Category Archives: Threatened species

Put a stop to Australia pushing kangaroos into extinction for profit

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author: Graham Atherton-Ryan is one of our members in the UK.
target: Greg Hunt Australian Environment Minister

Greg Hunt has recently shown he is in full defence of a sick barbaric kangaroo killing industry that exists in Australia. Other members of parliament see them as an artificial plague on the landscape !!

2010 population estimates put the numbers of kangaroos in Australia at just over 25 million; down by over 32 million on the 2001 figure of 57.4 million. What is the benchmark for “plague” and normal kangaroo populations? Historic records report numerous macropods across Australia, as native animals. Six species of macropod are already EXTINCT and a number of species listed as ENDANGERED OR THREATENED They are not immune from droughts, disasters, loss of habitats, and human hunting! In Queensland alone kangaroo populations have crashed by 50% in the last year alone.

A former kangaroo shooter reveals the inherent cruelty of this industry. “The mouth of a kangaroo can be blown off and the kangaroo can escape to die of shock and starvation. Forearms can be blown off, as can ears, eyes and noses. Stomachs can be hit expelling the contents with the kangaroo still alive. Backbones can be pulverized to an unrecognisable state etc. Hind legs can be shattered with the kangaroo desperately trying to get away on the other or without the use of either….”

Kangaroos are wildlife, and they can’t be farmed or handled like livestock! It means the horrendous disposal of in-pouch and at-foot joeys. Official numbers for the kill do not include the baby kangaroos that also die as a result, the worthless ‘waste’ of the industry.

Unlike livestock, kangaroos grow and mature slowly, produce only a few kilograms of human edible meat, and take up to 12 years to grow to maximum size.

The Australian Government have high hopes the free trade agreement with China could open up a lucrative market for “roo and kanga bangers”. They obviously think that there is an unlimited and inexhaustible supply of kangaroo meat, and that these animals can breed endlessly to meet the demands of the world, once they acquire a taste for their meat!

To help stop this barbaric and cruel industry please sign this petition so that the Australian Wildlife Protection Council can pressure people like environment minister Greg Hunt into ending this senseless slaughter. Australia is the only country in the world to slaughter wildlife on a commercial basis , it has been going on for many years and now it is time it STOPPED . Help us help the kangaroo today !!!!!!! less

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Save Endangered Black Cockatoos from Extinction

Target: Greg Hunt, Australian Minister for the Environment

Goal: Stop the destruction of endangered black cockatoos’ habitat

The lives of thousands of endangered Carnaby’s black cockatoos are being threatened in Western Australia due to ongoing habitat destruction by the Australian government. If this unnecessary destruction continues, the entire species could quickly become extinct.

At least 4,000 endangered Carnaby’s black cockatoos currently live in pine plantations near Perth in Western Australia. They rely on plantation trees for food and nesting, but government officials have begun clearing a 56,000 acre Gnangara pine plantation. Government officials stated the trees require too much water and are threatening Perth’s water “catchment” area, but their efforts to conserve water are at the expense of this rare species of bird.

Carnaby’s black cockatoos can live up to 50 years and form strong bonds with their mates for the entirety of their lives. They originally migrated to the Perth pine plantations in the 1950s due to habitat loss, and their population has been rapidly declining ever since. Forcing these poor creatures from their habitat yet again will inflict unnecessary trauma on the already fragile species. Because the Australian government has no plans to replace the destroyed trees with trees that require less water, the cockatoos will have nowhere left to go. Urge government officials to immediately reconsider their decision to clear the Gnangara pine plantation and take the necessary steps to protect the cockatoos from extinction.

 

BlackCockatoo

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Minister Hunt,

As you may know, rare Carnaby’s black cockatoos living in the Gnangara pine plantation near Perth are at risk of extinction due to loss of habitat.

Over 4,000 cockatoos currently rely on plantation trees for food and nesting, but the trees in this plantation are being cleared due to their high water requirements. While I understand the Australian government’s goal of reducing water use in the plantations, I am shocked officials are working toward that goal at the expense of these endangered birds.

Cockatoos can live up to 50 years and stay with their mates for life. Many cockatoos will not survive the trauma of being ripped from their mates and forced from their habitat, contributing to the rapid decline of this already fragile species. I urge you to immediately reconsider the clearing of the Gnangara pine plantation and search for alternatives that would protect these poor creatures from extinction.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

 

Sign the Petition:

Save endangered Black Cockatoos from extinction

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Sharks: 450 million years of survival, but may be gone within decades

Researchers found that up to a quarter of the planet’s well-known marine species, from the Mediterranean monk seal to the Pondicherry shark, are in danger of being wiped out. This overturns the conventional scientific wisdom that marine species are far safer than other terrestrial species. In each case, between 20 and 25 per cent of species are threatened with extinction

Sharks are at the top of the food chain in virtually every part of every ocean, and in this role they keep populations of other fish healthy and thus prevent them over-feeding.   They are a  “keystone” species, meaning that removing them would causes the whole food chain structure to collapse.

Sharks have survived for 450 million years, but may be gone within the next decades.  Keeping marine ecosystems healthy is not optional!

Due to overfishing, commercial fleets are forced to go deeper in the ocean and further down the food chain for viable catches.  As such, like their terrestrial counterparts, the mass extinctions of fish, marine mammals and other aquatic life could occur within decades.

A top-order predator with a menacing appearance that belies its calm nature, the grey nurse shark’s east coast Australian population is struggling to survive, with only an estimated 500 left. Eating almost any kind of fish, crustacean, sharks, rays and squid, this predator is key in maintaining a balance in the marine ecosystem along the Australian coastline. While hunting this shark was legal in 19th century, poaching the fish has been common throughout the 1900s.


Critically endangered:
Glyphis garricki (Northern River Shark)
Glyphis glyphis (Speartooth Shark)
Carcharias taurus (Grey Nurse Shark, east coast population)

Grey_Nurse_Shark
(image: Grey nurse shark)

Overfishing and depleted fish stocks could be the reason sharks are seen around shores. Sharks are already heavily threatened by over-fishing, and they are important apex predators that help in the health of our oceans.

Sharks belong in the ocean, and it’s their home.  They are necessary in maintaining healthy marine ecosystems.  We can’t drain the oceans, and kill more endangered wildlife.  It’s time to get things more in perspective and realise that there are risks to everything we do.

“Culling” sharks, and the death of other non-target species that will be hooked, can’t guarantee safety on the beaches.  In fact the Western Australia shark kill program could dangerously create a false sense of security, leading to more fatalities.   It’s a case of those entering the ocean need to be aware of apex predators, and take precautions.

Two experts from the University of WA’s Oceans Institute say a cull would make little difference to the number of people being attacked every year.  “Before suggesting we cull economically and ecologically important shark species, with no scientific assessment of their populations, we need to educate people about the risks involved when entering the ocean.”

The ocean is a dangerous place, and more people drown each year than are taken by sharks.

Shark “culls” futile
Surf Life Saving South Australia suggests that there is a “much higher risk of drowning at the beach.. than from being bitten or killed by a shark”.  A NSW university study found that, on average, 21 people drown in rips around Australia each year, compared with eight killed in cyclones and six in bushfires.

When shark culling was carried out in Hawaii between 1959 and 1976, more than 4500 were killed. Control programs have not had measurable effects on the rate of shark attacks there. Western Australia’s cull is based on pressure to ”do” something for human safety, however ineffective.

Those entering into the sphere of apex predators should take full precautions, but this killing plan could give false assurances of safety.

Sharks do not deliberately target people! It’s  an anthropomorphic and paranoiac reaction to imagine they are out to find human prey, or make any conscious efforts to track humans. If a shark sees a human splashing in the water, it may try to investigate, leading to an accidental attack.

There has been 20 fatal shark attacks in WA in the past 100 years – seven of them in the past three years.  WA has experienced a massive population growth in recent years, with almost two-thirds of the state’s total growth coming from migration.  Rather than more misanthropic sharks, there’s more people are in the water!

The best way to avoid lethal shark attacks is to take appropriate precautions.  Entering the territory of apex predators should naturally include precautionary tactics, not the cull of the animals that are an important part of marine ecosystems.

A report titled “Global catches, exploitation rates, and rebuilding options for sharks” finds that based on an estimated total global biomass, this accounts for between 6.4% and 7.9% of all sharks killed per year – most simply for their fins, while the rest of the animal is dumped in the sea.

Some sharks denied protection in Australia
The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals gave new protection status to 31 migratory species at a conference in November. However, Australia is submitting a “reservation” to ensure a recent international listing granting protection status to three species of thresher shark and two species of hammerhead does not take effect in Australian waters. Humane Society International has described the move as an “unprecedented act of domestic and international environmental vandalism”.

Yet, our Abbott government is willing to be the environmental pariah of the world, with heavy axing of funding to science and research, a denial of action on climate change, and now is backing away from its international obligations by opting out of protecting five shark species!

Environment Minister Greg Hunt is myopically more concerned about the economic welfare of recreational fishers?  This “environmental vandalism” shows a complete lack of vision, and scope, in government policy-making!

NSW
In Mr Baird’s first election policy commitment, he said $100,000 would be spent on a technology trial at popular beaches. Surf life saving clubs will also be given specialist training and shark deterrent equipment.
“One thing we will not be doing in NSW is culling sharks,” said Mr Baird.


Western Australia
More than 100 of the world’s 370 plus species of shark live in Western Australian waters.
These range from the 30cm pygmy shark to the world’s biggest fish, the gentle whale shark, which grows up to 12m long and is a popular feature of the WA aquatic tourism industry.

The presence of many species of shark as ‘apex predators’ – occupying the top level of the food chain – is an indication of a healthy marine environment.

September 11, 2014:
The Environmental Protection Authority recommended against the WA government implementing its shark kill zones for the next three summers and Premier Colin Barnett ruled out using drum lines this coming summer.
What You Can Do:
Donate money to support Sea Shepherd’s direct action campaigns.

  • Don’t buy or consume shark products.
  • Vocally oppose restaurants and shops that sell shark products; demand that they stop.
  • Educate others on the plight of sharks and their importance to the ecosystem.
  • Encourage everyone you know to watch the award-winning documentary Sharkwater.

Petitions:
Call on Premier Baird to remove lethal shark nets

Greenpeace – Action

Save WA sharks and stop the cull

CommunityRun:save the shark

Raise awareness about shark finning and make it illegal

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Swift parrots diving into extinction: logging to blame

Study: Swift Parrot Population May Decline Up To 94 Percent In 12 To 18 Years.

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Sugar gliders are being blamed for the grim numbers, but researchers are ready to do what it takes to save the swift parrot. The study found that “when sugar gliders prey on the swift parrot nests in areas where there was high forest loss, 83 percent of the time the animals ate the eggs and mother.” In some cases, the mortality rate could be as high as 100 percent. So, it’s all about cause and effect, and increasing competition for dwindling resources.

Researcher Dejan Stojanovic said the research found if nothing changed, the bird’s population would decline by as much as 87 per cent.

Across southeastern Australia, the forests and woodlands where swift parrots live have been converted to farmland, swallowed by urban sprawl and been chipped away by logging.

These processes are well known to drive the decline of forest wildlife, but until recently, we didn’t fully understand the subtler effects of deforestation on swift parrots.

The Conversation: Sugar gliders are eating swift parrots – but what’s to blame?

They are very light birds, weighing about half as much as a banana – which is lucky, because they fly ridiculously long distances during winter, to forage for food and to escape the Tasmanian winter. These are tiny, kaleidoscopic technicolour parrots fly all over Australia, but come back to breed in the forests of Tasmania.

They may be going to the way of the dodo, researchers say.

Environment Tasmania said information documents revealed evidence of the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment (DPIPWE) that approving logging in parrot breeding habitat despite strong scientific advice against activity in the areas. The DPIPWE departmental group also advised that logging was “… likely to interfere with the recovery objectives of the species”.

Parrot breeding habitat had already been extensively logged over recent years and that made remaining patches of swift parrot breeding habitat more important. They migrate from the Australian mainland to Tasmania to breed each spring, swift parrots rarely reuse the same nesting area in successive years. They nests are most abundant in old growth forests, but finding nests for research demands an intensive annual search across the east coast forests of Tasmania.

“Everyone, including foresters, environmentalists and members of the public will be severely affected if they go extinct,” said Professor Heinsohn from the ANU Fenner School of Environment and Society.

Swift parrots are major pollinators of blue and black gum trees which are crucial to the forestry industry, which controversially continues to log swift parrot habitat.

Making things go from bad to worse, Forestry Tasmania is considering selling nearly 40,000 hectares of hardwood plantations, after the Tasmanian Government gave it the green light to sell assets. Selling hardwood plantations would force Forestry Tasmania to log more native forests, which would “drive to the brink” endangered species like the swift parrot and the masked owl. Native species are now no more than collateral damage in the quest to capitalize our our natural heritage, and resources.


Mr Roderick from Birdlife Australia estimates there are three to four hundred regent honeyeaters remaining, making it and the swift parrot the two most endangered of a whole suite of threatened woodland birds.

A recent Wilderness Society report has found Tasmania’s Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) is failing to protect forests and wildlife. Spokesman Vica Bayley said so far the agreement had been a failure. “We are still logging critical habitat for species such as the swift parrot,” he said.

Petitions:
Help save critically endangered Swift Parrots and Regent Honeyeaters in the Hunter Valley!

Urge the Tasmanian government to protect the endangered swift parrot to save it from extinction

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Vale Martin Copley AM, 1940-2014

On 30 July 2014, Australia lost one of its great conservationists and philanthropists when Martin Copley AM passed away.MartinCopley

Martin was born in Britain and he became a successful insurance underwriter. He first visited Australia in 1966. In 1991 he purchased a property containing a large area of natural bushland at Chidlow, Western Australia, now the Karakamia Sanctuary, for conservation purposes, effectively founding what was to become the Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC). In 1994 he moved to Australia permanently. Martin is survived by his partner Valentine, three children and six grandchildren.

“Our wild world is disappearing in numerous ways: loss of species, habitat destruction, declining water and air quality, and increasingly saline and shallow topsoils“, he said.  The Gouldian finch,  once widespread across northern Australia – could be the symbol of a continent in danger. Most Australians will never get to see the Gouldian finch, except perhaps in a cage. It’s estimated there are only hundreds remaining in the wild.

Martin will be remembered as one of Australia’s greatest conservationists and philanthropists. It is impossible to adequately describe the extent of Martin’s immense contribution to conservation.

Even in the early 1990s,Martin had a vision of a new, non-profit model for conservation– a model that could help lead the way in reversing Australia’s extinction crisis. Martin established Karakamia – AWC’s first sanctuary – in the Perth Hills. Even then, Martin had a vision of a new, non-profit model for conservation– a model that could help lead the way in reversing Australia’s extinction crisis.

Among his many extraordinary achievements, perhaps Martin’s greatest legacy – his greatest gift to the Woylies, Gouldian Finches and Bilbies – is his success over the last two decades in realising that vision.

Copley was thrilled to observe small creatures with alien names such as woylie, numbat and quokka slowly reappearing on the landscape. So much of Australia is tragically lacking these oddly named creatures, he says. “I always feel these places are alive, yet when you go into a national park, it often seems dead – a few birds and kangaroos but not the diversity.”

AWC has grown to 23 properties covering 3 million hectares across Australia. These properties protect 83% of Australia’s terrestrial bird species and 67% of its terrestrial mammal species including some of the largest remaining populations of threatened species such as the Bilby, Sharman’s Rock-wallaby and the Purple-crowned Fairy-wren.

Mr Copley’s environmental legacy is the Australian Wildlife Conservancy, which now watches over more than three million hectares of land. Mr Copley, 74, showed by example that eliminating feral cats and foxes allowed animals such as woylies and bandicoots to play their role in managing the landscape. Martin’s fencing-off of huge areas of bush has shown how healthy Australian ecosystems can function. The native animals become the cultivators and tillers of soil, dramatically reducing leaf litter build-up, which helps change the fire regime and ecological structure of an area.

Martin Copley has done more than anyone to safeguard Australia’s biodiversity and endangered species.  According to Tim Flannery, Copley is “an absolute standout” who has made “an extraordinary contribution” in his field.

April 2015: Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) is pleased to report that the wild Bilby population at Scotia is now estimated to be more than 1,200 animals. Together with a second population at Yookamurra, AWC protects approximately 15% of the entire Bilby population (estimated at less than 10,000 animals across Australia). Sadly, the Bilby population across the rest of Australia is in a state of ongoing decline, primarily as a result of feral cats and foxes. The last wild Bilby population in Queensland is now estimated at only 200 animals after a catastrophic decline driven by feral cats.

The Easter Bilby is an Australian symbol of Easter, to replace the Easter Bunny. Very young children are indoctrinated with the concept that bunnies are nice soft fluffy creatures whereas in reality they are Australia’s greatest environmental feral pest and cause enormous damage to the arid zone.

Australian Wildlife Conservacy
Subiaco East WA 6008
Ph: +61 8 9380 9633
www.australianwildlife.org

Save the Bilby Fund
Email: admin@savethebilbyfund.org

PO Box 260, Runaway Bay, Qld, 4216

Phone: 0405 384 351
Fax: (07) 5563 8612
http://www.savethebilbyfund.com/

The Australian Bilby Appreciation Society
http://members.optusnet.com.au/bilbies/About_Bilbies.htm
(featured image: Bilby is from their website)

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