Boguls take on rats in the City

Scientists from the University of Sydney are set to release 100 native Bogul rats in Sydney Harbour National Park, and North Head Sanctuary in Manly, to see how they compete against introduced black rats, which are considered pests.

The environmental benefits could be significant because the Boguls, also known as bush rats, or Rattus fuscipes, tend not to climb trees, and are less likely to disturb nesting birds or eat eggs than black rats.
Nor do they carry the potentially life-threatening lungworm disease, which can spread to pets, wildlife and people. They are also less likely to invade homes than black rats, preferring the bush.

A keen eye is required to distinguish between the two species, as they both have the same grey colouring.

University ecologist, Grainne Cleary, said the most obvious difference was the length of the tail.
''Pest black rats have tails that are much longer than their bodies, whereas Boguls have tails that are the same length as their bodies or even shorter," she said.

The similarities between the two species could be the reason for the disappearance of Bogul rats from Sydney more than a century ago. During an outbreak of bubonic plague, a bounty of sixpence - about $4 today - was offered for every rat killed.

The last confirmed sighting of a bush rat in Sydney was in 1901, and 110 years later the effort to bring back the Bogul has been supported by Taronga Zoo, the National Parks and Wildlife Service and Mosman Council.

Police uncover illegal taxidermy haul in Sydney

A treasure trove of exotic animal remains has been found hidden inside a Sydney home.

Lion, orangutan and bear skulls, a mounted bear head, a full skin and head of an Alaskan wolf and ivory products were among more than 400 animal parts seized in a raid on the home in North Parramatta.

Federal investigators who executed a search warrant at the property in Iron Street say it was one of the largest wildlife seizures in Australian history.

A variety of exotic weapons were also seized at the property, including two walking canes with swords hidden inside them.

A 41-year-old man was charged with firearms offences and is due to appear in Parramatta Local Court on August 31.

Officers from the federal Department of Sustainability and Environment and NSW police raided the home on August 3 but the department released details of its finds only on Thursday.

The raid followed a lengthy investigation into the alleged illegal importation of animal remains.

Is a big cat stalking this farm in Victoria?

These farmers admit they don't know what big cat prints look like, have never seen a big cat on their farm, yet think an unusual track they found *might* be a big cat because the print is so, well, BIG, and their neighbours have seen a large black cat in the nighbourhood - here's the latest big cat story for the mill, featured in the Weekly Times this week:

VICTORIA'S big cat debate stirs again, with a possible sighting in South Gippsland.

Loch dairy farmers Paul and Louise Sherar have been left wondering if a big cat is lurking in the hills after discovering a large paw print on their property last week.

"We've been trying to check if it's the paw print of a very big dog or a big cat, but without much luck," Louise said.

She said if it wasn't a dog print, then it could be from a big cat, maybe a puma.

"We've got a pretty big dog ourselves and the paw print is far bigger than that," she said.

The couple had never seen any evidence of a big cat before, but knew of other people in the area who had seen what they believed to be a black puma-like animal.

No livestock had ever gone missing, but they would be wary now until it was clearer what made the paw print, Louise said.

Speculation about the presence of big puma or panther-like cats in Victoria, particularly western Victoria and Gippsland, has been around for years after alleged sightings and unexplained death and injuries in livestock.

The Coalition promised an inquiry into big cat sightings as part of its election campaign.

Forget the cute factor and save iconic species

In the past, the plants and animals that have received the most conservation resources are usually the cutest, the most iconic or those that have all but disappeared.

The Tasmanian devil, koalas and whales have all received significant funding or media attention. But a growing number of scientists question whether this is the most effective conservation method. Instead, they propose using economics and mathematics to develop cost-effective analyses of which animals should be saved and, more controversially, which ones should be ignored.

This method is already being used to prioritise recovery programs for threatened species in New Zealand and Tasmania, while the NSW government is developing a priority list of recovery projects for about 450 to 500 species.

University of Queensland ecology professor Hugh Possingham, who started his career studying mathematics, says merging conservation with economic principles makes perfect sense. He argues that given the scant resources allocated to rehabilitate threatened species, getting ''bang for your buck'' is important.

In the past, bad decision-making resulted in conservation resources being poorly spent, he says. He cites the extensive campaign to try to stop cane toads advancing into north-western Australia as an example of an inefficient conservation program.

''Everybody considers that a futile activity but we've spent money on it,'' says Possingham, who is the director of the Australian Research Council's Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions. ''Given the limited amount of money, every dollar we spend is precious,'' he adds.

More than $10 million has been handed to scientists to develop methods to eliminate the species over the past two decades and several more million dollars have been given to community groups to prevent the spread of the pest. But none of these endeavours has stopped, or even slowed, the toad invasion, according to a threat-abatement plan released by the federal government in June.

As part of his research, Possingham and colleagues, including his former postgraduate researcher, Liana Joseph, came up with a method to pinpoint which programs to save threatened species should receive funding over others. As part of the model, all species are given a value, which is often based on how genetically distinct they are.

''In Australia, the echidna and platypus, neither of whom are doing very well, are so taxonomically unique, it would be a global tragedy if we lost them, whereas a subspecies of honeyeater has many close relatives,'' Possingham says.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/animals/survival-of-the-cheapest-20110810-1imox.html#ixzz1UiGWNIcw

Will wildlife smuggling strip Asia of animals?

Chris Shepherd, deputy regional director for Southeast Asia at Traffic, fears Asian wildlife have a bleak future.

The illegal wildlife trade, Shepherd says, is thriving. "It's not a pretty picture," he says, citing tigers as an example. "They're being absolutely hammered. We've lost so many tigers over the past couple of years. Anywhere there are tigers, there are people trying to kill them. Here in Southeast Asia, it's the meat and bones. It's something rare, something illegal; it's impressive if you eat it. It's worth a lot of money."

The trade is pervasive. Thai tiger farms have been nabbed illegally selling surplus cubs; tiger-bone glue, made from bones that have been boiled, dried and ground into a powder, is a popular medicine in Vietnam; Chinese tiger farms reportedly serve "king meat" and tiger-bone wine in on-site restaurants. Gosling says Vietnam, China, Thailand and probably Burma and Laos have tiger farms or tiger parks that foster the trade in body parts.

In Vietnam, environmentalists worry about the silence of the northern forests. A few years ago, Indonesian traders sent 25 tonnes of freshwater turtles to China each week, to be sold as food with medicinal properties. Now, conservationists say, there are too few remaining turtles to make the poaching worthwhile.

Police general Misakawan Buara, who commands a force of 470 staff at the Royal Thai Police division of natural resources and environment crime, has a fair idea who some of the big illegal wildlife traders are in Thailand, but he won't name names.

"I cannot tell you, I don't have proof. It's very hard to catch people like that. I suspect [them], but maybe I will lose [in court]." He knows trading and poaching has reached alarming levels across the nation. "If we keep going like this, some time soon in Thailand there will be no animals."

Go native and help spot a species!

Baudin's Black-Cockatoo.

Citizen scientists are being encouraged to keep an eye out for unusual species in their own backyard.


“But to get a really comprehensive view of living Australia we need the help of the public. We’re calling on Australians to re-engage with the natural world. We want them to report on their neighbours – not their human neighbours but on the plants and animals in their gardens, nature strips, paddocks and parks,” said Mr Donald Hobern, Director of the Atlas of Living Australia.

To see what’s living in your area go to http://biocache.ala.org.au/explore/your-area and take a look. Then click on share to contribute your own observations or photos.

“There are huge gaps in our knowledge of Australian biodiversity. The best estimate we have for the number of Australian species is 570,000, and nearly three quarters of these are unknown or undescribed,” said Dr Kevin Thiele, Director of the IdentifyLife component of the Atlas which provides a series of tools or keys to help people identify species.

“Everyone can help to build a better picture of Australia’s biodiversity by contributing sightings and photos to the Atlas website. Even a sighting of a common bird in your backyard, neighbourhood or paddock may increase our understanding of how that species is distributed across the country. The species may not have been recorded before in that location, or it may not have been recorded there for a long time or its distribution may be changing.” Mr Hobern explained.

“Australia has a fine tradition of amateurs and enthusiasts contributing to scientific understanding. Rica Erickson, one of the foremost amateur natural historians in the 1900s, wrote extensively on botany and birds and made a significant contribution to the Australian scientific knowledge-base.

“Now, with modern web-based technologies, enthusiasts can build and share information like never before, allowing us to better understand species and monitor changes in species distribution and the environment."

The Atlas of Living Australia is a national initiative focused on making Australia’s biodiversity information more accessible and useable online. It’s a partnership between the CSIRO; Australian museums, herbaria and other biological collections, the Australian Government, and local communities.

On the lookout for the Powerful Owl

The Powerful Owl (Ninox strenua), one of Australia's iconic birds, is currently listed as vulnerable in NSW with only 20-30 mating pairs in the Sydney region.

In response Birds Australia has put out a call to the general public to report sightings of the Powerful Owl. They are also giving people the opportunity to volunteer as trainer-observers and gather more detailed data.

A large cause of the birds’ vulnerable status is land clearing of their natural habitat. In recent times the owls have been known to live in fragmented habitats such as farms and suburban areas - a significant change from open forest and woodland areas where the birds' main nesting location is inside tree hollows, a perfect space for females to incubate eggs and brood their young.

The owl is the largest of Australia’s nocturnal birds: 50-60cm in size so when identifying the bird size is a definite factor to consider.

The owl is prevalent in eastern and south-eastern Australia, mainly on the eastern side of the Great Dividing Range, from south-eastern QLD to VIC.

The bird is a carnivore, commonly known to eat Ringtail Possums, Great Gliders and other tree-dwelling mammals, as well as rabbits and small marsupials. The bird catches prey with its feet.
Communication:

The bird can also be distinguished by its call: a deep, double hoot “woo-hoo”, with the males' call generally deeper than the females'.

The Powerful Owl mates for life and defends an all-purpose territory. Breeding season is April to September, so in this time period it will be much more likely to sight the male bird.

To report a sighting or volunteer as an observer, email: birdsinbackyards@birdsaustralia.com

Qld's Gulf Snapper faces a tough existence

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_snapping_turtle

The World Wildlife Fund says Australia's list of threatened species is growing by the year.
Michael Roache, the threatened species program manager with the WWF, says Australians should reflect on how vital many of these animals are to our ecosystems.
"There are more than 1,600 species listed by the Australian Government as threatened - that's too many," he said.
"Now unfortunately that number keeps rising.
"A lot of these species actually form integral parts of our ecosystem. More needs to be done."
Meanwhile, work is continuing to protect a threatened turtle that is confined to a north-west Queensland National Park.
Boodjamulla National Park ranger Lea Ezzy says there are various threats to the Gulf snapping turtle, but numbers seem to be stable.
"Very little is known about it even now - you know ,there is this endemic species that is found just here and nowhere else in the world.
"When you talk about threatened species and their public image, it is very easy to get caught up in those pandas and the bilbies.
"I am afraid the Gulf snapper is not quite as sexy yet."

Movie trailer for The Hunter released

Remember a while back we reported on the filming of The Hunter in Tasmania?

Well the film can't be too far away, with the trailer recently released (see below).

The story of The Hunter follows the deadly search for the fabled, and perhaps extinct, Tasmanian Tiger aka the Thylacine.

A mysterious man who is identified to the reader only as M assumes the identity of “Martin David, naturalist” and arrives at the filthy, disheveled house of depressed Lucy Armstrong, whose husband, Jarrah, a naturalist and bioethics expert, recently disappeared on the plateau. Lucy’s home becomes the base for M’s treks into the wilderness, ostensibly to study the habits of Tasmanian devils.

New fish discovered around Kermadec Islands

An expedition member with a giant 'sea hare'.

Three fish new to science are among those discovered by an Australian and New Zealand research team which returned recently from a successful expedition to the volcanic Kermadec Islands, 1000km northeast of New Zealand.

The three new species include a bright orange lotella cod; an ‘orange spot’ pipefish; and, a left-eyed flounder – all of which are just 10 cm long.

Three Australian Museum marine scientists are amongst the team which also recorded 12 species of fish that have never been documented anywhere in the New Zealand region before, and collected a further five fish species that are new records for the remote Kermadec Islands – New Zealand’s largest marine reserve.

Dr Penny Berents, Head of Natural Science Collections at the Australian Museum, said Australian Museum scientists are also expected to identify new marine invertebrate species among the thousands of specimens they have collected.

“Expeditions such as this are vitally important for gathering research specimens and data to improve our understanding of marine biodiversity and provide critical information for understanding and predicting the effects of climate change,” said Dr Berents.

Expedition leader & former Australian Museum scientist, Dr Tom Trnski, now with Auckland Museum, said the expedition was a resounding success.

“We really feel we have been working at the frontiers of marine research, both physically in the sense of working somewhere so remote, and also biologically in the sense of making new discoveries,” he said.

“Every day was exhilarating, as we never knew what we might find.”

While formal identifications will take many months, some of the creatures collected – such as the mysterious sea hares - have already created much interest.

Sea hares get the name ‘hare’ because - like rabbits - they are constantly munching their way through the small plants that grow on rocks.

Australian Museum Scientist, Dr Mandy Reid, said while most sea hares are generally no bigger than the palm of your hand, she found one that was the size of a football.

“They’re a real mystery because no one onboard the boat was a sea hare expert and we couldn’t find any of them in the books we had so we think they may well be a new species,” she said.

The research team - which included scientists from Auckland Museum, the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, the Australian Museum, and the NZ Department of Conservation - collected more than 4300 specimens on the three week expedition.

The specimens have been readied for shipment to the three participating museums where work will now begin in confirming the identity of all the fish and invertebrate material collected. A final report confirming all the expedition’s findings will be published next year.

The Australian Museum’s participation in the Kermadec expedition was funded by the Australian Museum Foundation.