They may be a national symbol, but authorities in Australia are culling a colony of koalas in a popular tourist destination. The move from the state government of Victoria is in reaction to the burgeoning koala population at Cape Otway, in the south of Australia. The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWEP) is […]
Tag: Australia
Eastern quolls, extinct on mainland, to be reintroduced in NSW national park
Eastern quolls are set to be released on the Australian mainland, 50 years after they were wiped out by a combination of habitat loss and the spread of foxes and feral cats. The quolls, which once spread from the southern reaches of South Australia up to Brisbane, have not been seen on the Australian mainland […]
What Animals Are Likely to Go Extinct First Due to Climate Change
One in six species could disappear as the climate warms over the next century, with animals and plants in South America particularly hard hit while those in North America would face the lowest risk, according to a major new analysis published Thursday. With naturally small populations of native species in its tropical rainforests and mountains, […]
Carmichael mine may push rare bird to extinction, scientists warn
The creation of Australia’s largest mine will have “serious detrimental and irreversible consequences” for the endangered black-throated finch and may even push it to extinction, a recovery team for the species has advised Greg Hunt, the federal environment minister. The black-throated finch recovery team, comprised of scientists from the CSIRO and James Cook University as […]
Australia becomes first country to ban lion trophies
Last month, Australia became the world’s first country to ban the import or export of lion trophies, often taken from so-called canned hunting where lions are raised solely to be shot by foreign hunters. “These new rules mean that if you go overseas and engage in the appalling act of canned hunting, you can forget […]
Four arrested for allegedly attempting to export 150 native animals to Europe
Four men are in custody in Perth accused of attempting to export more than 150 native animals from Western Australia. The men were arrested at Perth international airport earlier this month after customs was tipped off by postal workers who noticed something amiss in packages sent from destinations including Carnarvon, Tom Price and Geraldton. All […]
New Species of Rock-Wallaby Discovered in Australia
A new cryptic species of rock-wallaby has been described by a team of scientists led by Dr Sally Potter from the Australian Museum Research Institute and the Australian National University. Rock-wallabies (genus Petrogale) are small to medium-sized marsupials, weighing from 1 to 12 kg. These animals are only found in mainland Australia and some offshore […]
Threatened species given lifeline by new bait developed to kill feral cats
New baits targeting feral cats could aid the recovery of 53 threatened species covered under Western Australia’s largest conservation project, according to the state’s environment minister, Albert Jacob. The West Australian Department of Parks and Wildlife has spent more than 10 years developing baits to appeal to the notoriously fussy palate of cats. The end […]