Floods impact our wildlife too

possum and joey image

The recent flood, cyclone and bushfire disasters across Australia have taken their toll on all.  Our wildlife have suffered immeasurably too, as wildlife carers try to contend with the influx of injured and orphaned wildlife. The problems with our native wildlife did not start with the inland and coastal flooding.  They started way back in … [Read more...]

Saving our wildlife from urban sprawl

Dr Sean Fitzgibbon and koala

Many bush creatures need help as the built environment closes in on their habitats, sending some on the path to extinction unless we do something about it. Dr Sean FitzGibbon is man with a passion and a plan to save them. Aldwyn Altuney reports. This is not a time to be resting on our laurels when it comes to conserving wildlife around urban … [Read more...]

The fight to save our koalas

Australian Koala Foundation CEO, Deborah Tabart

One of Australia’s iconic, yet threatened species, the koalas have found a true champion and perhaps saviour in Australian Greens leader Bob Brown. In late November, the senator successfully moved for a new Senate inquiry to assess the threats to and management of koalas across the country. Despite its iconic status, we know very little about … [Read more...]

Is time running out for Fraser Island’s Dingoes?

Image: A Fraser Island Dingo

By Jaylene Musgrave Australia's world heritage listed Fraser Island is renowned for its beautiful dingoes but the country's purest strain of dingo is now on the verge of extinction under the Queensland Government's current management plan. Some of the Australia's leading experts are speaking out on the sad plight facing the island's … [Read more...]

Good and the bad

Noisy Pitta

Reflecting on World Environment Day, what have we done for the environment in the past year? Our Wildlife Volunteers Association, can be proud of its achievements this year, once again providing a 24-hour hotline for injured and orphaned wildlife. So often, callers are just so grateful that they reach an actual person instead of the ubiquitous … [Read more...]

Koalas squeezed out by population growth

Government reports show many koala populations will be extinct within a few year

By Simon Baltais Southeast Queensland is one of Australia’s biological hotspots. It is an area where the sub-tropical and temperate regions known as the McPherson/MacLeay Overlap Zone are a region of diverse landscapes from mountain rainforest to open woodland and wallum wetlands to huge sand islands, mangroves forest, seagrass meadows and … [Read more...]

Bush refugees

A young common brushtail possum

WILVOS' hotline is always a good indication of how our wildlife is managing out there. We didn't need a crystal ball 10 years ago to predict what was going to happen in southeast Queensland, and we don’t need a crystal ball now to see what is ahead for our wildlife. It is depressing! This isn’t unique to southeast Queensland.  I  … [Read more...]

Christmas is a time to help our wildlife

A tiny Feathertail Glider emerges from its log home. Image: Donna Anthony

In recent months there has been a great increase in orphaned and injured animals being reported on the WILVOS hotline.  It always makes me so aware of the value of this 24 hour a day, 365 days a year rescue number for distressed wildlife. It is always a challenge to find enough people to man the phone line at the end-of-year holiday period, … [Read more...]

Lock up those cats

We often don’t see what our cats are killing during the day, or night. Image: greghardwick.com.au

Once again our WILVOS hotline received a call for an injured animal. This time it was a glider -- maybe a sugar glider, maybe a squirrel glider.  It doesn’t really matter which one it is, gliders are fast reaching extinction on the coast and hinterland areas.  Yet it is so simple to prevent the extermination of these incredible … [Read more...]

Noosa fish deformities continue to raise questions

A late 2008 image of a two-head bass embryo from the Noosa River. (Sunland Fish Hatchery - Gwen Gilson)

Despite the constant high ratings awarded to the Noosa River's water quality in the Healthy Waterways Reports, fish kills and deformities have brought the spotlight firmly upon local macadamia farmers. In particular, the fungicides and pesticides used on their crops. After the release of an interim report into fish kills and deformities at the … [Read more...]