Wildlife

During the 2019 bushfires, Ember was severely dehydrated, her fur was black, coated in soot and she was badly singed. She suffered from congested lungs from smoke inhalation and had significant burns to her rump and all four paws.

Anne Hughes. The ground-walking, weak-flying birds you see on your trip down the Sunraysia Highway to Ballarat are one of Australia’s most amazing birds - the White-winged Chough (pron. chuff).  With their sooty-black livery, startling ruby-red eyes and, when they take to the air, black-edged white wings they are obviously not crows (we don’t have ’em down here) or ravens either.

"The decision regarding the proposed Great Koala National Park does not belong to a single voice but should involve many voices, mostly from the Mid North Coast. The Labor Government is attempting to blindfold us. Rather than using its chance to engage in authentic discussion with the community, it chooses to undermine us by including carefully curated elitists pretending to be our community representatives": Michael Kemp MP ... A good point that needs to be spelt out in more detail.

Patricia Gill. Denmark school students are part of a landscape-scale move to re-establish the breeding of black cockatoos in the region. To spark their students’ enthusiasm, environmentalist Simon Cherriman visited four schools recently and helped the students build four nesting boxes at each school from recycled materials ... The Denmark Men’s Shed will build 40 nest boxes ...

A CSIRO study recently identified balloons among the top three most harmful pollutants threatening marine wildlife, along with plastic bags and bottles ... Plastic Reduction Denmark has been providing an alternative for the past five years – ‘borrow and return’ bunting is made from pre-loved fabrics in many colours and designs to suit every occasion.

Monique Dawson. Recent public commentary about the closure of VicForests has included numerous false and misleading claims.  VicForests knows there are individuals and organisations who are opposed to native timber harvesting who will be celebrating VicForests’ closure ... The most offensive category of false claims being made is the suggestion VicForests is “rogue” or a “cowboy agency”.

Michelle Daw. Concerned members of the public have called on Barunga West Council and the state government to take action to help protect a lone dolphin from interactions with people. There are reports some people have interfered with the dolphin, which has been seen along the Port Broughton foreshore.

The Ovens River Challenge at Myrtleford Victoria is again on for young and old ... Widely renowned wildlife artist and fly fisher, Trevor Hawkins, will be present to show some of his fantastic works of fish and bird art ... we are researching the abundance of the endangered Macquarie Perch and Trout Cod.

Effective from 14 March, the dingo unprotection order will conclude in north west Victoria - this decision follows new research, strong advice and the effectiveness of non-lethal dingo control methods to protect livestock. Farmers in this area will be  supported by a  $550,000 investment to adopt alternate non-lethal control methods via a  pilot of measures ...

BirdLife Australia, leaders for bird conservation in Australia ... announces the official and certified results of the 10th annual Aussie Bird Count, Australia’s largest citizen science initiative. From last October, 60,598 Australians across the nation turned their eyes to the sky to tally an astonishing 3,608,545 birds, with the colourful Rainbow Lorikeet continuing to hold the crown.

Wombats are on the move around Hay, with continued sightings of the regionally rare marsupial exciting local enthusiasts. These marsupials are typically native to southeastern Australia, and their presence in Hay has left many curious about their relatively sudden appearance.  

As Scenic Rim residents continue to repair and rebuild following the devastating Christmas-New Year storms, native animals are re-establishing their homes as green shoots of recovery appear in bushland areas … a survey over three nights of a Council natural area at Tamborine aimed to assess the damage to habitat and its impacts on koalas and greater gliders to assist Scenic Rim Regional Council's efforts in protecting these endangered species.

Member for Benambra, Bill Tilley, fears laws designed to protect livestock from wild dogs will be scrapped and promised consultation with people in the Upper Murray is nothing but lip service. Member for Northern Victoria Region, Wendy Lovell, told the Victorian Parliament last Wednesday that the Victorian government had surrendered to ill-informed propaganda from lobby groups without talking to the farmers who will be most affected.

Summer has proven to be an exciting time for observing new fish species in the Lord Howe Island Marine Park (LHIMP). Three species not previously recorded in the marine park have recently been reported: a potbelly seahorse (Hippocampus abdominalis), seawhip goby (Bryaninops yongei) and lattice butterflyfish (Chaetodon rafflesii).

Serena Kirby. The coming performances of ‘When Birds Take Flight’ will take audiences on a poetic and musical journey that symbolises the migratory path of birds between Denmark and Siberia. The musical collaboration for voice and instruments has been created by composer/lyricist Louise McKenna and poet and spoken word performer, Jen Fraser, and takes the form of a story-song cycle.

... a significant milestone for the developing Australian crocodile industry ... the launch of the  Australian Crocodile Industry RD&E Plan 2024-2029 ... The recently finalised plan is designed to assist Australia’s 21 operators in capitalising on the industry’s recent growth and expansion across the country.

This 1.5-metre goanna found itself in trouble earlier this month when it became stranded at the base of Torrumbarry Weir.  Goulburn-Murray Water Senior Storage Officer, Luke Simpson, found the tired and distressed looking goanna hanging on to the bottom of the weir gate...

Yamba has earned the unenviable reputation as the state’s hotspot for sharks after the NSW Department of Primary Industries shark tagging program recorded 17,501 detections of Great White, Tiger, and Bull Sharks off local beaches last year.

Thousands of rainbow lorikeets throughout the Clarence Valley have been taken into care during the past week, suffering from a mysterious condition which is continuing to baffle scientists, researchers, and Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Services (WIRES) volunteers. Referred to as Lorikeet Paralysis Syndrome (LPS), the main symptoms include lethargy, , an inability to fly, walking with a wobbly action, impaired vision, and being unable to swallow.

Supporters advocating for the protection of Lots 512 and 513, DP727686, identified as part of Kariong Sacred Lands along Woy Woy Road, express shock and dismay over the lack of transparency and fairness during the Community Consultation Phase for the contentious rezoning proposal ... "We estimate over 3,000 public submissions opposing this unpopular planning proposal. It is impossible to contact every person to resubmit their views": Lisa Bellamy.