Government surveys have found tens of thousands of endangered greater gliders could be living within the proposed area for a great koala national park in New South Wales, prompting new calls for the area to be quickly protected from logging. Data from aerial drone and ground-based surveys at 169 sites within the proposed park were […]
Tag: Australia
‘Lovely gentle dinosaurs’: Brisbane 2032 Olympic rowing may be held in saltwater crocodile habitat
After 82 years of a life devoted to saltwater crocodiles, John Lever still fondly recalls the first “saltie” he ever caught on Rockhampton’s Fitzroy River, about 500km north of Brisbane. The year was 1982, the crocodile was a three-metre long female and she’d just eaten “a lovely labrador dog” from a market garden in the […]
‘They’re smart now’: Australian fishers are on tenterhooks over shark encounters. Should swimmers be worried?
Moreton Bay charter boat deckhand Bryce Daly is starting to feel unsafe swimming the waters he’s grown up fishing. “You’ve always got a shark in the back of your mind,” the 32-year-old Jimboomba man says. Two shark encounters last month captured national attention and rocked coastal communities along the densely populated south-east Queensland coast. In […]
Chlamydia detected in Sydney’s only disease-free koala population
Chlamydia has spread to Sydney’s only disease-free koala population with two koalas testing positive after they were rescued late last year. The koalas were tested after they were found in Appin in south-western Sydney in September with injuries suggesting they had both been hit by cars. One koala was treated while the other had to […]
Seabird Chicks Suffer Alzheimer’s-Like Brain Damage from Plastic Pollution
A new study has found that seabird chicks are suffering from brain damage caused by ingesting plastic—despite appearing healthy on the outside. According to The Guardian, researchers from the University of Tasmania examined dozens of fledgling flesh-footed shearwaters from Lord Howe Island and found alarming results. While these chicks look outwardly fit, blood tests revealed […]
Record-Breaking Migration of Orange-Bellied Parrot Will be Flying High After Years of Conservation Work Pays Off
With the news headlines around the COP events full of general doom and gloom about species decline, it’s worth taking the time to meet one lucky bird that’s on the mend. From as few as 17 known individuals, the orange-bellied parrots of Tasmania now number in the low hundreds after years of hard conservation work. […]
This tiny animal has venom so deadly it could kill a human within minutes – and there’s no antidote
These cute cephalopods that fit in the palm of your hand could kill you in minutes with a venom a thousand times stronger than cyanide, says Melissa Hobson What are blue-ringed octopuses? Blue-ringed octopus are a genus of octopus known for their iridescent blue markings. These iconic patterns only reveal themselves when the little octopus […]
US influencer draws backlash for stealing baby wombat from mum
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is the latest to criticise a US influencer whose video of her taking a wild baby wombat away from its distressed mother has angered conservationists. Albanese suggested that the woman, Sam Jones, tries doing so with animals that “can actually fight back”: “Take a baby crocodile from its mother and […]