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.

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Great egret in an artesian spring on Edgbaston Station, Qld PHOTO: WAYNE LAWLER/ECOPIX

Ancient artesian springs boasting arguably Australia’s most endangered fish species have been saved for future generations with the purchase of a Central Queensland property by conservation group Bush Heritage Australia.

Edgbaston’s unique artesian spring network, fed by pure million-year-old spring water from the Great Artesian Basin, has allowed for the survival of the world’s only remaining population of the endangered redfin blue-eye fish – Australia’s smallest freshwater fish.

Additionally, the springs are the only known home of a number of other species of fish, snails, plants, and a crustacean. Edgbaston is a property which emphasises the spectacular evolutionary niches that have been created in Australia.

Bush Heritage Australia’s vision is to protect one per cent of Australia’s most important conservation land by 2025.

Bush Heritage Australia CEO Doug Humann said the acquisition of Edgbaston would assist in the protection of the significant plants and animals in the area.

“Edgbaston has exceptional biodiversity value and Bush Heritage is proud to own, manage and protect such an important Australian landscape,” he said.

“This purchase will allow us to closely manage the health of Edgbaston’s incredible artesian springs, which support a variety of life forms unique to the region.”

Edgbaston Station was purchased with funding from the Australian Government’s recently concluded Maintaining Australia’s Biodiversity Hotspots program. Assistance with the acquisition was also received from the Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Water and the Queensland Department for Sustainability, Climate Change and Innovation.

“This achievement would not have been possible without the financial support of the Australian Government and Bush Heritage’s dedicated volunteers and donors,” Mr Humann said.

“We need further support from the public and the government in coming years if we are to make our vision of protecting Australia’s unique animals, plants and their habitats a reality.”

Located in Central Queensland, 140 km northeast of Longreach, Edgbaston Station is a pastoral lease of 8100 hectares. It is the traditional country of the Iningai people with whom Bush Heritage will be working to understand and protect the cultural values of the property. The property’s grasslands, woodlands and wetlands also provide habitat for a range of migratory and other birds.

Sitting in the upper catchment of the Pelican Creek which flows into the Thompson River and Lake Eyre, Edgbaston’s network of more than 50 artesian springs is home to an extraordinary diversity of life forms found nowhere else on the planet.

Bush Heritage Australia, which was founded in 1990, is a not-for-profit organisation that protects Australia’s unique animals and plants and their habitats. It owns and manages 31 reserves throughout Australia covering almost 1 million hectares.  Bush Heritage Australia’s goal is to protect more than 7 million hectares by 2025 through ownership, management and partnership.

Image: Peter Taylor

The 135,000 ha property, in Queensland’s Cape York Peninsula, is home to a set of five important spring fed wetlands which provide a critical water source to threatened habitat, provide permanent flow of water to the Wenlock River, and is home to rare and vulnerable plants and wildlife.

Cape Alumina Pty Ltd has lodged mining lease applications which include approximately 12,300 ha of the Reserve.

Terri Irwin says that SIWR was an important ecological site, which needs to be preserved in order to protect Australian habitat which is in danger of severe degradation and ruin.

“The proposed area for mining on the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve contains the head waters of irreplaceable waterways and unique biodiversity which will not recover after mining operations are finished,” Terri said.
“I am a realist and I understand that mining is an important industry, however we have learned over the last 50 years of bauxite mining, it is critical to set aside the most environmentally sensitive areas, such as SIWR, and consider not mining them. Responsible mining companies are already doing this as part of developing carbon credit programs,” Terri added.

Image: Ken Hicks

Cape Alumina company documents indicate an intention to mine 50 plus million tons over a 10 year period starting 2010. The greater part of this mine is on SIWR.

Initial surveying demonstrates that SIWR is home to rare and threatened plant and wildlife species including six plant species which are highly vulnerable and four plant species which have never been recorded on the western Cape York.

“We have also found rare birds — and that is after only initial surveys. Imagine all the treasures we will uncover after further research,” Terri said.

The Wenlock River is also the richest in fresh water fish diversity of any Australian river, and supports a critical population of endangered Spear-tooth Sharks, Saw Fish and the now vulnerable Estuarine Crocodile.
The area, which was recently inspected by the Environmental Protection Agency, was found to contain unique springs and associated biodiversity which have an important hydrological role in the local area by providing perennial flow into the Wenlock River, which has the richest freshwater fauna of any Australian river.

“The research is all there. This area is vital in maintaining water flow, and habitat to significant Australian flora and fauna. There is no argument. We need to stand as a nation, a state, a community – to protect wildlife and wild places for our children,” Terri said.

“We will continue to work together with the Federal Government and the State Government in Queensland to protect the unique flora and fauna on the 135,000 hectares of the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve.

“Through internationally recognised research projects, fire management, feral animal control and ongoing infrastructure, employment opportunities will also continue into the future. Our dedication to this property for conservation and humanitarian benefit will far exceed the opportunity presented by ten years of mining.”

Terri urges all Sunshine Coast residents to show their support for the fight to Save Steve’s Place, by logging onto the Australia Zoo website , click on the Save Steve’s Place icon and follow the prompts to sign the official Queensland Government petition.

All votes count, so join the fight to make a difference today.

As they pile up under the Christmas tree, have you ever reflected on the transitory nature of many of these presents? They can be as fleeting as Christmas itself, put under the tree in December and forgotten in the back of the cupboard by Easter. On the other hand, there are also more lasting legacies of such gifts; the often overlooked and undesirable environmental costs, production and transport costs, excessive packaging and finally, the life as landfill.

A Red Goshawk, a nationally vulnerable species. Photo by David Baker-Gabb

What if you could give a gift that keeps on giving: a special gift that not only demonstrates you care for the recipient, but also for Australia’s unique animals and plants and environment? And this gift would keep on giving for generations to come.

This Christmas, Bush Heritage Australia is encouraging Australians to choose an “eco- gift”. In making a donation to Bush Heritage as a gift to a friend or relative, you will be helping to protect Australia’s land, water and wildlife.

Bush Heritage is a national non-profit organisation that is committed to conserving Australia’s animals and plants and their habitats over the long term. It achieves this by using the best available science to acquire and manage land of the greatest importance for conservation. Bush Heritage staff also work in partnership with other organisations and individuals to support conservation on privately owned land.

Bush Heritage is Australia’s most widely supported private land conservation organisation. Over 17,000 people have provided support, as donors, volunteers, or partners in conservation or research. Through the goodwill of these supporters, 29 reserves have been acquired across Australia so far, totalling over 720,000 hectares. From the remnant york gum woodlands in south-western Australia to the dunefields and ephemeral wetlands of the Simpson Desert, these reserves are home to at least 83 threatened vegetation communities and 445 threatened species of native plants and animals.

One of the most recent acquisitions has been Yourka Station, located in one of Australia’s biodiversity hotspots in far-north Queensland. A highlight in the assessment of this property by Bush Heritage ecologists was the discovery of nests of the red goshawk, Australia’s rarest bird of prey. Having obtained a significant contribution to this purchase from the Australian Government’s National Reserve System Programme, it was the generosity of donors that secured Yourka as a reserve to be managed for conservation for the long term.

Yourka Station

Your eco-gift can help secure such areas of Australian country as “landscapes for life”, as protected places for Australian wildlife and as a natural legacy for future generations of Australians. Through Bush Heritage’s commitment to the long-term management of these reserves, this Christmas gift will keep on giving.

So this festive season, as the presents accumulate under the tree, you might add a special Bush Heritage card to the pile. This card is a gesture of care for the recipient and for Australia’s unique biodiversity. The card may sit under a pine tree in your lounge room, but the gift itself may be helping to shelter a small native mouse beneath an old-growth york gum in WA or protecting a red goshawk nesting up a tree in far-north Queensland.

For more information about Bush Heritage Australia visit the website here or call 1300 NATURE (1300 628 873)