For those that fear coming to Australia!

[monkeysarefun]

It's estimated that pet and feral cats kill 1.7 billion animals, mainly natives, in Australia each year - more than were killed in the disastrous 2019/2020 bushfires.

https://www.anu.edu.au/news/all-news/cats-kill-more-than-15-billion-native-animals-per-year

[billbedford]

2 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

It's estimated that pet and feral cats kill 1.7 billion animals, mainly natives, in Australia each year - more than were killed in the disastrous 2019/2020 bushfires.

https://www.anu.edu.au/news/all-news/cats-kill-more-than-15-billion-native-animals-per-year

 

... and thus have replaced many native predators.

[monkeysarefun]

53 minutes ago, billbedford said:

 

... and thus have replaced many native predators.

I can't think of any native predators, maybe the dingo and the crocodile, neither of which would have made anywhere near the damage to our wildlife that the cat and Fox have done.

None of our wildlife was equipped to defend itself against mid sized predators and many species such as numbats, kangaroo mice, bandicoots, possums and ground dwelling birds have vanished from large areas of the maiinland due to hunting by these introduced species.

[kevinlms]

46 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

I can't think of any native predators, maybe the dingo and the crocodile, neither of which would have made anywhere near the damage to our wildlife that the cat and Fox have done.

None of our wildlife was equipped to defend itself against mid sized predators and many species such as numbats, kangaroo mice, bandicoots, possums and ground dwelling birds have vanished from large areas of the maiinland due to hunting by these introduced species.

Don't forget all those introduced pests, such as cane toads, deer, camels, feral pigs, horses, foxes and they are just the animals.

Equally disruptive are endless plants introduced by white man, such as blackberries, any number of South American/African plants, which are in plague proportions, mainly because they have no natural enemies.

Add in insects, such as European Wasps, where the winter never gets cold enough to limit the growth, so they end up bigger and nastier than the originals.

 

Stands of willow trees can spread along river banks for many kilometres, destroying the environment.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2011/01/13/3112049.htm

[billbedford]

2 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

None of our wildlife was equipped to defend itself against mid sized predators and many species such as numbats, kangaroo mice, bandicoots, possums and ground dwelling birds have vanished from large areas of the maiinland due to hunting by these introduced species.

 

If you want me to believe the Australia was some sort of mammalian Utopia where small furry animals all died of old age, well, I'm not going to. Nature just doesn't work that way. 

 

I've heard similar arguments from people referring in UK wildlife, and they all overlook the fact that, for instance, mustelids, corvids and raptors were all persecuted relentlessly by gamekeepers and farmers. 

[Michael Hodgson]

Maybe you need bigger cats 

[monkeysarefun]

4 hours ago, billbedford said:

 

If you want me to believe the Australia was some sort of mammalian Utopia where small furry animals all died of old age, well, I'm not going to. Nature just doesn't work that way. 

 

I've heard similar arguments from people referring in UK wildlife, and they all overlook the fact that, for instance, mustelids, corvids and raptors were all persecuted relentlessly by gamekeepers and farmers. 

 

 

Prior to European settlement mainland  Australian carnivorous wildlife comprised the dingo, the crocodile, the quoll and a variety of smaller mammals, mouse sized or less.

 

Post European settlement 10% of our native species have become extinct due to the introduction of the cat, the fox, the rat and other species both animal and bird  that compete with the natives for food, nesting spaces and territory. Over a billion native creatures are wiped out each year due to the feral and domestic cat alone. That isn't an argument, it is just the way it is.

 

I wasn't portraying Australia as anything but a country that has been very adversely affected by the introduction of invasive feral species.

[boxbrownie]

1 hour ago, Michael Hodgson said:

Maybe you need bigger cats 

True, they have Crocs....what’s a few Tigers going to do?

[Ozexpatriate]

1 hour ago, monkeysarefun said:

Prior to European settlement mainland  Australian carnivorous wildlife comprised the dingo, the crocodile, the quoll and a variety of smaller mammals, mouse sized or less.

And the Tasmanian Devil - recently reintroduced to the mainland and breeding in the wild.

 

More historically there was the Thylacine (Tasmanian Tiger). Don't rule out the Cassowary either. While birds (with a nasty streak) they will eat small animals.

[Gwiwer]

1 hour ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Don't rule out the Cassowary either.

I will never rule out the cassowary.  The Southern Cassowary, one of three extant species and the only one in Australia, is reckoned to be down to around 1500 - 1700 single birds in the wild and a few hundred in captivity.  The Australian population was significantly reduced in 2011 when Cyclone Yasi either killed outright or destroyed habitat resulting in the death of around 200 birds or 10% of the then population.  

 

I was quietly strolling through the FNQ rainforest town of Kuranda minding my own business when there was a slight noise behind me on an otherwise quiet street.  I turned to find two cassowaries following me at a distance of about 10 metres.  Rather than risk being kicked or gouged I took a couple of hasty photos to prove to the unbelievers that I had the encounter and carried on my way.  Much as you do with most wildlife in fact; leave it alone and carry on and it leaves you alone.  Usually.  

[Michael Hodgson]

4 hours ago, boxbrownie said:

True, they have Crocs....what’s a few Tigers going to do?

Suffer from indigestion by the sound of it, without even needing to eat any blokes with corks hanging off their hats.

[SRman]

5 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

I will never rule out the cassowary.  The Southern Cassowary, one of three extant species and the only one in Australia, is reckoned to be down to around 1500 - 1700 single birds in the wild and a few hundred in captivity.  The Australian population was significantly reduced in 2011 when Cyclone Yasi either killed outright or destroyed habitat resulting in the death of around 200 birds or 10% of the then population.  

 

I was quietly strolling through the FNQ rainforest town of Kuranda minding my own business when there was a slight noise behind me on an otherwise quiet street.  I turned to find two cassowaries following me at a distance of about 10 metres.  Rather than risk being kicked or gouged I took a couple of hasty photos to prove to the unbelievers that I had the encounter and carried on my way.  Much as you do with most wildlife in fact; leave it alone and carry on and it leaves you alone.  Usually.  

 

That reminds me of a funny story from my younger years. We had a family friend with a 10 year old son - we'll refer to him as L. We were on a joint picnic beside a very quiet country road in Central Queensland, when a couple of emus appeared at some distance down the road. L decided he wanted a photo, so walked slowly towards the emus. Emus are curious birds, so these two started towards L, who was still at a good, safe distance from them. L tried to maintain that safe distance so backed away, pointing his camera at the birds and trying to get a steady shot while still walking backwards. Of cousre, not looking where he was going, he backed himself over a log at the side of the road, and went backwards into a water-filled ditch.

Luckily L wasn't hurt, and saw the funny side himself, and joined in with the laughter.

He did get one photo: it was of an emu head looking straight down at him while he was on his back, with a perfect sky background.   

[PatB]

8 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

 Don't rule out the Cassowary either. While birds (with a nasty streak) they will eat small animals.

 

And missionaries, if Spike Milligan is to be believed.

[Gwiwer]

6 hours ago, SRman said:

a funny story from my younger years. We had a family friend with a 10 year old son

Brother-in-Law came out to Oz on a work-related trip. In his 30s he was already very well travelled working as he did for Amex Travel.  He first visited a couple of FNQ hotels before coming south to Victoria for a holiday with us. 
 

Keen to meet some native wildlife we took him to Tower Hill. Inside an extinct volcano there is a reserve within which it is reliably possible to find some locals. 
 

As we parked we spotted a koala asleep in the tree above. Score 1. We strolled up a bush track and a couple of swamp wallabies hopped away. Score 2.  
 

Farther up the track there was a rustle beside us. An echidna shuffled across the path. BiL started, yelped and jumped back!  Scared of the Australian Giant Hedgehog???  After six months in Cambodia and having engaged in places with tigers, orang-utans and bears. 
 

We walked back to the car and I was slightly ahead of BiL who was busy with his camera. Suddenly there was a shriek of “What the f*** is THAT???”  He was almost face to face with a fully-grown and not very happy emu. 
 

Emu grunted to say “Get orf my land” and BiL froze. 
 

Once we got him back to the car he admitted that he thought an emu was the size of Rod Hull’s puppet   and nowhere near his own height. 
 

He hasn’t lived down running away from an echidna only to have an underwear-changing moment face-to-face with emu. 
 

[boxbrownie]

12 hours ago, Michael Hodgson said:

Suffer from indigestion by the sound of it, without even needing to eat any blokes with corks hanging off their hats.

That’s what makes them so angry all the time......the Tigers, not the blokes with corked hats.

[Ozexpatriate]

On 29/05/2021 at 00:55, Gwiwer said:

He was almost face to face with a fully-grown and not very happy emu. 
 

Emu grunted to say “Get orf my land” and BiL froze.

When quite young and visiting a wildlife park my brother (well under ten years old at the time) was holding a sandwich on the other side of a fence from an emu. Not for long. The sandwich was gone in one gulp.

[Ozexpatriate]

As if the snakes aren't bad enough at home:

 

Qantas staff use 'wheel whackers'* to scare off rattlesnakes drawn to A380s parked in California desert

 

I wonder how often the staff make the inevitable (NSFW) Samuel L. Jackson quote?

 

* Literal "Wheel tappers". (Howzat for "on topic"?)

 

[hmrspaul]

On 28/05/2021 at 19:45, Ozexpatriate said:

And the Tasmanian Devil - recently reintroduced to the mainland and breeding in the wild.

 

 

Having seen a pair of Tassys at feeding time in a zoo I suspect this may be a mistake. Who needs Lions and Tigers? They are brutal, cute but brutal. 

 

Paul

[monkeysarefun]

And the noise they make is phenomenal. We stayed in a cabin in Freycinet National Park on the east coast of Tassie and a couple got under the raised floor. Don't know if they were fighting or rooting but jeez it kept us awake. 

 

Like this 'cept their were at least 2- 

 

Edited June 3, 2021 by monkeysarefun

[kevinlms]

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/deer-on-the-loose-in-the-locked-down-streets-of-fitzroy-20210605-p57ydc.html

 

An imported pest species - there are many 1000s in Australia now.

A friend of mine has had 2 cars written off after hitting them.

[PhilJ W]

We have Muntjac deer that were originally imported from India. Although they are only about the size of a large dog they can cause a lot of damage if hit by a car.

[manna]

G'Day Folks

 

 

[monkeysarefun]

Might have to break them out - looks like its started snowing up the road from here.

 

http://www.katoomba.skycam.net.au/

[Ozexpatriate]

If the sharks, crocodiles or sea snakes don't get you, the whales will.

 

Teenager in critical condition after breaching whale lands on fishing boat (off Narooma, NSW).

[St Enodoc]

6 hours ago, manna said:

G'Day Folks

 

 

Yes, only 4 degrees this morning at our place. Today is claimed to be the coldest Sydney day for 25 years.

 

4 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

Might have to break them out - looks like its started snowing up the road from here.

 

http://www.katoomba.skycam.net.au/

and white is the new orange...