FAME e-news Issue 2

First of all {!custom salutation}, we'd like to say thank you for all the positive feedback we've received about the first edition of FAME e-news. We are excited about the prospect an electronic newsletter offers us and are looking forward to making more of the multi-media opportunities in later editions.

In this edition of FAME e-news we will be letting you know about some exciting developments and will be highlighting some of the problems introduced species create for our Australian wildlife.

So welcome to Issue 2 of FAME e-news. We hope you find it enjoyable and will continue to do so.

Eureka!

18 August 2009: Partnership between the Sydney University Vet Science Division, FAME, and the Australian Reptile Park strengthened by Eureka win.

University of Sydney geneticist Dr. Kathy Belov has been voted Australia's favourite scientist and awarded the Australian Museum Eureka People's Choice Award for her work on the link between the genetic restriction of the Tasmanian Devil and the contagious Devil Facial Tumour Disease that is decimating the population in the wild and threatening the survival of the species.

Dr. Belov is part of 'Project Ark', a FAME supported project at the Australian Reptile Park to establish a mainland Tasmanian Devil breeding population. Work on this three-way partnership is moving quickly and recognition of Dr. Belov’s work with the Tasmanian Devils at the Australian Reptile Park's breeding programme is an important step forward. We are confident that the relationship will continue as an integral part of the plan to expand the mainland Tasmanian Devil breeding programme in the near future at a larger site.

Name the Devil Contest Winner

In the first issue of FAME e-news, we ran a competition to name the female joey born to Dotty, a four year old female Tasmanian Devil at the Australian Reptile Park as park of their captive breeding program. Well after much thought and deliberation we are proud to announce that the winning name is "Kardinya", which is an Aboriginal word meaning "Sunrise".

Congratulations to David Seaman and Lori, both from New South Wales, who came up with the winning name. They will receive a full colour poster featuring Steve Morenos' award-winning photograph of a Tasmanian Devil at the Australian Reptile Park (see below); free entry into the Australian Reptile Park for a family and a private tour of the Tasmanian Devil facility. Thanks for all the entries we received.

Tasmanian Devil Poster photograph courtesy of Mr. Steve Morenos. (www.stevemorenos.com).

Invasive Species in Australia

Many have described invasive species as one of the top three threats to Australian biodiversity. FAME agrees. The number of vertebrate native animals that have been lost to invasive species in Australia over the past 200 years is a sorry list. According to a recent publication by the Invasive Species Council of Australia:

22 mammals (16 species, 6 subspecies) have been lost due to predation by the introduced Red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and/or domestic cat (Felis catus). In some cases, competition from European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) has also been implicated.
13 island birds (3 species, 10 subspecies) are gone, due to predation by black rats (Rattus rattus), cats, pigs and competition from introduced birds and honeybees.
4 (but probably 6) species of frog, due to chytridiomycosis infection caused by the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in eastern Australia.
2 endemic rodents on Christmas Island due to infectious parasites carried by the introduced black rat.
While across a large part of Australia, all native animals weighing between 35 grams and 5.5 kilograms have disappeared. Nine species survive only on cat- and fox-free islands.

Fox with endangered Eastern-barred Bandicoot. Photograph courtesy of Southern Ark Project.

A comprehensive analysis of the role of invasive species in the loss of native wildlife in Australia can be found in the April 2009 issue of 'Backgrounder', the newsletter of the Invasive Species Council of Australia. Click here to download a copy.

More than a Mite Annoying...

Even species that are not subjected to direct predation from introduced animals can be affected by them.

There are a number of recent reports discussing the increasing problem of Sarcoptic Mange in wombats. While the mange can affect all wombats, including the endangered Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat, the mange is more common in animals under stress and the extended drought in southern Australia is putting the Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat under considerable stress. So much so that up to 80 % of certain populations of Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat in the Murraylands were killed by the mite in 2004/2005.

The tiny mite that is responsible for the mange, Sarcoptes scabiei, is only 0.2 - 0.4 mm in size and was likely brought to Australia by the Red fox, which is the main carrier in Australia.

The mites burrow into the skin of the wombat and the mange or 'scabies" is caused by a subsequent allergic reaction in the skin of the wombat. The allergic reaction makes the area itchy, and so the wombat scratches... And scratches... And scratches... The continual scratching eventually makes wounds in the skin that become infected. These also become itchy and the cycle continues. The incessant scratching also causes the hair to fall out, so affected animals often have significant bald patches.

While other species can be affected by the mite, wombats are particularly vulnerable as foxes often use wombat burrows for shelter, brushing up against the walls of the burrow and leaving mites. A wombat burrow is the ideal environment for the mite to survive without a host. The cool, dark and humid environment in the wombat burrow enables the mite to survive without a host for about 3 weeks. So any unsuspecting wombat that enters a mite-infested burrow within those 3 weeks is likely to become infected.

Once infected the animals suffer terribly. The symptoms are severe irritation, infection, pneumonia, blindness, liver and kidney damage and ultimately, starvation and a long, slow horrible death. Infected wombats do not recover by themselves and while there is a quick, cheap and effective treatment for the mange, someone has to administer it, which requires both manpower and resources.

The information and images on Sarcoptic mange and its effects on the wombats was kindly provided by the Wombat Protection Society of Australia, the Wombat Awareness Organisation and Russell's Burrow.

Southern Ark Project Update

The Southern Ark Project being undertaken by the Victorian Government is both exciting and ambitious. The aim is to eliminate, as much as possible, introduced predators and particularly the Red fox (Vulpes vulpes) from one million hectares of forested public land in Far East Gippsland, Victoria. The ultimate goal is to significantly improve and reinvigorate the biodiversity of Far East Gippsland, and in particular to significantly improve the numbers and therefore the conservation status of a range of endangered native mammals, ground-nesting shorebirds and reptiles. These species include the Long-nosed Potoroo, the Long-footed Potoroo, the Southern Brown Bandicoot, the Spotted-tailed Quoll, the Little Tern, the Hooded Plover and the Diamond Python.

The first step to developing a feral control program is to know what is living there already. In the Southern Ark region one of the methods being used to assess the resident fauna is a major hairtubing program.

A hairtube is an open-ended pipe or chamber that is lined with double-sided adhesive tape. Food is placed in the tube (such as honey, water, peanut butter, rolled oats or a mixture of some or all of these) and as an animal enters the tube to take the food, some of their hairs get stuck to the adhesive tape. By analysing the hairs you can tell what animals used the traps. Different diameter traps and baits are used to detect different species.

Hairtube photograph courtesy of Mr. Bruce Ashley, Inner West Environment Group (IWEG)

Six sites were surveyed in November 2008 and 658 Long-nosed Potoroo, 143 Southern Brown Bandicoot and 652 Brush-tail Possum hair samples were collected. This indicates that there is likely to be a good founder population once the fox exclusion zones have been established.

Future activities will include monitoring the numbers of Spotted-tailed Quoll, Southern Brown Bandicoot and the Long-nosed and endangered Long-footed Potoroo. In order to further identify and study these species a range of survey measures will be employed and evaluated, including the use of remote cameras, cage traps and hairtubes.

Seeing the Light

Our native wildlife aren't the only ones at risk from introduced predators like the Red fox. Livestock are equally vulnerable. Ian Whalan, a resourceful sheep and cattle farmer in rural NSW has come up with a clever way to deter foxes from worrying his stock. He has invented Foxlights, a battery powered lighting system. The Foxlights are placed in and around stock at 50 - 100 metre intervals. Coming on automatically at night fall, the Foxlights randomly flash, giving the impression of movement and the presence of a human. As the fox has a natural wariness of humans, this deters the fox from approaching. For wildlife protection the Foxlights could be set around nesting sites but far enough away so not to disturb the birds or animals being protected. The Foxlights were featured on the ABC television program 'The New Inventors' (Episode 28, broadcast on 12 August 2009), winning the People's Choice Award on the night.

FAME has contacted Ian Whalan about exploring the potential of his invention for protecting endangered species. He has kindly offered to donate $5.00 to the Foundation for each unit sold to a FAME supporter. So if you are interested in purchasing Foxlights, please make sure you mention FAME when placing your order.

Board Member Focus: John Weigel AM

In this and future issues of FAME e-news, we will be introducing you to the various members of the FAME Board.

To start the ball rolling, we would like to welcome our newest member to the FAME Board: Mr. John Weigel AM, Director of the Australian Reptile Park, located at Somersby, near Gosford on the Central Coast of NSW.

Born in Kansas USA in 1955, John has always had a fascination with nature and reptiles in particular. However it was as a young teenager visiting the Denver Museum in Colorado that his interest in Australian habitats and wildlife really began. Later he discovered Eric Worrell's books on reptiles and was entranced by his adventures of looking for them. It was then that the day-dreams of migrating to Australia and working at the Australian Reptile Park established by Eric Worrell began to take shape. In 1979, while studying at the University of Colorado in Boulder Colorado with a Biology Major, he decided to take a temporary leave of sudy. Life however had other plans for him and he never returned.

From 1979 to 1981 he worked as a Reptile Keeper at the California Alligator Farm in Buena Park, California before fulfilling his boyhood dream by moving to Australia in 1981 at age 25 to take up a position as Reptile Keeper at the Australian Reptile Park. In the 28 years since John has gone from being a Reptile Keeper (1981 - 1986) to Park Manager (1986-1995) to Director in 1995.

It is not possible to tell John and his wife Robyn's story, (who also works at the Park) separately from that of the Australian Reptile Park. The history of the Australian Reptile Park, founded by Eric Worrell in 1948, is one of spectacular highs and devastating lows. Within 3 years of John taking up a position at the Park, the business collapsed in 1984. Believing in the business, John gathered support from businessmen and celebrities. Within a few years he had turned the business around and by 1991 over 130,000 people per year were visiting the Park. The 1990's were busy and productive times with the diversification and growth of the Park with exhibits in Sydney and a highly successful mobile education program for primary and high schools. In 1994 it became clear that the original site was no longer adequate and acquiring all the shares in the Reptile Park, John and Robyn moved the Park to it's present site at Somerby, adjacent to the Gosford interchange on the F3 Freeway in 1996. The new site was immediately successful, winning Australia's Best Regional Attraction in 1999 and 2000 and a special Tourism NSW Award - Best Regional Attraction for the Decade (1990's). Success was unfortunately short-lived. In July 2000 a devastating fire destroyed the main building complex, killed over 500 reptiles and incinerated all documents and records. Despite the considerable financial setback, John oversaw the reconstruction of the Park and its continual growth, with over 200,000 people now visiting annually. In October 2009 the Park celebrates its 60 th Birthday, an achievement not possible had it not been for John's drive, passion and determination.

In June 1998, John was awarded the Member of the Order of Australia (AM), one of the nation's highest civilian honours for contributions to Australian tourism, herpetology and snake venom production. FAME is indeed fortunate to have such a passionate and experienced person on the Board.

Just For Fun

FAME Board member Dr. Stephen Hardy recently visited the Mount Rothwell Research and Conservation Centre near Little River in Victoria. A detailed report on his visit appeared in the 2009 Issue 02 FAME Newsletter.

Lighthouse have kindly offered to donate $2.00 to the Foundation for each copy of the 'Travelled Road' CD sold to a FAME supporter. Just remember to mention FAME when ordering.

Give an Endangered Species for Christmas

Why not do something different this Christmas. Make a donation on someone's behalf to support the endangered species work being undertaken by FAME.

Your friends will receive a Gift Certificate notifying them of your gift, like the one below. You can even choose which endangered species you have on the Gift Certificate. And becaue FAME is a registered charity, in addition to doing good, your Christmas present is also tax deductable!

To order a Gift Certificate, either call the FAME office on +61 8 8131 0066 during normal business hours (Australian Central Time) or e-mail FAME at info@FAMENewsletter.com and we will contact you to arrange your Certificate.

And if you sit very still and very quiet, you may even see them being delivered by one of our highly trained couriers...

FAME thanks you for your support in 2009 and wishes you and your loved ones the very best for the Festive Season and a joyous and prosperous 2010.

Thanks for the Warm Welcome