The ‘horrible’ practice of animal parks hiring out koalas for thousands of dollars per hour to homes and hotels in NSW may be outlawed. Conservation organizations slammed the Australian Reptile Park on the NSW Central Coast in January for allegedly renting koalas to clients who wanted to ‘impress guests’ at events, hotels, or residences. Due […]
Tag: Australia
Rare Australian cockatoo will be listed as a threatened species after a large decline in its numbers due to the climate crisis and the bushfire disaster
After a huge drop in population due to the climate crisis and the bushfire disaster, the gang-gang cockatoo, the animal emblem of the Australian Capital Territory, will be officially designated as an endangered species. Sussan Ley, Australia’s environment minister, has accepted the vulnerable species scientific committee’s proposal that the little cockatoo be protected under the […]
New Discovery Center could stress little penguins on Penguin Island in Australia
Conservationists are concerned about new plans to erect a structure on Australia’s Penguin Island. The fear is that it will add to the already-heavy stress on the island’s already-vulnerable birds. The structure will serve as a “exploration center,” with space for the penguins to nest and a water system to keep them cool when it’s […]
Dave the koala goes home after treatment for a fractured pelvis
Many species are fighting to survive as a result of climate change and deforestation. The koala is one of the animals whose numbers are rapidly dwindling. Thousands of koalas were harmed by the bushfires that ravaged 19 million hectares of land in 2020-2021. In addition to the injuries and homelessness suffered by koalas as a […]
The genome of the numbat, a critically endangered Australian insectivorous marsupial, has been sequenced by two teams of genetic experts
The genome of the numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus), a critically endangered Australian insectivorous marsupial and the last living member of the Myrmecobiidae family, has been sequenced by two teams of genetic experts. Scientists and conservationists will be able to make more informed decisions about how to protect the species in the future thanks to the genomic […]
Koalas, one of Australia’s most beloved mammals, are at risk of extinction
Climate change has proved disastrous in Australia, as it has in many other places across the world. Temperatures have reached record highs, and flames have engulfed neighborhoods and wildlife habitats. Climate change is particularly endangering a key endangered species: the koala. Koalas, like all creatures, have no voice and no power. It is up to […]
Humpback whales entangled in fishing nets are rescued by Australians using cutters
Wayne Phillips has both feet firmly on dry land as he acts out cutting a whale loose from fishing gear. The 51-year-old head of marine sciences at SeaWorld in Queensland oversees the park’s marine rescue team – four cutters, a coordinator, a captain and a videographer – who untangle humpback whales that have become bound […]
Half this year’s little penguin chicks on WA’s Penguin Island wiped out as colony dwindles
Half the little penguin chicks from this year’s breeding season on Penguin Island in Western Australia have died, as the colony dwindles and researchers accuse the state government of failing to act. It is thought up to 20 chicks, which represented 10% of the colony, were lost after New Year’s Day when their parents were […]