Dear Friends,
I hope you will all consider sending in a generous donation to the team trying
to make sure we don’t lose the Western Ground Parrot. It really is now or never
for this amazing bird. Please see the note below for some further details on
recent events.
Sincerely
Kai
> Begin forwarded message:
>
> From: Friends of the Western Ground Parrot <>
> Subject: Fwd: MailChimp Template Test - "trial (copy 02)"
> Date: 28 November 2015 3:11:15 pm AEDT
> To: Friends of the Western Ground Parrot <>
> Cc:
>
>
>
> Dear Friends and Supporters of the Western Ground Parrot,
>
> You are no doubt aware of the recent bushfires that have swept through the
> Esperance region. Sadly, Cape Arid National Park which is the home of the
> last known population of wild Western Ground Parrots was also affected.
> Cape Arid National Park
>
> 90% of the known occupied habitat Western Ground Parrot was burned, dealing
> the estimated 140 parrots surviving in the national park a devastating blow.
>
>
> photo credit: Jennene Riggs / Riggs Australia
> Staff from the Department of Parks and Wildlife and a group of volunteers
> including myself were in Cape Arid National Park trying to assess what
> impact the fires that were started by lightning in October have had on the
> Western Ground Parrot population. The field team was pleased with the number
> of calls heard during surveys and decided to go ahead with the proposed
> capture of additional birds to bolster the number of parrots kept at Perth
> Zoo for the captive breeding trial.
>
> However, before our tasks were completed, lightning set the Esperance region
> ablaze again. Our team was forced to abandon the capture work and had to
> evacuate when fire broke out at the eastern end of the national park heading
> our way. We had just succeeded in capturing a male and a female Western
> Ground Parrot which have since safely arrived at Perth Zoo.
>
>
> Juvenile Western Ground Parrot just after capture - photo credit Alan Danks
>
> The fate of the remaining Western Ground Parrots is unknown. At this stage it
> is impossible to determine how many birds have survived the fires. The
> situation is grim to say the least.
>
> However, given the fact that Western Ground Parrots succeeded in
> re-establishing a population in Cape Arid National Park after severe
> bushfires destroyed large areas of the park more than a decade earlier, we
> remain hopeful.
>
> Any parrots that have managed to get away from the fire need to be found, so
> feral predator control can be undertaken to give them a better chance of
> survival. We believe it is also essential to determine if any Western Ground
> Parrots remain in Fitzgerald River National Park which has not been impacted
> by recent fires. Even though surveys carried out during the past three years
> failed to locate any birds, there are still large tracts of potential
> suitable Western Ground Parrot habitat which due to the lack of manpower has
> not been surveyed.
>
> Without sounding alarmist, this is the worst situation the Western Ground
> Parrot has ever found itself in. It is up to us now to make sure we don't
> loose this species.
>
> We have set up a campaign to raise funds for the Western Ground Parrot
> recovery project in the aftermath of the devastating bushfires. Please don't
> let the Western Ground Parrot be the forgotten victim of the Esperance
> bushfires.
>
> You can help by supporting our campaign either through a donation or by
> sharing the news about the uphill battle the Western Ground Parrot now faces
> to stay one step ahead of extinction.
>
> If you want to make a donation, you can
> send a cheque made out to the Western Ground Parrot Rescue Fund
> make a direct deposit into the Western Ground Parrot Rescue Fund
> Westpac, Albany branch
> BSB: 036-168 A/C: 317989
> or use your credit card by clicking on the donate button below. You will be
> taken to the page we have set up for the fundraising campaign.
> Please donate
> <https://www.justgiving.com/Friends-of-the-Western-Ground-Parrot>
>
> I sincerely hope that you share my passion for this enigmatic parrot from the
> heathlands of the South Coast of Western Australia and count on your support
> to save it.
>
> Kind regards,
>
> Dave Taylor
> Chairman
>
> Friends of the Western Ground Parrot
>
> Our mailing address is:
> PO Box 5613, Albany, WA 6332
>
> e-mail: <>
>
> <https://www.facebook.com/pages/Friends-of-the-Western-Ground-Parrot/283796521652371>
> <http://www.twitter.com/>
> <http://www.western-ground-parrot.org.au/>
>
>
>
>
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