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...]

Climate change: and the threat to our biodiversity

Roger Kitching

The mainstream media excites their readers and listeners with many things. Fall under their spell and you would almost be forgiven for thinking that the biggest threat from climate change, if you still believe the scientific facts as opposed to columnists’ opinions, will be upon the size of your wallet. Professor Roger Kitching reminds us of … [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...]

Wildlife: a changing climate is not their only concern

Wallabies and other macropods face an uncertain future as habitat is cleared. Image greghardwick.com.au

I wish that we could blame the decline of our Australian native species on one major influence such as climate change, but unfortunately that is not the only problem facing our wildlife. Human impact, in many forms, have been the direct culprit from the moment humans stepped onto this beautiful country.  As the population has increased over the … [Read more...]