Issues around the natural environment
Tasmanian Tiger The Tasmanian tiger, or thylacine, was a shy, elusive creature hunted to extinction after only a century of European settlement in Australia. The last known animal died in a Hobart zoo over sixty years ago, ironically just a few months after it had...
Worms There are hundreds of species of earthworms, those amazing underground movers and shakers that are so beneficial to have in the garden. They improve soil structure, increase the rate of decomposition of organic material, and make nutrients more available to...
The Australian floral emblem is the golden wattle (Acacia pycnantha), but we don’t have any national animal emblems. It’s generally accepted that they are the kangaroo and emu, although they’ve never been officially proclaimed as such. What many...
The Burke’s Backyard aviaries, built last year were landscaped and irrigated to maintain an environment for breeding finches. Rare and endangered finches were released including two pairs of Red-eared Firetail finches. The finches have bred and there are seven...
Ring around the moon, rain before noon. A mirky milky way means a dull damp day. Rain before seven, fine before eleven. We’ve all heard them before, you know, those little stories and rhymes which have just sort of grown up with us, and many people swear by...
Cane toads (Bufo marinus) are natives of South and Central America. They were introduced into Australia in 1935 to help control the beetles which were decimating our sugarcane crops. Cane toads were useless in controlling the cane beetles but they have become a...
Endangered Red Panda Modern zoos not only exhibit animals, they also act as safe houses for many endangered species, and they play a crucial role in preserving our precious genetic diversity. A good example of the conservation work zoos undertake is an international...
Environmental Special Many people are concerned about the welfare of the planet, but are unsure about what they can, or should do to help. In the past, scientists, government bureaucrats and the media told us a lot of things that simply did not make sense, and this...
Frilled Lizard The sun-loving frilled lizard (Chlamydosaurus kingii) is the reptile emblem of Australia, and also the inspiration for the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games mascot “Lizzie”. Frilled lizards are common in the monsoonal woodlands of northern...
The Eastern Gambusia (Gambusia holbrooki) is native to the rivers draining the Gulf of Mexico, but it has been distributed worldwide to control mosquitoes. It was introduced into Australia in the 1920s, but has not been any more effective at controlling mosquitoes...