Author Archives: AWPC

Koalas could soon be wiped out in areas of Queensland and NSW – are you going to do something?

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The Hon Josh Frydenberg MP
Minister for the Environment and Energy
Parliament House
CANBERRA ACT 2600

Dear Minister Frydenberg,

I am writing to you on behalf of the Australian Wildlife Protection Council.

WWF works to conserve Australia’s plants and animals, by ending land clearing, addressing climate change, and preserving and protecting our fresh water, marine and land environments. WWF has over 80,000 supporters, and active projects in Australia and the Oceania region. We are very concerned by the much-loved and recognised koalas, as their numbers are in steep decline.

Koalas are under threat of being wiped out in parts of Queensland and New South Wales, conservation group WWF Australia has warned. (Koalas could soon be wiped out in areas of NSW and Queensland)

Dr Martin Taylor, (protected areas and conservation science manager at WWF Australia) said once the habitat had been redeveloped, that then brought in new threats to the koala, such as more cars, more dogs, “more accidents waiting to happen for koalas.”

Nowhere to go- Save Koalas

Numbers are down 53 per cent on average in Queensland, 26 per cent in NSW and in a pocket known as the Koala Coast, numbers have declined by 80 per cent over the past two decades.

Redeveloped koala habitat is now a euphemism for its vandalisation – environmental destruction of their food sources and life-support. Just how can this legal “redevelopment” be allowed, destroying the fabric our our environment and killing off our iconic native animals?

Tourism is worth a lot of income to Australia, and nobody wants to come to see generic urban sprawl, more and more roads and developments!

The group has warned of “localised extinctions” if more was not done to stop development encroaching on koala habitats. Australia as a leading world economy should be setting environmental and conservation standards, not be worse than a corrupt, out-of-control third world nation wrecking their natural environments and forcing native animals extinctions!

We would like to know exactly what is being done to protect koalas from dying slowly and horribly because of the greed of property developers, and the growth of human numbers in Queensland and NSW?

(Supplied: with permission of WWF Australia/Sue Gedda)

“Government has to bite the bullet and put in strong protections, not just for koalas but for all our wildlife,” Dr Taylor said. Extinction is not an event, but a process. Loss of habitat is a silver bullet for threatening their survival, and their demise.

“Government has to bite the bullet and put in strong protections, not just for koalas but for all our wildlife,” Dr Taylor said.

“The problem is there are so many get out of jail free cards for the all the industries that want to destroy habitats.”

So many permits for “development”, housing growth, etc, aka habitat destruction and violation of the rights of indigenous animals to exist.

Australia already has an abysmal reputation globally as a leading mammal exterminator, due to the ignorance and damage done by Colonialism and our early settlers. They were once paid to “clear the bush”. Haven’t we learned anything from the mistakes of the past – or are we still in a time-warp of the Colonial mentality?

We wait for your response as this is urgent, and we don’t want to be the generation responsible for the extinction and demise of our wonderful and endearing koalas in the wild in NSW and Queensland. Extensive and interconnecting wildlife corridors are urgently needed, before more lethal “developments”, and much better funded responses to emergencies, and support for wildlife carers. Responding in hindsight is just assuming the worst is inevitable!

Thank you and sincerely

AWPC secretary

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Last chance for Norfolk Island Green Parrot – please pledge your support

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BirdLife Australia, Norfolk Island National Park and the local community have joined forces to launch a brand new initiative to save the island’s green parrots. Found nowhere else in the world, the rare Norfolk Island Green Parrot is Critically Endangered and has been on the brink of extinction twice. And if we don’t act now, these birds could be facing extinction for a third time.

They know know how much you love Australia’s native birds, and wanted us to be the first to know about our new campaign –

Operation Green Parrot!

Birdlife Australia desperately need your help to raise at least

$77,000 to get a second colony up and running on nearby Phillip Island.

The uninhabited outcrop will become home to an “insurance colony” of Norfolk Island green parrots thanks to the efforts of that island’s locals, national park staff, volunteers and assistance from a group of Canberra bird enthusiasts.

Mr Hermes, Canberra Ornithological Group’s current President, has an even stronger connection to the program: as the conservator on Norfolk Island for three years in the early 1980s, he teamed up with the local Lions Club and took the first parrots into captivity when “it appeared they were basically doomed”.

There is now an increased possibility that the Norfolk Island green parrot, one of the rarest birds in the world, will AVOID extinction following a determined effort to save the species, according to wildlife conservationists. Cats and rats introduced to the island have killed off huge numbers of the parrots, with just 46 of the animals left 12 in 2014!

The Norfolk Island green parrot has twice come close to the brink of extinction only to be pulled back by remarkable conservation work in accordance with best-practice models from Massey University researchers. Timing is critical because the Philip Island colony must be established before winter kicks in. BirdLife Australia and the Norfolk Island National Park are aiming to raise $77,000 through a crowdfunding campaign to make this possible.

We have two months to transfer 30 fledgling Norfolk Island Green Parrots to nearby Phillip Island. Your support is needed  to raise the $77,000 needed to get this done. Will you support us? This is a fragile bird – let’s take this chance!

By moving the fledgling birds we’ll be able to provide them with a suitable site as a new home. This must be done between March and May this year when the birds are at the right age. Old enough to survive the relocation but young enough to adapt to the new environment. Park rangers are on standby to do it – but we need your help!

NorfolkIslandGreenParrot

Pozible – Operation Green Parrot

Now the numbers are back up to 350-400 parrots. Urgent action saved the Norfolk Island green parrot. Now with your help we can secure its future.

Click here to PLEDGE NOW!

 

Featured image: Photographed on Norfolk Island January 2016

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Let companion birds fly – Petition

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BAN BIRD SALES AUSTRALIA- THOUSANDS OF BIRDS NEED TO BE ADOPTED!

Birds are born to fly and forage freely!!

But birds can’t fly in Australia.

Australian companion birds continue to be subjected to a miserable life!

You don’t need to look far to see bird abuse and neglect and horrible bird exploitation.

There are thousands and thousands of birds bred to be sold….as a hobby!! Birds are highly intelligent but instead sold for fun and extra cash!

Bird breeders and sellers are having a ball selling and trading birds anywhere because they can!

Because no one is stopping them! And there are NO BIRD LAWS IN AUSTRALIA!

cagedbird

(image: **The photo above is a lonely stressed cockatiel parrot for sale in Melbourne, living in a small filthy cage on the ground, advertised in a gumtree ad. The water container is full of faeces.)

Codes of Practice are NOT mandatory so bird keepers do whatever they want.

“The bird breeders and bird sellers have taken advantage of the fact that no authority is monitoring or enforcing laws to protect how birds are handled and cared for”.

I have seen for myself at private bird breeder properties, pet shops, bird cage makers displaying birds and markets around Australia- TRAGEDY.

The constant breeding and captivity results in huge psychological and physiological trauma to birds. Most people, including breeders, have no idea how to care for and accommodate companion birds.

They don’t care that their birds are expected to breed, breed and breed. They don’t even consider the emotional and physiological implications on the bird when the bird is expected to separate from the bird family or bird partner- just to be sold….as a hobby.

“I could easily rescue thousands of birds every day”.
There is an oversupply and most of these poor birds are sold or traded to inexperienced bird carers who perceive them as a ‘pretty object.’ Most other birds are stolen as eggs from their mothers and incubated in bedrooms throughout Australia.

It is unimaginable that Australian birds can exist in such a condition and bird breeders and sellers are proud of showing photos of the neglected birds for all the world to see!

I am calling for all Australian state governments and RSPCA to:

• Ban the sale of companion birds at markets, expos and sales, pet shops, online and backyard selling.
• Introduce companion bird welfare laws as the current codes of practice are totally ignored and not mandatory.
• Ban bird breeding and promote bird adoption to save thousands of neglected and rejected homeless birds.

About Paris Yves
Paris Yves has cared for birds all her life. She is  a professional Bird Behaviourist and Bird Counsellor and regularly liaises with world-renowned animal behaviourists to ensure she is on top of bird behaviour research and findings. An experienced media commentator, Yves has become the voice of welfare and legal rights for companion birds in Australia.

Media Contact:
Paris Yves
Mobile: 0413 530 419
Email: paris@letcompanionbirdsfly.com.au
Images of abused/neglected birds can be viewed at http://www.letcompanionbirdsfly.com.au/campaign/

SIGN THE PETITION

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Letter to Minister Neville: from Simon Validzic, Croatia

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Dear Minister Neville,

I am writing to ask that you end the trial which involves issuing Authority to Control Wildlife (ATCW) permits and allowing the killed kangaroos to be processed for pet food.

The use of kangaroo carcasses in the pet food trials was supposed to run from 31 March 2014 to 31 March 2016. This time period was not adhered to and it was announced by Minister Jaala Pulford that not only was the trial to continue for another two years but also the Local Government Areas (LGA) would be extended.

There has been absolutely no public consultation regarding the implementation of the trial and no public consultation regarding the extending of the trial. There have been no publically available figures for the number of kangaroos killed and processed for these trials and no reports.

What kind of person would support the killing of majestic, free-living animals (such as kangaroos) and feed them to a caricature of an animal that cannot live a natural life (such as a domestic dog)?

Your department has further announced that a total of 26,785 kangaroos are now due to be killed in what your department terms “Kangaroo Control Works” on public land. The reasons given for this mass slaughter are:

(a) One park which is a habitat for eastern barred bandicoot. The eastern barred bandicoot has lived in harmony with kangaroos long before white man settled there. It is absurd to suggest they cannot live in harmony now. The fact that feral cats and dogs are abundant in Victoria and are a threat to the bandicoot is a far more reasonable assumption.

(b) Three parks which are threatened woodland and vegetation communities and have historically been overgrazed by ‘livestock’. The key words here are ‘overgrazed by livestock’; overgrazing cannot be blamed on kangaroos when these parks are home to deer and rabbits.

(c) Two Department of Defence properties where kangaroos are contained. There is a simple solution to this problem – install kangaroo gates as advised by Department for Environment, Land, Water & Planning (DELWP).

(d) Two Melbourne Water properties where kangaroos are contained. The solution to this is also to install kangaroo gates as advised by DELWP.

(e) Two farm areas belonging to Gippsland Water where overgrazing is stated as a problem. The Kangaroo Management Plan compiled by Gippsland Water is deeply flawed. It shows very little understanding of the basic requirements for counting kangaroos or understanding the basic requirements and comprehension of Carrying Capacity and Dry Sheep Equivalent (DSE); both of which are vital in determining the amount of fodder cattle and kangaroos are eating.

Note: 1 sheep eats as much as 5 full-grown kangaroos. 2.5 rabbits eat as much as 1 full-grown kangaroo; rabbits are also browsers. 1 cow/steer eats as much as 60 full-grown kangaroos. 1 large deer eats as much as 50 full-grown kangaroos; deer are also browsers. 1 goat eats as much as 5 full-grown kangaroos; goats are also browsers.

There has never been a count of kangaroos in Victoria which means that your department has absolutely no knowledge regarding the kangaroo population. Yet your department continues to issue authorizations for the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of kangaroos without any credible science to back up your actions.

Of all states in Australia, Victoria is the worst when it comes to destruction of natural ecosystems. The continuing urban sprawl and expansion of other non-indigenous human activities has pushed all native animals into rural areas, but this fact is neither understood nor acknowledged by the government or farmers. It is necessary to plan connecting corridors so that kangaroos are able to join other populations and maintain genetic diversity.

I lived in Victoria from 1970 to 1992 and never saw a kangaroo in the wild. Since I am opposed to the white colonization of Australia (and North and South America) and the expansion of human activity into natural ecosystems, I returned to my country of origin and encourage others to do the same. Croatia is a relatively good example of humans co-existing with native animals, such as deer and bears.

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Despite the DELWP clearly stipulating that all non-lethal measures must be exhausted before protected native animals can be killed, little effort has been made to utilize non-lethal alternatives.

This slaughter of protected native animals is cruel and unnecessary. I wish to support the animal advocates of Victoria and ask that you stop this unnecessary killing of kangaroos.

Yours sincerely,

Simon Validzic
website: www.animal-friends-croatia.org

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LONELY AT THE TOP: Meddling in Ecosystems

By Natalie Kyriacou
About the author:
Natalie Kyriacou is the Director of My Green World, an organisation dedicated to the conservation and protection of wildlife and habitats. She has worked on various animal welfare and conservation projects, including an orangutan rehabilitation program in Borneo, an elephant rescue program in Sri Lanka, and a dog sterilisation clinic in Sri Lanka and Australia.
Natalie holds a degree in Journalism and a Masters in International Relations at the University of Melbourne. She is a current appointed member of the Animal Ethics Committee for the Department of Veterinary Sciences at the University of Melbourne.


ORIGINS OF THE DINGO
With somewhat murky ancestral origins and a much maligned reputation in Australia, the dingo has long been considered a polarizing predator; both a cultural icon and livestock pest.

Perhaps no other predator is more deeply embedded in the Australian psyche than the dingo. Its history in Australia has grabbed headlines for more than a century, from the stolen baby in the infamous Azaria Chamberlain case to being the cause for the construction of the legendary Dingo Fence in 1885 to protect grazing lands, the dingo has entrenched itself deeply into the rich fabric of Australian culture.

Bearing a striking resemblance to the domestic dog, the dingo is currently listed as a subspecies of the grey wolf, though its exact ancestry is highly enigmatic and much debated. More recent research suggests that the dingo came to Australia via Southern China, anywhere between 4600 and 18,300 years ago.

Despite its flawed reputation, Australia’s largest terrestrial predator is also a vital component of healthy ecosystems in Australia and an important contributor to environmental recovery and the protection of threatened native species.

HAUNTING CONSERVATIONISTS
Considered one of the most vexing issues facing conservationists and agriculturalists alike, the dingo has haunted the Australian landscape for over 200 years.

The culling of dingoes is commonplace in Australia, and their numbers have fluctuated widely as a result. Government-run programs consenting the dingo cull are active across the country, with methods including poisoning, shooting and using sodium fluoroacetate.

The deadly drama of predators and their prey is often described as a prime example of natural selection in action, however, often overlooked is the role that humans play in these relationships, and how their meddlesome actions within precious ecosystems can have devastating consequences.

THE APEX PREDATOR
Most recently, the dingo has experienced catastrophic decline as a result of human persecution. Such a collapse of top predator populations is associated with dramatic upsurges of smaller predators. Known as the mesopredator theory, this trophic interaction has been witnessed heavily in Australia. Disruption to the number of dingoes has a cascading effect throughout entire ecosystems, initiating a surge of unchecked predation by lower species and an unravelling of bionetworks.

When dingo populations dwindle, foxes, feral cats, and kangaroos grow bolder. Foxes and cats eat large quantities of small mammals, while kangaroos destroy vegetation which smaller marsupials live in, leading to an equally controversial kangaroo cull.

Thus, the crucial role of the apex predator is undermined frequently. The story of the dingo is not unique. The apex predator has been continually persecuted throughout the world, and the results are almost always the same.

ECOLOGICAL IMPACT
The impact that unregulated mesopredators have on ecosystems is something which has only recently been recognised. In 2006, scientists from James Cook University and Australian National University published a report in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, tracking the geographical relationship between dingoes, threatened species, and now-extinct species.
Their research suggests that dingoes actually aid the survival of smaller, more vulnerable species in Australia, and their presence is actually associated with the persistence of native Australian animals. By suppressing populations of introduced predators and larger herbivores, the dingo actually reduced the threat to native species. The study found that in areas where dingoes had been removed, most of the native mammal extinctions had occurred.

WAR ON DINGOES
This complex ecological dynamic has been largely overlooked in Australia, and the war on dingoes has continued to rage, compromising their genetic strain, causing many dingo subspecies to fall extinct, and dooming much of Australia’s biodiversity.

If the dingo was entirely eliminated from Australia, then prey species would doubtlessly suffer. The dingo is not only a keystone species protecting mammal biodiversity in Australia, but it is the most significant constraint on the harmful potential of exotic predators. The notion that we must so thoroughly regulate and intervene in the wild is highly alarming, and the devastating impact it has on natural ecosystems is already being felt around the world.

Natalie Kyriacou
http://www.mygreenworld.org/war-on-dingoes/

Featured image: “Dingo Perth Zoo SMC Sept 2005”. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

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Magpies, kookaburras and willie wagtails among common Australian birds ‘starting to disappear’,

Magpies, laughing kookaburras and willie wagtails are on the decline in some regions, a report tracking the health of Australia’s bird populations has found.  Birdlife Australia, analysed data collected in more than 400,000 surveys across the country, the majority done by bird-loving volunteers.  The State of Australia’s Birds Report states that while predators including cats, habitat loss and even changes in climate might be to blame, more research was needed before certain species became endangered.  Habitat loss and changes are polite euphemisms for human destruction, such as land clearing and degradation for mining, logging, industries and urbanization!
kookaburra

(image: “Poser (543749091)” by aussiegall from Sydney, Australia – PoserUploaded by russavia. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons)

Sightings of kookaburras have decreased at a rate of 40 per cent across south-eastern Australia. Magpies have declined significantly on the east coast, a new report shows. The Eastern curlew, a migratory shorebird that has recently been declared critically endangered.

Editor of Australian Birdlife Sean Dooley said the decline of common birds in parts of Australia was a surprise to researchers.

Numbats, malas, bandicoots and bettongs are among the mammals the Federal Government’s identified in its new Threatened Species Strategy. The birds include the mallee emu-wren and Norfolk Island boobook owl.

The Environment Minister Greg Hunt says feral cats are a serious threat to native species and that he wants the feral animals eradicated from five islands and 10 mainland enclosures within five years. Hunt has also set a target of 10 new cat-free enclosures on mainland Australia by 2020.

Dr Euan Ritchie is with Deakin University. He wants native predators like dingoes and Tasmanian devils reintroduced, as a natural way of culling foxes and cats. This is an enlightened approach to the status of Dingoes that have been vilified and trapped over decades as a threat to livestock! He also wants Tasmanian devils back to the mainland.

Ms Jane Nathan says in The Age 16 July 2015 that Melbourne is headed for eight million by 2050, and goes on to describe what it will be like in the most wildly optimistic tones imaginable. She says “our social harmony, kaleidoscopic culture, clean food, innovative education systems and greatly reduced crime rates are the envy of the world. Our neighbourhoods are artistic, green and pristine”.

According to MP Kelvin Thomson, in the Federal seat of Wills, it “Sounds like paradise. The problem is, there is no evidence to support it…And as for green and pristine, just this week it was reported that even common Australian birds, like the Willy Wagtail and the Kookaburra, were being sighted much less frequently. The reason for this is that the streets of mature gardens that used to give our birds food and shelter have been replaced by multi-unit developments and high rise. The vegetation has been destroyed, and the birds have died out”.

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