Snake season
Be on the lookout for hungry and angry venomous snakes. That’s the message from a local snake catcher as the weather starts to warm up in the South East. David Miles says not only has the snake season landed early, but the reptiles are also hungry in warm spring weather, posing danger to people and dogs ... The Australian Reptile Park has also issued an “urgent warning” for people to be on the lookout for venomous snakes, saying a rise in temperatures, coupled with winter rainfall, was the perfect environment for venomous snakes to become more active.
A decade of rainbows – Rainbow Lorikeet tops the 10th Annual Aussie Bird Count: BirdLife Australia
BirdLife Australia, leaders for bird conservation in Australia, reveal the preliminary results for the Aussie Bird Count. With more than 420,000 counted, the colourful Rainbow Lorikeet once again comes out on top, beating the Noisy Miner with nearly 220,000 and the iconic Australian Magpie with around 154,000 counted.
New arrival at Altina
Two black-and-white ruffed lemurs have been paired together at the Altina Wildlife Park near Darlington Point. The species is critically endangered due to poaching and deforestation and one is from England and will provide genetic diversity to the Australian lemur population.
How did the turtle cross the road? Community asked to assist to help protect reptilian friends: Landscape SA
As spring turtle nesting season begins, the Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board is asking drivers to play a crucial role in helping to protect the region’s vulnerable freshwater turtles. Turtle fatalities as a result of traffic accidents are a significant contributor to the steep decline in freshwater turtle numbers in the Murraylands and Riverland.
Kangaroo Island named one of world’s best travel destinations: Bettison, Bignell
Kangaroo Island has been named one of the world’s top destinations to visit – and is the only Australian destination to make the list. Ranked as #2 by global travel authority, Lonely Planet, in its 2024 Top Regions Hotlist, Kangaroo Island is recognised as a premier eco-tourism destination which offers distinct local produce, abundant native wildlife, natural experiences, and some of the nation’s most pristine beaches.
Calls for citizen scientists to spring into action on conservation efforts: MDBA
Citizen scientists are being called to swap their backyards for a local waterway by joining a wave of volunteers across the Murray–Darling Basin to help with conservation efforts. The spring sampling season of the Great Australian Wildlife Search, delivered by Odonata Foundation, has started.
We did it! Leading-edge ultrasound now at Red Box Wildlife Centre
The end goal of the recent Maldon Inc Kangaroo Art Project was finally realised last Friday when the much-anticipated Mylab Five VET ultrasound machine was installed in the treatment clinic at Red Box Wildlife Shelter. The ultrasound machine will assist volunteer Senior Veterinary Surgeon Dr Mark Sayer in expediting diagnosis of internal injuries in kangaroos.
Count draws koala spotters
Over a hundred people gathered at the Narrandera Flora and Fauna Reserve recently to attend the annual Koala Count event ... "These magnificent creatures have since spread far and wide, and the community are determined to uncover the full extent of their reach. It is reported that 25 koalas were counted this year, with five of them accompanied by their adorable little joeys, bringing the total tally to 30."
It’s time to step out and look up: The annual Aussie Bird Count is here!
Seen our new celebrity bird of the year the Swift Parrot flapping around? Now it’s time to celebrate our feathered friends by participating in the Aussie Bird Count ... This year celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Aussie Bird Count, BirdLife Australia is proud to be the voice for Australia's birds for over a century.
Dog walkers urged to respect nesting birds
Patricia Gill. Walkers are asked to curb their dogs around incubating hooded plover chicks after a fence and signs warning of nesting parent birds were stolen at Lights Beach. BirdLife Australia beach-nesting birds project ofï¬cer Lisa Nicholson assured dog-walkers that the rope fence and signs were only temporary and the eastern side of Lights Beach would not be closed to dogs.
In Conversation: Leila Jeffreys with Julie Mclaren
We have just confirmed that acclaimed Sydney-based wildlife photographer Leila Jeffreys will be visiting Ballarat later this month for the launch of her work on the new Art Screen in Alfred Deakin Place. Join her as she discusses her career and experiences working with birds with Gallery Curator Julie McLaren.
Boost for koala conservation in South-East Qld: Plibersek, Neumann
The $2m project being carried out in Grandchester and Flinders Peak will include activities like planting koala-friendly trees, removing weeds that prevent koalas moving between existing koala habitat and are a fire risk, reducing livestock grazing on habitat to facilitate natural regeneration, and protecting existing koala habitat through fire management. The project will be delivered by Healthy Land and Water, and will support landholders to better protect koalas on their land.
Farmers welcome Wild Dog Management Plan Extension: VFF
The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) has welcomed a one year extension to the Wild Dog Management Plan after calling for its renewal in recent weeks ... “It just made sense to extend the highly successful Wild Dog Management Plan”: VFF Livestock Group Vice-President and Tallangatta farmer Peter Star.
Update on Checkpoint – Lord Howe Island officially declared rodent free
Suzie Christensen. The Checkpoint program conducted in July 2023 has found no sign of rats or mice on Lord Howe Island for over two years, signalling a significant milestone in the Rodent Eradication Project ... More than 950 detection device checks were undertaken using 140 tracking tunnels, 32 trail cameras, and 300 wax tags and chew cards, along with sweeps with detection dogs.
Is the humble farm dam the lifeline that frogs need?: Deakin University
Frogs are in trouble. While many of the world's animal species are now at risk from habitat loss, climate change and other human pressures, it is frogs that are particularly at risk ... "Farm dams, often overlooked in the conservation context, have emerged as potential lifelines for numerous species during dry spells, including frogs": Dr Martino Malerba.
Will jobs be lost by logging halt?
The Clarence Valley timber industry is still uncertain how many jobs could be lost due to the suspension of logging in the proposed Great Koala National Park as the NSW Government assesses the impact on the endangered marsupials and timber industry jobs ... “They still haven’t actually said what the areas are that they are going to not harvest in and where the actual koala hubs are, so it’s really hard to work out what the ramifications are going to be”: Donna Layton, Marshall Notaras Hardwoods GM and VP of Timber NSW.
Endangered frog species defying extinction fears: FCNSW
Ecologists are reporting a promising start to a translocation project involving the Southern stuttering frog (Mixophyes australis) ... The Southern Stuttering Frog was regarded as extinct on the south coast of New South Wales due to chytrid fungus, which attacks the skin of a frog.
The Great Koala National Park is not an extinction panacea: Forestry Australia
The Minns Government’s proposed Great Koala National Park is not an extinction panacea for koalas, says the President of Forestry Australia, Dr Michelle Freeman ... "it is simplistic to suggest that locking away forests is the great panacea for saving koalas from extinction ... In fact, experience shows us that declaring a National Park does not equal koala population growth."
Koala dreaming? Too right!
Vic Jurskis. Koala plagues and megafires go together. Koalas are breeding faster than ever on all the soft young growth generated by Black Summer. The scrub development is unprecedented. Our next extreme fire season will kill more people and animals than ever before. But the koala is in no danger of extinction.
Duck hunt for some
A recent inquiry into Victoria’s duck hunting had more than 10,500 submissions, a record for a Victorian parliamentary inquiry. Labor chair Ryan Batchelor said Victoria should end recreational native bird hunting on all public and private land from 2024 ... The report did also recommend transforming hunting reserves into state recreation reserves, and excluding non aboriginals, whilst allowing traditional owners to continue to hunt ducks.
Council seeks more powers to stop pet cats roaming and killing
Here kitty, kitty – here’s the thing – there are almost five million cats in Australia. Research by the Invasive Species Council found that 70% of cat owners let their cats roam freely outdoors. An average roaming cat kills 186 animals a year...
A big hardyhead start for critically endangered fish
Clever use of water for the environment in two northern Victorian wetlands is helping a critically endangered fish thrive. The Murray hardyhead is a small native fish that has suffered from degraded habitat, altered flows, introduced predators, climate change, and water regulation.
