Flood victims. Possum and joey. Image: Ray Nicholson

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 October/November  when the constant rain was becoming an almost daily ritual.  The birds began to suffer then with starvation and weakness due to lack of food.  When there is no nectar and fruit on the trees, and a lack of insects, food sources are depleted, and our birds depend on this food source at different levels.

It was difficult to find natural foods for some of our wildlife in care.  Fortunately, artificial diets have been refined over the years. Even members of the general public are now aware  that feeding such products as bread to our wildlife leads to later problems.

WILVOS received quite a number of calls asking what the best food was to put out for wildlife in the continual wet weather.  Usually, we do not recommend feeding wildlife – congregations of birds to feeding centres lead to a dependence on artificial food, and also lead to the spread of disease amongst the species concerned.  In the days of pouring rain, I did agree with people that the nectar mixes from the supermarkets or produce stores would help the hungry birds, many having nestlings to feed as well.  Even honey short term would help. Cutting up fruit and putting in trays, away from predators, was also a good practice. This also brought around the delicious insects – a good protein source.  The feeding of grain in warm, wet and humid weather is not a good idea, as it ferments very quickly and can lead to death for our wildlife.

We had many interesting calls during the Brisbane floods.  I had a call from an ex-WILVO in Canberra, who had received a call about an echidna from a riverside suburb in Brisbane.  This young echidna was fine, but had been swimming for its life in an area where the water was rising rapidly. It was held short-term in a wheelie bin of good clean mulch until the waters receded and a suitable spot was found nearby for its return to its home ground.  A number of echidnas came in for short-term care, often just exhausted.  Though they are competent  swimmers, they have an eversion to marathons!

Native animals were often swept into areas where they were at the mercy of domestic animals.  WILVOS had a number of such injured animals.  One beautiful ringtail possum died after being mauled by a dog, but her two  tiny joeys are now surviving with expert care from a very dedicated WILVO.

Another possum, a Bobuck or Short-eared possum as they are now classified, came in with a small joey.  It had extensive abrasions and an eye infection. Denise, the WILVO carer, said it was the gentlest possum and allowed her to administer medication and eye treatments twice a day, without complaining.  It built up its strength quickly, and the little joey grew rapidly with the extra sustenance.  They have happily been released back to their territory, which is now safe.

Our country WILVOS did it tough during the floods.  Kilkivan had record rain levels set, as our carers Jan, and Anne-Marie, who lived not far down the road, were flooded in for two weeks.  Anne-Marie urgently needed milk formula for her joeys and luckily she had enough to last her until the Queensland Wildlife Rehabilition Council was able to organize to get some of the special macropod formula to Gympie. Joe, Anne-Marie’s husband, had to do some skilful four-wheel driving to pick it up!

Jan Butler’s released kangaroos fortunately survived the raging flood waters of Fat Hen Creek, but the creek found a new path through their property.  The landscape was reshaped as trees were flattened like matchsticks.

Nature is cruel, but maybe she is claiming vengeance for the devastation wreaked on our earth and water by the big companies that rape, pillage and plunder our natural resources as if there is no tomorrow. It constantly amazes me that oil, coal, minerals, desalinization plants etc happen without any thought of how this can affect our planet in the long term, when these resources are continually drawn upon. A few academic ‘waffles’ are supposed to placate us all.  It is plain and simple logic that we cannot keep taking of a natural resource without it resulting in some planet change.

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 areas, according to University of Queensland (UQ) wildlife researcher Sean FitzGibbon.

“South-east Queensland is a major growth spot in Australia and development is eating into a lot of bushland,” Sean said.

“More and more, people are starting to realise it’s important to conserve wildlife in urban areas.”

And that’s exactly what Sean does. For a 34-year-old, his list of credits is very impressive.

Dr Sean Fitzgibbon and koala

He is a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, splitting his time between the School of Biological Sciences and the Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation.

Sean’s interest in animals started from a very young age. As the eldest of four boys in the family, he used to catch turtles and tadpoles and ‘chase critters around Bulimba Creek’.

“Mum would want us out of her hair and we would go to the creek and play, looking for eels etc,” he said.

“From primary school, I decided this is what I wanted to do.”

Now, after several years working with bush creatures, Sean thinks of the bush as a sacred place.

Sean is particularly interested in the survival of native animals in Australia’s growing urban centres. His research has focused on various species including the northern brown bandicoot, swamp wallaby and koala, all of which are declining in numbers in expanding urban areas of south-east Queensland, such as Coomera and Mt Cotton.

Sean began working with koalas more than five years ago, using GPS collars to examine the the behaviour of these secretive animals. He’s now on the research team of the Koala Ecology Group at UQ, where he researches koalas to better understand their ecology and enhance their conservation in south-east Queensland.

Unfortunately, with the growing urban sprawl, koalas are increasingly falling victim to habitat loss, dog attacks, and vehicle collisions in urban areas. They have even been spotted scratching at wooden doors, up wooden electricity poles, in half built wooden house frames, and on fences with dogs barking at them from below.

“Koalas are relatively resilient animals and we have an opportunity to coexist with them, if we can address the causes of their decline,” Sean said.

“In some areas of south-east Queensland, koala populations have crashed by more than 60 per cent in the past 10 years.”

“Most native animals can’t adapt to ‘life in the suburbs’ – they can’t handle the extensive habitat loss and fragmentation, and the negative effects of cars, cats and dogs. It can be extremely hard for them to move through the urban environment between bushland areas.

“Possums are one of the winners – they can adapt. Koalas are not as resilient; they are slow reproducers and are susceptible to extinction in our urban landscapes.”

Sean’s research has found koalas surviving in some very small patches of bushland ‘seemed well’ but he warns there could be a lag effect; koalas can live for 10-15 years, so we may be looking at unviable populations comprised of ageing individuals that are not reproducing.

This is what is called extinction debt – where we haven’t yet paid the price for what we’ve done.

“In Coomera, a rapidly growing urban area, we’ve found koalas are slowly getting picked off by dogs and cars when moving between bushland,” Sean said.

“And disease can become a huge problem in populations that are stressed by these urban influences. But they are a species we can conserve among urban estates; it’s about retaining sufficient habitat and maintaining permeability – facilitating safe koala movement through urban areas.”

Sean say that it is important to have connectivity between bushland areas.

“This means areas can be re-colonised or bolstered by immigrating animals. In Brisbane, even the weedy vegetation lining creeks can provide great linkages between large bush areas – bandicoots love these degraded environments,” Sean said.

The dietary flexibility of wildlife can be very important. Some species have very specific food requirements – such as koalas that only eat from certain gum trees. There are some patches in Coomera which are very swampy and can’t be built on; but these don’t support many eucalypts. They are dominated by paperbark trees.

Around Brisbane, there are numerous bush patches that have abundant food supplies but these areas are often too small to support koalas.

“Koalas have been isolated too long, so disease is also an issue,” Sean said.

In one of his research articles he outlines what habitat fragmentation is. He says it occurs when areas of continuous habitat are reduced to a set of isolated smaller remnants.

This process often results in the creation of numerous small and isolated populations that are highly vulnerable to extinction because of differing and un-predetermined demographic and environmental development in those areas, diseases, catastrophic events and inbreeding.

In this study, Sean looked at the distribution of the northern brown bandicoot (isoodon macrourus), a medium-sized ground-dwelling marsupial. It was examined in habitat fragments within the urban landscape of Brisbane.

From surveys conducted in 68 fragments, bandicoots were found to be present in 33 (49 per cent), despite widespread habitat loss and fragmentation.

Sean said he would like to see land developers improve their planning methods and for people to re-examine their lifestyles.

“I’m a realistic conservationist. I know we’re going to have development but I’d like to see us do it in a smarter way,” he said.

“Some areas we could work on are lay-out of development areas (how we live within them) and pet ownership – owning a small breed of dog if a property backs on to bushland with koalas.

“But some developers are reluctant to implement such measures, thinking it will reduce consumer appeal and saleability,” he said.

“We have research partnerships with the Redlands, Brisbane and Gold Coast City councils, where we are assessing the biodiversity friendliness of various new developments.

“The idea of  examining wildlife in urban areas is not very well researched. Part of it involves changing people’s mindsets, how they view their role in the conservation of wildlife in urban areas.”

“I like the idea of working with people and trying to change their ideas for the better.

“You really start to realise how connected we are. Even one person can have quite an impact.

“I like the idea of questioning standards regarding the pets we keep, what we keep in our yards, how we speak to each other. I want people to feel they can individually make a difference.”

There have been many magic moments for Sean during his trips out in the bush.

“I used to have to trap bandicoots for research and check the traps at odd hours,” he said.

“I remember once in Wishart Park getting to a trap at torch light in the fog at 3am. I found a bandicoot in there which had just given birth and there were all these blind newborn bandicoots wiggling around sucking on her teats,” he said.

“I love that. It brings you up close to those animals and you realise how special and amazing they are. It’s quite spiritual – you have to be very gentle with them.”

He said koalas had their own individual fingerprints on their palms, just like humans, and they had ‘beautiful soft leathery pads’.

“It’s amazing to have a koala sitting in your lap in a bag. We put them in a cloth bag and keep them warm, with their heads popped out the top.”

He then measures and weighs them, checks for diseases, tags them and releases them up a tree. There have also been sad times.

“We’ve found dead animals too – one we were tracking in Redlands was grabbed by a dog and found dead under a powerline. It can be hard when you see them dead after you’ve seen them produce and rear their young. We really form a bond with some animals, especially those in our study program for a while,” he said.

But he has also had some uplifting moments. A koala they named Shirley was found orphaned in her mum’s pouch and reared by a carer before being let go into bushland. She was monitored after release and after a year Shirley was found with a baby on her back.

“She came down the tree so quickly to see us again.,” he said.

“I’m really grateful. I have the best job in the world.”

Despite its iconic status, we know very little about the threats to Australian koalas,” said Senator Brown.

“This inquiry will not only help to establish numbers and potential impacts, but also how to better manage the species across the country.

“The inquiry will also give momentum towards listing the koala as a threatened species and establish better protections for the dwindling areas of koala habitat.”

Australian Koala Foundation CEO, Deborah Tabart

Australian Koala Foundation CEO, Deborah Tabart, has been spearheading heightened protection for koalas for more than two decades.

“Senators could get totally overwhelmed unless we are incredibly succinct. Over the years, I have seen incredibly long submissions in what seem endless rounds of community consultation, but I think for this we need to be very clear,” she said.

“We all know the koala is in trouble. We all know that legislation seems to be inadequate or not being enforced. We all know that koalas are dying. What we have to convince this committee about is why.”

Koalas are in serious decline suffering from the effects of habitat destruction, domestic dog attacks, bushfires and road accidents.

The Australian Koala Foundation estimates that there a possibly as few as 43,000 koalas remaining in Australia.  As an iconic species, this is a disgraceful situation and an indictment of Australia’s poor conservation track record.

There is arguably no legislation effectively and/or consistently protecting koala habitat anywhere within Australia. This is not because the legislation does not exist. In fact, some 13 pieces of legislation have failed to protect the koala to the point of near extinction in south-east Queensland.

It seems to be due more to the lack of political will to adequately resource, implement, police and enforce such legislation.  There are four states where koalas occur in the wild – Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia – and each state has its own legislation.

The Federal Government passes responsibility for protection of koala habitat to the states with local government overseeing day to day management in some instances. However, increasingly development biased state laws are overriding the necessary protection of localised populations and undermining region based management efforts.

In March 2004, the Queensland Government upgraded the koalas’ conservation status from ‘common’ to ‘vulnerable’ throughout the south-east Queensland ‘bioregion’, under the Nature Conservation Act 1992.

This area stretches from Gladstone, south to the Queensland/New South Wales border and as far west as Toowoomba. The decision was based on evidence supplied to the Scientific Advisory Committee, including: koala mortality rates; rates of habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation; koala population estimates; modelled koala population decline and extinction risks; and projected human population growth.

The upgrade from ‘common’ to ‘vulnerable’ at that time should have afforded koalas in the south-east Queensland ‘bioregion’ a higher level of protection from habitat clearing and other threatening processes than was previously the case. Sadly, accelerated decline continues.

Koalas across the remainder of the state are still listed as ‘common’. In reality, this does not mean that koalas are common across their range outside of the south-east Queensland ‘bioregion’. Rather, more data was available for south-east Queensland predominantly in the form of koala hospital admission and death statistics.

Koala regulations in Queensland, particularly in relation to the urban footprint, are now largely the jurisdiction of the Department of Infrastructure and Planning – a frightening and rather paradoxical situation.
For those groups or individuals wishing to provide a submission, she encourages focus on just one issue where all the facts have been collated to prove an argument.

“I would also suggest you identify one simple and logical solution for the problem you pose,” Ms Tabart said.

Ms Tabart stressed the importance of this opportunity to air grievances about so many koala related matters.

“The AKF welcomes hearing from anyone who wants to present their information to the Senate inquiry,” she said.
“We will have one shot at it and I am confident we must all work in unison to make sure that all matters are put on the table.”

Efforts need to lead to the production of information showing that existing regulations for the protection of koala habitat are not working and that the recently written National Koala Conservation and Management Strategy are essentially business-as usual.

“It seems to me we have to show the real threats to koalas. Not just the clearing of habitat, but the fundamental lack of commitment by our governments to enforce existing laws and, worse still, allowing road builders, energy companies, coal companies, coal-seam gas companies, developers, and logging companies to get away with documents that refuse to meet scientific and regulatory standards,” said Ms Tabart.

“Please let us all work together on this great potential,”

Final submissions due by February 8, 2011.

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 dingoes.

The late Steve Irwin’s father, Bob, says the dingoes have become emaciated and weak since the electrification of grids and fences on the island. More than 100 dingoes live on the World Heritage-listed island but, since electrification began in 2001 after the attack and death of 9-year-old Clinton Gage, the animals now have limited food sources. A multitude of dingoes, including puppies have been shot and poisoned on the island in the wake of the boy’s killing.

Throughout Queensland, hundreds and possibly thousands may have been poisoned and shot in the week following his death.  Renowned scientist Alan Winton predicts the fate of the island’s dingoes is an inevitable one if the Government’s management plan is not changed.

Photographs show malnourished dingoes on the island, including one animal loitering around a rubbish bin at the Eurong dump looking for food. Can you imagine an Australia without the dingo?

Well, it’s something you may not have to imagine if this continues as Fraser has the countries purest strain, and scientists agree there will be no wild dingoes left except in dingo parks and sanctuaries.

Sustainability Minister Kate Jones and Premier Anna Bligh continue to take advice from their minions instead of visiting the island and need to be held accountable for the excruciating pain the dingoes are suffering daily and their ultimate demise, if nothing is done immediately.

The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service defended the dingoes’ wellbeing and say the animals are “not starving”.

“It is important to remember that dingoes in the wild are of a naturally lean build,” an EPA spokesperson said.

“The hierarchical population structure means the dominant animals are likely to prevent access to food by subordinates, and this means there will always be some animals that are in poorer condition than others.”

Residents of the island sighted the dingoes bringing rats to their pups before electrification of the fences and grids but now some of the dingo mothers are believed to be too weak to feed their young.

Bob Irwin  says the current laws are “heavy-handed”.

“Nobody should have to walk past an animal that’s starving and the Fraser Island dingos are emaciated,” he said.

Hervey Bay MP Ted Sorensen has spoken to Minister Jones to discuss the health and feeding of dingoes on the island .He says claims there is no evidence of dingoes on Fraser Island starving to death are “laughable”. Mr Sorensen says the minister is out of touch and she should visit the Island.

“To say that is absolute rubbish at the end of the day and I think Kate Jones should go over there and have a look at some of the dingoes on Fraser Island that are starving,” he said.

“If you had a dog like that in your backyard, the RSPCA would have you charged with animal cruelty for what’s happening on Fraser Island.”

But Ms Jones says there is a healthy number of dingoes on the island and a census is under way to confirm the population level. Ms Jones says she has seen no evidence the dingoes are starving. She says feeding stations are inappropriate because the dingoes are wild animals. She also says the government’s dingo strategy is working.

But Mr Sorensen says he fears the island’s management strategy is affecting the health of the dingo population.

“With the amount of animals that have been shot on Fraser Island I’m really concerned about the number of dingoes,” Mr Sorensen said.

On online petition being circulated has hundreds of people worldwide expressing their disgust at the way the dingoes are being mistreated with many saying they won’t return to the island until and when the dingoes are made a priority and protected.

Nicola Ziebarth is one such visitor and writes: “If you went to America would you let your kids run around the forest with wild bears? No you would hope to be smarter than that.  In saying that, dingoes are wild animals and we as Australians should respect that and be aware that if you are going to camp on Fraser that yes, there are wild animals there. I have camped there prior to the first culling after slack parents did not watch their children as they climbed over a fence that was clearly posted with signs to stay out as dingoes had young — we had no problems with the first lot of dingoes who were on our camp site. People just need to be smarter, watch their children and not interfere with the dingoes and keep their wits about them.”

It is not the dingoes that have created a problem on the island, it is people, and people need to rectify this abhorrent and shameful situation before these precious animals go the same way as the Tasmanian Devil.

For more information visit Jaylene’s website – Eden Handmade Chocolates

A noisy pitta recovers after being attacked by a cat. Image: Donna Anthony

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 answering machine. This initial phone call is just the first step in the long process of rehabilitating a compromised animal on the way to its eventual release back into the wild.

In the past twelve months the world has attacked the technological arena with the usual great zeal, progressing in leaps and bounds, while seeing everything through the eyes of financial gain.

On the other hand, ‘e’ books could ultimately be good for the environment.  We must be optimistic about our future in the web of life, and strive for better.

I still walk through the supermarkets shaking my head. Who buys these spray cans of poison?

Why would someone spray toxins in their house, around their precious family, when a fly swatter, or equivalent, would achieve the same end?

It also defies all sensibilities to even consider buying some gadget that emanates artificial ‘smells’ throughout the house all day. What is wrong with fresh clean air?

Of course, it is all too simplistic. People have to be cajoled and encouraged to buy these products – to be convinced they can’t live without them.  Not enough profits can be made from the basics.  Give someone a bag of flour and sugar and just see how creative they can be in producing the next meal.

Insensitivity to the environment is a concern and that is probably why I am a wildlife carer.  People have different ways of attacking a problem. To me our native wildlife has to survive, in these tumultuous times, for we, as humans, to survive.

I have great admiration for anyone in any field of environmental sustainability. Many people see caring for wildlife as a joyous activity. Oh, if it was always so.

I have recently had to have a beautiful swamp wallaby euthanased. Chased into a dam by dogs, she was past rehabilitation when brought into care.

I do get angry about these preventable disasters. To add to the tragedy, this female had one elongated teat, which meant somewhere, out there, was a young orphaned wallaby, either killed by dogs or dying of starvation.

Why can’t people control their domestic animals? Is it that difficult? I love to see people out walking their dogs on leads. Everyone is a winner.

There are always some humorous days in wildlife care. A recent release of a wood duck had me ‘in stitches’.

On its day of release, it showed a preference for human company to its fellow ducks. I felt like a guilty parent sneaking away after leaving an infant in daycare.  Nevertheless, given just a couple of days, this young duck joined the other wood ducks of varying ages, on our dam. It was a happy release story.

We have other happy days, too. A Noisy Pitta, a bird which does not often come into our care, had been attacked by a cat.
Fortunately, the WILVOS  5441 6200 number was called and with immediate antibiotics that exquisite little bird was returned to its habitat after a week of dedicated nursing. The owners of the property had time to set up an aviary for the cat and all was well.
Over past years, people really have improved in some areas of pollution. I remember, as a child, the long drive, from the bush to the beach, on the traditional annual holiday and it was not uncommon to see the roadsides littered with bottles and rubbish.

Very few people in this day and age would just thoughtlessly throw rubbish out of a car window.

There is still some education to be done on the waterways.

Plastic bags and fishing line are still a major problem for our aquatic animals. The rings attached to jars and bottles are a never-ending worry. WILVOS have calls come through regularly to report animals trapped in these insidious pieces of plastic. Our Community Awareness Officer, Roslyn, was overjoyed when a class of schoolchildren presented her with a bagful of the rings they had collected from their homes. The young really are our future.

I was shocked at a photo showing a turtle converted to a figure 8 shape because one of the plastic rings off a large jar was encircling its middle.

It had been caught there as the poor animal continued to grow around it. Birds die of starvation as these rings choke them. Other animals try to remove these encumbrances, only to get their feet caught in the ring as well.  I would encourage everyone to lobby the producers of these many products and ask that these seals be redesigned.

Meanwhile, it is easy to remove these rings and  cut them  in one or two places before disposal in the recycling bin. We can all make a difference in our individual ways. It was suggested to me recently  that ringtail possums seemed to be one of the main mammals affected by urban development.

Pondering on the matter, it suddenly struck me that there was a good reason for this. The majority of the smaller marsupials have been decimated, their ground cover removed and the destroyed habitat leaving them no protection.

Ringtail possums are just the next step up in size to be affected.  The larger brushtail species, though also impacted upon, have the advantage of that additional size.  The ringtails are an easier target for domestic cats and dogs, which is the main reason why they come into our care.

The Sunshine Coast Regional Council is involved in a subsidised desexing program, and this is a major step in the much needed area of domestic animal responsibility and management.

I look forward to a future of cat curfews, cats housed in suitable aviary-like structures, and dogs confined to their yards, unless on a lead.

Designated areas are available for people to take dogs to play off the leash, and these areas hopefully will continue to be provided for pet owners. Ultimately, it would be good to see pet owners receive a subsidised desexing voucher when they register their animals.

They could then take this voucher to the vet, who would be recompensed on presentation to the council. If the community can take just small individual steps towards environmental awareness in the next year, the 2011 World Environment Day can be another day of celebration.

Wildlife Volunteers Assoc Inc. (WILVOS)  Ph: 54 416 200

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 coral reefs.

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

It’s not surprising then that the region supports 151 terrestrial ecosystems and a great diversity of species. This richness is recognised worldwide, with southeast Queensland supporting the greatest number of birds in Australia and being botanically one of the richest regions.

However, you would think given this uniqueness and the economic, social and environmental benefits this brings, it would be proudly protected.  On the contrary, only 13.1 per cent of the region’s bushland is protected in National Parks or such like and only 17.5 per cent is in some form of public estate.

The State Government would argue about these figures stating that 80 per cent of southeast Queensland is protected from residential development. But, when you cut through the rhetoric, you soon realise it’s not protected from the impacts of urban growth. Dams, roads, powerlines, pipelines, agricultural and industry are rapidly destroying and fragmenting the little remaining bushland in southeast Queensland.

The fact is biodiversity in southeast Queensland is under pressure from habitat loss primarily due to increased urbanisation, driven by population growth, a fact stated in the State Government’s  State of the Region (SEQ) report.

Another fact is that by 2026 a further 70,000ha of bushland and open space will be lost to urbanisation and, by this time, there will be as much urban land as there is protected bushland estate.

Protecting biodiversity isn’t about protecting the cute and the furry. Protecting our precious biodiversity in southeast Queensland is central to providing people with many economic, social and physical benefits.

The importance of biodiversity to mankind is now more clearly understood and the science around ecosystem services highlights these benefits. Simply put, biodiversity is important for the provision of the air we breathe and drinkable freshwater.

More specifically, biodiversity is responsible for the health of our forests and crops through pollination. There are  hundreds of free services biodiversity delivers and yet State Government planning allows it to be readily destroyed. In essence it appears we are living as though there were no tomorrow.

State planning is currently based upon the fool’s dream of endless growth. The consequence of this is a tragic decline in the diversity of species. No species highlights this better than Queensland’s fauna emblem the iconic koala. The southeast Queensland koala has declined from common to vulnerable.

While being one of Australia’s largest urban koala populations the southeast Queensland ‘Koala Coast’ population has declined by 51 per cent in less than three years with a 64 per cent decline in the 10 years since the original 1996-1999 survey.

The cause of this decline is urban development driven by our unsustainable population growth. Sadly, the State Government is not prepared to stop this growth and government reports show many koala populations will be extinct within a few years.

The story is the same with southeast Queensland birds. Something like 20 or 30 species are in serious decline particularly those reliant upon lowland forests which are subject to the impacts of rampant urbanisation.

This population growth is also impacting upon our waterways. The science shows that urban areas produced more pollution and silt than the same area of farmland.

No surprises then that since 2004 the Healthy Waterways Report card has shown Moreton Bay has gone from a B+ to a D. The situation is grim with the science estimating by 2026 point source and diffuse pollution will increase by 50 per cent and 20 per cent respectively due to population growth.

Sadly if we pursue continued population growth, what made southeast Queensland unique and a healthy place to live will have been replaced by tar and cement. One has to ask is this what southeast Queensland residents really want.

If there is a take home message it is if we continue to grow we will destroy our biodiversity and can only expect southeast Queensland will become an increasingly greyer and grottier place to live.

Read more about Simon Baltais

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!

A common brushtail possum that was found as a pinkie in the middle of the township of Coolum

This isn’t unique to southeast Queensland.  I  have been reading statistics from fauna returns in North Queensland, and the impact is also being felt there.

Queenslanders know we are in ‘God’s own country’, so why can’t we see the necessity to preserve the qualities we love.
We have the technology and the climate to make a difference.

Individual households can be responsible for their own power and water useage.  Funds should be going to every household to ensure self-sufficient alternative power sources (such as solar), and water catchment. This all effects our wildlife in the long run.

I intensely dislike visiting subdivisions where forests have been demolished to make way for housing blocks that daily look deserted.  Inhabitants are either working or at school. So why have a house and yard?

It is so much wasted space.  It would be kinder to our environment to encourage multi-storey development, and provide ample public space, sporting facilities,  bikeways and walkways  for the ever-growing population. The transport, fuel and energy savings alone would be phenomenal.

Simple ideas are never looked upon as a solution.  There always has to be a complicated,  expensive alternative.  Otherwise, it will not be taken seriously.

WILVOS’ fauna returns span almost a decade and they show that the number of calls to our hotline are ever-increasing, partly due to people being aware that there are people at the ready to help distressed wildlife.

Often, these calls are for advice, and it is wonderful that people are interested enough to ring up with their questions about local wildlife.

The days of ‘it’s just nature’ are hopefully fading, as people realise that such incidents as domestic animal attacks and  vehicle accidents are not ‘nature’  – they are a result of human impact.

However, there has been an increase in calls for some species, and a decrease in calls for others.  These are indicative of the effects of population growth. And either way it’s not good news.

From the coastal and fast-developing areas, we are receiving more daily calls about possums having their habitat destroyed.
Of course, the brushtail species are going to seek refuge in ceilings – there is hardly a hollow or sheltered area to be found.  Our ringtail possums are grateful for the palm trees, usually not native, but providing a good base in which to build their dreys (nests).

Unfortunately, when the fronds fall down, or the tree is removed, these animals are again displaced – that’s if they survive crashing to the ground. Refugees in their own country!

But even more depressing is the lack of calls about the glider species. Ten years ago, we were being called often about squirrel gliders and sugar gliders, even though their numbers were diminishing.

Now there are so few calls about gliders, that it is a challenge getting  a colony together for release. These animals, as with ringtail possums, cannot be released singularly.

Luckily, WILVOS have the expertise of an ecologist to assess release sites and chose suitable sites for our rehabilitated animals, which are returned to the wild in a nestbox.

Putting them up a tree on a few hectares is not enough.  All sites are becoming overpopulated as animals compete for territories, with adequate food and shelter.

Another obvious victim of development is the macropod.  We now receive far fewer calls about kangaroos and wallabies than we did 10 years ago – a 25 per cent decrease in some areas.  Other areas are totally bereft of macropod populations.
A tragedy that could have been foreseen, but it was more important to put up houses on 450 to 650 square metre blocks of ex-forest and grassland.

Whie development will always continue in this beautiful area, there are some peoeple who have taken on the responsibility of  helping  the previous inhabitants.

What happened to the bandicoots, echidnas, reptiles and birds that were once so commonly seen around southeast Queensland?

Tawny frogmouth chicks sit in a fragile nest made of a few sticks.  If they fall to the ground, the parents will care for them – but they are at the mercy of feral animals.

Urgent calls made to find help for injured and orphaned birds are soaring.
In some cases, nestling birds can be re-installed in a man-made nest up a tree near the parent birds, then observed to see if they are again being fed.

However, this cannot be done when the parents have been mauled by a cat or dog. But why is it so difficult to keep domestic pets contained? People do not think twice about putting a bird in a little cage, but the same persons would not build an enclosure for their cat, with activities installed to entertain it while they are away all day. In the meantime cat can be left at home to roam freely and do its bit to decimate the dwindling bird, reptile and marsupial population.

I believe that people, domestic pets and wildlife can live together. But we are supposed to be the superior species, so it is up to us to at least ease the developmental impact on our precious Australian native wildlife.

Putting a stop to what seems to be inexorable urban growth into our precious bushland would be a start. For more information visit the WILVOS website.

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, but  somehow the amazing WILVO phone roster co-ordinators manage, even though, I think, they end up doing many extra hours themselves!  Fortunately the hotline operates on a diversion system where volunteers answer the phone from their own homes, so it is easy to do a quick switch through if an emergency crops up and the rostered volunteer can’t do the rostered time.

With their habitats disappearing fast, it is a serious competition for food and housing for many animals.  There has been a large number of ringtail possums found out in the open and being harassed by birds.  When this happens high up in a tree, it is a waiting game. Often the ringtail just hasn’t made it back to the drey by sunup and the birds are not going to miss out on the opportunity of annoying anything that is a stranger in their area. Usually the possum will move onto  some covering foliage, or else the birds will get tired of their games, and nightfall finds the possum in its familiar secure  territory of darkness.

There has also been an increase in the number of smaller marsupials coming into care.  Human impact, unfortunately, is nearly always the cause.  Domestic pets and destruction of habitat are the main problems.   I actually had four little feathertails weighing only four grams each, and another four little antechinus weighing a tiny three grams each — all in care at the same time.

I seemed to just finish one feed and it was time for the next.  I look at these small native animals and wonder how any of them ever survive out there.  Just facing their natural native predators would be enough of a worry.

The dry, hot month of November meant that many native animals came into care very dehydrated.  Once injured or orphaned, dehydration soon takes a hold.  WILVO carers are always taught the secret for success in rehabilitation is warmth, dark, quiet and fluids – in that order.

An amazing variety of wildlife workshops were held throughout the year and a big year is planned for 2010. WILVOs take a pride in the fact that they have wildlife presenters from all over Australia. There are always new ideas, and these need to be shared if we wildlife carers are going to expand our knowledge.

The latter part of 2009 also saw a number of tawny frogmouths come into our care.  The young walk a thin line as they progress into adolescence.  Their first flight attempts often find them on the ground and they are not quite able to fly up to a branch.  The parents are very industrious and continue to feed the young as they learn the finer points of feeding and flying. Optimistically, while on the ground, they don’t meet up with straying domestic pets, or venture onto busy roads.

Hopefully, everyone helped our Australian native wildlife with Christmas presents which would help our environment.  My grandchildren helped their other grandmother in constructing ringtail possum dreys, which were given out as presents.  These wonderful dreys were made from native foliage, all intertwined around a base of stems of bracken fern.

Gifts such as possum and bird nest boxes, or native fruiting and flowering plants are always welcomed by our wildlife and help them through the hard times. They need all the help they can get.

HOTLINE Number: 54416200

Wildlife Volunteers Assoc Inc (WILVOS)

PO Box 2555 Nambour West  Q  4560

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

This glider was dead — killed by a cat.  She had two exquisite little joeys in her pouch.  Though they are viable to rear as furless little babies, these two barely weighed three grams, so it was not a pleasant outcome.

I was really upset, as I have watched the demise of this species on the Sunshine Coast.  Ten years ago, we would get calls at least each week about gliders.  Now they might be every few months.

Why?  Because cats are the main culprits. Through habitat destruction, the gliders are forced into suburban areas, although this is not a problem if pets are contained.

I still hear incredibly stupid people saying  to me: “My cat is a real killer!”.  It is as if they are proud of it, or can’t do anything about it.    What gives a cat the right to kill even one bird, or one glider?

Cat owners often say: “Our cat doesn’t get any wildlife.”

When in fact we often don’t see what our cats are killing during the day, or night.  They are very clever animals.  I’m sure my last cat (and it was definitely my last cat) knew what to bring home and display and what to leave out of sight.

Yes, a feral mouse or rat is fine, although I wasn’t even terribly happy about that. But then I found a native animal, a bandicoot, and that was the end of the story.

I knew this wasn’t an isolated incident.  Once I let my cat out in the morning, he was still finding wildlife, regardless of bells, buzzers and electronic masterpieces.

Why is it so difficult for people to lock up their cats?   We don’t think twice about putting a bird, even a parrot, into a small cage, yet we won’t even ponder making a cat run.

Cats are introduced high-end predators, so our native animals have to be protected from them.  It is not “Nature” when a cat kills one of our native wildlife.   Sure, it is natural when a native raptor or reptile takes one of our animals.  I would not be happy about it, but that is true nature.

I cannot repeat often enough — cats are not native to the Australian landscape, so it is not natural to have our precious wildlife killed by these introduced animals.  I love cats as I love all animals — well maybe not love them as much as my squirrel and sugar gliders, but I respect all life.

So therefore I would never let a cat free range — day or night!

Why would anyone want their pet to wander freely outside, at the mercy of cars or dog attack?  I would want my cat safely contained on my own property, preferably in a cat run with lots of toys and activities to entertain it.

Please, if you want to do anything to help our wildlife, remind your neighbours and friends as often as possible, about the importance of protecting our wildlife.

My grandchildren are so young yet they are so upset to hear of what their friends’ pets do to our wildlife. Our pets, both cats and dogs, are major contributors to the extinction of native species.

Please, I do care for all animals and have my own pets, but I want to see humans, pets and wildlife surviving together in suburbia.  It is the only way our native Australian wildlife can survive.

***

Cat enclosures: (The list below is not extensive and is meant to act as a guide only. It does not in any way endorse the product)- The editor.

Catnip Modular Cat Enclosures

Catmax

Aussie Cat Enclosures

Advanced Cat Enclosures

Just how healthy is the Noosa River? Image: greghardwick.com.au

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 Sunland Fish Hatchery near Boreen Point, Matthew Landos, an honorary lecturer and research associate at the University of Sydney was recently reported as saying: “The interim report highlights that agrichemicals are likely, and in my opinion highly likely, to be causally associated with the syndromes reported at Sunland Fish Hatchery”.

Crop Life Australia goes so far as to not only dismiss Mr Landos’s claims, but they also believe he is lying.

“Claims by activist green veterinarian Matt Landos regarding chemical causing deformities in fish larvae, are irresponsible, will harm legitimate Australian farmers and are blatant lies.”

However, if Mr Landos is correct, harming “legitimate Australian farmers”, will be the least of our concerns.

Although the report is yet to be finalised, local residents should be eagerly awaiting its outcomes.

For years local councils and environment groups have hailed Noosa River as the benchmark for clean and healthy river water in south-east Queensland.

Experts agree that the river is fortunate to have most of  its upper sub-catchments contained within a national park. The Cooloola National Park, with its vast areas of coastal heathland, acts as a large, undisturbed natural sand filter.

Local environment groups and the former Noosa Council have, for many years, been active in protecting and enhancing a river system contained within an area now known as the Noosa Biosphere.

In the mid 90s, catchment groups were established across the state, each containing more than 20 representatives from government, industry and the local community.

Agricultural organisations were well represented on the group established to manage the Noosa River’s catchment area — initially known as the Noosa River Catchment Coordinating Committee and now known as the Noosa Integrated Catchment Association. For most of its early history, the catchment group was led by local farmers. This was seen as a good way of ensuring fairness in decision making.

In 2001 a taxpayer-funded catchment strategy was released. It showed an extensive range of existing and potential impacts threatening the river, and an equally extensive range of possible solutions.

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

Although agriculture was deemed to contain varying degrees of impacts — mostly in the form of vegetation loss and sediment run-off, the focus turned towards the relatively highly-populated lower-catchment areas. These were within the estuarine parts of the river system, which housed settlements from Tewantin to Noosa Heads. All organisations represented on the catchment group publicly agreed with, and supported this approach.

Although the focus of action was diverted away from the agricultural areas of the catchment, fish kills and deformities must surely ring alarm bells. After all, many stakeholders have made huge and often voluntary contributions towards the health of the catchment.

If the final report directly links agrichemicals to the fish deaths, just how wide spread is the problem? (The final report is not due until February 2010).

Whether or not the impacts of agricultural chemicals are clearly understood, how serious have some farmers been in protecting the river catchment by minimising spray drift and run-off in accordance with industry best practices? (The neighbouring macadamia farm bordering the fish hatchery, according to the interim report, “is considered to be operating under industry best practice guidelines”).

One thing is certain, a river catchment, is the sum of its parts. If one part is impacted by chemicals, then the entire system is degraded. And it’s not only the local environment that suffers.

Greg Hardwick is a freelance journalist and Environment Scientist

Below is an article from the Queensland Greens and an interesting video clip explaining the impacts upon the Sunland Fish Hatchery.

***

The Queensland Greens have taken up the cause of Gwen Gilson, the fish hatchery owner from the Sunshine Coast who has reported fish kills and deformed fish among her stock, reportedly from chemical spraying at the neighbouring macadamia farm.

Gwen breeds native fish fingerlings, including silver perch, yellow belly and bass for release into dams and waterways.

Greens spokesperson Libby Connors visited the Sunland Fish Hatchery near Lake Cootharaba north of Noosa recently to discuss the issue with Ms Gilson. Gwen’s fish farm is bordered on three sides by a macadamia farm and has Cooloothin Creek at the bottom of her hill.

In 2006 there was a total fish kill after spray drift from the macadamia farm and more followed. Gwen’s microscope also showed dying fish larvae, some spinning out of control and others with two heads (see image). Complaints to the Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries found the macadamia farm was using pesticides allowed by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) and the farm’s spray log was in order.

After Gwen sought help late last year in the aquaculture magazine Hatchery International, agricultural veterinarian, Matt Landos, came to the farm and carried out tests. He identified three chemicals being used – Carbendazim, a fungicide with suspected hormone disrupting effects, Endosulfan, a highly controversial organochloride insecticide and Methidathione, a highly toxic organosphosphate insecticide also linked to deformities.

Endosulfan is well known for its disastrous effects on aquatic life but Landos identified Carbendazim as the one most likely to be causing the deformities. It has been identified by the European Commission as being likely to affect hormone function and to be linked to fish deformities. Unfortunately, the testing of chemicals on fish larvae is not a requirement of the APVMA. Carnedazim was de-registered by the USA in 2001 because of concerns about reproductive effects in humans.

The Queensland State Government has set up a task force to examine these incidents and the APVMA is reviewing Carbendazim but the probability of bureaucratic inertia winning the day is very high. Libby Connors wants State and Federal Government to act more decisively.

She is calling for:

• updated State legislation to cover insecticides and fungicides used by unlicensed ground sprayers;
• the APVMA to establish similar review process to that of the European Union with more independent testing of the effects of chemicals on fish eggs, broodfish and embryos before approval;
• the APVMA to test environmentally relevant mixtures and to test for toxicity the whole products used not only the active ingredients;
• the APVMA to test chemicals for their endocrine/hormone disrupting effects;
• all chemicals to undergo a compulsory review every three years to maintain registration.

“The Noosa [river] is regarded as having the best water quality of any river in south-east Queensland and yet the local golden-eyed mullet has disappeared entirely from the upper Noosa River and local catches of bass have almost disappeared,” Dr Connors said.

“Also, all local residents including the township of Boreen Point have rain water tanks.  This is an important issue for the environment, human health and the economy.”

Source of the above article: The Queensland Greens