The Daily Examiner - 28 July 2010

Flying Foxes Establish Temporary Camps

According to the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (DECCW) flying foxes have recently established camps at Yamba, Ulmarra and Red Cliff, north of Brooms Head.

A DECCW spokesperson said they would most likely be temporary camps. "Over recent weeks, about 1,000 black and grey-headed flying foxes have been reported in melaleuca trees at Reedy Creek - behind Melaleuca Drive and The Mainbrace, Yamba," Biodiversity Conservation officer, Kelly Roche, said.

"Small camps have also been reported in Ulmarra and in bushland at Red Cliff."

She said that flying foxes appeared to be suffering the effects of a shortage of their natural food: nectar and pollen.

"Very high numbers of flying foxes are coming into care in very poor condition. Starving flying foxes are being forced into eating food that makes them sick, such as green cocos palm seeds."

"They are increasingly taking more risks to get to potential food sources, which leaves them more vulnerable to dog attack,, vehicle collisions and entanglement."

Ms Roche said it was not known why flying foxes select particular temporary camp sites. "However we do know that their migratory patterns are dictated by available food resources," she said.

"People can report new camp locations to DECCW's free call environment line 1300 361 967. Contact Clarence Valley WIRES for sick or injured animals. Telephone 6643 4055."

The Daily Examiner - 8 July 2010

Our Emus Under Threat
Our Birds Being Decimated By Dogs & Motorists
By Rodney Stevens

Clarence Valley motorists and dog owners take note - the survival of the endangered coastal emu population could be in your hands.

Emus are now nesting, yet motorists and dogs are being blamed for the population's decline.

A new brochure funded by the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife aims to raise awareness among locals about the plight of the coastal emus.

National Parks and Wildlife Services (NPWS) ranger Gina Hart said the nesting season, during August and September, played a significant role in the future of the local coastal emu population.

"Based on the last 10 years we have been running community surveys and estimate the coastal emu population to be close to 100," she said. "The Clarence Valley has the largest population of coastal emus on the east coast of Australia."

Ms Hart said during the nesting season, chicks were particularly vulnerable to attack by dogs and foxes, but also may find themselves in the path of motorists.

"This is the time we urge people to slow down on our coastal roads and keep their dogs under control," she said. "While most of the emu population is in the national parks, they also utilise cultivated land and cane farms."

Ms Hart said people were most likely to encounter coastal emus around the villages or Minnie Water, Wooli, Diggers Camp and Brooms Head.

"We would be particularly interested in sightings in Iluka and Bundjalung National Park area," she said Ms Hart said while studies have been conducted on the dwindling coastal emu population, not a lot was known about where they nested.

"We haven't actually located a nest because they cover such a larger area and array of habitat types," she said.

While the female lays they eggs, Ms Hart said the male played a huge role in the chicks surviving.

"The female lays the eggs and then wanders off to socialise with non breeding birds and the male incubated the eggs," she said. "The male is responsible for raising the chicks for the first 18 months of their life."

Community support is vital to the survival of this unique indigenous species. If you spot and injured emu please call WIRES on 6643 4055. If you locate an emu nest of spot and emu, please call the NPWS on 6641 1500 to report it.

Coastalviews - 21st May 2010

Family Affair
The Butlers signed up for WIRES and got a whole lot more
by Kate Matthews

Pauline Butler and her young family got more than they expected when she signed up to be a WIRES carer this year.

When Pauline and husband Scott Butler relocated to Yamba from Melbourne several moths ago, with sons Andrew, 11 and Nicholas, 9 and daughter Daisy, 5, they left behind family, friends and all their social connections.

But through Andrew's interest in helping rescue and rehabilitate injured wildlife, the family has found an unexpected connection with the local community as well as a common interest at home.

At 11 years old, Andrew is not old enough to be an official WIRES carer, but he managed to convince his mum to become involved and together they have cared for more that 10 birds since undertaking the initial two-day training workshop in March this year.

The family is currently raising a fledgling or native figbird, Oriole, and so far it's doing very well. "We've met many lovely people through WIRES," Pauline said, adding the whole family has been involved in one way or another. "It's so much more than just caring for the animals."

In the future, Andrew and his mum plan to take on further training to care for small mammals and reptiles. "We're learning everyday about our native wildlife. It's been a lovely experience for the kids," Pauline said. Andrew's interest in WIRES has given him an opportunity to read up on birds and mammals, and one day, he said he might like to be a vet.

"It's really good when we release the birds. It's quite a nice feeling," Andrew said. "My friends think it's pretty cool." The Butlers are looking forward to celebrating the 21st anniversary of Clarence Valley WIRES at the Grafton District Services Club on Saturday 5th of June.

Joan Woodmore, a volunteer and carer with more than 13 years experience, said all WIRES volunteers, past and present, are welcome to attend but should confirm by calling the hotline number. "It will be a proud milestone for Clarence Valley WIRES," Joan said. Since its inception in 1989, local WIRES volunteers have taken more than 62,000 calls and have given countless numbers of injured wildlife a second chance. The volunteers also collect data and map local populations of vulnerable and endangered animals.

If you find and animal in distress, or would like to know more about becoming a carer, call the WIRES hotline 6643 4055.

Coastalviews - 19th February 2010

No time for swanning about for WIRES crew

There's never a dull moment for WIRES carers across the Valley. The volunteer organisation receives on average 10 calls a day from people across the Clarence reporting injured wildlife or seeking advice.

WIRES member Dick Richards said the calls to WIRES this week had been wide and varied. "I've had everything from people reporting snakes, kangaroos hit by cars and injured birds to be picked up," he said.

"Its always a real mixture but at the moment we're probably getting two to three calls just about snakes alone." In the case of snakes, only WIRES members who have attended course and been trained to handle snakes are able to attend a call to relocate a snake or a reptile problem in the community.

In other situations, experience is gained on the job. WIRES carer Pam Attwater and her family have created a niche role for themselves caring for black swans. For three seasons they have cared for cygnets, and Pam said they learnt as they went. This season the Attwater's raised four swans found at Lawrence.

The swans were successfully released at Alumy Creek last month, however one swan wasn't happy with its new-found freedom. Instead, it returned to the Attwater's home at Swan Creek and settled in permanently.

If you'd like to get involved in the ever-changing world of caring for wildlife, then WIRES Clarence Valley will be conducting a rescue and immediate care course in Grafton on March 6 and 7.

Call the WIRES rescue hotline on 6643 4055 to register or for more information.

Clarence Valley Review - 12th February 2010

Talking Ecology

The Clarence Ecology and Environment seminar series is back for 2010 with the first talk focusing on the issue of ecological fire regimes.

Using two different threatened species, the Eastern Chestnut Mouse (pictured) and Banksia conferta subsp. conferta, the presentation will high light what we do and don't know about fire ecology, and some of the issues that face managers trying to work out the most appropriate ecological fire regime for their patch of bush.

It will be presented by Phil Redpath, an ecologist with the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water.

The seminar will be held on Wednesday in the Government Office's Conference Room , Level 3, 49 Victoria St, Grafton from noon. The talks are free and open to anyone within the community who has a passion for learning about the environment.

Coastalviews - 15th January 2010

Up and close with animals

There's no better way to learn about wildlife than having the close encounter of the furry kind.

Last weeks more than 20 children and their parents gathered at the Grafton Library for a Talk on the Wild Side with WIRES education officer Tania Gardoll.

Tania had a range of furry stuffed friends along for the talk including a kangaroo, flying fox, magpie, eagle and ibis.

The children were allowed to touch and feel the animals and see their colours close up

Tania also explained plenty of facts about each creature and stories of who WIRES has cared for most.

The talk was part of the Clarence Valley's Council Read on the Wild Side summer reading club for 2010.

There are still plenty of 'wildside' events planned for the Grafton and Yamba libraries this month so keep and eye out for details in The Daily Examiner or contract the Grafton Library on 6643 0254 or the Yamba Library on 6646 2811.

Clarence Valley Review - 13th January 2010

Caring council workers

Ed,

A big thumbs up to the two CVC workers who spent their lunchtime in Yamba last Friday rescuing an injured sea bird entrapped by fishing line and then conveying in to the Yamba Veterinary Clinic.

The bird was treated and collected by a WIRES carer who is presently nursing the bird back to health.

Life is certainly busy these days but it's great to know that there are still people who are caring enough to step in and save a small creature from a miserable death.

L Somerville Brisbane

The Daily Examiner - 9th January 2010

Call to spare Maclean bats
By Marsha Neville

An attack in Queensland on three men by a flying fox carrying the potentially deadly lyssavirus this week may fuel the controversial flying fox debate in the Lower Clarence.

The men were all attacked around the head in the town of Agnes Waters in Queensland on Tuesday. They have been offered preventative treatment by Queensland Health after the bat was killed and it tested positive to the rabies-like virus.

Clarence flying fox expert Billie Roberts said that hopefully this "extremely unusual" incident would not ramp up the anti-bat campaign for those wanting to shift the colony at Maclean. She maintained that it is still possible to have a human population next to the bat colony.

"The chance of coming across a bat that is actually infected by the Australian bat lyssavirus is very low," she said.

"It is estimated that less than one percent of the entire flying fox population carry lyssavirus at any one time," Ms Roberts said."

She said that since preventative treatment had been implemented in lyssavirus cases following two deaths in 1996 and 1998, no humans had contracted the virus.

"Post-exposure treatment (if a similar incident as this week's occurred) would be available in 24 hours and it should be noted that nobody who has had the full preventative treatment has developed the infection or died of the infection," Ms Roberts said.

"Although the risk is low, we recommend that people do not handle bats and if they come across a bat on the ground or hanging low they should contact their local wildlife care organisation, and not approach the animal or attempt to capture the bat as occurred recently in Queensland resulting in three men being bitten," Ms Roberts said.

Maclean resident Nathan Sweeney, who lives opposite the Country Energy substation and bat colony, believes even a small threat is enough to warrant dispersing the colony.

"Obviously they pose a threat and I don't want my daughter who has to walk underneath the bats everyday from school, to get bitten," Mr Sweeney said.

If someone is bitten or scratched they should contact the State Health Department, as a vaccination has been developed to combat the possibility of contracting the virus.

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