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17/01/2011 -
Floods, rescues and the true Aussie spirit
It goes without
saying that the floods that have devastated
Queensland in the past months have taken a heavy
toll. Thousands of people have been affected and it
will take years for some towns to fully recover.
Putting the human
element aside for a moment, rarely do you hear in
the press of the impact these disasters have on
resident wildlife. I am sure that thousands of
animals die in the floods and their plight will
probably go unnoticed. However, it is heartening to
see that some people are doing their bit to help out
our native friends. The following photos were sent
to me via email, so I am unsure of their origin or
who to credit, but the pictures are worth a thousand
words.
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| Some of you may ask
why these animals aren't trying to jump
out of the boat? Well, macropods are
very smart creatures and they know when
someone is trying to help them. |
| |
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| Photo - Courtesy The Courier Mail |
In these examples
brave men have done their bit to help our wildlife
and I am sure that these roos know it! They engender
the true Aussie spirit of giving a mate a hand
whether he's human or not, when the going gets
tough. Like so many other volunteers who have helped
with these disasters they deserve medals! On Ya
mate!
01/10/2010 - Why
are people so callous?
Our children have
been brought up with a deep respect for wildlife. We
have raised many species over the years and both
kids make me very, very proud because they will not
hesitate to help an animal that has been injured -
no matter what.
It deeply saddens me
every time we have to deal with an injured wallaby.
There are many reasons -
-
Knowing the
animal is in pain
-
Knowing the
animal may have a very slim chance of survival
from its injuries
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Knowing that all
the animal asks for on this planet is food,
water & shelter - nothing more
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Knowing that the
animal's injuries were probably caused by some
self-absorbed imbecile
Yet what really
upsets me the most is the sheer callousness of
people who run over the animals and cause their
injuries. Last night, my son and his girlfriend
stopped to pick up an injured wallaby that was lying
in the middle of a road. He stopped his car and
turned his hazard lights on to warn traffic while he
retrieved the injured animal. There was a car
approaching at speed and my son waived his arms to
get the motorist's attention to slow down so as to
protect the injured animal from being hit a second
time.
What was the driver's
reaction? He slammed on his brakes and then abused
my son and gave him the middle finger salute! You
know, every time I hear of responses like this from
inconsiderate, callous, self-absorbed idiots, I wish
the government would introduce culling at birth for
some human beings. These imbeciles have not earned
the right to live on this planet. They do not
respect fellow human beings let alone our animal
relatives. The only things that are important to
them are their hair, the latest fashion image, their
iPhone and their Facebook status. Why would they be
concerned about a wallaby? Ewwwwww....
Suffice to say, by
the time my son and his girlfriend got home with the
injured wallaby they were both covered in blood and
scratches. The wallaby had a broken jaw and many
grazes from the impact. After our initial
assessment, he was taken immediately to a vet and
was euthanized. He was only a juvenile and probably
around 12 months old. He did nothing wrong except
cross a road in front of a car. He didn't know that
this odd looking thing had the power to kill him.
Why did he have to die? Because someone was so
self-absorbed that they didn't even bother to stop.
Role on 21st December
2012 - this planet really needs to be cleaned up in
a big way.
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28/06/2010 -
Massacre at White Rock Update
Cairns
Regional Council Officers were unable to get
the witness to make a statement relating to
this particular incident, however 6 dogs
were picked up by Animal Management
personnel from the area with 2 being
destroyed.
The
owner of the 2 suspected dogs from the
wallaby incident received a $1000 fine for
his wandering dogs. Hopefully this response
will set a precedent for future incidents
with irresponsible residents being hit where
it hurts (their hip pocket) for not looking
after their dogs. |
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28/06/2010 -
Wallaby Summit Update
The
recommendations from the wallaby summit have
been presented to council and have been
endorsed. This is a very positive step and
it is now up to the Urban Wildlife Action
Group (UWAG), of which I am a member, to
take the next steps. Finally, we may now see
some action to help our precious urban
wildlife. You can view a copy of the
recommendations here -
View Recommendations. |
15/06/2010 -
Massacre at
White Rock
I received a call
late on the 14th of June to advise that dogs had
killed some wallabies at White Rock. After contacting
Cairns Regional Council early the next morning I
attended the scene at the Leichhardt Soccer Grounds.
What I saw was enough
to break anyone's heart. Based on my observations, a
small mob of wallabies had been feeding on the
soccer grounds when two pig dogs attacked them.
Judging by the injuries, some wallabies had their
throats ripped out while others had broken necks
from running in to poles and fences trying to get
away. In total, 20 wallabies had been killed
(including pouched Joeys).
These animals were
defenceless and trapped so the pig dogs must have
had a field day. It has been established that the
dogs responsible have also attacked chickens and
killed a Shetland Pony in the same proximity on
other separate occasions. It is beyond me how
irresponsible some people can be to own these type
of dogs and allow them to reek havoc on other
innocent animals.
The council is
currently conducting an investigation and, if
evidence is conclusive, these dogs will be
destroyed. Not before time as far as I am concerned.
In my opinion the owners should be heavily fined and
banned forever from owning another pet. They
obviously don't care what their animals get up to
and allow them to destroy other creatures at will.
Unfortunately, the
increased pressure on these poor wallabies as a
result of urban expansion brings them into closer
contact with dogs. If all pet owners were
responsible it probably wouldn't be a big issue,
however, there are many lowlifes out there who think
wallabies are nothing more than chew toys for their
dogs.
View the Slideshow |
View Related News Articles - but be warned, these images
are graphic.
11/06/2010 -
Wallaby Summit Update
Well, here we are
almost two months after the wallaby summit and we
are still waiting on some responses from Cairns
Regional Council. I have been told that the reports
have been prepared and will be submitted to council
for consideration soon. Meanwhile, another 100 wallabies will probably die
on roads.
25/04/2010 -
Wallaby Summit Update
The wallaby summit
was hosted by the Cairns Regional Council on the
22nd of April 2010. It was attended by a number of
key speakers as well as community representatives. I
must say that I felt it was the most positive step
that I have seen in that past 10 years. Finally
there appears to be a strong undercurrent with more
people recognizing our urgent need to protect our
wildlife.
I presented my
viewpoint and received very good feedback for
telling the story how it is. Some people in council
may have disliked my remarks, but they have to face
the truth eventually and be held accountable for
their actions or lack thereof.
You can view a copy
of my presentation and short movie by clicking the
links below.
View Presentation
|View Movie |View Wallaby Summit Agenda |
View Related News
Articles |
View Recommendations
|
