Latest news with #Ngaro
ABC News
03-05-2025
- General
- ABC News
Feral goats damage ancient Aboriginal rock art on Whitsundays island
Ngaro elder Peter Pryor has seen the devastating impact of feral goats on ancient Aboriginal artwork his people created on a tropical north Queensland island. The paintings are in a cave at Nara Inlet on Hook Island, about 30 kilometres off Airlie Beach. Mr Pryor, who takes visitors on tours to the island, said the damage was the result of the feral animals rubbing along the cave walls. Peter Pryor is concerned about the damage. ( ABC Tropical North: Ollie Wykeham ) "It's not good, it really isn't," Mr Pryor said. "I'm just glad that there aren't elders still around to be able to see the damage that's happened there." Mr Pryor said the artworks were "very, very significant" to the Ngaro people. "[They've] been carbon dated at over 2,700 years old in the caves that we have in Nara Inlet," he said. Aboriginal artwork is painted in caves on Hook Island. ( Supplied: Tourism Whitsundays ) Goats are thought to have been introduced to the Whitsundays by settlers in the 1800s to provide food for shipwrecked sailors. Animal management programs have been in place on Hook Island with the help of traditional owners since the 1980s. Authorities have been trapping and shooting feral goats near the rock paintings since 2018. The most recent week-long operation finished on Friday. Nara walking trail leads to the cave. ( Supplied: Tourism & Events Queensland ) The Queensland Environment Department said a small but destructive population remained. Southern Great Barrier Reef principal ranger David Orgill said there had been some success with temporary measures put in place to preserve the cultural grounds. "We've set up cameras around some of the Aboriginal art sites where we've had to build electric fences to keep the goats from rubbing against them," he said. "We've definitely noticed less impact on the art." Goats rest in a cave on Hook Island. ( Supplied: Whitsunday Paradise Explorer ) Mr Orgill said aside from the damage to the cultural site, the goats also spread weeds and caused the loss of species on some islands. He said the ultimate goal was eradication but that could take "a good decade or more" because of the vegetation on Hook Island. "We've had success at a number of islands such as South Percy Island … [and] St Bees Island off Mackay," he said. "Hook Island's got a closed forest on it, so it doesn't have as much open grassland area or more open woodland like some of the other islands that we've managed goats on." Glimpse into Whitsunday history Archaeologists believe Hook Island was a refuge for the canoe-building Ngaro people as long as 9,000 years ago. Mr Pryor said the Ngaro community was sad to see cultural sites damaged on the uninhabited island, but welcomed the action being taken. "We're just happy that something's in place to help protect it and protect the whole island," he said. The ancient artwork attracts visitors to Hook Island. ( Supplied: Tourism & Events Queensland ) He said the cave paintings offered a glimpse into the lifestyle of his ancestors, particularly their hunting practices. "Almost all the paintings that are on the wall are done with an ochre which was mixed with whale blood," he said. He said clay painting techniques had been passed on to today's Ngaro people. "We do our ochre through the Whitsunday region with a white ochre that we use for ceremonial stuff that we do … dances and initiations, and so that white ochre is very important," he said. Hook Island is a popular spot with boaties and visitors. ( Supplied: Tourism Whitsundays )
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Yahoo
Push to eradicate unlikely invasive pests destroying Aussie tourist island: 'A threat'
Each year, tourists spend more than $1 billion visiting the Whitsundays, drawn to the region by its white beaches, tropical climate and, of course, the Great Barrier Reef. And while most visitors hope to find Nemo or spot a sea turtle, many may be surprised to discover an unlikely resident living on the islands – wild goats. The goats were introduced to dozens of islands in the region in the 1800s as a food source for shipwreck survivors, Queensland's Parks and Wildlife Service's Principal Ranger Dave Orgill told Yahoo News. 'Authorities at the time decided that they needed to increase the survivability for the crew and the passengers, so they started populating coastal islands with goats,' he explained. But the animals soon began causing serious destruction, becoming a threat to native flora and fauna and damaging ancient Aboriginal artwork. When Queensland Parks and Wildlife (QPWS) started protecting the islands, efforts were made to eradicate the goats. But Hook Island is one of the few remaining islands still plagued by the invasive species. Most of Hook Island's 58 square kilometres is covered in rainforest, making it difficult to locate the goats or provide an accurate estimate as to how many there actually are. Mr Orgill said the goats 'pose a threat' to Hook Island's biodiversity today. 'They spread weeds, they eat vegetation in their reach, they graze right down to the dirt… They can cause quite a change in natural vegetation, which then has impacts on various animal species as well because they don't have cover,' he said. 'With the rainfall you get in North Queensland, it results in erosion so it can take a long time to get recovery.' The goats are also damaging traditional cave art that is estimated to be thousands of years old. 'They rub their bodies along the walls, and the ochre art has been damaged,' Mr Orgill told Yahoo. Rangers are working with the traditional owners of the land, the Ngaro people, to protect the cultural sites by using electric fencing to keep the goats out of sacred areas. On Monday, QPWS launched a five-day 'feral animal control program' with shooters targeting the feral goats at southern Hook Island. During this time, the Curlew Beach campground will be closed and a maritime exclusion zone set up. Nara Inlet will be closed between 8am and 3pm during the operation, and visitors are being warned they may hear shooting and to stay clear. Mr Orgill said each year there is also a trap and euthanise program targeting the introduced species. 'Hook's just going to be so hard to achieve eradication, but that's still our goal,' he said. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
