Latest news with #AWC
Miami Herald
30-05-2025
- General
- Miami Herald
‘Pint-sized' predator declared locally extinct in Australia. It's making comeback
Just before sundown in the Scotia Wildlife Sanctuary of Australia, smoke filled the sky. Representatives of the Barkindji people were conducting a smoking ceremony to prepare the sanctuary for the milestone return of a fearsome predator — 93 'pint-sized' phascogales. Red-tailed phascogales, known locally as bulku in the Barkindji language, are tiny carnivorous marsupials that have been considered locally extinct in New South Wales since 2016, according to a May 29 news release from the Australian Wildlife Conservancy. Driven to extinction in the region by the introduction of invasive species like cats and foxes, the phascogales have been kept alive through captive breeding programs, according to the conservancy. The last phascogale seen in the Scotia Wildlife Sanctuary was recorded in 1866, the organization said, but that just changed. A total of 56 females and 37 males have now been reintroduced into the wild from a breeding program at the Adelaide Zoo, following health checks, the conservancy said. The bulku were packed into cars and driven seven hours from the zoo to the sanctuary, where they were met by local representatives, according to the release. 'According to AWC ecologists and Adelaide zookeepers, most of the phascogales slept soundly throughout the journey,' the conservancy said. Once the animals arrived, they 'were awoken shortly after sundown, and one-by-one they were released into AWC's Scotia Wildlife Sanctuary's (19,768-acre) feral predator-free fenced area — one of the largest feral-free areas on mainland Australia.' About a third of the animals, 26, were collared with tracking transmitters before their release, allowing wildlife officials to track their movements and how well they survive in the first six to eight weeks in the wild. 'Arriving in May, means the Red-tailed phascogales will be settled and ready to start mating during the July breeding season,' AWC ecologist Rachel Ladd said in the release. 'We're expecting to see some juveniles running around in the second half of the year, unfortunately though, as a Dasyuridae species, this also means all of the males will drop off from the stress of breeding activities.' In a unique breeding strategy, males of the species die immediately after the breeding cycle, the conservancy said. Research suggests the die-off, called semelparity, is caused by a combination of stressors from the physiological changes during mating season that leads to gastrointestinal ulcers, immune suppression, infections and death, according to Bush Heritage Australia. If all goes to plan, wildlife officials said there could be as many as 1,400 phascogales living in the wild of the sanctuary in the next decade, according to the release. Bulku are nocturnal and typically live in trees, but can move along the ground during the day when looking for something to eat, according to Bush Heritage Australia. They eat insects, spiders and even small birds. They are incredibly small, measuring about 4 inches long and weighing about the same as a chicken egg, according to Bush Heritage Australia. They are also capable of jumping significant distances from tree to tree, more than 6 feet in a single leap. 'It's incredibly rewarding to see red-tailed phascogales back in the wild in Scotia after more than a century,' Mark Smith, the conservation manager at Zoos South Australia, said in the release. 'This release is the culmination of years of dedicated work by the Zoos SA team to breed this remarkable species for conservation. Working with the AWC has allowed us to take that next vital step — moving animals from behind-the-scenes care into wild landscapes where they belong.' Scotia Wildlife Sanctuary is in western New South Wales in southeastern Australia, about a 330-mile drive northeast from Adelaide.
West Australian
30-05-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Kare Kits donation drive for Albany Women's Centre more important than ever thanks to cost of living
Cost of living increases and an uptick of women fleeing family violence means the donation drive to stock Albany's women's refuge with basic toiletries and clothing is more important than ever, organisers say. Albany Soroptomists and Anglicare WA are asking the community to give all they can to the 2025 Kare Kits Donation Drive to provide women and children housed at Albany Women's Centre with practical items to help them while they get back on their feet. AWC manager Joanna Fictoor said the drive, running from May to June, was more important than ever this year given the increase in women and children of all ages living at the crisis accommodation facility. 'With the housing and cost-of-living crisis, there is a significant increase in families living together,' she said. 'We are seeing three generations of families present for accommodation. 'The centre continues to operate at capacity, providing support and accommodation to 80 women and children, on average, every six months.' Now in its ninth year, the drive collects items for the drawstring bags that each woman at the centre can receive, containing essentials like shampoo, toothbrushes and clothing. Albany Soroptimists project co-ordinator Janet McArtney said people could support the drive in myriad ways. 'Financial donations or vouchers/cards for department stores and supermarkets are most practical as they can be used to buy school uniforms, general clothing, and shoes to fit the family in need or help to purchase furniture and whitegoods for women ready to move into permanent accommodation,' she said. 'We also need donations of boys' and girls' clothing in new condition and school items such as backpacks, lunchboxes, drink bottles and pencil cases filled with stationery. 'Full-sized toiletry items such as shampoo, conditioner, body wash and deodorant are also welcome.' 'Most pharmacies in Albany have gratefully shown their support for the donation drive by committing to donate excess stock throughout the six-week fundraiser.' Donations are collected from more than 45 businesses, schools and organisations across the Great Southern. Charmaine Trundle, from Albany real estate agency Wellington and Reeves, said she and her colleagues participated as a collection point every year and could see the need through their work. 'A lot of our teams see people first-hand, doing it tough, especially our property managers dealing with renters,' she said. 'So just that little thing of being able to give something that shows them the community cares and they're not alone and just left to their own devices is really the main thing.' Collection point locations and a portal for tax-deductible monetary donations can be found at .
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Rare Aussie creatures photographed coming to surface for 'super cool' battle
Rare images show ordinarily shy marsupials engaging in a fierce battle in the early morning hours. While it's common to see kangaroos boxing each other, there's a reason we don't often see greater bilbies engaging in the same behaviour. There aren't many of them. The pictures were taken at a predator-proof sanctuary created by Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC), which keeps small mammals safe from invasive cats and foxes. Dr Alexandra Ross, an ecologist who studies greater bilby behaviour, said the animals are so sparsely populated, it's uncommon to see two together. 'I find it exciting to have two in one shot, and then to have them fighting is super cool… they're showing a behaviour that would be normal, but we don't see it because they're so rare,' she told Yahoo News. Bilbies can share ranges and warrens, but large numbers don't live together, and they are known to be territorial. At least one of the bilbies is a male, and so Ross and the AWC team believe the images may capture a territorial dispute. 'The greater bilby used to cover around 80 per cent of Australia, but its range has declined by 80 per cent. They're super rare, but they're not supposed to be. They're supposed to be a common species,' she said. Before Europeans arrived in Australia, it would have been common to hear the sounds of greater bilbies throughout Central Australia, extending across to Adelaide and Perth. Today, their range is limited to isolated pockets of Western Australia and the Northern Territory. 'These two bilbies fighting should be a common sight outside your bedroom window, but we have to go to all this effort now so they can exist,' Ross said. 📸 Sad story behind viral image highlights Australia's invasive species crisis 😳 Grim discovery in abandoned fishing trap near popular track 🌏 Air crew makes exciting 'once-in-a-lifetime' discovery in outback The footage was taken in the Northern Territory at Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary, a 261,501 hectare property that's home to 14 species threatened with extinction. Because native marsupials evolved without any evolutionary recognition of cats or foxes, in the wild, those that can't quickly learn are quickly killed. Inside the sanctuary, there is some evidence that their wary behaviour changes because they don't have to be on the lookout for introduced predators. 'Once you've got the cats and foxes out, you can bring back the native species that used to be in the area, and then they do spectacularly well. 'They're meant to be here, so as soon as you give them a chance, they do great.' Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
Sydney Morning Herald
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
The koala has crashed the party – and London's elite are paying attention
In the process, he is fostering a new form of 'koala diplomacy'. His event, which brings together prominent figures from Britain and Australia, is a reminder of how cultural ties can be leveraged to drive change. 'There was a real opportunity here to raise awareness for Australia's threatened wildlife, many of which people in the UK may not know about,' Hoddle says. 'I just don't think Australia was doing enough to take advantage of the obvious soft-power advantage it has here for causes like this.' This year's gala, which attracted 275 guests, was held at London's Merchant Taylors' Hall. Inside the 800-year-old venue – where King Henry VIII once feasted and Winston Churchill dined – a glittering crowd of British aristocrats, Australian expats and diplomatic heavyweights raised glasses of Clare Valley Riesling in honour of a small, sleepy marsupial some had never seen outside a zoo. Notable attendees included author Kathy Lette, socialite Lady Colin Campbell, and former Australian high commissioner to the UK George Brandis and his date, former British prime minister Liz Truss. The evening's entertainment featured Australian Amy Dickson, acknowledged by BBC Music Magazine as one of the world's best classical saxophonists to date. She performed a meditative piece inspired by the sounds of the Australian bush. Last year's event was featured in the pages of Tatler, a prestigious British society magazine renowned for its coverage of the upper echelons of high society, targeting affluent, influential individuals interested in fashion, culture, philanthropy and the arts. It will again feature in the July issue. The funds raised will support the AWC's efforts at Waulinbakh Wildlife Sanctuary, a vital koala habitat in NSW. AWC, founded by the late British businessman and philanthropist Martin Copley in 1991 and boasting King Charles III as its patron, is the largest private conservation organisation in Australia, managing more than 12.9 million hectares of land across 33 sanctuaries. Its science-led approach to conservation includes habitat restoration, feral predator control and Indigenous partnerships, with a focus on reversing the decline of species such as the koala. In just two years, the Koala Gala has more than doubled its guest list from the previous year. Hoddle hopes to continue expanding the event, ultimately building it into a high-profile celebration of Australian wildlife akin to Tusk's African gala. 'We want to take it even further,' Hoddle says. 'It's not just about raising money; it's about creating a global conversation about Australia's biodiversity crisis. The koala is just the start – there's so much more to protect. 'I really have a vision where members of the royal family – who care so much about Australia, biodiversity and protecting endangered species – are the guests of honour.' Koalas, which are often considered the face of Australian wildlife, are a flagship species for AWC. Their habitat is critical not only for their survival but also for myriad other species that share the same environment. Loading 'While koalas are the focus, they represent so much more,' says Elizabeth Crotty, head of development for Australian Wildlife Conservancy UK. 'Protecting their habitat means safeguarding the future of many other species.'
The Age
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
The koala has crashed the party – and London's elite are paying attention
In the process, he is fostering a new form of 'koala diplomacy'. His event, which brings together prominent figures from Britain and Australia, is a reminder of how cultural ties can be leveraged to drive change. 'There was a real opportunity here to raise awareness for Australia's threatened wildlife, many of which people in the UK may not know about,' Hoddle says. 'I just don't think Australia was doing enough to take advantage of the obvious soft-power advantage it has here for causes like this.' This year's gala, which attracted 275 guests, was held at London's Merchant Taylors' Hall. Inside the 800-year-old venue – where King Henry VIII once feasted and Winston Churchill dined – a glittering crowd of British aristocrats, Australian expats and diplomatic heavyweights raised glasses of Clare Valley Riesling in honour of a small, sleepy marsupial some had never seen outside a zoo. Notable attendees included author Kathy Lette, socialite Lady Colin Campbell, and former Australian high commissioner to the UK George Brandis and his date, former British prime minister Liz Truss. The evening's entertainment featured Australian Amy Dickson, acknowledged by BBC Music Magazine as one of the world's best classical saxophonists to date. She performed a meditative piece inspired by the sounds of the Australian bush. Last year's event was featured in the pages of Tatler, a prestigious British society magazine renowned for its coverage of the upper echelons of high society, targeting affluent, influential individuals interested in fashion, culture, philanthropy and the arts. It will again feature in the July issue. The funds raised will support the AWC's efforts at Waulinbakh Wildlife Sanctuary, a vital koala habitat in NSW. AWC, founded by the late British businessman and philanthropist Martin Copley in 1991 and boasting King Charles III as its patron, is the largest private conservation organisation in Australia, managing more than 12.9 million hectares of land across 33 sanctuaries. Its science-led approach to conservation includes habitat restoration, feral predator control and Indigenous partnerships, with a focus on reversing the decline of species such as the koala. In just two years, the Koala Gala has more than doubled its guest list from the previous year. Hoddle hopes to continue expanding the event, ultimately building it into a high-profile celebration of Australian wildlife akin to Tusk's African gala. 'We want to take it even further,' Hoddle says. 'It's not just about raising money; it's about creating a global conversation about Australia's biodiversity crisis. The koala is just the start – there's so much more to protect. 'I really have a vision where members of the royal family – who care so much about Australia, biodiversity and protecting endangered species – are the guests of honour.' Koalas, which are often considered the face of Australian wildlife, are a flagship species for AWC. Their habitat is critical not only for their survival but also for myriad other species that share the same environment. Loading 'While koalas are the focus, they represent so much more,' says Elizabeth Crotty, head of development for Australian Wildlife Conservancy UK. 'Protecting their habitat means safeguarding the future of many other species.'
