying foxes are due to be dispersed with loud industrial noise on May 1.
Outside the court, Storm Stanford from Bat Advocacy, said she was "extremely disappointed". "For the community who live around the garden and to the east of the gardens in Kings Cross and Potts Point - they can expect to have some new neighbours," she told AAP. "There isn't any further court action that's available to us." Ms Stanford said the group would now shift its focus to make sure the strict conditions of the dispersal were followed. Alexia Wellbelove, from the Humane Society International (HSI), which financially backed Bat Advocacy's court case, said the result was another "nail in the coffin" for the bats. "They are already undergoing a lot of stress because there's a severe food shortage," she said. "This also means there's less habitat available to them in the central Sydney area ... and that might take some years which means we might lose some future generations." Grey-headed flying foxes are a threatened species protected under both state and national environment law, and play a crucial role in pollination and seed dispersal in native forests, Bat Advocacy says. * AAP
Wild Horses
A mob of brumbies that have invaded the busy main street of Rainbow Beach, north of Noosa, will be trapped and removed. It is feared the brumbies will be hit by cars or that passers-by trying to interact with them will be hurt. South East Queensland Brumby Association president Terry Wilson yesterday said a stallion, two mares and a filly had taken up residence in the Cooloola Coast town, a step-off point to Fraser Island. "There's another small mob of bachelor stallions at the golf course, and I think this stallion has taken his mares into town to get away from them," he said. "They've been there for about six months. Easter's a fairly busy time and there will be kids around. If one of these horses gets cornered they will run right through people to get away. It's not a good scenario. People could get injured." In December, Mr Wilson called for the Environment Department to trap brumbies in the nearby Great Sandy National Park. There are about 700 brumbies in the area near Rainbow Beach, including the Tuan and Toolara state forests. In one week last year, there were four accidents between horses and cars as the animals strayed along high-speed roads between Gympie, Maryborough, Tin Can Bay and Rainbow Beach. The Environment Department left trapping to the Queensland Forestry Services, although it agreed to help landholders with problems. Trapped horses were delivered to association members, who found homes for them, costing from $200 to $500, depending on the level of training. Environment Department regional services director Randall Hart said yesterday negotiations were under way, with a contractor to remove about a dozen horses from Rainbow Beach. Mr Wilson said he would take those, but would be more circumspect about any more. Feral horses are a growing environmental problem for the Government, with aerial shoots at Carnarvon Gorge in central Queensland, Mungkan Kandju on Cape York and Boodjamulla in the Gulf of Carpentaria. *Courier Mail
Cassowaries
10 tonnes of fruit has been fed to endangered cassowaries via 99 feeding stations set up since Cyclone Yasi destroyed their north Queensland rainforest habitat on February 3. Feed stations are being supplied with fruit every three days from the Cardwell Range north to Flying Fish Point in a huge effort between Queensland National Parks and Wildlife Service staff, volunteers and landholders. QPWS scientists face a tricky situation, needing to supplement the birds' diets without making them dependent on handouts while the jungle is allowed to regrow to its former state. Feeding station cameras showed big males taking chicks to feed. Sustainability Minister Kate Jones said melons, pawpaw, bananas, peaches, apples, tomatoes and lychee had also been dropped from helicopters into less accessible locations. "This has been a remarkable effort by our rangers . . . by local conservation groups and volunteers who have helped cut up fruit and clear forest paths and by north Queensland (Coles, Woolworths and Bi-Lo) retailers who have donated fruit," she said. "People also need to keep an eye out for the birds on roads and drive slowly in areas where you are likely to encounter a cassowary. "It is essential that dogs are restrained in cassowary country."
Residents and visitors are not allowed to feed birds as they come to expect handouts and can become aggressive and dangerous. Liz Gallie, spokeswoman for cassowary care group C4, said yesterday none of the Mission Beach flock of about 50 adults had been killed by the cyclone but one had since been killed by a car. Her greatest fear for cassowaries was an unremitting road toll. "We can't fault QPWS at all but the Government has done nothing about the road toll," she said. "The first insurance pay-outs are coming through and that means we will start to see a lot of builders' utes coming into Mission Beach. "There will be increased traffic and a lot of out-of-town people (not looking out for cassowaries). "Main Roads said they would put up signs but they've done nothing." Ms Gallie said it was difficult to determine how long supplementary feeding would continue but it went on for 18 months after Cyclone Larry. Although there was no rainforest fruit around, the big birds were feeding on things such as fungus, plants and insects, including beetles, grubs and worms. "They're getting a lot of protein, that's for sure," Ms Gallie said. *Courier Mail
Ed Comment, Funny how they can aerial drop food for the cassowarries, but have consistently refused to aerial drop food for the Fraser Island dingoes.
Feral Fish Fears
The Swan River Trust has warned participants in today's Shakyamuni Buddha's birthday celebration of bad environmental karma if they release fish into the river. The age-old Chinese Buddhist practice involves releasing captured animals to demonstrate kindness and compassion in return for good karma. Trust principal scientist Kerry Trayler said while the event organiser - Buddha's Light International Association of WA - had no plans to set fish free, she was concerned others would. "We recognise that the practice isn't undertaken by all Buddhists, but the Swan River Trust has received several calls from practitioners inquiring about releasing fish into the [river]," Dr Trayler said. She gave callers a pat on the back for agreeing not to release fish but wanted to ensure others got the message too. "It's a practice that presents several environmental and ecological issues for the rivers, especially if the released fish are not native species," she said. Dr Trayler said introduced species could cause havoc in Perth waters by competing with local fish for food and habitat or by introducing diseases. "They can also alter habitats by digging in riverbeds, uprooting plants and muddying the river which may increase the level of nutrients in the water and lead to excessive algae growth."
Aquarium-raised "native fish" could also affect natural population genetics. "We're already dealing with at least five species of exotic fish in the Swan Canning catchment," Dr Trayler said. She pleaded with Perth people not to release aquarium or pond fish into rivers, creeks, dams or stormwater drains. "Even artificial lakes are not a safe place to release exotic fish as they connect to our waterways through drainage networks," she said. Buddha's Light International Association of WA is holding the Buddha's Birthday and Multicultural Festival this weekend at Supreme Court Gardens on the corner of Barrack Street and Riverside Drive, Perth. The event runs until 8pm today and from 10am to 5pm tomorrow. The Department of Fisheries encourages the community to report any feral fish sightings to its 24-hour FISHWATCH hotline - 1800 815 507. For more information, visit www.swanrivertrust.wa.gov.au . WANews
Wombats
Australian scientists say new research suggests it may not be worthwhile trying to rescue vulnerable species like the hairy-nosed wombat. Researchers have created a new tool to prioritise the conservation of endangered species and say it is likely to fire debate over which species to bring back from the brink and which to cut loose. The hairy-nosed wombat and Western Australia's dibbler are among the vulnerable Australian species considered to be not worth saving. The gloomy forecast is the work of James Cook University and University of Adelaide researchers who have created a new mathematical tool based on extinction biology. Co-author Professor Corey Bradshaw, from the University of Adelaide, says the tool is designed to help governments prioritise scarce funding for conservation. "We wanted to come up with an index that was really based around theory that we have developed over the last 20 years about what constitutes the best chance for a species to persist over time," he said. Professor Bradshaw says the new index is designed to enhance the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species, which ranks in categories from safe to critically endangered. "A lot of those categories are based on somewhat arbitrary thresholds for how much a species has declined over a certain period of time or how much its range has contracted, and there is a lot of expert opinion so there is some subjectivity involved," he said.
The new safe index is based on research which suggests populations of less than 5,000 individuals are much harder to triage. Professor Bradshaw says he would not go as far as to say there are species Australia should not save. "But if you take a strictly empirical view, things that are well below in numbering in the hundreds - white-footed rock rats, certain types of hare wallabies, a lot of the smaller mammals that have been really nailed by the feral predators like cats, and foxes - in some cases it is probably not worthwhile putting a lot of effort because there's just no chance." Professor Bradshaw says when the ratio is applied internationally it suggests the Javan rhino and New Zealand kakapo are beyond cost-effective rescue. He says the index is based on the probability of a species becoming extinct. "If we have something that has a very poor safe index, we would just simply say that it has a higher probability of going extinct rather than something with a higher safe index," he said. "It is a probability, so it is not saying it will go extinct. It is saying it just has a much higher probability of going extinct." He says the index is likely to generate debate. "Decisions have to be made within the context of science and social consideration. "I think that certainly people will argue with me that we should save everything. "I'd love to save everything. I just don't think we can." *ABC
Ed Comment, It seems that once a species gets on the Endangered Species list, it never comes off. Politicians are reluctant to put funds in place to support saving an animal species, when they cant even fund a decent health and hospital service. It seems to us that its very important to save the socalled "common species" (many of which are no longer "common") from going on that endangered list.
Marine Parks
The federal government plans to spend $20 million for marine national parks in the south-west Australian ocean. The spending, yet to be announced, will compensate commercial fishers for the establishment of marine protection zones in the region, some of which will not allow any fishing. But the proposed spending falls short of the amount that green groups say is needed to ensure the system of marine parks is properly protected and industry well compensated. The marine campaigner for the Australian Conservation Foundation, Chris Smyth, said the plans represented a ''remarkable opportunity to establish a world-class network of marine sanctuaries in Australia's unique south-west''. He said: ''To avoid missing that opportunity the government needs to back its south-west regional marine plan with about $50 million of funding. ''That will maximise the protection of ocean life while doing the right thing by commercial fishers that may be affected.'' The federal government has committed itself to setting up by the end of next year marine parks along all parts of Australia's coast that are not already protected, to preserve marine environment and restore dwindling fish stocks.
Environmental protection for marine life can range from ''no take zones'' - which allow no fishing or resource drilling - to only limited protection, permitting a full range of industrial activity. Government sources have told the Herald that the level of protection for the south-western oceans will be significant when it is announced this month. This is because the government believes conflict with commercial fishing will be muted and the environmental values of the region are high. The government is also eyeing off a high level of environmental protection for the Coral Sea, which sits between the Great Barrier Reef and the edge of Australia's territorial water and is the site of a number of historic shipwrecks from World War II. The Herald also understands that commercial fishers working in the Coral Sea have approached the government and are prepared to stop fishing in the region in exchange for compensation. The exit of the fishing industry would pave the way for an extensive system of marine parks, though a final deal is not expected until next year.
But marine parks off north, north-west and eastern Australia will be limited. Along the NSW coast, Labor is expecting an angry reaction from fishing groups in a number of key marginal seats. The parliamentary secretary for Fisheries, Mike Kelly, whose seat of Eden-Monaro takes in south coast fishing communities, is understood to have been a vocal opponent in the Labor caucus of significant protection for the marine environment in the region. In the north-west seas the government is reluctant to intervene in the significant expansion of the oil and gas industries. Marine reserves were set up under the Howard government along the Victorian and Tasmanian coasts. Only 8 per cent of the parks set up were deemed off limits for industry. *SMH
Edirorial...Marine Debris
A vast field of debris, swept out to sea following the Japan earthquake and tsunami, is floating towards the U.S. West Coast, it has emerged. More than 200,000 buildings were washed out by the enormous waves that followed the 9.0 quake on March 11. There have been reports of cars, tractor-trailers, capsized ships and even whole houses bobbing around in open water. One expert is expecting parts of houses, whole boats and feet in sneakers to wash up. Several thousand bodies were washed out to sea following the disaster, and while most of the limbs will come apart and break down in the water, feet encased in shoes will float, he said. But much closer to home, on Fraser Island, vast areas of the Eastern beaches are covered with marine debris too. While it's easy to assume that the rubbish came out of the Brisbane River floods, photos indicate that much of the debris may have come from fishing boats. You can see the photos here on Jennifer Parkhurst's website, http://www.fraserislandfootprints.com/wp/?page_id=904 along with lots of other interesting info about Fraser Island. *WPAA
WPAA Facebook Page
We now have a WPAA facebook up and going if you would like to join or have a look at it. The Link to it, is ; http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_192770164084007 Join Wildlife Protection Association of Australia Inc. facebook page NOW!! For all your wildlife needs and updates on current wildlife issues happening.
Penguins
A scientific report and action plan for the conservation of Little Penguins in Gulf St Vincent is set to help the birds on the Fleurieu Peninsula and Kangaroo Island. The study was commissioned by the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management (NRM) Board last year following discussions with penguin and seal researchers and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) staff. The report to be completed this month, will be followed by information sessions on the findings in Adelaide, Victor Harbor and Kangaroo Island. "Despite a number of studies on various penguin colonies, there has been limited coordination of the actions needed across the Gulf. This work will help focus efforts on penguin conservation on the Fleurieu and Kangaroo Island," said Tony Flaherty, Manager Coast and Marine for the NRM Board. The Little Penguin, an iconic seabird and a tourist drawcard for the region is under pressure from predators such as rats, dogs and cats and disturbance from people. In recent years predation by New Zealand fur seals has been identified as an issue at some colonies.
Read more ... http://www.victorharbortimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/help-at-hand-for-penguins/2126132.aspx?src=rss
Shellfish Pollution
A Tasmanian man has become seriously ill after eating wild shellfish gathered from waters in Tasmania. Government warnings have been issued, and applied to a specific area of the channel south of a line between Middleton and Simpsons Point, north of Bruny Island and north of a line between South-East Cape and The Friars and South Bruny Island. While the present warning was specific to these areas, Tasmanians should always be careful about where they collected wild shellfish and should not consume it from the Derwent or Tamar estuaries at any time. Health authorities have also renewed warnings for people not to eat shellfish from the Huon Estuary and parts of the D'Entrecasteaux Channel. Much of the pollution stems from an algal bloom, and fecal waste generated from salmon farms. * WPAA
Penguins
Researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society, the University of Washington, and other groups are grappling with a wildlife mystery: Why are some penguin chicks losing their feathers? The appearance of "naked" penguins—afflicted with what is known as feather-loss disorder—in penguin colonies on both sides of the South Atlantic in recent years has scientists puzzled as to what could be causing the condition. A study on the disorder appears in a recent edition of the journal Waterbirds. "Feather-loss disorders are uncommon in most bird species, and we need to conduct further study to determine the cause of the disorder and if this is in fact spreading to other penguin species," said Boersma, who has conducted studies on Magellanic penguins for more than three decades. The feather-loss disorder first emerged in Cape Town, South Africa in 2006, when researchers for the South African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) first observed the disorder in African (or black-footed) penguins in a rehabilitation center. During that year, approximately 59 percent of the penguin chicks at the facility lost their feathers, followed by 97 percent of the chicks at the facility in 2007, and 20 percent of the chicks in 2008. Chicks with feather-loss disorder, it was discovered, took longer to grow to a size deemed suitable for release into the wild. The chicks eventually began growing new feathers. Read More ... http://www.underwatertimes.com/news.php?article_id=75610380412
Coral Poaching
A growing number of Filipinos are protesting the reported wholesale harvesting and selling of coral reefs from the Philippines by Shell Horizons whose company website proudly peddles its seemingly illegal and irresponsible business. The website of Shell Horizons, which claims to have been viewed 10 million times since 1998, describes itself as “US Largest Wholesaler of Seashells and Seashell Products, Finest Quality Seashells and Souvenirs Since – 1976.” “This is horrible. Boatloads of corals are taken away, including tritons,” said Filipino netizen Dave Ryan Bauron, who tweets about Philippine tourism and current events, referring to photos of corals featured on the Shell Horizons website. In its online product catalog, Shell Horizons boasts of selling corals and seashells, among hundreds of products, purportedly from the Philippines. Shell Horizons features photos of newly-harvested corals, purportedly from the Philippines. Photo from the Shell Horizons website. Philippines bans harvesting and trade of corals, and is a signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Republic Act 8550 and Presidential Decree 1219 explicitly ban coral harvesting and trade. Read More .. http://asiancorrespondent.com/52131/us-firm-shell-horizons-in-illegal-trade-philippine-corals/#
Wildlife Poaching
Police in Argentina arrested a man with 600 snakes and other reptiles, including some endangered species. He had 40 snakes on him and then they opened his luggage. Ranger Daniel Chersich, warden of Santa Fe province, simply observed that police “were terrified of opening the bags.” They found “444 boas, vipers and other snakes; 186 endangered tortoises; 40 lizards, and an armadillo.” The smuggler had spent three months trapping the creatures. *Network Item
Thailand says it has made its largest ever seizure of monitor lizards after finding more than 2,000 reptiles smuggled in a convoy of utility vehicles heading for the capital. The live Bengal monitors were found in plastic baskets on the back of three vehicles when they were stopped by authorities in Prachuap Khiri Khan province, south of Bangkok. Customs officials, who put the estimated street value of the reptiles at 1.8 million baht ($57,000), said officials believe they were destined for Chinese customers. "They are from Malaysia and transported through southern Thailand and north-eastern Laos to China for eating," said Seree Thaijongrak, head of the customs investigation and suppression bureau. "We knew there was a monitor lizard racket... this time it's the largest seizure ever." Wildlife anti-trafficking organisation Freeland said monitor lizards are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and are threatened with extinction.
International trade in the reptiles is banned and they are protected under Thai and Malaysian law. * AFP
Birdwatching
Birdwatchers in Central Australia believe proposed pastoral land changes will boost the hobby's popularity in the area. The Northern Territory Government is holding an information session in Alice Springs today to ask for comments on its proposed changes to the Pastoral Land Act. In the past, some pastoralists have not let visitors onto their land because of liability concerns with accidents and the cost of maintaining access roads. Birdwatcher Chris Watson says the Government is proposing to take on more liability, as well as the costs of infrastructure maintenance. "So with all those things taken over by the NT Government it probably takes greater incentives for pastoralists to let people onto their land, and to try and encourage people to come to their beautiful places they might have on their leases, to set up eco-tourism ventures," he said. Mr Watson says Kakadu has traditionally been the Territory's hot spot for bird watching but more people are starting to come to Central Australia for bird watching. "Increasingly we're seeing many more people choose to come to the Red Centre, because there are several birds you can only really see here," he said. "Especially with the increased season we've had, the increased rainfall, the birds are just flocking here from all over the shop." *ABC
Victorian Kangaroos
Landholders are permitted to cull about 30,000 kangaroos each year, but because of the ban must either bury or dump the carcasses. A draft commission report said the ban appeared "unnecessarily burdensome". It also said the ban was redundant "in light of other measures to protect biodiversity and animal welfare". The draft report said if the Government lifted the ban "impacts should be monitored closely and, in no later than three years, the operation of the scheme should be reviewed to assess whether removal of the ban has harmed welfare or biodiversity outcomes". The Weekly Times asked Victorian Environment Minister Ryan Smith for comment on the issue, but was referred instead to the office of Treasurer Kim Wells. A spokesman for Mr Wells said it was important to recognise it was a draft report and the Government would respond to recommendations once the final report was released later this year. The commission said the processing of culled kangaroos posed no threat to the marsupials given the Government issues Authority to Control Wildlife permits to landholders based on sustainable limits. The commission also called on the Government to simplify the process for obtaining permits, estimating the cost of issuing each permit was about $480. "Taking into account the need for a site visit and the rigour of the permit system ... yields an administrative cost associated with each application of approximately $480, or $863,000 across industry," the report said. "There may be further costs from ongoing damage from pest animals where control action is delayed by administrative processes." Victoria is the only mainland state to prohibit commercial processing of its kangaroos. Across the rest of Australia, about three million kangaroos are shot each year, although the NSW and Queensland floods restricted the 2010 take to just 1.2 million. *Weekly Times. Make a comment .. http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/article/2011/04/06/315571_national-news.html
Another Kangaroo Shot with Arrow
Police are investigating the shooting of a wild kangaroo with an arrow north of Brisbane this morning. The injured kangaroo, which was carrying a joey, was found with an arrow through her neck at the rear of a high school on Buchanan Street in Rothwell, near Redcliffe, about 7.30am. Police were unable to restrain the distressed animal and called in the Australia Zoo Rescue Unit, which transported the kangaroo to the zoo's wildlife hospital. An Australia Zoo spokesperson said the arrow was removed and the wound cleaned and treated before the kangaroo was released back into the wild this afternoon. "Antibiotics, fluids and pain relief medication were administered, and the kangaroo was kept under observation until it had made some recovery from the anesthetic," the spokesperson said. "The treating vet was satisfied with the condition of the kangaroo, and due to the nature of the wound, the decision was made to return the animal to the wild as quickly as possible, with the Australia Zoo Rescue Unit transporting the kangaroo to a safe location near the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital where they can monitor the animal’s condition. "In these circumstances, being able to return her to the wild so quickly gives her and her joey the best chance possible." Investigations are continuing and police are appealing to anyone who may have information to call their local station or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or at crimestoppers.com.au. *Brisbane Times
Kangaroo Mutilated
Police are investigating the cruel treatment of a kangaroo in Yarrambat, Victoria. It's believed that the kangaroo was initially injured but not killed by a vehicle somewhere in the vicinity of Red Box Court. Whilst laying on the ground injured it is then believed an unknown person or persons has attacked the animal, castrating it and removing the area below the tail called the mound. This mutilation took place some time between 6.30pm on Saturday and 8am on Sunday. The missing body parts have not been recovered after a search of the area and may have been taken by the offender/s. The kangaroo was alive during the mutilation and was put down by a wildlife officer at around 4pm on Sunday. Police are appealing for anyone who may have information about the incident to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or visit: www.crimestoppers.com.au It is the second case of extreme animal cruelty to be investigated by Victorian police within a week, following the stoning death of a nesting female black swan at Queens Park, Moonee Ponds. Victoria Police News
Frozen Zoo
An article on "Australia's frozen zoo and the risk of extinction" by Dr. Ian M Gunn. BVSc. FACVSc. has been published on The Conversation EMagazine. Here is the link:
http://theconversation.edu.au/articles/australias-frozen-zoo-and-the-risk-of-extinction-703
Hanging Rock Kangaroos
A working group has been formed to find a way to keep kangaroos out of the Hanging Rock racecourse on race days. Kyneton and Hanging Rock Racing Club chief executive Mark Graham said the group was working to find a solution that would fit the environment without harming the kangaroos. Mr Graham is part of the group, which will also be made up of a wildlife management consultant, and representatives from the Department of Sustainability and Environment, Racing Victoria and Country Racing Victoria. "The group's purpose is to come up with a recommended solution, and once we believe we've got something meaningful we will consult with other community groups and consider their input," he said. "I would like to make it clear that the club's view and it is the working group's view, that racing has been going at Hanging Rock for 125 years and the kangaroos have been there longer than that. ''We have successfully co-existed for that period of time and we can't see anything wrong with that continuing to happen. "'We are happy for the wildlife to pass through the course when we're not racing. We just need to exclude them during racing." *Macedon News
Kangaroos Shooter Arrested
A man has been arrested over the shooting of two kangaroos with arrows in Bundoora earlier this month. A Thomastown man, 27, was arrested in McDonalds Rd, Epping, today and two warrants were executed at separate Thomastown properties at 8am. An arrow and computer were seized from the first address, while police took two bows, five arrows, an arrow quiver, paper target, and camouflage clothing, including a jacket, pants, jumper, hat and backpack, from the second house. The man is being interviewed for reckless conduct endangering life, which relates to a May 8 incident in which a person was allegedly shooting a bow and arrows in a Bundoora park near other people. Police are also interviewing over aggravated cruelty and hunting protected wildlife offences, after a kangaroo found was found with an arrow in its rear on May 7 and another kangaroo was found with an arrow in its mouth on May 9. No charges have yet been laid. *Diamond Valley Leader
Flying Foxes
Fears have been raised this week about the impact of 22,000 flying foxes being driven from their home in the Sydney Botanic Gardens. The NSW Farmers Association is concerned that the creatures will head to the Sydney Basin and devastate fruit crops there. Last year Central West orchardists suffered significant damage from tens of thousands of flying foxes, and farmers are concerned the city eviction could send them inland. But environmental consultant Prof David Goldney says there should be sufficient food supplies around the Sydney area to keep them within the city or on the immediate margins. "It's unlikely they'll [bats] head back to the Central West - last year was a one in 25 year event and growers are more likely to suffer crop damage from hail in that region," he said. "The flying foxes have a history of establishing somewhere and then being very hard to move so I wish the authorities luck." *ABC Audio
Magpies
Pointing may be rude in the human world, but a new study has found magpies use it to communicate danger. In doing so, they may be the first example of a species other than humans and chimpanzees to use this communication method, proving that they have higher cognitive abilities than previously thought, says Professor Gisela Kaplan from the University of New England. Pointing is thought to be related to the development of language but "up until now all the literature has assumed that you need hands and arms to gesture," says Kaplan. "But I don't think that's true anymore and [this study] it undercuts that assumption," she says of her research, which appears online ahead of publication of the upcoming issue of Current Zoology.
Read More.... http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2011/03/28/3175630.htm
Native Rats
A reclusive native rat has been stirring up remote community residents in Australia's inland as it breeds in huge numbers. The long-haired rat normally lives on isolated black soil plains in the Barkly Tableland of the Northern Territory and in western Queensland. But it is taking advantage of high rainfall across the region to migrate en masse. The rat has been sighted in Alice Springs for the first time in 25 years, and has also been seen in the remote community of Aputula, 250 kilometres further south. "It really is a huge event and is pretty much down to that run of consecutive good, high rainfall seasons," acting scientist with Northern Territory Biodiversity Conservation, Peter McDonald, said. Mr McDonald says the rat migration is a unique event. "It is unusual in the rodent world but Rattus villosissimus are unique in that way and they're pretty famous for their eruptions," he said. "Probably the only similar expansion by a rodent is seen in the lemmings in the Northern Hemisphere with their eruptions. "So there's nothing else in Australia which erupts over such a large area." *ABC
NMIT Kangaroos
A female kangaroo was shot in the leg and died a slow and painful death at the Northern Metropolitan Institute of TAFE’s Eden Park property, according to an independent veterinarian’s report. The eastern grey was the second of four dead kangaroos discovered by wildlife volunteers while patrolling the 320ha Northern Lodge site. “She would most likely have died as a result of complications associated with the bullet injury,” Dr Alistair Brown said. “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.” Dr Brown said it was an example of animal cruelty that must be investigated. He called for a moratorium on the kangaroo cull and much greater scrutiny of applications for cull permits. “There really doesn’t seem to be a lot of accountability here at all,” Dr Brown said. “It has been said that roos are being rounded up and that they’re being shot through the stomach.” It is not known whether the kangaroo was shot by the cull permit holder or a member of the public.
Australian Society for Kangaroos spokeswoman Fiona Corke called on the RSPCA to prosecute the TAFE, claiming they had breached the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (1986). RSPCA spokesman Tim Pilgrim said the RSPCA had not examined the female kangaroo but did receive the vet’s report. “The RSPCA reasonably concludes that it is likely this particular kangaroo was not killed instantly and may have suffered during death, which is of concern,” Mr Pilgrim said. “The RSPCA has conducted a doorknock in the area to appeal for any information that will help us with our investigation. But to date no eye witnesses to the shooting of these kangaroos have come forward.” Mr Pilgrim confirmed RSPCA officers attended NMIT’s Northern Lodge property last month in response to another claim of animal cruelty. Society volunteers, who vowed to intervene at the first sign of shooting, found a male kangaroo with a gunshot wound to the ribs just metres from the NMIT farm boundary on March 22. Ms Corke said the TAFE’s cull permit should be revoked immediately. A DSE spokeswoman, who did not want to be named, said the department had been in contact with NMIT to reinforce permit conditions after receiving reports of animal cruelty. “DSE will investigate any credible reports or allegations of illegal hunting of native animals,” she said. * Whittlesea Leader
A former game hunter says he is disgusted by the reckless and inhumane way kangaroos are being slaughtered in Eden Park. Duane Milligan shot deer and pigs for almost 10 years in New Zealand, but now runs Wild About Wildlife Rescue Centre in Kilmore with his wife, Lisa. Mr Milligan said he hunted to feed his family and made sure all shooting was accurate, quick and humane. He helped wildlife volunteers remove the carcass of a female kangaroo from the Northern Metropolitan Institute of TAFE’s Northern Lodge stud farm, where the TAFE is culling 300 roos. The institute’s cull permit requires all animals to be shot in the head and injured animals to be tracked down and killed humanely. But a vet’s report confirmed a female roo was shot in the leg, and lay fly-blown and dying for hours. Three other kangaroos have been found with similar injuries.
“I’ve never come across this kind of mentality to just shoot kangaroos,” Mr Milligan said. “Kangaroos don’t get startled like deer, you can pretty much just walk right up to them. “A head shot is not that difficult, you’ve just got to be confident.” Mr Milligan said many kangaroo shooters in Victoria were “cowboys” and he feared for the safety of residents. “I don’t like the way they do things over here,” he said. “Someone’s going to get caught in the crossfire. “There are people living just 200m from the property. “I killed about two kangaroos after the bushfires because they were burnt and suffering. “There’s no need for this (Eden Park) cull.” *LeaderNews
More Kangaroos Shot
Maloneys Beach residents are worried about public safety after a kangaroo was shot with an arrow earlier this week. Resident Melissa Marshall has three young daughters and is worried about their safety in the wake of the attack. “I’m extremely concerned about this,” she said. Having an archery background herself, Ms Marshall knows the damage bows and arrows can do. “We wander around the reserve and in the bush around Maloneys Beach with the kids, and it is disturbing that people would not only be so cruel to do this to kangaroos, but so careless about the risk to human beings.” The male kangaroo was spotted at Maloneys Beach on Monday with an arrow through its neck, but has not been seen since. Residents are keeping watch for the animal and National Parks and Wildlife personnel are on standby to assist if it is found. “We don’t hold out great hope of finding it, but if we do, we will then assess what to do,” NPWS spokesman Stuart Cohen said.
Eurobodalla Archery secretary Pam Marriott was horrified by the attack. She said the arrow used in the kangaroo attack was a target arrow and was made of carbon, judging by the bend in it. “This has been used by someone who knows quite a bit about archery, because it is a good, expensive arrow,” she said. Ms Marriott said that anyone of any age could buy or make arrows, and that they were available in Batemans Bay and Moruya. The nature of the attack also worries WIRES representative and Long Beach resident Jeanie Miller. “If they are silly enough to do something like this, what else are they likely to do?” she said. NSW Shooter’s Party member Charles Bettington, of Mogo, said it was not the work of a serious registered shooter. “Our party members are aware that to go shooting you need a licence and permission from the relevant authorities,” he said. “This act is just stupid, wrong and cruel. Serious hunters know that you have to take an animal down with one shot. To leave it wounded and in pain is terrible.”
A resident, who lives near the Maloneys Beach reserve where the mobs congregate, agrees. "The important thing now is to catch the people doing this.” Unfortunately, it is not an isolated incident. Just over a fortnight ago, a kangaroo was able to remove an arrow that it had been shot with by rolling around on the ground. A female kangaroo was found with a rope tied around its neck last November. Fortunately residents were able to remove it. Batemans Bay Police are appealing to anyone who might have information to contact them on 4472 0099. *Moruya Examiner
Flying Foxes
Environmentalists say residents of eastern Sydney are about to be driven batty, after a court dismissed their 11th-hour bid to stop the eviction of thousands of flying foxes from Sydney's Royal Botanic Gardens. Animal advocacy group Bat Advocacy earlier this year challenged a 2010 decision by the federal government to approve the relocation of up to 22,000 grey-headed flying foxes. The Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust had asked for the removal of the threatened native species because the animals were destroying important trees and palms. But the court dismissed Bat Advocacy's application in February, saying the then environment minister Peter Garrett had properly considered the issues. The group then took the matter to the Federal Court, arguing Mr Garrett hadn't considered the impact of the dispersal on the whole of the species, and the importance of their "critical habitat". But their appeal was dismissed in Sydney on Friday and the flying foxes are due to be dispersed with loud industrial noise on May 1.
Outside the court, Storm Stanford from Bat Advocacy, said she was "extremely disappointed". "For the community who live around the garden and to the east of the gardens in Kings Cross and Potts Point - they can expect to have some new neighbours," she told AAP. "There isn't any further court action that's available to us." Ms Stanford said the group would now shift its focus to make sure the strict conditions of the dispersal were followed. Alexia Wellbelove, from the Humane Society International (HSI), which financially backed Bat Advocacy's court case, said the result was another "nail in the coffin" for the bats. "They are already undergoing a lot of stress because there's a severe food shortage," she said. "This also means there's less habitat available to them in the central Sydney area ... and that might take some years which means we might lose some future generations." Grey-headed flying foxes are a threatened species protected under both state and national environment law, and play a crucial role in pollination and seed dispersal in native forests, Bat Advocacy says. * AAP
Wild Horses
A mob of brumbies that have invaded the busy main street of Rainbow Beach, north of Noosa, will be trapped and removed. It is feared the brumbies will be hit by cars or that passers-by trying to interact with them will be hurt. South East Queensland Brumby Association president Terry Wilson yesterday said a stallion, two mares and a filly had taken up residence in the Cooloola Coast town, a step-off point to Fraser Island. "There's another small mob of bachelor stallions at the golf course, and I think this stallion has taken his mares into town to get away from them," he said. "They've been there for about six months. Easter's a fairly busy time and there will be kids around. If one of these horses gets cornered they will run right through people to get away. It's not a good scenario. People could get injured." In December, Mr Wilson called for the Environment Department to trap brumbies in the nearby Great Sandy National Park. There are about 700 brumbies in the area near Rainbow Beach, including the Tuan and Toolara state forests. In one week last year, there were four accidents between horses and cars as the animals strayed along high-speed roads between Gympie, Maryborough, Tin Can Bay and Rainbow Beach. The Environment Department left trapping to the Queensland Forestry Services, although it agreed to help landholders with problems. Trapped horses were delivered to association members, who found homes for them, costing from $200 to $500, depending on the level of training. Environment Department regional services director Randall Hart said yesterday negotiations were under way, with a contractor to remove about a dozen horses from Rainbow Beach. Mr Wilson said he would take those, but would be more circumspect about any more. Feral horses are a growing environmental problem for the Government, with aerial shoots at Carnarvon Gorge in central Queensland, Mungkan Kandju on Cape York and Boodjamulla in the Gulf of Carpentaria. *Courier Mail
Cassowaries
10 tonnes of fruit has been fed to endangered cassowaries via 99 feeding stations set up since Cyclone Yasi destroyed their north Queensland rainforest habitat on February 3. Feed stations are being supplied with fruit every three days from the Cardwell Range north to Flying Fish Point in a huge effort between Queensland National Parks and Wildlife Service staff, volunteers and landholders. QPWS scientists face a tricky situation, needing to supplement the birds' diets without making them dependent on handouts while the jungle is allowed to regrow to its former state. Feeding station cameras showed big males taking chicks to feed. Sustainability Minister Kate Jones said melons, pawpaw, bananas, peaches, apples, tomatoes and lychee had also been dropped from helicopters into less accessible locations. "This has been a remarkable effort by our rangers . . . by local conservation groups and volunteers who have helped cut up fruit and clear forest paths and by north Queensland (Coles, Woolworths and Bi-Lo) retailers who have donated fruit," she said. "People also need to keep an eye out for the birds on roads and drive slowly in areas where you are likely to encounter a cassowary. "It is essential that dogs are restrained in cassowary country."
Residents and visitors are not allowed to feed birds as they come to expect handouts and can become aggressive and dangerous. Liz Gallie, spokeswoman for cassowary care group C4, said yesterday none of the Mission Beach flock of about 50 adults had been killed by the cyclone but one had since been killed by a car. Her greatest fear for cassowaries was an unremitting road toll. "We can't fault QPWS at all but the Government has done nothing about the road toll," she said. "The first insurance pay-outs are coming through and that means we will start to see a lot of builders' utes coming into Mission Beach. "There will be increased traffic and a lot of out-of-town people (not looking out for cassowaries). "Main Roads said they would put up signs but they've done nothing." Ms Gallie said it was difficult to determine how long supplementary feeding would continue but it went on for 18 months after Cyclone Larry. Although there was no rainforest fruit around, the big birds were feeding on things such as fungus, plants and insects, including beetles, grubs and worms. "They're getting a lot of protein, that's for sure," Ms Gallie said. *Courier Mail
Ed Comment, Funny how they can aerial drop food for the cassowarries, but have consistently refused to aerial drop food for the Fraser Island dingoes.
Feral Fish Fears
The Swan River Trust has warned participants in today's Shakyamuni Buddha's birthday celebration of bad environmental karma if they release fish into the river. The age-old Chinese Buddhist practice involves releasing captured animals to demonstrate kindness and compassion in return for good karma. Trust principal scientist Kerry Trayler said while the event organiser - Buddha's Light International Association of WA - had no plans to set fish free, she was concerned others would. "We recognise that the practice isn't undertaken by all Buddhists, but the Swan River Trust has received several calls from practitioners inquiring about releasing fish into the [river]," Dr Trayler said. She gave callers a pat on the back for agreeing not to release fish but wanted to ensure others got the message too. "It's a practice that presents several environmental and ecological issues for the rivers, especially if the released fish are not native species," she said. Dr Trayler said introduced species could cause havoc in Perth waters by competing with local fish for food and habitat or by introducing diseases. "They can also alter habitats by digging in riverbeds, uprooting plants and muddying the river which may increase the level of nutrients in the water and lead to excessive algae growth."
Aquarium-raised "native fish" could also affect natural population genetics. "We're already dealing with at least five species of exotic fish in the Swan Canning catchment," Dr Trayler said. She pleaded with Perth people not to release aquarium or pond fish into rivers, creeks, dams or stormwater drains. "Even artificial lakes are not a safe place to release exotic fish as they connect to our waterways through drainage networks," she said. Buddha's Light International Association of WA is holding the Buddha's Birthday and Multicultural Festival this weekend at Supreme Court Gardens on the corner of Barrack Street and Riverside Drive, Perth. The event runs until 8pm today and from 10am to 5pm tomorrow. The Department of Fisheries encourages the community to report any feral fish sightings to its 24-hour FISHWATCH hotline - 1800 815 507. For more information, visit www.swanrivertrust.wa.gov.au . WANews
Wombats
Australian scientists say new research suggests it may not be worthwhile trying to rescue vulnerable species like the hairy-nosed wombat. Researchers have created a new tool to prioritise the conservation of endangered species and say it is likely to fire debate over which species to bring back from the brink and which to cut loose. The hairy-nosed wombat and Western Australia's dibbler are among the vulnerable Australian species considered to be not worth saving. The gloomy forecast is the work of James Cook University and University of Adelaide researchers who have created a new mathematical tool based on extinction biology. Co-author Professor Corey Bradshaw, from the University of Adelaide, says the tool is designed to help governments prioritise scarce funding for conservation. "We wanted to come up with an index that was really based around theory that we have developed over the last 20 years about what constitutes the best chance for a species to persist over time," he said. Professor Bradshaw says the new index is designed to enhance the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species, which ranks in categories from safe to critically endangered. "A lot of those categories are based on somewhat arbitrary thresholds for how much a species has declined over a certain period of time or how much its range has contracted, and there is a lot of expert opinion so there is some subjectivity involved," he said.
The new safe index is based on research which suggests populations of less than 5,000 individuals are much harder to triage. Professor Bradshaw says he would not go as far as to say there are species Australia should not save. "But if you take a strictly empirical view, things that are well below in numbering in the hundreds - white-footed rock rats, certain types of hare wallabies, a lot of the smaller mammals that have been really nailed by the feral predators like cats, and foxes - in some cases it is probably not worthwhile putting a lot of effort because there's just no chance." Professor Bradshaw says when the ratio is applied internationally it suggests the Javan rhino and New Zealand kakapo are beyond cost-effective rescue. He says the index is based on the probability of a species becoming extinct. "If we have something that has a very poor safe index, we would just simply say that it has a higher probability of going extinct rather than something with a higher safe index," he said. "It is a probability, so it is not saying it will go extinct. It is saying it just has a much higher probability of going extinct." He says the index is likely to generate debate. "Decisions have to be made within the context of science and social consideration. "I think that certainly people will argue with me that we should save everything. "I'd love to save everything. I just don't think we can." *ABC
Ed Comment, It seems that once a species gets on the Endangered Species list, it never comes off. Politicians are reluctant to put funds in place to support saving an animal species, when they cant even fund a decent health and hospital service. It seems to us that its very important to save the socalled "common species" (many of which are no longer "common") from going on that endangered list.
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