(Australia) Subject FW: Wildlife Bytes, 9/9/01

[Guest guest]

Date 08:59 Oct 2

Subject FW: Wildlife Bytes, 9/9/01

 

Wildlife Bytes, 9/9/01, Whales, SA sad place for wildlife, Pesticides,

Dugong, Possum farm, US eucalyptus threat, Landclearing, Fire ants.

 

The following whale article is a Statutory Declaration, made by a family

who visited Fraser Island recently.

 

On Monday the 3rd September 2001, my wife and I and our two children went

to Platypus Bay to have a look, thinking it was the last day to see it, and

not the first day of the road closure. We had not been to Platypus Bay

before ,but were told it is a great place for kids. At approx 8 am we drove

the road to the western side of the Island. There were no rangers, gates or

signs on the road at that time. We arrived on the beach some time after

8am. Approx 500 metres south of the beach access we came across a beached

whale. It was approx. 4 metres long. It was alive and kicking. The whale

was pointed back out to sea. The first thing we did was to get buckets from

the car and keep the whale wet. I then put a bedsheet on the whale and wet

that as well. I also erected a makeshift tarp. There was no one else in

sight apart from whalewatching boats. We unsuccessfully tried to signal the

boats. After approx two hours, no one had arrived, so we decided that we

needed to go back to the village to get help. We dug as much of a hole

around the whale as possible so that it would remain wet. The whale was

thrashing about and was actively trying to get back into the water. I was

going to leave my wife behind, however she was scared to stay on her own

because of the dingoes. The trek back to the Orchid Beach shop is approx.

12 kilometers long. We were about halfway back when came across a ranger

heading towards the western side. We informed him there was a beached whale

in distress, near the beach access wall, and we were heading back to Orchid

Beach to raise the alarm. We were of the opinion that the whale was savable

if we only had enough help to get it back into the water. As it had not

been out of the water for that long. The ranger identified himself as & .

His first question was is there anybody else back down there. We said no.

He then said we should go back to Platypus Bay to be with the whale. I

said, " no, I am going back to Orchid beach to get the machine and others to

help. " We then left. Further down the track and approx 2 km from the Orchid

Beach township, we came across two more rangers and now there was a locked

gate in position. We were stopped by the rangers. The younger of the two

spoke to us, while the older spoke to someone on the two way radio. The

younger one said " arent you supposed to be back with the whale " . I said

" No, we are going back to Orchid beach to get help. We need a machine and

people to help get the whale back in the water " . The two rangers then

consulted privately. The younger one then came back and told us we would

have to go back to Platypus Bay and get our sheets and other possessions.

We were detained for approx. 15 mins and I was getting more and more

concerned because there seemed to be no urgency in the rangers to do

anything. Reluctantly we turned around and drove back to the western side,

only after the rangers assured us that the whole matter was in hand. We

arrived back at Platypus Bay at approx 11.30 am. The first ranger was the

only one there. He was on the two way radio. The whale was still alive and

kicking, and trying to get back in the water. We continued to keep the

whale wet. The ranger said " the vet was on the way from Maryborough, and

help is on the way " . At this stage the water is about 10 meters from the

whale. Approx one hour later, the two rangers that had been on the gate

turned up. I was getting more and more upset because if we had been allowed

to return to the village, we would have had help there at that time and the

whale would/could have been saved. Over the next two to three hours,

rangers arrived by boat and truck. They even considered landing the plane

on the beach, however then decided against it. The rangers did erect a big

tarp over the whale. The vet arrived and consulted with the rangers. After

a while I said to the vet " well, are we going to try to save this whale or

what? " The ranger said " no, there is a little fluid on the lungs and its

not worth it. " The vet then tried to kill the whale by driving large

skewers into its heart .He said the chemical he was trying to pump into its

heart was meant to freeze the heart so it could be preserved for

experiments. The whale was in agony for about one full hour before it died.

He said it was necessary to remove certain samples while the whale was

still alive, and others when it was dead. The vet then bought out his

knives and commenced to butcher the whale. Saws and axes were used. Once

they collected what they needed, they dug a hole using the machine and

buried the whale approx. 20 metres form where it was beached. The carcase

was buried above high tide mark.

 

1. No attempt was made to save the whale.

 

2. It could have been saved.

 

3. Two other whales from the pod were offshore for hours.

 

4. The female ranger made the comment " we have waited for 10 years to close

this beach, and today is the day! "

 

5. The whale died in agony over a period of approx. one hour.

 

6. We were not allowed to return to Orchid Beach to get help. The rangers

instructed us to return to Platypus Bay.

 

7. After thinking about how the events of the day occurred and the actions

of the rangers we feel that it was a deliberate attempt to minimise the

exposure of the event to the public.

 

8. To save the whale, rangers would have had to have allowed the public

access on the day of the closure. End.* Network Item.

 

Hundreds of native mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and plants are at risk of

extinction in SA because of environmental destruction. They are at risk of

joining nearly 60 mammals, plants and birds already extinct in SA. The

situation is so serious that this month - National Biodiversity Month

-experts are making a united call for urgent action to reverse the decline.

Threatened Species Network co-ordinator Vicki-Jo Russell said yesterday

that SA was facing an unprecedented loss of its native heritage. The state

had one of the worst records for mammal loss of any region in the world.

" If we don't take accelerated action now we are going to lose more and more

species, " Ms Russell said. Land clearance, habitat destruction and

introduction of feral animals and weeds are blamed for the decline of SA's

native species. It is estimated the state has already lost more than 82 per

cent of its native vegetation. Ms Russell said SA was suffering from an

" extinction lag " . " While most of our land clearance occurred before 1970,

extinctions as a result are just starting to happen, " she said. Figures

issued by the Threatened Species Network show that the northern

agricultural districts - including Yorke Peninsula and the Mid North - are

faring worst, with 49 species listed as threatened. This region had only 18

per cent of native vegetation remaining, mostly on roadsides or rail

reserves. Kangaroo Island is in danger of losing 25 species, including a

range of birds, mammals, plants and reptiles. Many of the threatened plants

are found only on the island. With about half its native vegetation left,

the island is feeling the impact of introduced species, grazing and

poorly-managed recreation. Rising salinity will bring future problems. In

the Mt Lofty Ranges, 52 bird species are in decline, with numbers falling

dramatically over the past two decades. Ornithologist Dr David Paton said

immediate action was " absolutely critical " . " There needs to be intense

revegetation to restore habitat for these species, " he said. Few " quality "

areas of habitat for the birds remained. Conservation Council SA executive

officer Michelle Grady called for the State Government to tackle the

problem. SA had failed to follow other states in passing threatened species

legislation, she said. And it had one of the smallest budgets, $300,000,

dedicated to threatened species recovery. * Network item.

 

 

 

The National Registration Authority has issued an emergency use permit for

the pesticide, Confidor, in the fight against the greyback canegrub.

Canegrowers between Sarina and Mossman can apply to use the pesticide until

the end of December, but the farmers must undergo training and

accreditation. Canegrowers general manager Ian Ballantyne says Confidor is

not a solution but a tool in the fight against grubs. " In itself Confidor

isn't going to be the magic bullet but for an emergency use permit these

things can only be applied for short periods of time, " he said.

" Obviously there'll be people monitoring the outcome of this. If it proves

to be an effective device longer-term and it proves as we hope it will do,

it may be that we can apply for permanent use arrangements. " * ABC News

 

 

 

The holder of a McArthur River commercial fishing license has accepted

responsibility for the death last week of at least seven dugongs. The

carcasses were found in the river system in the Gulf country. The

fisherman, Bruce Wildcard, says the tragedy comes after the new Labor

Government's promise to revisit plans to close the river to commercial

fishing. " It hasn't happened since 1996 but it is very tragic...I was

personally rung by the Minister Peter Toyne to say they'd be revisiting the

McArthur and basically the next day...so all I can say is I apologise to

the public and that everyone's very, very upset and distressed, " Mr

Wildcard said. * Network item.

 

 

 

A report was received on 3 September of a dead dugong in Woongarra Marine

Park at Mon Repos beach, Bargara. The dugong was an adult male, body length

2.84m, and in an advanced stage of decomposition. There was no sign of

external injuries or marks. It was removed and buried at Mon Repos.

*Network item.

 

 

 

A Tasmanian game meat company plans to set up Australia's first possum farm

so it can sell to Taiwan. Lenah Game Meats proprietor Mr John Kelly said

yesterday Taiwan was a potentially strong market, but insisted the possum

meat it imported came from animals held in captivity for at least 28 days

before slaughter. Mr Kelly said his Launceston company planned to fence off

a 200-hectare area where the possums could be kept in free-range

conditions. * T. Chronicle

 

 

 

Thousands of eucalyptus trees have been devastated in California by an

Australian insect that has found its way into the United States. US

scientists are hoping the answer to controlling the pest could be a tiny

Australian parasitic wasp which is known to kill the problem insect. The

scientists have introduced the wasps into nine areas in California where

red gum eucalyptus trees have come under attack. The pest - which is called

the redgum lerp psyllid - was first detected in Los Angeles two years ago

and destroys the Australian native tree by feeding on its juices. The lerp

psyllid has since killed thousands of eucalypts in 30 Californian counties.

" It is a major problem because this insect is causing a lot of leaf drop

and tree mortality, " Donald Dahlsten, a scientist at the University of

California, Berkeley, said. In San Diego, authorities are preparing to

remove at least nine giant eucalypts, some almost 100-years-old, that died

after being attacked by the lerp psyllid. Dr Dahlsten, who is leading the

fight against the problem, said chemical controls had not been successful

against the insect. He said it could take several years to find out if the

wasps will be effective. The wasp lays eggs inside the lerp psyllid's body

which eventually kills the insect. " What we are trying to do is establish

the biological controls so that the pests will be in a low number and they

won't cause a problem, " Dr Dahlsten said. Eucalypts have become a popular

tree in California with more than 60 species growing in the state.

The trees were first introduced by a sea captain who brought seeds back to

the US in the 1850s. Dr Dahlsten said the import and export of plant

material between Australia and the US had resulted in the introduction of

eucalyptus pests into California, particularly since 1985. The lerp psyllid

is one of about 15 known pests that have made their way from Australia into

the US since 1985. " Some are more serious than others. This red gum lerp

psyllid is particularly nasty, " he said. *ABC News

 

On 5 September 2001 Marine Parks rangers investigated a report of a dead

dolphin at Moore Park beach, Bundaberg. The animal was an adult male

bottlenosed dolphin, 2.25m long. There were no external injuries or

markings. A necropsy was performed by a veterinarian and samples were

collected. No cause of death was determined. The animal had good meat and

fat layers but the stomach was almost empty. * Network item.

 

Macroanalysis seminar on landclearing. A macroanalysis seminar on the

causes, consequences and alternatives to landclearing will be held at 6

p.m. 24 September, at SWARA, 61 College Road, Spring Hill. This will be an

opportunity to meet other people interested in the topic, find out more

about it and consider the possibility of becoming involved. It will be

free, tea and coffee will be provided, and it will run for two and a half

to three hours, hence the early start. SWARA has off street parking and if

you haven't been there before, you will find it in the corner of Albert

Park and the railway bridge. If you approach from Wickham Terrace, you

won't have to cross the double white lines on College Road or wander for

ages looking for a place to do legal U-turn. Macroanalysis is a " different "

educational process, that some might find useful for their own purposes. *

Network item.

 

The all-out campaign to eradicate fire ants is expected to begin in just

over a fortnight, following the approval of bait materials this week.

Permits for the safe use of S-methoprene and pyriproxyfen have been issued

by the National Registration Authority for Agricultural and Veterinary

Chemicals. The baits will be laid in a region including Fishermens Island

and Nudgee and in Brisbane's western suburbs surrounding Wacol, extending

north to Brookfield and south to Springfield. The principal scientist with

the Fire Ants Control Centre, Cas Vanderwoude, says once ingested by the

queen ant, the baits will prevent larvae from developing. " Pyriproxyfen is

used in flea collars for cats and dogs so we know that it's very safe

against for use against pets, " he said. " S-methoprene is that safe that a

one-kilogram rat for example would have to consume seven times its own body

weight in the bait within 24 hours to be anywhere near affected. " * ABC

News.

 

NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is

distributed without profit to those who expressed a prior interest in

receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

The information contained in this email has been excerpted from various

sources, including our own networks. Please forward to any other interested

parties. Wildlife Bytes is a free weekly email update provided by the

Wildlife Protection Association of Australia Inc. To receive Wildlife Bytes

and other wildlife information, please email us " Wildlife Bytes " .

To be removed from our list, email " Wildlife Bytes " .

 

Pat O'Brien, President, WPAA Inc.

Ph. 0749 397997, fax, 0749 397972

email; austwildlife

website; www.wildlifeprotectaust.org.au

 

--------------------------------

animal liberation queensland * http://www.powerup.com.au/~alibqld

 

ethical consumption * http://www.powerup.com.au/~kkaos

 

ecovegan * http://www.powerup.com.au/~kkaos/main.html

--------------------------------

 

" If we consistently choose against the richest possibilities of life,

against kindness, against beauty, against love and sweet regard,

then we aren't much. Our only claim to dignity is trying our best

to do what we think is right, to put some heart in it,

some soul, some flower and root. "

 

- Jim Dodge in " Living by Life: Bioregional Theory and Practice'