Australian
WILDLIFE NEWS A monthly Magazine
Issue 13 May 2013
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Welcome to issue 13 of Australia Wildlife news... Hello friends, well this issue is jam packed with lots of news and information once again. It’s been a busy few weeks here at AWN and as ever our FACEBOOK page has been very active. It has grown so quickly and we are almost touching 2200 LIKES! Pretty amazing. We have wonderful people from all over the world regularly contributing to the page and we get great feedback. Check us out!
FootPrints!for!Peace!is!planning!a!community!walk!from! Cairns!to!Gladstone!to!highlight!the!impact!that!coal/gas! exports!will!have!on!the!Great!Barrier!Reef!and!is!keen!to! connect!with!community!groups!along!the!way. FootPrints!for!Peace!bring!people!together!from!all!over! the!world!to!walk!from!community!to!community!as!an! effecAve!way!to!educate!ourselves!and!the!public!on! different!environmental,!poliAcal,!social!and!cultural! issues.!!All!our!events!are!non!violent!and!are!drug!and! alcohol!free. June!Norman,!a!72!year!old!great!grandmother,!with!a! passion!for!walking!insAgated!Reef!Walk!2013.!She!is! determined!to!leave!a!good!environmental!legacy!for! future!generaAons!and!calls!on!communiAes!to!support/ promote!this!walk. “The!rush!to!export!coal!and!gas!will!conAnue!to!affect! other!industries!such!as!tourism,!agriculture!and!fisheries.! With!the!increase!of!exports!via!the!Great!Barrier!Reef,! the!reef!will!become!collateral!damage.!This!short!term! gain!may!see!Australia!lose!it’s!World!Heritage!lisAng!with! UNESCO. CommuniAes!along!the!east!coast!are!also!noAcing!social! impacts!such!as!rent!increases,!changed!employment! opportuniAes!and!a!breakdown!of!community!fabric,”!said! June.! The!Reef!Walk!2013!will!commence!in!Cairns!on!Saturday! 1st!June!and!arrive!in!Gladstone!mid!August.!Please!see! the!draV!iAnerary!aWached. To protect the Great Barrier Reef, persistent people power is needed and being involved in this walk is a fun but important process. We invite your organisation to be part of the journey by doing one or more of the following : -organise community representatives to join the walk (even if it is a group to walk into your town) organise a community event in your town provide food and accommodation for those participating in the walk (we will have camping equipment) promote the walk through your networks sponsor the walk via donations
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Claire Smith - Editor Field Journalists Sammy Ringer - Flying Foxes & Birds Natalie Richardson - Koalas, Bats, Macropods Carole Hughes - Dingoes & Macropods Matt George -Wild Encounters Graphics Kieron Hunt
For editorial submissions: Contact: info@australianwildlifenews.com
Don’t forget to find us on Facebook Australia Wildlife News
Little Ben, the Grey Headed Flying Fox - read his story on page 3.
Organisers for the walk can be contacted by email reefwalk2013@gmail.com. Enquiries can be directed to: June Norman 0438 169 414 Karen!Allen!0404!965!393
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Horse owners playing Russian roulette by not vaccinating: Apparently $300 is too much to pay.
THE STORY OF LITTLE BEN Little Ben is Grey Headed Flying Fox who was rescued from barbed wire on April 24th on the Sunshine Coast, QLD. Sadly, Little Ben had been 'hanging' on the wire for The last case of hendra virus in the Mackay area was about 12-15 hours before he was rescued. What makes at Seaforth, last June, where Dr David Lemmon was Ben's story even more painful is that this dear little boy the attending vet. was impaled on the barb by his penis. He says people are playing Russian Roulette if they He was very dehydrated, exhausted and in terrible pain haven't used the new vaccination. when Delicia rescued him. His mouth was bloody and The vaccine has been available since November and so far Mr Lemmon has vaccinated about 170 horses in swollen where he had tried to free himself and his penis was torn, swollen and in a very bad state. the area. bigSmith enough to reach his penis, Photography Dr Lemmon says some vets are refusing to attend sick Thankfully, he was notClaire otherwise he would have chewed it off to free himself, it horses if they have not been vaccinated. would have become infected very quickly and he would have died a slow, agonising death. Hendra vaccine uptake poor: Hendra has been a hot topic for years and given it can After he was gently removed from the barbed wire he was taken to Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital for kill humans who contract it there has been a lot of treatment. Ben was in shock, dehydrated, in pain and pressure from the community to come up with a had a nasty open wound. He was anesthetised, given solution. sub-cutaneous fluids to help rehydrate him and his Part of a solution was found in the form of a vaccine wound attended to. He was then taken home by his for horses which was released in November last year. However Goondiwindi vet Matt Kneip says he has not rescuer. He is onClaire painSmith relief and antibiotics and in Delicia's vaccinated a single horse in his area. Photography "The main reason holding the clients back are number expert care. This is not an isolated incident by far. Barbed wire and one, the cost of it because it is relatively expensive, monofilament bird netting cause horrific deaths and and it entails having a vet visit because it is only for injuries to many native wildlife species including veterinary use as a minor use permit and horses must gliders, possums, birds, snakes, small mammals and of be microchipped when they get the first shot." course our beautiful flying foxes. The rule of thumb "So I think most of the clients that have enquired to with monofilament bird netting is - if you can get your me once I've told them the possible cost and the fact finger through it a bat will get it's wings caught in it, that they had to have the 21 days they've been especially if it is not pulled taught. We encourage people certainly less keen." to return their bird netting to the supplier and point out The Australian Veterinary Association president Ben Gardiner says the association has some concerns about that it is not WILDLIFE FRIENDLY and it doesn't come incorrect information associated with the vaccine and with a warning stipulating this. the fact that there has been resistance to the uptake of With barbed wire, we urge farmers to not put the barbed Smith Photography Claire Smith Photography wire asClaire the top strand. Barbed wire is an absolute killer the vaccine. for our wildlife but farmers use it to keep stock in so we "In Queensland there are pockets that have actually try and reach a compromise. If it's not for farming had very good uptake but there are still areas that seem to be holding back and that does concern us and purposes then we encourage people to think about removing it. and we don't have the precise nature of why that's Little Ben has a long road to recovery now and then next occurring." few days are going to be very uncomfortable for him. "The vaccine's been brought to the market place in a timely fashion to get the job done, it does cost money Thank goodness he was rescued and saved. Many aren't, many are left to die because people still see them as but it has got to be done properly and thoroughly and it's the only tool that we really have out there to make vermin, dangerous, diseased, nasty creatures. They are, of course, far from it. sure we are protecting horses and people against this Claire Smith deadly virus." AWN Claire Smith Photography Claire Smith Photography
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The$Pi'sworth$Dispersal April!2013 There are some arguments that cannot be won on facts. They are usually based on emotional or ‘hyped up’ issues that allow for no discussion beyond ‘vermin’, ‘pests’, ‘smelly’, ‘plague proportions’ etc etc. You are no doubt aware that the ‘discussion’ I refer to regards flying foxes. My two day sojourn at Pittsworth was probably the most upsetting incident I have ever experienced. This was not so much to do with the cruelty inflicted on the bats as the attitude of the people inflicting it. Yes, there were some very decent people involved. Yes, the EHP Ranger did a fantastic job in difficult circumstances. But… Some of the leading lights of the ‘dispersal crew’ seemed more intent on becoming town heroes than looking at the ‘problem’ rationally. Some were there because – to be honest – they needed something weaker than themselves to take out their anger on. Some were there, I think, to show they were as ‘antibat’ as the next person. The brave person who put up a pro-bat Facebook page was deluged with such disgusting comments that the page was taken down. My first real feelings of unease (as opposed to despair) occurred on my first morning. 4.15am and the ‘dispersal crew’ had their fires lit and their air guns, pots, pans, mowers, whips and bird fright guns ready.
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“Noisy filthy dirty vermin.” (this from a tattooed lady whose child was screaming round the yard on a motocross bike!) “They’ll give our children Hendra.” “Take the paint off the cars and make our water undrinkable.” Oh dear, I think I’ll have to stop here. Louise Saunders did a magnificent job of documenting each day and I can’t add to what she’s said but I would like to make some over-arching comments about the process. If the EHP representative hadn’t been so firm and capable, the permit conditions would not have been adhered to (they weren’t, in fact, but there was little she could do about this.) The timing of the dispersal was abysmal, with juveniles still present in large numbers, unable to make the long flight to food each night – certainly not able to follow their mothers out of town. Where exactly were the flying foxes being dispersed to? The next township? A national park? There was no plan except to ‘move them on.’ This could become a recipe for rolling dispersals throughout the region. The entirety of ‘the plan’ was, in fact, to make their roosting site uninhabitable – and then to follow them to their next roosting site and make that uninhabitable. Day three was the sad outcome of that lack of planning, with the colony spread all over town, young bats flying forlornly over their birthing tree and calling for their mothers.
The answer? There is no answer while we have a Government who use the bat issue as ‘red meat’ for the In the flickering flames of the smokey fire I watched one angry masses. No answer while we have a media that woman as she circled endlessly, beating on her won’t lift a finger to dispel the lies and hysteria. saucepan. Her expression was – what can I say? It brought to mind those women of the middle ages who No short term answer but to be there when it came to witch burnings and cheered at the spectacle. happens and try to reduce the suffering as best we The general thrust of the comments from the locals can be encapsulated in a few choice quotes: “We know what to do but we’d be dobbed in if we did it. “Hey – you should be using a gun, not a camera!” 4
can. Sammy Ringer Short video on my front page: www.sammyringer.com.au WILDLIFE NEWS
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Due to the sacredness of the Aboriginal Dreaming, the following stories have been left in their original form.
How the Kangaroo Got a Long Tail, and the Wombat a Flat Forehead Many years ago, Mirram the kangaroo and Warreen the wombat were both men. They were very friendly, and hunted and lived together in the same camping-ground. Warreen had a very comfortable gunyah made of bark and soft leaves, but Mirram who was a careless fellow-did not trouble to build a home. He was content to sleep in the open, by the side of a big fire, with the blue sky for a cover, and the green grass for a couch. This open air life was very nice in fine weather, when the stars twinkled in the sky like golden fire-flies, but it was extremely uncomfortable in the rainy season. One night a great storm arose. The wind howled eerily, and rocked the tall trees to and fro as though they were shaken by the strong arms of an invisible giant. The rain fell in torrents, and darkness covered the light of the stars. The rain quickly quenched the glowing embers of Mirram's fire, and he was left to the mercy of the storm. After shivering in the cold for some time, he decided to seek the hospitality of Warreen. "Surely my friend would not refuse me shelter on such a night as this," he thought. "I will ask him."
Feeling very cold and miserable, he crept to the opening of Warreen's tent, and seeing there was sufficient space for both of them to sleep comfortably, he woke him and said: "The storm has killed my fire. I am very wet, and the cold wind has chilled me to the bone. May I sleep in the corner of your tent?" Warreen blinked his eyes sleepily and answered in a gruff voice: "No. I want to place my head in that corner. There isn't any room." With this rude remark he moved into the corner, but, as he could not occupy the whole space of the tent, another corner became vacant. Mirram went away and sat by the wet ashes of his fire, and his thoughts were as miserable as the weather. The fury of the storm increased, and looking anxiously at the rainproof gunyah of his friend, he decided to approach Warreen again. He entered the shelter, and, touching Warreen gently on the shoulder, said: "The wind is very cold, and as biting as the teeth of the wild dog. The rain is falling heavily and will not cease. I should be grateful if you would allow me to sleep in that corner. I will not disturb you." Warreen raised his head, listened to the moaning of the storm outside, and then replied: "I will not have you here; there isn't any room. Go outside and do not keep waking me." "But," replied Mirram, "there is room in that corner, surely you wouldn't drive me out into the storm to die!" Thereupon, Warreen moved one leg into the corner and again a space became vacant. Seeing he could no longer hoodwink Mirram and hide from him his selfish intentions, he grew very angry and yelled: "Get out! Get out! I won't have you in my tent. I don't care where you die." This harsh treatment exasperated Mirram and he left the tent in a terrible rage. Outside the tent, he groped around in the dark until he found a large flat stone. Then he crept silently to the gunyah. By the sound of heavy breathing he knew Warreen was asleep. Moving very silently, he entered the tent, and, raising the stone high in his arms, dashed it on the head of the sleeper. The terrible blow did not kill Warreen but flattened his forehead. When he had recovered from his pained surprise, he heard the mocking voice of Mirram saying: "That is your reward for treating a friend so cruelly. You and your children and their children's children will wander through the land with flat foreheads that men may know them for your selfishness." As Warreen was no match for his opponent, he did not answer, but nursed his sore head and some very bad thoughts. From that moment, he was always planning revenge for his injury. Some time later, Warreen was hunting in the forest, and, through the shadow of the trees, he saw Mirram a short distance ahead. He crept noiselessly towards him, and, when Mirram was looking for the marks of a possum on the bark of a tree, he threw a spear at him with all his strength. The spear struck Mirram at the bottom of the back, and so deeply did it enter that he could not pull it out. While he was struggling with the spear, Warreen walked up to him, and, in a bantering voice, said: "Aha! My turn has come at last. I have waited long to repay you. You will always carry the spear in your back and wander without a home while you live. Your children will carry the spear and be homeless for ever. By these tokens, men will always remember your attempt to kill me while I slept." From that time the kangaroo has had a long tail, which makes a low, thudding sound as he wanders homeless through the bush, and the wombat still has a very flat forehead as an everlasting sign of selfishness. WILDLIFE NEWS
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These are the pictures we are not supposed to show the worldthese are wild Kangaroos, rounded up for slaughter.
Claire Smith Photography
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SHAMEFUL TREATMENT OF OUR ICONIC SKIPPY In just the past month, two separate but equally horrific cases of cruelty have been reported against kangaroos. In March, 12 kangaroos were discovered in a NSW state forest, disembowelled and scattered across the ground in pieces with joeys and adult kangaroos alike cut open and discarded. Found by a visitor to the park, their mutilated carcasses had been piled upon one another with their entrails laid out on the ground around them. Then on Easter Sunday, police found an adult kangaroo who had been captured and killed by a group of people through the night. This poor creature had been brutally slaughtered and tied to a barbed wire fence where he or she could be seen from the road. Australians call on images of the kangaroo to represent what is truly Australian. Their iconic image appears on our currency, our emblem and on the tail of our flagcarrying airline. We know that a product is Australian made because we recognise the kangaroo on its packaging. So why is the kangaroo so often the victim of cruelty and mistreatment in this country? Much of it comes down to a game of numbers and perceptions; kangaroos are commonly considered to be a pest in their own country. However, according to a 2011 report by THINKK, the think tank for kangaroos, the notion of kangaroos as costly pests to Australian farmers has been significantly overstated. Current research indicates that kangaroos do not exist in abundance nor pest proportions and that the cost to farmers should be revised down from $200 million to $44 million, or $1.67 per kangaroo per year. Regardless of these scientific questions, Australia is still home to the largest slaughter of land-based wildlife on the planet. Almost 90 million kangaroos and wallabies have been lawfully killed for commercial purposes in the past 20 years, a figure that does not factor in recreational hunting nor animals killed on private land. Further damaging the treatment of kangaroos is the lack of monitoring and enforcement of the Codes of Practice, and associated legislation, which dictate how and when a kangaroo can be killed. As kangaroos are shot in the wild and at night when they are most active, the cruelty associated with their slaughter is both difficult to monitor and largely hidden from the public eye.
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The animal protection institute Voiceless continues to call for a Senate inquiry into the management of kangaroos and for new data on kangaroo populations in Australia. The status of the kangaroo as a pest is deeply and widely entrenched and it encourages a view that they should be disposed of by any means necessary. Questions need to be asked about the laws that govern our treatment of the iconic kangaroo, which, on one hand, is heralded as an Australian treasure while, on the other, is regarded with disdain and violence. As Brolga said in The Age on March 16, "I've been bullied and harassed by some people for saving something that's so common ‌ We've been educated to perceive the kangaroo as a pest to agriculture when, in fact, we should be proud of it. It's so much a part of our history." Whether you think they are a pest or not, we've invested our national identity in this animal but the fact remains that some Australians feel kangaroos are fair game when it comes to brutality
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Stop the aerial culling of Waler horses on Tempe Downs Station, NT In the coming weeks, up to 10,000 horses are scheduled to be shot from helicopters on Tempe Downs Station in the Northern Territory of Australia. The Waler Horse Society of Australia Inc. (WHSA), along with numerous other animal welfare groups, believes aerial culling is an inhumane approach to population control of horses running wild in the Australian outback. This method has previously been shown to leave a proportion of horses suffering due to non-fatal wounding and the difficulty in killing humanely when firing from a moving vehicle. Aerial culling of horses could also have significant unintended/undesirable ecological consequences. Large numbers of rotting horse carcases could lead to a rise in wild dog/dingo, fox and cat populations which would in turn pose additional risks to other commercial livestock and more vulnerable native species. Horses have played a vital role in Australia’s exploration, survival and development and are an essential element of the Australian Heritage. The WHSA argues that wild horses have a historical validity in Australia. The WHSA was founded to preserve and promote the Waler horse and came into existence in 1986 following the infamous aerial cull of central Australian horses around that time and continues to source Foundation Waler stock from outback stations such as Tempe Downs. Tempe Downs horses are recognized as descendants of true Waler types that existed from colonial times and as a source of remounts for the army. A selection of horses running wild on Tempe Downs Station are believed to be part of remnant herds linked to the original horses bred for the Australian remount trade. These horses were exported to the British Army in India for over 100 years and used by the Australian Light Horse in the Boer War, WWI and WWII, where they became known as the Waler and gained the reputation as one of the finest cavalry horses in the World. Numbers of horses captured and relocated from Tempe Downs have been accepted for Foundation Registration with the WHSA. “There can be no two opinions as to the country being suitable for horse breeding; the young stock on Tempe 8
Downs are very good...” (Quote by Chewings 1891, “God, Guns and Government on the Central Australian Frontier” 2007 By Peter Vallée) These horses continue to survive, if not thrive, on the natural outback vegetation and with natural selection over many years, and as such possess highly desirable equine genotypic attributes of hardiness and survivability that it is so important to preserve. The WHSA recognises that large populations of wild horse impact on the natural environment and agree population management and selective culling is necessary. It is accepted that a percentage of Tempe Downs horses would need to be culled due to excessive numbers, age and injury. However, we believe it is necessary to adopt a range of population management strategies which have long-term sustainability and offer ongoing population management in preference to intermittent aerial culling. The WHSA proposes that Government funding be directed into the development and implementation of sustainable long-term population management strategies which include: - training programs for the Traditional Owners to effectively manage the horse population; - the development of infrastructure such as fencing around key water sources and holding yards facilities; - an annual muster of horses for selective culling to bring the horse population into a more sustainable number and reduce the impact on the natural environment; - ongoing trapping of horses on water sources using a method known as ‘passive trapping’ whereby horses being lured into permanent and/or portable yards with feed and/or water, gaining access through a one-way gate which allows the horses to enter but prevents them from leaving. Passive trapping is considered a more humane method of capture as it places much less stress on the horse as opposed to mustering with helicopters and/or motorbikes.; - identification of commercial opportunities of captured horses; - and ultimately to facilitate the selection of horses for training, rehabilitation and rehoming. WILDLIFE NEWS
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Sources indicate the estimated costs of the aerial cull will be between $200-400 per head, which indicates the total cost of the cull would be in the vicinity of $2-4 million (based on the estimated slaughter of 10,000 horses). These Waler horses are a living tribute to our pioneering heritage. The WHSA believes Government funding used for aerial culling would be far better directed into the development and implementation of sustainable long-term population management practices.
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www.change.org/petitions/stop-the-aerialculling-of-waler-horses-on-tempe-downsstation-nt#share? utm_medium=email&utm_source=notificati on&utm_campaign=new_petition_recruit Cut and paste this link into your browser and please sign the petition today to help save these magnificent horses. Thank you. Claire AWN
Please show your support for the Waler horse and the rejection of aerial culling by signing this petition. Thank you.
Comments by petitioners:
The EQUITANA Mitavite Waler Legacy Project recognizes the value of these horses and has created a 12 month project to showcase this http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=raD1Gq2Iy2U&feature=youtu.be
‘Firstly the thought of these horses not being killed humanely, is sickening. Second these horse are now the heritage of the horse that carried our country men in WW1. Show another life some respect please.’
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‘If they call for people to purchase a horse to stall or stop this cull, I will put my name down for 2 horses.’
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VICTORIA HANDS OUT PERMITS TO KILL PROTECTED WILDLIFE? WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE ??????? I just came across this article from the Herald Sun...this is obscene! Please share this information far and wide! Claire AWN PERMITS to kill thousands of native animals were issued by Victoria's DSE last year in a move that has outraged animal rights activists. The native animals include black swans, kookaburras and more than 1500 wombats, the Herald Sun reports. HIT LIST Swamp Wallaby PERMITS ISSUED: 128 No. TO BE KILLED: 2239 Rainbow Lorikeet PERMITS ISSUED: 20 No. TO BE KILLED: 910 Kookaburra PERMITS ISSUED: 3 No. TO BE KILLED: 30 Emu PERMITS ISSUED: 37 No. TO BE KILLED: 538 Black Swan PERMITS ISSUED: 1 No. TO BE KILLED: 10 Common Wombat PERMITS ISSUED: 134 No. TO BE KILLED: 1612 Authorities also gave the nod for more than 32,000 kangaroos and wallabies to be killed. In two cases, permits to kill up to 300 parrots were issued to protect golf courses. Authorities also granted permits for wildlife officers to kill up to 10 Australian fur seals. Other Australian animals marked for death included eastern rosellas, rainbow lorikeets and sulphurcrested cockatoos. Should permits be issued to kill such high numbers of native animals? The kill list was obtained under the Freedom of Information laws by Victorian Greens leader Greg Barber who has been campaigning to have all animal killing permits made public. In June, Mr Barber attempted to have all permits to cull wildlife tabled in State Parliament, a move that was frustrated after Environment Minister Ryan 10
Smith said it would involve an unreasonable diversion of his department's resources. Other documents obtained under FOI show authorities gave permission to shoot 100 brushtail possums in the Geelong Botanic Gardens, while Avalon Airport was allowed to kill 10 magpies, 20 galahs, 40 ravens and two Cape Barren geese that were interfering with aircraft. The documents also reveal wildlife officers at Parks Victoria's Serendip Sanctuary applied to kill an emu that had become aggressive and was threatening human safety. They were also given the right to destroy 80 emu chick nests to control population numbers. Permits to kill more than 500 emus were issued statewide last year. Felicity Andersen, a spokeswoman for Animal Liberation Victoria, which opposes all animal killing, said she was shocked at the scale of the slaughter. "It's obscene," Ms Anderson said. "There is no justification for this killing whatsoever." Mr Barber said there needed to be more transparency over the issuing of permits to kill native animals. "This all happens under the cloak of secrecy," he said. "'If the full extent of the slaughter was known there would be outrage. DSE spokesman Nick Talbot said all native wildlife was protected in Victoria but where it was significantly affecting agriculture or primary production or posing a threat to public safety and health, people could apply for a permit to control it and in some instances, this permit allowed for its destruction. He said the permits to kill fur seals were issued to wildlife officers in case they needed to euthanise an animal for welfare or public safety reasons. "Destruction of wildlife under an authority to control wildlife permits only occurs after all other options have been considered and each application is assessed by a DSE wildlife officer," he said. "Should this be necessary, ATCW conditions specify the maximum number and permitted method.
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"This ensures it is carried out in an ethical and humane manner and that the sustainability of the species is not compromised." The DSE killing practices were condemned by John Kelly, head of the Kangaroo Industry Association of Victoria, which has long campaigned for a kangaroo meat industry in Victoria. "In a protein-starved world, it's a criminal waste of meat," he said. "It's highly likely the same number are being killed without permits." Emily Broadbent, a spokeswoman for Environment Minister Ryan Smith said that following disagreements last year between landholders and other residents over applications to cull kangaroos, he had created a committee of experts to advise the secretary of DSE on the most appropriate management options for wildlife
WILDLIFE ENCOUNTERS with MATT GEORGE On my mind at the moment is reconnecting with the planet and last year in early August, while out in the Ocean mucking about.... 2 whales I had spotted earlier came past me and the most amazing thing happened; not only could I hear mother and calf chatting, but as they glided past..in their tail wake they left behind what was the most amazing life! When I swam into the current they created, I felt the movement of water shifting and the sunlight illuminated endless amounts of tiny creatures that came in to interact with the new currents...I must have stayed there for what seemed like 20min to float and see what else may occur; nothing did, so I left...the little creatures were of all sizes and colours, and left me fathoming what happened, and I still dream it today...
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THE FASCINATING LIFE OF MOTHS! Case moths spin their cases out of silk and most species attach leaves, twigs, sand or soil to the outside for protection and camouflage. There are a number of different species and each species builds a distinctive-looking case. However, as individual case moths use whatever materials are available to them, there can be considerable variation in the appearance of cases within a species. The Saunders' Case Moth is one of the largest species of case moths in Australia – their cases can be as large as 15cm long. Individuals of this species cover their cases with little pieces of twigs. They poke the front end of their bodies out the top of their case to feed, collect case decorations, and cling to surfaces as they move about. As they grow, Saunders' Case Moths expand their cases from the top (head) end, adding additional twigs as they go. They do this by cutting off appropriately-sized twigs, attaching them temporarily to the top of the case and then disappearing inside to cut a slit where they plan to attach the new stick. This is no mean feat. Case moth cocoons are incredibly tough; cutting a slit for a new stick can take over an hour! Case moths spend most of their lives in the caterpillar phase; this part of their life cycle can last 1-2 years. As caterpillars, they never leave their cases. However, they can be very mobile, dragging their large cocoons along as they move around. If they feel threatened they can seal off the end of the cocoon, cutting a new opening once the threat has passed. The females continue to live in their cases after they’ve pupated into adult moths, but the males leave their cases after pupation to fly off in search of females.
Claire Smith Photography
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With only weeks to go until a would-be developer pulls the pin on his offer to sell a cassowary corridor for conservation, the Mission Beach community is desperate for the Environment Minister or corporate sponsors to come to the rescue.
Known as 'Lot 66', the 60 acre rainforest block's owner last month issued an ultimatum to come up with the money within 60 days or he would pull the pin and put the block on the open market or submit a revised subdivision application. In response, community groups have reintensified their efforts and extended their appeals to the corporate sector. Cassowary Coast Mayor Bill Shannon is fully supportive: "If there's one block that's going to preserve cassowary habitat and connectivity at Mission Beach, it's this block." The block has a chequered history. In 2007, Council's planning scheme mapped it as a habitat corridor whilst including it in a residential zone. In 2008, expert reports described Lot 66 as "very high quality vegetation ... a very significant linkage ... critical to long term movement of all fauna" and part of the longest and widest east-west rainforest corridor in Australia. A subsequent development application to subdivide the property into 40 house blocks resulted in Australian Environment Minister Peter Garrett stepping in with new legislation to refuse approval. The local community realised Lot 66 needed to be protected forever to help save the cassowary. In 2010, the owner expressed a willingness to sell the property for conservation. Local conservation organisation C4 committed their existing buyback funds to Lot 66 and ramped up fundraising. In 2011, Terrain NRM coordinated a joint funding application from fifteen organisations to Ecofund Queensland to buyback Lot 66. Organisations included the local Agriculture Committee, Australian Rainforest Foundation, Bob Irwin, C4, CAFNEC, Community Association, Cassowary Coast Council, Rainforest Rescue, Save the Cassowary, Senators, Tourism, Traditional Owners, Wildcare and WPSQ. A concurrent submission was made to Queensland government's PACTS program. In February 2012, C4 applied for $500,000 National Reserve System funding to buyback Lot 66. Fifteen months later the Australian Environment Minister Tony Burke still hasn't announced the funding. Both Ecofund and PACTS advised they would consider funding if the community was successful in securing Australian Government National Reserve System funding. Rainforest Rescue made a similar commitment. QPWS agreed to accept the property as National Park should the property be acquired. Cassowary Coast Alliance are petitioning Minister Burke to buyback Lot 66.
C4 have already raised $260,000 of the $750,000+ target. Donations to secure this highly valuable but threatened cassowary corridor in the tropical lowland coastal rainforest can be made via http:// c4communityconservation.weebly.com/lot-66-buy-back.html. 12
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My Golden Friends - All gone. When I was in Australia I was privileged to watch a group of dingo one early morning, as the sun came up, frolicking on the beach at Fraser Island, untagged, without collars and well fed - the memory of the beautiful sight I beheld and the honour I felt that these magnificent dogs allowed me share to their home with them, has stayed with me all these years. I was sent this story in May 2012 - I would like to share it here: It is a story of love, passion and mutual respect - by a magnificent lady who was honoured to share a large part of her life with her beloved dingo. It is a beautiful story and yet it is heartbreaking - thanks to man's inhumanity and total lack of respect - I felt I needed to share this story with you - you may have seen it before; if not I hope you enjoy it - and it goes some way in teaching people of how truly beautiful these dogs are - the beauty that is the dingo. Carole Hughes. My Golden Friends Roughly 28 years ago saw the beginning of my love for the dingo of Fraser Island. Being a very keen fisherwoman, the dingoes were always close by hoping to be fed a meal of fresh fish, which they loved. If you were too mean to feed them a few fish, they would help themselves from your catch in the bucket. I for one never minded, as there was plenty of fish to be caught in those days, and naturally the dingo still hangs around the beach looking for handouts. The first dingo to attach itself to me personally was a young female. She just arrived from the bush, sat about at a distance watching me making a garden and coming closer all the time. Eventually she followed me from place to place in the garden. She was a loner and we became fast friends. All she wanted was company, and I didnt feed her in those days. There was plenty of feed for the dingoes, and not many tourists. I dubbed her Sally. Even when I was off the island she must have remained near home because when I came home to the island, in no time at all Sally would arrive, much to my joy. Then one day disaster struck. A young neighbour came to me to tell me Sally was lying dead on the beach. Much to my sorrow she had been deliberately run over by a 4 wheel drive, which the tourists and residents did quite often in those days. Its hard to imagine that people do these things to Gods creatures. WILDLIFE NEWS
I didnt become attached to one particular dingo for a few years after that, and then a male made himself at home at my place. He never allowed any dingoes who came with him to stay. This went on for years until he became an old dog, mainly through fights by the look of him, and one day I saw him chased out of the Valley through my place by one of his sons and I never saw that old fellow Ding No. 1 again. Then we had Ding's son taking over the Valley, so I just called him the same, Ding, which was just short for dingo, and he was with us for about 14 years. Now we had our new Ding, and very handsome he was, and it was only a short time later he brought his mate with him and our young lady dingo was in pup. They would lay around on the hillside of home resting, and even then Im sure they knew they were safe wherever I was. And the same applies to this very day since inside or near my home they must know they are away from harm. There was so much feed for them then, the cattle (which National Parks eventually destroyed) and they also had the wild horses (brumbies), another food supply, and National Parks destroyed those also. Then they closed the tips, and removed almost the last food supply for the dingoes. Despite all this, Ding and Lady, as we called her (after all it was his lady dingo) had their pups each year. Hardly any survived, because the residents and visitors would shoot them, as so many seem to hate dingoes, especially if they come from the land. (farmers etc). I could never understand why they had to destroy our beautiful dingoes. Ah! what wonderful sport for our human males to destroy, maim and kill. Ding and Lady were never any trouble to anyone, nor did they harm anyone, and gradually as their food supply went, so some of us in the Valley began to feed them any scraps we had, and Ding and Lady started bringing their family along. It was wonderful to watch. The mother, Lady, would go to the food and eat. She would allow her mate to eat with her or in turn he would sometimes allow her to eat with him, but the young ones dare not approach the bowl. When the parents left the food, the young ones ate. Lady was always a sweetie, she would arrive at home near the door giving a yappy bark until I went out to talk to her and she would like very much to get a sweet biscuit. She would stay there licking my hand and arm as though saying, may I have a sweet biscuit. Give her even one and away she would go. 13
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How we loved that Lady. Ding would sit further away and watch all this, but he never went near a human being. This pair of dingoes carried on in this fashion all over the years. Lady and Ding would go walkabout, I suppose to hunt. They would take all their young family with them miles and miles into the rainforest. They might be gone 3 or 4 days, but they always came home to the Valley. After each Christmas the numbers in the family were always down to Ding, Lady and two or three of the offspring. You would report hearing shots to National Parks, and you would know you would be down a dingo. Because no-one could be caught or blamed, it still goes on. In November 1993 we lost our Lady. She is now dead and we do not know how. When I questioned National Park rangers, they merely said she must have got sick and died. She was perfectly healthy. Now Ding only had orphans left in the family, which he took under his fatherly care. He took them with him on walks. As he got older, he became a very beaten-up old man who got very tired. He looked after his family until early this year (1994) when he was caught in a dingo trap, as was one of the young ones, and shot by National Parks, on orders from the Minister of the Environment. So ends the lives of our Lady, about 12 years old, and Ding, who was then about 14 years old. We are now treasuring the only one son of Lady and Ding called Hoppy, who hops along because of a bullet wound, and who is grandson of the old pair Handsome, and my dear golden girl I called Miss Pretty, who is the granddaughter of our dear Lady and Ding. Also Little Orphan Annie, named because she was orphaned when her parents were shot. Lily wrote this sad story in 1994. By 1998 when Lily was forced to leave the Island due to ill health, all of her beloved dingoes had been killed by the Queensland National Parks and Wildlife Service. Lily is now over 80 years old and lives on the mainland. She still campaigns for the protection of The Fraser Island dingoes. by Lily Bastin, written in 1994
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http://www.thepetitionsite.com/ 607/349/366/call-upon-the-australiangovernment-to-protect-the-dingo/ https://www.facebook.com/SaveourDingo As a matter of urgency, We Call Upon the Australian Government to Protect the Dingo by reviewing this status and in states where the dingo is least protected, address the legislation and implement change so that they are no longer vulnerable. Their care and protection should also be covered under the Cruelty to Animals legislation providing for the ability of the RSPCA to act for, and on behalf of the dingo. The most pressing issue at the moment for the dingo, is that of the Fraser Island Dingo. It is the last pure strain of dingo in Australia and is most at risk. Currently, an assessment is being undertaken by EcoSure, at the request of the current Queensland State Government. That report which is anticipated will address recommendations for the care of the dwindling population of dingoes on Fraser Island, together with a review of the current management strategies, is due to be released in December 2012. We Call Upon the Australian Government and request that the Fraser Island Dingoes be classified as a threatened, endangered species and that there be a complete and immediate moratorium on culling, until an independent scientific team including an independent dingo expert, with NO connections to EcoSure, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, and any political party, completes an on-ground study/survey to assess the amount and condition of the remaining dingoes, including food sources on the Island and furthermore, to determine how close they are to extinction. The recent hunting down and killing of Inky, a dingo loved by many, but most of all by the Butchulla, the traditional owners of Fraser Island, has angered many Australians and in particular, the Butchulla Elders
who requested the right to bury Inky themselves. This was denied by QPWS. http://www.frasercoastchronicle.com.au/news/ butchulla-favoured-dingo-buried-on-fraserisland/1636853/ This is not only cruel but has disrespected the wishes of the traditional owners and We Call Upon the Australian Government to ensure that this kind of total disregard for our First Australians must not occur again. WILDLIFE NEWS
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Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors FUNdraiser Car Rally Proudly presented by
Awesome activities and challenges across the Sunshine Coast at only $125 per car!* Enjoy a great day out with the family and friends! Fun experiences, complete wild rides, let loose at the Big Kart Track (our Diamond Sponsor) check out Australia Zoo in the afternoon plus much more!
Platinum Sponsor
100% of Profits will be donated to the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital!
Sunday 26th May 2013 Registration starts from 7:30am Cars leaving from 8:00am Winners announced end of day at 4:00pm
Start and Finish at
Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital Steve Irwin Way, Beerwah
Great Prizes to be won Including a 5 night Mooloolaba holiday valued at over $1100.00 and much more!
Thank You to all of our generous Sponsors for their fantastic support and prizes!
Register your car, bike or koala ambulance at:
www.wildlifeemergency.com.au *Conditions apply - See web page for registration and conditions of entry.
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