>>Subject: Death of a Cassowary
>>Author: MURPHEY (INTERNET.MURPHEY) at SWIFTMAIL
>>Date: 14/11/96 02:55 AM
>>
>>
>>From: Laurella Desborough
>>
>>Can you provide further information about Cassowaries in your locale?
>>Are local dogs allowed to run free in nature reserves? Was this bird IN
>>a nature reserve? Do the the local people even care? Are any of these
>>birds kept by local aviculturists? Does this mean that there are no
>>more Cassowaries at all in Australia or just the Mt. Whitfield-Cairns
>>locale?
>>
>>What is being done to protect and preserve local rare species? I am
>>participating in a group working on invasive species, in this case it
>>would be the dogs; most of the time it is cats. Any information you can
>>provide would be of great assistance.
>>
>>Yours truly,
>>Laurella Desborough
>>
>>mm
>>
>>FAX 1(510) 372-0306
>>
from: "Chris Gladwin" <>
>to: (Myra Murphey)
>Subject: Re: Death of a Cassowary
>
>> Mount Whitfield is basically the hillside behind Cairns. It is a
>> National Park but not that great in size and not fenced. It is
>> difficult to see where Cairns ends and the park begins.
>>
>> I live in Sydney which is 2000km south of Cairns. Cassowaries occur
>> only in the tropical coastal belt between just south of Cairns all the
>> way up into Cape York.
>>
>> The local people (as well as most Australians would indeed know what a
>> Cassowary is). There are even road signs in the area warning
>> motorists to drive carefully because there are Cassowaries about.
>>
>> Although the report I quoted was in a newspaper I have subsequently
>> learnt more. The dogs were not feral (which can be a problem here),
>> they are owned by a person whose property lies on the edge of the
>> reserve. He lets his dogs run free. The bird was still alive when
>> found by a local. This person tried to help it but was also attacked
>> by the dogs. Fortunately (sic) that now means that the dogs are
>> classified as a danger to the public and the local police are
>> currently trying to have the dogs destroyed. The owner shows no
>> remorse and is fighting the police order.
>>
>> This story was quite a big news in the area because people are
>> concerned. Cassowaries are still extant. They are just no longer in
>> that area of isolated forest. They are still declining. They are
>> still suffering from habitat fragmentation. They are still hit by
>> cars and they are still (legally) hunted by aboriginees.
>>
>> I would like to forward your message to the Birding-Aus internet list
>> but the software that my employer uses prevents this and it also
>> "hides" your email address. Can I suugest that you resend your note
>> to I am sure there are people out there who
>> could supply you with much more data.
>>
>> Best regards,
>>
>> Chris Gladwin
>> Sydney, Australia
>>
>>
>>
>
|
