In 1922, Cyril Jerrard captured the first and only photographs of the paradise parrot, the only Australian bird to be officially declared extinct since European colonisation. Jerrard was well aware he was looking at one of the last of its kind: “The one undisguisable fact [is] that the advent of the white man has spelled […]
Tag: Australia
Debate over radical plan to farm kangaroos in Australia – Should it be legalized?
Kangaroos would be farmed across Australia under a radical new plan advocates say would create income for landholders and better animal welfare outcomes. While many farmers shoot macropods, like kangaroos and wallabies, to make way for livestock and crops, the proposal would see pastoralists paid to retain and “manage” them. In an upcoming paper, Professor George […]
From wild herbs to feral pigs: should Australia manage invasive species by eating them?
For three decades, Phil Mather has harvested olives from feral trees around South Australia. Mather, a landscape gardener, began hand-picking the fruit and pressing it into oil in his early 20s. It’s a seasonal pastime that has turned into a business in the past eight years. “This year I have produced over 1,500 litres, which […]
Dead, shrivelled frogs are turning up across eastern Australia. What’s going on?
Over the past few weeks, we’ve received a flurry of emails from concerned people who’ve seen sick and dead frogs across eastern Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. One person wrote: “About a month ago, I noticed the Green Tree Frogs living around our home showing signs of lethargy & ill health. I was devastated […]
‘The unsung heroes of Australian fauna’: how quolls can help us understand the modern world
All Harry Saddler really wanted to do was to see a quoll in the wild. It was November 2019, and the Melbourne-based author was enjoying a surprise publishing success: his small book, The Eastern Curlew, a telling of the extraordinary migration of Australia’s largest shorebird, had sold through its hardcover print run, opening a new […]
POLL: Should pet cats be banned from going out to protect wildlife?
A council in Australia has introduced a 24-hour “cat curfew” in a bid to protect wildlife. The controversial move from Knox City Council in Melbourne has been criticised by some local residents who believe the rule is unfair. Under the regulations – which are coming into effect on October 1 – pet owners in the […]
Tasmanian devils wipe out thousands of penguins on tiny Australian island
An attempt to save the Tasmanian devil by shipping an “insurance population” to a tiny Australian island has come at a “catastrophic” cost to the birdlife there, including the complete elimination of little penguins, according to BirdLife Tasmania. Maria Island, a 116-square-kilometre island east of Tasmania, was home to 3,000 breeding pairs of little penguins […]
‘Road to extinction’: koalas could soon be listed as endangered in swathes of eastern Australia
Koalas could soon be listed as endangered in Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory after bushfires smashed already struggling populations and destroyed precious habitat. A federal panel of threatened species experts has recommended the marsupial’s status be upgraded from vulnerable in each of the three jurisdictions. Josey Sharrad from the International Fund […]