Wildlife

Close to 300km of old barbed-wire fencing along Diamantina National Park has been removed to protect native animals including the rare night parrot ... The fencing was installed by farmers to manage livestock before the park was purchased by the Queensland Government in 1992. “It’s been close to 30 years since the land was transformed into 507,000 hectare national park, and in that time we’ve seen many resident and migratory bird species return to the local wetlands, which act as a haven in an otherwise arid region,” Minister Scanlon said.

A koala joey has been given a second chance after being rescued from the side of the road with his blind mother. The koala mother was rescued with her pouch joey on May 28 after being found disorientated on the ground by a member of the public in Woodenbong in northern New South Wales. The koalas were taken to the Friends of the Koala hospital in East Lismore where the International Fund for Animal Welfare sponsored vet team conducted thorough health checks on both koalas.

Crocodile populations in Queensland continue to recover after the reptiles were almost hunted to extinction before being protected in the 1970s, a new state government survey shows ... “The population recovery has been relatively slow and highly variable across the ranges of species since the unregulated hunting of estuarine crocodiles for their skins was banned,” says Dr Matt Brien.

Due to its incredibly small population size, population density, and distribution, the Lord Howe Abalone faces an extremely high risk of extinction from threats including marine pollution - such as an oil spill event - and climate change. As a result, the IUCN assessed this species to be Critically Endangered. Of the 37 worldwide abalone species, it was one of only two given this status.

The echidnas are looking for a mate, Wires said, and most of the ones spotted around Kyogle are likely to be males. “They join the echidna train where males follow a female for up to six weeks until she chooses one of them.”

Barbara Winters. The Ashby Nature Discovery team and the Clarence Valley Koala Working Group proved recently that we can still enjoy Covid-safe community events in the outdoors. The Ashby Hall Reserve is the perfect location to make new connections and go for a walk and learn more about nature while social distancing.

There is no other place in the world that compares to the awe-inspiring, soul-stirring, up-close whale watching encounters that you will find in Hervey Bay. Between July and November, thousands of humpback whales travel the ‘humpback highway’ and arrive in the calm, protected waters of Hervey Bay.

One echidna. One night. Locked in a bottle shop. What could possibly go wrong?

Humpback whales have been spotted along the spectacular Ningaloo Coast, with Western Australians encouraged to support tour operators amid the COVID-19 pandemic. With the humpback whale swim tour season starting soon, visitors to the Ningaloo Coast have the opportunity to swim with these magnificent creatures in their natural environment.

With the dry season in full swing and school holidays just around the corner, Territorians and visitors are being urged to be Crocwise when exploring the Top End. So far this year, crocodile management teams have removed more than 160 crocodiles from Top End waterways.

Nan Nicholson. The Dunoon Dam koalas are even more important than first thought. They can help other koala populations to recover robust genetics. New information has been revealed about the local population of koalas which would be impacted by the proposed 15ML dam at Dunoon.

A sense of excitement has arrived along with the cold weather as Whyalla kicks off Cuttlefest 2021, a colourful celebration of all things cuttlefish. The Giant Australian Cuttlefish (sepia apama) swarm into rocky areas off the Whyalla coast during May, June, July and August to mate and reproduce, in the process creating a remarkable spectacle of cunning games, underwater lightshows and colourful kaleidoscopic displays.

In an effort to boost numbers of the Western Ground Parrot, a critically endangered bird now only found in areas near Esperance, scientists and volunteers have taken the bold step in translocating a number of birds with the hopes of establishing a new mainland population ... The delicate operation involved locating and capturing the birds, with a vet and zoologist from Perth Zoo on-site to assess the birds in preparation for travel.

A turtle that was found trapped in a crab pot in the Torres Strait has been rehabilitated and released back into the wild. After four long years, a group of wildlife carers were overwhelmed with emotion as they finally released a turtle which had been found as a juvenile.

Visitors at the Le Harvre Natural History Museum in France will get to witness artwork from Erub (Darnley) Island in the Torres Strait after last week’s exhibition opening. Erub artists were pleased to once again work with curator Geraldine Le Roux on an ambitious ghost net project.

Environment Minister, Matt Kean has today announced the second largest land acquisition for national parks in the last 10 years with the purchase of the neighbouring Langidoon and Metford stations, 65km east of Broken Hill. The plan for the two properties, totaling 60,468 hectares, is to create a new outback reserve conserving significant biodiversity and Aboriginal heritage in the region ... The purchase follows on from the recent creation of another outback reserve - Narriearra Caryapundy Swamp National Park which was the largest purchase of private land for the national parks estate.

Doonan Creek Environment Reserve in Peregian Springs is now the largest reserve in Sunshine Coast Council’s conservation estate thanks to the acquisition of an additional property. The latest purchase adds 94 hectares to the existing reserve and brings it to an impressive 474 hectares in total.

The McCullochs anemonefish (Amphiprion mccullochi) is an endemic species which only occurs in waters around Lord Howe Island, Elizabeth Reef and Middleton Reef. The Lord Howe Island lagoon supports the world’s largest population - approximately 75% of all McCullochs anemonefish – and is therefore a critical area for monitoring this species.

An independent inquiry has stated that Field and Game Australia should rightly be concerned that serious efforts by Victoria’s Game Management Authority (GMA) are underway to restrict duck hunting in the state, regardless of scientific evidence. The veiled threat about whether duck hunting may no longer continue in Victoria should be taken seriously.

Geoff Helisma. The Lions Club of Clarence – Environmental is a rare breed of Lions club and, just like the threatened coastal emus it is campaigning to protect, its vital numbers are growing. The nature-focussed group, the first of its kind in Australia, has gathered 1,318 signatures on its petition to reduce the speed limit on Brooms Head Road from 100kph to 80kph, particularly where emus regularly cross.

Melinda Browning responds to Beverley McArthur MP's media release ... "Mrs McArthur has been misinformed. The correct interpretation of the research is as follows: Out of a sample size of 623 wild canids killed in Victoria as a result of ‘Wild Dog’ (Dingo) Control activities 98.5% proved to be either pure dingoes or have greater than 50% dingo ancestry. Conversely, just 1.5% proved to be domestic dogs with less than 50% dingo ancestry ..."