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Tasmania

Species Spotlight: Tasmanian Tree Frogs

Did you know that we have frogs at Bonorong?!

Well Fronk, Freddo, Kermit, Gronk and Charlie are five very special frogs that call Bonorong home!

These little guys are 'Tasmanian Tree Frogs', but unfortunately they are in quite a bit of trouble, just like many other frog species around the world. Amphibian populations in Tasmania are at risk from the spread of a fungal infection called chytridiomycosis (or chytrid for short), which is responsible for the extinction and population declines of hundreds of species all around the planet.

The beautiful Tasmanian Tree Frog lives predominantly in the South West Wilderness World Heritage Area and while this is one of the most secluded places in the world, chytrid has already been found in the region. With very low population numbers reported for the Tasmanian Tree Frog in general, it is feared that the species could be heavily and quickly impacted if infected by chytrid. Worryingly, trials have shown that this species is more susceptible to chytrid infection than many other frogs around the world.

This situation means that maintaining a captive insurance population and attempting to breed the species has taken on a new urgency. In partnership with the Tasmanian Government, and with support from NRM South through funding from the Australian Governments National Landcare Programme, Bonorong has already begun this pioneering work for the first time in captivity.

We have set up a quarantine facility on site at Bonorong to try and establish a breeding program and help save the species. So little is known about Tasmanian Tree Frogs that the research being undertaken is essential if management and conservation measures are to be effective. Check out the below flyer for some easy steps to help reduce your impact on frogs & the environment.

Bonorong in Winter - Let there be snow

Tasmania has had a number of record low snow falls over the month of August, which has certainly proved to send most of the locals into a snow frenzy!

Social media literally had a 'white-out' and the snow has also caused many road and school closures over the past few weeks, particularly in southern Tas (which also meant staff not being able to get to work!).

Hobart actually had its largest dumping of snow in almost 30 years! The snow on one occasion reached sea level, so our capital was deemed 'Snowbart' for the day. This very rare occurrence of the snow being at such a low level meant that Bonorong became a winter wonderland, which really was an incredible sight to see!

For all the current permanent residents that call the Sanctuary home this was the first time they had ever experienced snow and it was amazing to watch how the animals reacted!

We had a mob of very grumpy & cold kangaroos that were EXTRA keen for their breakfast! We had a wombat that started running around biting the snow and then doing crazy flips in excitement because she couldn't figure out what was going on!

The devils were very unsure and lifted their paws to try and figure out what the weird substance was that we had put in their enclosures! The emus were busily pecking at the snow and then decided to eat the snowman that the keepers built....yes only emus would do this! And there was no sign of our clever echidna 'Randall' who stayed hidden away underground.

But the main animals that seemed to react in the strangest fashion were the humans...yep the keepers went a bit silly! ...There were snowball fights, Christmas carols, dancing and even some attempt at tobogganing on the hill side!

Needless to say it has just reassured us what an amazing place Tasmania is to call home and for all our guests that had the privilege of seeing the Sanctuary in this magical setting we hope that there will be more snow next year!

Do you want to be a wildlife keeper?

Well, did you know that here at Bonorong we run an internship program where you can learn to do just this?!

That's right! We run a 12 week course that is jam-packed full of everything you need to know to kick start your career in the animal industry!!

It is a nationally-recognised training program & run in conjunction with Tas TAFE. Successful participants will acquire their Certificate II in Animal Studies upon completion of the course.

So can you imagine our beautiful Sanctuary as your classroom?! (It's a pretty cool thought, we know!)

If this is something that sounds interesting to you then please send us an email - info@bonorong.com.au - and we can send you our info pack with more information. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

In the rescue spirit!

It’s been a very busy few months of wildlife rescues and we want to say a big THANK YOU to all of our volunteers for pulling out all stops to get those critters in need to help. We are constantly amazed by how patient, committed and generous you bunch are and we’re truly thankful to you all for making the rescue program possible.

As a lovely reward for all the work staff and volunteers put into making the Rescue Program work, Bonorong has been nominated for a UNAA World Environment Day Award. Winners are announced at a ceremony in Melbourne on June 5th so watch this space for more news!

To illustrate the work that makes the Rescue Program so special, we would like to share a video and below write up sent to us from one of our rescuers. We hope you enjoy it as much as we all did!

"Last Friday afternoon, after work, I travelled to Blackmans Bay to see if I could capture a kelp gull, tangled in fishing tackle, that had been eluding capture for quite some time. Seeing that she was still too mobile for straightforward capture, and not having a net, I used some bread from a local cafe to attempt to lure the bird. She had a squid jig snagged under one wing, and the fishing line wrapped tightly around both legs. I crawled, crept and walked after her as she was able to hop up and flap a couple of times to stay out of reach, over and over again. Hands and knees, knees and elbows, commando crawl for over 45 minutes. That's three quarters of an hour. It felt like 10 minutes. The gull eventually tired enough that I was able to quickly lunge, gently pin her down and pick her up, and walk to the car, bird under arm, honking angrily, amidst strange looks and concerned questions from numerous passers by. I drove to AHVEC with the gull scrabbling and rattling in the plastic crate which left me in little doubt that she was still spirited enough! The amazing staff at AHVEC used a bit of gas to subdue the bird, remove the fishing line and squid jig, and pronounced the bird fit for release that evening.

Releasing the gull back at Blackmans Bay was one of the most uplifting experiences I have ever had. Watch the video and you can imagine her thinking "Ooh! Wings! Wings! I can move my wings! Yep, full movement!" To make sure she was OK, I approached her, and she took flight. And kept flying, much further than necessary. I hope she's still OK, and that the swelling in her legs has subsided, and that the remnants of the wound under her wing has healed fully.

Many thanks for Greg and staff for providing the opportunities to interact with our wildlife like this. This was a happy ending, but certainly no more important than the many calls requiring injured marsupials, for example, to be transported for euthanasia.

I also learned that patience is a virtue, and to not give up on a rescue to soon.

I will remember this experience for the rest of my life, and am more keen now to continue to take on the challenges that arrive daily on my phone".  

Click here to watch the video link of the release.

Photo credit to Dr Eric Woehler

Farewell Miss Simpson

The day had finally come for one of our long term rehab patients to be released!

This was a rather special patient, a Snares Crested Penguin as a matter or fact, who was found on a beach in southern Tasmania badly injured a number of months ago. Her wounds were deep and were suspected to have been caused by a dog attack. She was very lucky to have been found in time and taken to a specialist vet for surgery. Once the surgery was done she was transferred to a wildlife carer whose expertise is in seabird rehabilitation. This wonderful carer looked after the penguin for the first 8 weeks (often the hardest, particularly with a bird so susceptible to infection).

Thanks to this carer the penguin was able to be transferred to Bonorong when it was deemed necessary for the bird to have access to a lager salt water swimming pool and stayed with us for the remainder of her time in rehabilitation.

Because of the nature of the penguin's wounds her feathers and skin were very traumatised and we had to wait for her to 'moult' before she could be released. Moult is the process that penguins will go through once a year to grow a new set of feathers that keep them waterproof. Penguins will usually go through their moult between the months of February to April and the process can take up to three weeks. Penguins are very vulnerable while they are moulting as the are not waterproof and must remain on land. Before going into the moult penguins will literally double their body weight, this is to survive the time they have to stay on land not being able to feed.

The penguin luckily went through a perfect moult and was given the all okay to be released! This was incredibly exciting news for all of the staff and everyone that had been involved in her long rehabilitation process.

On the day of the release, thirteen of the staff had extremely early starts to get to the release site by dawn, and with perfect weather conditions & a stunning sunrise everything came together just as we had hoped!

This photo below captures a magical moment of a perfect release and we wish 'Miss Simpson' (as she was affectionately known) a wonderful, long & happy life

Thank you to everyone that was involved in helping this penguin make a wonderful recovery, it is the amazing success stories like this that keep us all inspired to do so much more!

There is also this link to a short clip that we put together of the release, enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogv2WnhoCuM&feature=share

Are you killing the ducks with kindness?

Everyone loves ducks, well most people do anyway! And what do people like more then ducks? They love feeding ducks!! And how couldn't you when they are as cute as this little fellow?! But could you actually be killing them with kindness? Have a read of this great article put together by our Head Keeper Jason to re-think the duck feeding scene. "The feeding of ducks, in particular human foods like bread, can cause serious health and behavioural issues in individual birds. Bread does not provide ducks with the correct vitamins and nutrients that they require, but instead overloads them full of carbohydrates, proteins and salts. As a result ducks tend not to forage for their natural food, and often die at a younger age. The over-loading of carbs and proteins in younger ducks can lead to a condition known as "angel wing," where the wrist joints become distorted, resulting in permanent wing damage, loss of flight capabilities and therefore an early death, due to predators or not being able to feed correctly or migrate when food runs out in an area.

In addition to these impacts, old, stale, mouldy bread can harbour fungal spores. Ducks are susceptible to a condition called aspergillosis, which is caused by the build-up of fungal spores due to a suppressed immune system, which is most commonly caused by poor nutrition in wild ducks. Aspergillosis is fatal and can be spread to other birds, especially if it enters waterways. The feeding of ducks leads individual ducks to be de-sensitised to potential threats by taming, and this increases their chance of being hit by cars and attacked by dogs.

Many, and in some cases, all of the ducks that are getting fed around Tasmania are introduced species such as the Northern Mallard, Muscovy ducks and hybrid black-mallards. Mallards and Muscovy ducks have become established in several areas and are a feral species. These species out-compete native Tasmanian species such the Pacific Black Duck and Australian Wood Duck. Feeding non-native ducks allows them to grow faster, leading to both higher reproduction rates and greater duck survival rates. These increasing populations then move into native duck territories and begin to out-compete them for natural food sources and roosting sites. Areas where ducks are fed regularly soon become overcrowded, and other non-native species such as rats, mice, starlings and sparrows become attracted to the area also. This leads to increased disease transmission.

Possibly the least known issue is probably the greatest. The feral Northern mallard mentioned above is closely related to our native Pacific black duck. The two species can therefore cross breed to produce mallard-black duck hybrids. Purebred Pacific black ducks are rapidly becoming less common because of this interbreeding.

The next time you are visiting an area that is home to ducks, instead of feeding them, take a seat and watch them go about their daily business. Ducks can get up to all kinds of mischief, and we guarantee that watching them and trying to identify the different species of Tasmanian native ducks can be just as enjoyable for the family!"

Christmas time at Bonorong!

With Christmas literally just around the corner, everyone at Bonorong knows just how hectic this time of the year can be! We have certainly had a busy few weeks with lots of extra animals coming in to care (particularly of the feathered variety) due to the wild weather Tasmania has been having. With just an unbelievable 5 sleeps until Christmas we are sure there are a lot of you feeling very excited but also running around trying to get all your final Christmas bits and pieces sorted!

We are certainly getting in to the festive spirit here at Bonorong and even our enrichment activities have taken a Christmas theme! These beautiful 'animal friendly' wreaths were made by one of our amazing volunteers Linda!

The 'cocky wreaths' are made from grass, native flowers, pinecones, honey nectar mix and different seeds all bound together. We tested them out on our three resident Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos and they absolutely loved them!! We will be giving a lot of our resident animals variations of these wreaths on Christmas Day, so if you come out for a visit you will get to see them demolishing their Christmas treats!

We also thought it might be a good time to let you know that if you are looking for a gift that gives twice then just like last year we have our 'Christmas Tree Gift Appeal' going again! You can buy a beautiful little Christmas gift tag to hang on the tree at home and then we keep one here at Bonorong with your name on it to show that your supported our wildlife hospital appeal! Not quite what you were after? We can also do gift vouchers or why not just come and have a browse in our beautiful gift-shop to find that perfect present?

Bonorong is open every day of the year including Christmas Day! Our trading hours of Christmas day will be between 9am-4pm so come out for a visit this festive season! Have a Merry Christmas everyone!! :)

Happy Birthday Fred - 100 years old!

The Sanctuary has held a special birthday party for one of our residents 'Fred', who is a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo. We were celebrating quite a milestone as Fred has turned 100 years old!

Fred's party was a fantastic success! We had loads of 'cockatoo themed' activities for kids such as face painting, colouring in competitions, mask making, tree planting, card making and lots of yummy party food! Everyone was also encouraged to wear yellow and white or actually dress up as a cocky and we had some very impressive efforts!

Thank you to all who came along and made it such a great day for our special man. Fred was absolutely over the moon with all the attention and his highlight was definitely his specially made birthday cake!

The Queen even acknowledged Fred's milestone and sent us a letter to wish him the best! As a result we had quite a bit of media attention from local television stations Win, ABC and Southern Cross News. The story has also hit national and international news which is very exciting for Fred and Bonorong!!

A huge thank you to Linda and the rest of our amazing fundraising team who organised Fred's entire party, made all of the birthday treats (including Fred's beautiful cake) and volunteered their time at the party as well. You are all such wonderful people!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FRED!!!

What Is a Puggle? The Most Adorable Creature in the World!

Puggles - one of the most adorable creatures on our planet. Prepare for a cuteness overload!!!

This beautiful bundle of joy is a 'puggle' which is the name used for a baby Echidna or Platypus. This happens to be a Short-Beaked Echidna puggle and it is actually very rare to see them at this age as mother Echidnas dig nursery burrows deep under ground to hide their babies away safely.

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This little puggle sadly was discovered by a roaming dog and we suspect that it was dug up from its burrow. It was found in the dogs mouth but amazingly only had superficial injuries and was in good body condition. We unfortunately were unable to locate where the nursery burrow was located so this (soon to be) prickly little character has come in to our care as an orphan.

At this size the puggle is only about 6-7 weeks old and hasn't opened its eyes yet. It will be in care for another several months before eventually being released back in to the bush at a safe location close to were it was found.

Please remember how important responsible pet ownership is by not letting dogs roam outside your property and to also walk dogs on a lead in bush areas to reduce incidents like this happening. Dogs and wildlife can live in harmony but humans need to lead the way.

Birds, wonderful birds!

A lot of you would know that Bonorong has recently built a wonderful 'Seabird Rehabilitation Facility' that has been desperately needed in Tasmania. The enclosure (complete with a large salt water swimming pool) has been designed so that it is big enough to be able to successfully rehabilitate a wide array of species but more importantly can accommodate large seabirds such as albatross, giant petrels and crested penguins too. This year we have had the privilege of rehabilitating two species of giant petrel - one southern and one northern. These magnificent birds weigh in at around 5kg and have a wing span of approximately 2metres!

Both the petrels were successfully rehabilitated in our care and were released back to sea, which was an amazing experience for all involved! The picture below is of 'Crew' the northern giant petrel at his release site (just before he took off actually!) and what a charming, inquisitive character he was!

Our seabird rehabilitation enclosure is an off display area at the Sanctuary because we need to keep the birds away from humans while they recover in our care. The enclosure can be viewed from a distance though, so just check with the keepers what we have in rehab at the time of your visit.

And for all you bird lovers out there then please read the flyer below and follow the link to find out more info about the upcoming Bruny Island Bird Festival! It is on for four days at the end of October and there are some fantastic activities and talks for people of all ages to get involved with! You will be supporting a great cause and we are sure you will learn things about birds that you didn't know before! http://www.bien.org.au/

Lochie the lucky sugar glider

Who is that peeking from his hollow?! ...It would be one very lucky little Sugar Glider named Lochie!

This little guy was the victim of a cat attack and was actually in the cats mouth when he was saved...hence being very, very lucky.

Lochie was badly injured when he first arrived and we didn't think he would pull through but after several weeks of rehabilitation he looks like he is on the road to recovery!

Gliders are quite remarkable little critters, weighing in at only around 100g (fully grown!) and as their name suggests they have the ability to glide through the air for up to 100 metres if need be. This remarkable talent is due to a flap of skin called a 'patagium' that stretches between their hands and feet, almost like a little kite!

Sugar gliders have also been the discussion topic of some recent news articles to suggest that they may be affecting populations of Swift Parrots, an interesting read if you didn't see it. http://theconversation.com/sugar-gliders-are-eating-swift-parrots-but-whats-to-blame-19555

Bonorong has a small resident colony of gliders that you can see whilst visiting. They are highly nocturnal though so the best time to see them zipping around their enclosure is on one of our guided night tours.

Help us protect Tasmania's World Heritage

Please join us at a rally to protect Tasmania's World Heritage

This is why Greg Irons (our Director) wants you to find your voice.

Dear Everyone,

I am writing to share my personal beliefs on the current debate surrounding Tasmania’s World Heritage Area, and to ask those who agree with my thoughts for their support.

If you are not yet aware, a proposal has been made to delist 74,000 hectares of World Heritage-Listed forests in Tasmania for logging.

Please be clear, I am not against logging or mining if done correctly and in a way that minimises damage to the environment. I am a long way from being an extremist but I do believe some particularly important areas should not be touched and believe strongly in sustainability being of utmost importance to the planet. Tasmania may not be your back yard, but wherever you are, this area and decisions made about it are of international significance.

I will state right off the bat that this debate is about so much more than the 74,000 hectares in question. It is about all the areas that are currently under World Heritage listing, not just in Tasmania or Australia, but indeed around the world.

The very application itself sets a terrible precedent for all of these areas, and should the excision proceed, a far worse outlook looms for the credibility of World Heritage status around the globe. World Heritage protection was designed to be permanent, so this application makes a complete and utter joke of the word “protection” if it can simply then just be lifted and made unprotected at the whim of whoever is in power.

We would be the first country in the western world to have such an area that is exceptional for its natural and cultural heritage made “unprotected”. What an appalling claim to fame, and how damaging for Tasmania and our renowned so-called clean green image.

One of the arguments presented over and over again is about jobs, jobs, jobs. Of course the issue of unemployment needs to be tackled in Tasmania. Surely it is obvious, however, that based on our very recent history, the claim that this decision will ease some of Tasmania’s employment woes is a short term and very expensive solution, that nowhere near maximises the employment opportunities these dollars could bring either.

This was well reported in 2008 by Dr Graeme Wells. Here is an extract of his report.

A new report by Dr Graeme Wells of Wells Economic Analysis, about subsidies received by the Tasmanian forest industry, shows that over the past eleven years (to 2008) the industry has received more than $630 million in direct and indirect subsidies. These subsidies cost Tasmania the equivalent of 856 nurses for eleven years, or more than 40% of a brand new Royal Hobart Hospital.

Dr Wells found that despite this taxpayer-funded financial support there has been little economic benefit to Tasmania. There have been steady job losses in the industry over the past eleven years, making a mockery of the assertion that government financial support of the industry is designed to protect jobs.

If this $630 million had instead been allocated to other areas in the state, rather than the logging industry, it could have dramatically improved the health system, or have provided increased employment in the tourism sector.

For $630 million, Tasmania could have had any one of the following:

•    over fourteen years of funding for the Tasmanian Ambulance Service

•    over thirteen years of funding for the Tasmanian Parks & Wildlife service

•    more than forty years of current budget expenditure by the Tasmanian Government on tourism marketing

•    1364 Park Rangers for eleven years

•    386 top-level specialist doctors at current levels for eleven years

Government subsidies to the logging industry have failed to stop jobs being lost in the industry, and have failed to protect the environment – meaning that taxpayers have lost out.

Following the same path therefore, is clearly not the answer. How is it that we are not learning from our previous mistakes? We bang our head against the wall once. It hurts. Do we then walk up to the next wall we see and bang our heads again hoping this time will be different? What a ridiculous approach to take Mr. Abbott.

The estimated $780 million of tax-payers’ dollars wasted so far to prop up the dying forest industry would have gone a very long way to retraining workers for another more secure industry, as well as to helping establish eco-tourism in a number of areas currently earmarked by some as only having logging potential.

We are turning people away from Cradle Mountain and Freycinet during the tourism season, while on our doorstep the South-West and Tarkine are largely kept hidden from the world. They could be managed to accommodate tourism in an environmentally-friendly manner, bringing in much-needed dollars to our economy, and long-term jobs for Tasmanians.

The Cradle Coast authority reported in a media release all the way back in 2008, Independent consultants’ reports commissioned by the Cradle Coast Authority indicate the Tarkine region has the potential to be Tasmania’s next nature-based tourism icon, supporting 1100 jobs and bringing over $58 million a year into the State’s tourism economy within the next decade.”

Yet here we are a long way down the track and this is still being largely ignored. I suspect similar studies done into the “profit” that can be made from the World Heritage Area in question remaining standing rather than being flattened by logging would be very similar.

In Tasmania we promote ourselves as a clean and green state. Tourism relies so very heavily on this image. Imagine the negative press that will hit newspapers and televisions all over the world, when those tall trees start falling.

As we have seen happen in our very recent history, this will be closely followed by potential purchasers not wanting to buy this wood. In order to protect their own company image, they simply cannot afford to have their names associated with this wood, knowing it has come from recently World Heritage listed forest.

If people think that tourists will be quite happy supporting a place that is logging old growth forests, and even worse forests that were World Heritage listed, they are wrong. In the quest to be ethically correct, informed people nowadays question what they eat, what their houses are built from, and even what their clothes are made of.

Tasmania will be subject to the same scrutiny. This could lead to hundreds of tourism operators and their employees suffering a decline in business, leading to job losses. So I fail to see Mr. Abbott why you insist on trying to prop up this parasitic industry yet again through lifting this protection, even though it has been proven over and over to be of so little benefit to our employment opportunities.

Furthermore, when talking about tourism jobs in Tasmania, let us not forget that in 2004, an animal ethics group from the UK some 800,000 people strong, boycotted travelling to Tasmania over our use of 1080 poison and old-growth logging. That is just one group from one place. Many more were outraged and our poor decisions were broadcast as nothing short of barbaric all over the world. Yet here we go again. Look at what is in the news. Old-growth logging and 1080 poison.

In January 2014 the Mercury newspaper reported “TICT figures show one in eight Tasmanians rely on tourism for employment, with 35,000 people employed either directly or indirectly.” It is our one reliable and potentially booming market that provides so many opportunities for growth and employment. Yet we see the funding for Tourism Tasmania cut and the logging industry propped up. It makes no sense to me whatsoever.

The application to delist the World Heritage forests is being made under the premise that this area is already “degraded” and therefore not worthy of such protection. Even more dumbfounding is the suggestion that “excising this area will strengthen the credibility of World Heritage listing.” It is beyond belief that this is actually a serious claim - that logging an area previously identified as having universally important cultural and environmental values could be removed from protection and be logged, as this would improve the credibility of World Heritage areas in the world… It is nothing short of laughable…

This is supported by the ICOMOS evaluation which stated “ICOMOS considers that this proposal for a reduction
in the area of the property fails to make a case that excluding areas of significant cultural attributes will strengthen the credibility of the World Heritage List, as suggested by the State Party.

It’s inconceivable that Mr. Abbott is not aware of these facts or that he hasn’t been advised of them, but it seems he is choosing to ignore the experts.

I urge you all not to take for granted that everything you are told is accurate. For example, it is not widely explained that only 10% of the 74,000 hectares has any form of “degradation”. Nonetheless, the application for World Heritage delisting applies not only to this 10%, but to a vast amount more as well! Importantly, what is also often not mentioned is that included in the area proposed for logging stands 30,000 hectares of old growth forest. The Wilderness Society reports that “forests containing the tallest hardwood trees on Earth occur along the eastern fringe of the Tasmanian Wilderness. Many of these trees are over 600 years old, up to 96 metres tall, and have diameters in excess of six metres. They tower over Gondwanan rainforest species. In the last 200 years forests of this type in other areas of Tasmania have been extensively cleared or subjected to industrial logging, leaving those contained in the Tasmanian Wilderness as important remnants of outstanding universal value.”

This area can hardly be regarded as degraded forest Mr. Abbott.

Then of course, it is terribly important to mention the vast array of native species that live in this area. Some of these are already endangered, often through this very type of destruction of their natural habitat. Is it not logical then to conclude that if we continue to systematically destroy their habitat, even the most common species will become endangered and those that are endangered now may well become extinct. Need I mention the importance of something as simple as tree hollows which provide irreplaceable housing for native species? It takes 140 years for the smallest hollows to form, a process unable to take shape when forests are regularly logged.

What would we be left with should this protection listing be lifted?

It would leave us with our proud new title as the first country in the western world to unlock a World Heritage region for logging. This in turn would leave Tasmania with a large stain on its image which would result in problems for tourism and therefore tourism jobs, both crucially important for Tasmania’s economy.

It would give a small number of jobs to forest employees but this will only be temporary until that area is cleared and they once again find themselves unemployed. Surely it’s obvious that this is just not sustainable – a little like trying to fix a broken leg with a band aid. I truly feel for all of these employees who are constantly left without job security, and think it is unacceptable that long term solutions to their employment issues haven’t been found.

Most importantly, it leaves us with a flattened, disgraceful wasteland where magnificent forests with incredibly important cultural significance once stood; forests that will not return to their original state for many hundreds of years, if ever.

Karl Mathiesen, A Tasmanian and environmental journalist for The Guardian in the UK, says it beautifully in his quote.

“We know the economic arguments don’t add up. But in the end, this is about so much more than money. This is about who we are as Tasmanians and what kind of a place we want to live. Even with expanded tourism, tracts of this forest will (rightly) remain inaccessible and unadulterated. Many of us may never visit them. But I know I will be forever grateful for its unobserved existence and proud to live in a state that values its natural heritage.”

Please get behind this cause. I know a number of you reading this care and would not have read this far if you didn’t.

You can help in a number of ways.

1. Write to Mr. Abbott and express your disgust at the very thought of this proposal. Don’t think letters and petitions go unnoticed - not correct! They all have to be recorded, and I guarantee if enough letters are received, the government has no option but to act.

2. Come along to the Wilderness Society Rally on the 14th of June at 12pm on Parliament Lawns. This is the day before the World Heritage Council meet to discuss the proposal. These rallies are peaceful and are a great opportunity to form a large group all putting their hands up for what is right. The larger the group, the less their opinion can be ignored by the decision makers. I will be talking at this rally alongside other speakers. Stand up and be counted. Please show you care by spreading the rally details to as many people as possible. FOR MORE DETAILS CLICK THIS LINK http://www.wilderness.org.au/events/rally-our-world-heritage

3. Go to this website, www.globalvoicesforworldheritage.org- fill out the details, and join me and many others in directly contacting the board that will make the final decision. If this board receives thousands of notes expressing peoples’ concerns, it makes a huge difference.

4. Spread the word about this issue to as many people as possible. Knowledge is power. The facts are well hidden and the more people that know, the more they care, the more they act. So make it easy for others to become motivated and educate them. Ask your friends and family to get along to this rally and to write a letter. Your power to create change gets much stronger the more people you involve.It is one thing to care but that care achieves ABSOLUTELY NOTHING if you simply sit back on the couch, shake your head in disgust, but DO nothing. Are you one of those people that care but can’t be bothered, or are you someone willing to put your hand up to produce change?

If everyone who cared stood up and had a say we would live in a much fairer, happier and sustainable world.

Greg Irons

Director

Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary and Tarkine Trails

Young Tasmanian of the Year 2012

Southern Cross Young Achiever Environment Award 2011

Pride of Australia Environment Award (Tas) 2011

Employer of Choice Award 2013

Shearwater season at Bonorong!

Many of you may be unaware but this time of the year is known to all the staff at Bonorong as 'Shearwater season'. The Shearwaters surprised us this year as they have been a little behind schedule but since late last week we have had 23 come in to our care, which understandably has been keeping us very busy!

Short-tailed Shearwaters (also known as Mutton Birds) are a remarkable little seabird and at this time of the year they are preparing for their annual migration to the Arctic region.  These birds (that weigh a mere 500g) will fly over 15,000 km to get to their destination and after a few months of feeding on rich foods they will make the return flight home (yep another casual 15,000km!!)  They return back to some parts of mainland Australia and Tassie to breed.

You might be asking why are they coming into care then?  Well what happens is the fledgling chicks are usually the ones that end up in our care as they are taking off for the first time.  A lot of them get a little off course and can crash land or some haven't managed to get enough food before the big journey and are simply underweight.  Both cases are usually dehydrated and need short term care to get them back on track and then released so that they can get on their way!

If you do find a Shearwater over the next couple of weeks then please call us as soon as possible so that we can get the bird re-hydrated and in to our Seabird Rehabilitation Enclosure. Bonorong's 24 hour wildlife rescue hotline is 0447 264 625.

Bonorong kangaroos soaking up the sun!

This is one rather content resident Forester Kangaroo soaking up the sun on a beautiful Autumn's afternoon here at the Sanctuary.

Bonorong is open for normal business hours right throughout the Easter period so if you are looking for something to do then pop out and say g'day! Our daily guided tour times are at 11:30am and 2pm everday.

There will be a lot of people travelling across the state over the Easter holidays so please drive carefully, especially in more rural areas between dusk and dawn. If you do happen to find injured or orphaned wildlife over the busy Easter period then remember we are still here to call 24 hours a day so please save our number in your phone - 0447 264 625

Living with Possums

Fidget

Fidget

Look at this cheeky little face! Yes it is the face of one very cute Brushtail Possum (an albino one at that) and we are sure that most of you are familiar with this species.

Often called 'Brushies' they are certainly very common in Tasmania and are frequent visitors to suburban areas as they are highly adaptable to a wide range of environments.

At different times of the year (quite often seasonal) we get many calls from annoyed members of the public that have got a possum living in their roof space or a possum getting in to their garden and they want the possum removed.

Possums are a protected species in Tasmania so cannot be harmed. They also cannot be relocated more then a short distance from where they have been found due to the territorial nature of other possums.

There are often easy solutions to possum proof your home and garden which means a happy result for both parties (the people and the possums!).

If you are having possum problems have a look at these great links which may give you some answers:

https://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/wildlife-management/living-with-wildlife/living-with-brush-tailed-possums

or
https://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/wildlife-management/living-with-wildlife

Fidget our resident Brushtail Possum (pictured) is a good ambassador for his species as he certainly knows how to charm guests with his cheeky personality!

When people learn about possums they do become rather fond of them and we certainly try to encourage people to find ways to live in harmony with all wildlife, including possums like Fidget! You can meet Fidget in person on our guided Night Tours or Feeding Frenzy Tours.

Three-legged echidna Randall out and about

Last week brought some exciting news for one of the Sanctuary's residents! Some of you may remember Randall the Echidna? Well Randall has been in rehab for almost a year after he was attacked by a dog. The attack left Randall in need of an emergency operation to amputate his severely bitten right front leg.

Despite all odds Randall made an amazing recovery and his stump has healed well. The last few months have been a process of Randall strengthening his stump so that he can still walk around on it with out risk of it getting any abrasions.

He has made amazing progress and last week the team at Bonorong felt comfortable to trial him in one of our large enclosures within the Sanctuary grounds.

This was well received by Randall and he has spent the past week exploring his new home and enjoying every minute of it!!

Randall will be a permanent resident here at Bonorong due to his missing front leg which will inhibit his ability to dig in the wild properly.

Come and meet Randall and listen to his story. The message he will help to spread will be one of responsible pet ownership and in Randall's case a focus on dogs.

Here's Randall as a youngster.

Rescued seabirds cooling off and growing up

Although today was a little cooler, Hobart has certainly had a pretty decent run of hot days over the past fortnight! We are sure many of you local Hobartians have had a visit or two to the beach? Well here at Bonorong our seabirds have certainly made full use of our 5 star seabird pool for all their hot weather needs!

Seabirds cooling off

Seabirds cooling off

If three of these Kelp Gulls look familiar (maybe minus a bit of fluff?) well this is Aqua, Hughie and Espa who were featured on facebook when they were first rescued and brought to the Sanctuary as little chicks! The fourth Gull is 'Storm' who was found 2 weeks after our trio came in to care but has since buddied up with them and they are now all good friends. Also we should mention that their is a fifth member of our gull family that didn't make it into this picture (it is quite a task getting all 5 at once!) and just so he doesn't get offended his name is 'Owen'. 

All 5 of our Kelp Gulls have actually just started to fly which means we will be planning their release over the coming few days, very exciting stuff for the Gulls (and for the keepers too!!)

We will be sure to keep you posted!