Australia Wild Animal

Wild Animals Australia

• Plastic Bags: A bride-to-be from North Stradbroke Island in southern Queensland has made her wedding dress entirely out of plastic shopping bags to draw attention to the number of plastic bags that are finding their way into the environment, particularly the marine environment where they can injure and kill wildlife.
• Artificial Reefs: A group at Bundaberg on the Queensland Coast is seeking a Russian built MIG fighter jet to sink in waters off the coast near the town to add to its artificial reefs and thereby creating more sights for scuba-divers to explore. In the last six years or more years, various old warships and retired commercial ships have been sunk around the Australian coast to boost the number of reefs. It is hoped that encrusting organisms, such as soft and hard corals, would establish on the MIG while larger fish, such as gropers, would lurk under the wings and fuselage. Australia captured 35 MIG jets during its involvement in the Iraq War.
• Shark Attack: A 17-year-old surfer survived an attack from a 2.5 metre long bronze-whaler shark in the waters off Bunbury, south of Perth in Western Australia. The shark rolled the surfer off his surfboard and bit him and the board, but only gave the surfer small cuts. The surfer wasn’t aware of the cuts until he’d swum back to shore. He said "It grabbed my board first, that's when I saw its jaws and all that kind of stuff and how big it was and then it let go of the board and went for my leg". The attack is the third of its type this year. The state government officials have warned people not to swim at the Bunbury Beach at dusk or dawn, or when the weather is overcast.
• Crocodiles: In the Northern Territory there is a ban at Kakadu National Park's Twin Falls due to fears of a saltwater crocodile attacks, although people are still allowed access to the banks of the water holes. Parks Australia North believes the current Twin Falls arrangements achieve a balance between public access and managing crocodiles. It has received advice from park rangers, expert wildlife managers, crocodile project officers and traditional owners.
• Broken Frog Leg: Veterinarians mended the leg of a Green Frog at Curumbin Zoo in southern Queensland. The frog weighing only 50 grams, had pins inserted in its leg bones and made a full recovery.
• Whale: A large sperm whale is stranded in Macquarie Harbour in the west of Tasmania. It is thought to be about one kilometre into the harbour, in shallow water although its body is almost covered. It is about 10 to 14 metres in length and appears to be in good condition.
• Great Barrier Reef: The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority announced closures to the reef for fisherman in 2003 in attempts to protect more of the reef from over-fishing. More information is now being mailed to commercial fishermen to boost awareness.
• Tasmanian Devil: There are ongoing concerns about the health of the Tasmanian Devil, the largest living carnivorous marsupial species. Many devils are suffering from facial tumours drastically affecting their health. Tasmanian government wildlife managers have been microchipping wild and captive devils, to gather information that might help them discover the cause of the disease. A captive breeding program is not yet being considered and more information is still required on the cause of the disease.
• New Species of Frogs: Three new species of frogs appear to have been identified in South Australia. Two of the frog species were found in the Mount Lofty and Flinders Ranges while the third was found in the far north-west of South Australia. They are small and plain looking frogs about 30 millimetres long and usually brownish in colour. South Australian Museum research scientist Steve Donnellan said they probably came out with recent rains, and their size and colour was probably why they had gone unnoticed until now. The frogs do, however, have bold black and white patterns on their belly.
• New National Parks in Western Australia: Western Australia is expected to create 30 new national parks in the south-west of the state. The Western Australian government is committed to end the logging of old growth forests, and has drafted laws for nine new parks with laws for 20 more parks to be drafted later this year.
• Major Fish Kill in southern New South Wales: A major fish kill of thousands of leatherjackets was discovered on beaches from Narooma to Bermagui on the south coast of New South Wales. An investigation will determine whether a parasite which attacks fish scales is responsible, or if there is some other reason. People are being warned not to eat the fish, but that birds and crabs will eat them and therefor clean the beach quite quickly.
• Koalas: A politician in South Australia, Bob Such, has called for the killing of koalas on Kangaroo Island. It has been revealed that since 1998, about 4,000 koalas had been sterilised and about 1,500 moved to the mainland to relieve stress on the environment caused by overpopulation. Koalas were introduced to Kangaroo Island from the mainland and have increased in population size to the detriment of the island’s environment. Meanwhile the Australian Koala Foundation has called on the Australian Government to classify the koala as vulnerable and create a law to protect its habitat.
• Australian Water Plan: Australia now has a national water plan. The agreement was entered into by most of the state governments and the Australian governments. The access to water by farmers is very controversial with rivers running between states, some states accuse others of taking out too much water. Often there is not enough for other farmers, towns and the environment including the rivers themselves and associated wetlands. It is hoped the new agreement will encourage farmers to invest in sustainable management practices, and to implement the new technology irrigation methods. However the leader of the Australian Greens, Bob Brown said it is a terrible outcome for the environment, and is failing to keep pace with the degradation and is failing the rivers.
• Whales: Rescuers saved a 14 metre long sperm whale that was in Macquarie Harbour on Tasmania's west coast, however four other whales that were in the same pod have died with three of these being washed into the harbour by high tides. It is now being decided what to do with the dead whales, which each weigh between 30 and 50 tonnes. Meanwhile it is hoped that listening to whale songs will help learn if whales suffer when exposed to man-made noises. University of Queensland Veterinary researcher Michael Noad says sounds from shipping, military sonar and oil exploration could be harming the ocean giants. He is observing whales on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.
• Western Australia Coastal Strategy: A comprehensive environmental management strategy for the south coast of Western Australia is in place. It has been put together over many years by the South Coast Regional Initiative Planning Team, and is now available for public comment until the end of July. The strategy includes a the coastal strip from Walpole to Esperance and for some kilometres inland.
• Coral Reefs: An international group of ecologists, including two Australians, has released a new plan for saving the world’s coral reefs. The plan includes promoting species of fish and coral that can help them recover from damage and resist change. It is believed that some species of fish, such as the giant humphead parrot fish, clear dead coral and that this may help reefs recover by allowing corals to recolonise. Meanwhile, three sensitive offshore basins on the edge of the Great Barrier Reef have been listed by the Federal Government as a high priority for oil exploration. These are the Eastern, Marion and Townsville Plateaus, just outside the Great Barrier Reef.
• Quolls: More than 60 Northern quolls were last year moved from Kakadu National Park to the islands of Pobassoo and Astell to protect the species from the spreading cane toad. Quolls are cat-sized native marsupial carnivores. They live and hunt both in trees and on the ground in forests, heathlands and other habitats. The cane toad, an introduced species, has poison producing glands on its skin that can kill animals that prey upon it. The cane toad is spreading quickly in the Northern Territory with a fear that the Northern Quoll could be in danger by preying upon the toads. There are four species of Quoll in Australia, however their occurrence has been greatly reduced through clearing of habitat, hunting and competition with introduced animals such as foxes and feral cats.

These news stories have been sourced from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. See www.abc.net.au/news/environment.