Tuesday, 29 December 2009
Wednesday, 2 December 2009
Tuesday, 1 December 2009
Pygmy hippo puzzles hunter (NT)
This pygmy hippopotamus, shot by hunter Nico Courtney, has revived talk of released and escaped exotic animals in the Australian bush. What else is out there? It was shot dead during a pig hunting expedition in the Territory. The hippo is normally native to the swamps of west Africa, in particular Liberia.
Instead, this one - estimated to be about 250kg - was shot while roaming the bush of the Douglas Daly, 200km south of Darwin. This is about 16,000km away from Liberia.
It is believed the female hippo is an old escapee from Tipperary Station, from when it used to be an exotic animal reserve.
http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2009/11/16/101241_ntnews.html
Panthers seen at Logan, QLD
A SECOND sighting of a panther-like animal roaming bushland in southern Logan has been reported.
Lynda Keane said she was driving near Bahrs Scrub when a black cat-like creature ran in front of her car.
She recounted the bizarre sighting after reading a report in last week’s Albert & Logan News about a similar creature seen in Eagleby by Jack Van Uffelen.
Ms Keane, who lives in Sydney and was in Logan visiting family in early August, said she was driving along Bahrs Scrub Rd from Windaroo about 6pm when the creature appeared.
“We came up to a causeway and it came running across the road,’’ she said.
“It was right in front of us and then disappeared up the embankment and through the trees in to the scrub.’’
Ms Keane said her brother-in-law passenger also saw it.
“There was no way it could pass as a skinny dog,” she said.
“It was huge with this long tail and what looked like markings on it’s side but it could have been it’s ribs coming through.
“It frightened the crap out of us!’’
Ms Keane said her brother-in-law and his 18-year-old daughter had spotted the animal again about a week later but it had not been seen since.
Mr Van Uffelen, who saw a similar creature near a dam that backs onto his Olympic Court property twice last month, said he was still hoping to capture video footage of the strange animal.
http://albert-and-logan.whereilive.com.au/news/story/mystery-creature-in-scrub/
RUMOURS are flying after reported sightings of a large cat-like animal in bushland near Eagleby.
Olympic Court resident Jack Van Uffelen said he spotted the panther-like beast twice last week roaming near a dam that backs on to his property.
“I thought I was going mad but then my wife saw it too,” he said.
“It’s bigger than a full-grown labrador, got a tail about three-foot long (90cm) and a body that is longer than any greyhound by about a foot.”
Mr Van Uffelen, who moved to the dead-end street six weeks ago, has set up a video camera on his back verandah in an attempt to capture footage of the animal.
“There’s no way it’s a feral cat or a greyhound because we’ve seen it run and it’s a full gallop,” he said.
“I asked around at the Eagleby Tavern and a few people had heard stories about a panther being in the area about four or five years ago. Did it escape from a zoo or from a circus?”
Mr Van Uffelen said the beast’s 10cm paw prints could be seen along the banks of the dam.
Have you seen the panther? Comment email letters@albertlogannews.com.au or post a comment below.
http://albert-and-logan.whereilive.com.au/news/story/beast-sighting-gives-eagleby-paws-for-thought/
Lynda Keane said she was driving near Bahrs Scrub when a black cat-like creature ran in front of her car.
She recounted the bizarre sighting after reading a report in last week’s Albert & Logan News about a similar creature seen in Eagleby by Jack Van Uffelen.
Ms Keane, who lives in Sydney and was in Logan visiting family in early August, said she was driving along Bahrs Scrub Rd from Windaroo about 6pm when the creature appeared.
“We came up to a causeway and it came running across the road,’’ she said.
“It was right in front of us and then disappeared up the embankment and through the trees in to the scrub.’’
Ms Keane said her brother-in-law passenger also saw it.
“There was no way it could pass as a skinny dog,” she said.
“It was huge with this long tail and what looked like markings on it’s side but it could have been it’s ribs coming through.
“It frightened the crap out of us!’’
Ms Keane said her brother-in-law and his 18-year-old daughter had spotted the animal again about a week later but it had not been seen since.
Mr Van Uffelen, who saw a similar creature near a dam that backs onto his Olympic Court property twice last month, said he was still hoping to capture video footage of the strange animal.
http://albert-and-logan.whereilive.com.au/news/story/mystery-creature-in-scrub/
RUMOURS are flying after reported sightings of a large cat-like animal in bushland near Eagleby.
Olympic Court resident Jack Van Uffelen said he spotted the panther-like beast twice last week roaming near a dam that backs on to his property.
“I thought I was going mad but then my wife saw it too,” he said.
“It’s bigger than a full-grown labrador, got a tail about three-foot long (90cm) and a body that is longer than any greyhound by about a foot.”
Mr Van Uffelen, who moved to the dead-end street six weeks ago, has set up a video camera on his back verandah in an attempt to capture footage of the animal.
“There’s no way it’s a feral cat or a greyhound because we’ve seen it run and it’s a full gallop,” he said.
“I asked around at the Eagleby Tavern and a few people had heard stories about a panther being in the area about four or five years ago. Did it escape from a zoo or from a circus?”
Mr Van Uffelen said the beast’s 10cm paw prints could be seen along the banks of the dam.
Have you seen the panther? Comment email letters@albertlogannews.com.au or post a comment below.
http://albert-and-logan.whereilive.com.au/news/story/beast-sighting-gives-eagleby-paws-for-thought/
Tuesday, 24 November 2009
Watch out for cougars, says SSAA man
In this episode of the 7pm Project, a member of the SSAA mentioned one of the threat in the bush - among them "cougars or mountain lions"! You'll have to scan through the episode to find the relevant comment.
Thursday, 5 November 2009
Sunday, 1 November 2009
Govt harasses dingo campaigner
More than two months after government officials stormed her home and seized her possessions in a dawn raid, dingo protection campaigner Jennifer Parkhurst says she’s still in 'limbo'.
Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) staff seized the photographer’s camera gear, computer equipment, videos and photos in the dawn raid, which it claims was an investigation into commercial activity and illegal dingo feeding.
Ms Parkhurst has led a campaign against the state, accusing it of mismanaging Fraser Island dingoes and allowing 'out of control' rangers to illegally kill the dogs.
During the raid the state seized years of documentaries into alleged dingo mismanagement. Mr Elmes claims it was the state’s attempt to cover up wrongdoing.
Ms Parkhurst has launched numerous FOI applications into dingo deaths, and has been writing a book on Fraser Island's dingoes.
High-profile civil libertarian Terry O’Gorman said Ms Parkhurst's situation was 'unacceptable and oppressive'.
Sunday, 25 October 2009
Saturday strangeness
CFZ member Neil Arnold visited the Natural History Museum in London recently and took in some of its cryptozoological exhibits - two of which are relatively close to home for us!
The Museum holds several interesting exhibits including a marsupial Tasmanian Tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus; Greek for "dog-headed pouched one") and a New Zealand Moa (Dinornis robustus), a 12ft flightless bird. He writes about his visit in Museum of Monsters for The Londonist. Read it here. Photo by Neil Arnold.
What do Kookaburras have in common with possums, or big cats?
Well might you ask!
We found out the hard way a few weeks back when a kookaburra collided with our ute in country NSW, smashing into the passenger window along the highway.
We'd been looking for big cats after receiving numerous reports from a location, but had only seen cattle, kangaroos - and now a kookaburra!
We circled back for the unlucky bird and found him - a forlorn heap of feathers, beak open in shock, eyes unblinking. We didn't hold out much hope for him but picked him up anyway to preserve him from opportunistic predators such as cats and foxes.
Halfway home he blinked his eye, and three quarters of the way home he sat up, looked around and seemed (almost) ready to fly the coop. We pulled over to release him but he couldn't go far and flopped around in the grass. Back into the car he went.
En route home we touched base with WIRES (Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service) and left a message on their volunteer hotline. We got a call back just before we pulled into the driveway, giving us the details of a local WIRES volunteer who could help out.
Importantly, our helpful caller also told us we were lucky we hadn't released the kookaburra away from its home range. Kookaburras, she told us, didn't like interlopers and a family of kookaburras would have no problem swooping in and killing/dismembering a stranger. Yikes! For more excellent information about how to care for crook kookaburras, go here.
Possums are similar. many people in Australia try to have possums relocated away from their homes, after evicting them from roof cavities. This rarely works. What happens is the homeless possum often has to fight it out with a resident possum in a new territory, leaving them vulnerable to the attacks of cats and dogs. If you have a possum problem, it's much better to erect a possum box (a new house) on a tree for your problem possum, then everyone can (almost) peacefully co-exist.
After examining him for injuries/discharges (there were none), we brought the kookaburra inside and put him in a box with a towel over the top. We kept him overnight and the next morning,after taking the towel off, he hopped onto the edge of the box and took flight...straight into our kitchen window. K-thunk! Ouch! Well, at least we knew his wings were working...
Before we left we dribbled some water on his beak to make sure he wasn't dehydrated, then we popped him into the box and commenced our 300km drive BACK to where we had first encountered him. We pulled off the highway down a side road and set up the box in the grass, taking off the towel. Then we gently picked him up and perched him on the side of the box so he didn't hurt himself trying to get out.
It was all over in the blink of an eye. One minute he was there, the next he'd taken wing into the nearest tree. We heard other kookaburras 'laughing' (a common description for their cackling call, which sounds like raucous laughing) nearby and knew he'd found his family.
And yes, we did feel all warm and fuzzy (and mildly guilty for - unintentionally - driving into a startled bird's flight path). Hopefully next time he'll lift his trajectory!
Saturday, 24 October 2009
Aboriginal thylacine rock art uncovered
Two Aboriginal rock paintings of Tasmanian Tigers (Thylacine cynocephalus: dog-headed pouched-dog) have been found in a hidden art gallery in the Northern Territory.
The paintings were found within an "art gallery" spanning 20,000 square kilometres of Indigenous Jawoyn land from Katherine up to remote Arnhem land.
Jawoyn Association Cultural Manager Ray Whear is convinced it's the extinct animal. The paintings will be included in a database destined to be the largest indigenous rock art collection in the world.
Saturday, 17 October 2009
Another thylacine sighting - Victoria 2009
Tasmanian tiger sighting claimed
Posted on June 2, 2009, 6:06pm
A Donovans man says he saw an animal on Monday afternoon that resembled a Tasmanian tiger.
Richard Elliott was driving along Dry Creek Road toward Princess Margaret Rose Cave when he observed the mystery animal near a pine plantation about 3.30pm.
"At first I thought it was a fox, but it was too long and gangly," Mr Elliott said. "It had a long tail; it definitely wasn't a fox."
Mr Elliott said the animal was definitely not a dog or a cat either. It moved into the bush too quickly for him to determine if it had stripes.
Mr Elliott said the animal was long and skinny, with exposed ribs.
The Tasmanian tiger, or Thylacine, is believed to have become extinct when a captured animal died in 1936.
There have been no officially verified sightings of a Thylacine in mainland Australia, but many unconfirmed sightings have been reported in the South East of South Australia, Western Victoria and South Gippsland.
Thylacine sighting - Victoria, 2005
Read about an Englishman's brush with a crypto legend:
On January 17, 2005, Richard Cooper saw a thylacine in the Great Dividing Range east of Melbourne.
"It was daylight, mid-afternoon. Fifty yards ahead of me an animal crossed the track slowly. It was Golden retriever size, as clear as day, and I could see the set of impressive stripes down its back. It was a Thylacine. I felt very fortunate enough to have seen it.”
http://forteanzoology.blogspot.com/2009/10/neil-arnold-thylacine-sighting.html
Friday, 16 October 2009
Dingo headed the way of the Thylacine?
The purest strain of dingo in the world could become extinct if management of their habitat, Fraser Island, doesn't change, according to Hervey Bay MP Ted Sorenson.At least 10 dingoes have been killed on the island after attacking people.
There's yowies in them thar hills!
A 1978 yowie encounter in the Northern Territory has inspired a play that is now touring the country."NT News stories about yowie sightings in Acacia Hills were in fact a key point of inspiration for the piece," she told the Northern Territory News.
The play is the brainchild of Ella Watson-Russell, and centres around the kidnap of a man by two "hairy sisters". Intriguing!
Writing the play has apparently turned Watson-Russell from a sceptic to a believer.
There have been numerous reports of yowies in the Acacia Hills area, most recently in the 1990s.
Qld monster fish swallows turtle
Ouch! When this whopping grouper fish washed up on Townsville Strand in Queensland this week, the government veterinary pathologist Dr Ian Anderson had a poke around inside and - wha-la! One sizeable (and sadly deceased) 40cm green turtle was tucked away inside. Obviously not more than a mouthful for this plucky predator!The 150kg grouper was washed into the shallows and died shortly after. Dr Anderson is awaiting the results of tests to determine what killed the protected fish.
Photo credit: Qld DPI
Wednesday, 7 October 2009
Charles Darwin book launch - Sydney
Book launch: A Natural Calling Life, Letters and Diaries of Charles Darwin and William Darwin Fox
9 October 2009
Come to the launch of the fascinating new book A Natural Calling: Life, Letters and Diaries of Charles Darwin and William Darwin Fox, by Professor Tony Larkum from the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Sydney.
The book provides new factual material on Charles Darwin, following many years of research into Darwin's relationship to his cousin William Darwin Fox. It is a biographical and historical account of the letters exchanged by these two men and the diaries of William Darwin Fox have never been accessed before.
The relationship between Darwin and Fox has been acknowledged as a major biographical source on Darwin. Here the life of Fox is carefully pieced together and compared and contrasted with that of Darwin. Since Darwin and Fox were undergraduates together at Christ's College, Cambridge, and corresponded with each other for the rest of their lives, dying within two years of each other, the diaries allow us a vivid insight into the unique relationship of these two naturalists and family friends.
Both were studying to be clergymen of the Church of England, when Darwin was offered a place on The Beagle. Thereafter their lives diverged, as Fox became the country parson that Darwin might have been. Never the less, Fox supplied many facts to Darwin, which were used in the Origin of Species and later books.
At the launch, hear Professor Larkum speak about his book, followed by readings of some of the letters in the book by professional actors, over drinks and nibbles. RSVP is essential for catering purposes.
Time: 4:30pm - 7.00pm
Location: Macleay Museum, Science Road, University of Sydney
Cost: Free (but RSVP is required)
Contact: Carla Avolio
Phone: 9351 4543
9 October 2009
Come to the launch of the fascinating new book A Natural Calling: Life, Letters and Diaries of Charles Darwin and William Darwin Fox, by Professor Tony Larkum from the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Sydney.
The book provides new factual material on Charles Darwin, following many years of research into Darwin's relationship to his cousin William Darwin Fox. It is a biographical and historical account of the letters exchanged by these two men and the diaries of William Darwin Fox have never been accessed before.
The relationship between Darwin and Fox has been acknowledged as a major biographical source on Darwin. Here the life of Fox is carefully pieced together and compared and contrasted with that of Darwin. Since Darwin and Fox were undergraduates together at Christ's College, Cambridge, and corresponded with each other for the rest of their lives, dying within two years of each other, the diaries allow us a vivid insight into the unique relationship of these two naturalists and family friends.
Both were studying to be clergymen of the Church of England, when Darwin was offered a place on The Beagle. Thereafter their lives diverged, as Fox became the country parson that Darwin might have been. Never the less, Fox supplied many facts to Darwin, which were used in the Origin of Species and later books.
At the launch, hear Professor Larkum speak about his book, followed by readings of some of the letters in the book by professional actors, over drinks and nibbles. RSVP is essential for catering purposes.
Time: 4:30pm - 7.00pm
Location: Macleay Museum, Science Road, University of Sydney
Cost: Free (but RSVP is required)
Contact: Carla Avolio
Phone: 9351 4543
Monday, 27 April 2009
CFZ on Youtube
We've been terribly slack in updating this blog, but rest assured behind the scenes we've been busy!
We thought visitors might be interested in a couple of Youtube offerings we've just posted up. Visit our (soon to be expanded) Youtube page.
Cheers,
CFZ Australia
We thought visitors might be interested in a couple of Youtube offerings we've just posted up. Visit our (soon to be expanded) Youtube page.
Cheers,
CFZ Australia
Tuesday, 20 January 2009
UK Team Crack Tiger DNA Code
A team from Royal Holloway College is in a position to use state-of-the-art technology to recreate a creature that became extinct more than 70 years ago. RUSSELL BUTT discovers more
Scientists in Egham have made a Jurrasic Park-style breakthrough that could potentially bring the Tasmanian tiger back to life - more than 70 years after it went extinct.
In a story echoing the plot of the blockbuster dinosaur movie, researchers at Royal Holloway University of London, have revealed the complete 'mitochondrial genome sequence' for the thylacine, a marsupial commonly known as the Tasmanian tiger, which died out in 1936.
Read more here.
Scientists in Egham have made a Jurrasic Park-style breakthrough that could potentially bring the Tasmanian tiger back to life - more than 70 years after it went extinct.
In a story echoing the plot of the blockbuster dinosaur movie, researchers at Royal Holloway University of London, have revealed the complete 'mitochondrial genome sequence' for the thylacine, a marsupial commonly known as the Tasmanian tiger, which died out in 1936.
Read more here.
Mystery Cat a Dog?
AS cats go, Scott Burnett says at least one of the Gympie Region's big cats looks like a bit of a dog.
Dr Burnett's analysis, which he freely describes as less than 100 per cent certain, was made possible by Glenwood resident Colin Russow, who responded scientifically when he noticed unusually large animal prints of indeterminate origin at his property.
Read more here.
Dr Burnett's analysis, which he freely describes as less than 100 per cent certain, was made possible by Glenwood resident Colin Russow, who responded scientifically when he noticed unusually large animal prints of indeterminate origin at his property.
Read more here.
Trail of Panther Leads to Kenthurst
MYSTERIOUS panther-like creatures, long reported to be stalking the outskirts of Sydney, could be moving towards homes.
With at least 19 sightings reported this year, big cat hunters believe they're becoming bolder as they search for food and mates.
Read more here.
With at least 19 sightings reported this year, big cat hunters believe they're becoming bolder as they search for food and mates.
Read more here.
Skeptics Tackle Qld Cat
Reports of a panther-like cat roaming bushland in south-east Queensland have been met with scepticism by a Sunshine Coast academic.
Glenwood resident Colin Rossow claims to have found footprints of "big cats" on his property north of Gympie.
Mr Rossow has plaster casts of the paw prints, which he believes are from two different cats.
Read more here.
Glenwood resident Colin Rossow claims to have found footprints of "big cats" on his property north of Gympie.
Mr Rossow has plaster casts of the paw prints, which he believes are from two different cats.
Read more here.
Glenwood Panther Revives Mystery
THERE'S nothing quite like a mystery animal sighting to divert attention from life's less-happy realities such as the global economic crisis.
So this week's reports of a big cat prowling the rural suburb of Glenwood, north of Gympie, have not only given some light relief on the news front, they have also reignited the age-old debate over the existence of mythical and mysterious creatures in Queensland.
Read more here.
So this week's reports of a big cat prowling the rural suburb of Glenwood, north of Gympie, have not only given some light relief on the news front, they have also reignited the age-old debate over the existence of mythical and mysterious creatures in Queensland.
Read more here.
Tale of the Dead Tiger
Scientists face a mammoth task in bringing back extinct species, such as Tasmanian tigers or sabre-tooths, writes Richard Macey.
Out on the grasslands, a woolly rhinoceros grazes. Over a fence, a sabre-toothed cat stands, watching. Elsewhere, a dodo nests on the ground, while nearby a Tasmanian tiger paces through a eucalypt forest.
Beyond the enclosures, crowds of curious visitors, including ginger-haired Neanderthals, gaze in fascination.
However, unlike in Jurassic Park's cinematic wildlife reserve, there is not a dinosaur in sight.
"There's no chance of bringing back the dinosaurs but other extinct beasts could rise again," the journal New Scientist declared last week, naming its 10 top candidates for resurrection through the rapidly advancing technologies of genetics and cloning.
Read more here.
Out on the grasslands, a woolly rhinoceros grazes. Over a fence, a sabre-toothed cat stands, watching. Elsewhere, a dodo nests on the ground, while nearby a Tasmanian tiger paces through a eucalypt forest.
Beyond the enclosures, crowds of curious visitors, including ginger-haired Neanderthals, gaze in fascination.
However, unlike in Jurassic Park's cinematic wildlife reserve, there is not a dinosaur in sight.
"There's no chance of bringing back the dinosaurs but other extinct beasts could rise again," the journal New Scientist declared last week, naming its 10 top candidates for resurrection through the rapidly advancing technologies of genetics and cloning.
Read more here.
Extinction in the Tasmanian Tiger's Genes?
Tasmanian tigers, also known as thylacines, had dangerously low genetic diversity decades before disease and human hunting drove them extinct, an analysis of the first complete mitochondrial genomes from the extinct marsupials reveals.
An international group of scientists used powerful new technology to decode mitochondrial and some nuclear DNA from two thylacine museum specimens. The researchers report their findings online January 13 in Genome Research.
Read more here
An international group of scientists used powerful new technology to decode mitochondrial and some nuclear DNA from two thylacine museum specimens. The researchers report their findings online January 13 in Genome Research.
Read more here
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