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Red-back Without Red Back Red-backs (Latrodectus hasseltii) are usually glossy black, with a distinctive red/orange stripe on the abdomen. However, it is not uncommon to find variations on this pattern. Don came across a red-back without any red on its back at all....
Have you ever wondered why cats rub up against people and why they flick their tails? In our segment those questions were answered by Dr Judith Blackshaw, a leading expert in animal behaviour. Judith also explained the reasons behind other common cat antics. Marking...
Snails, Slugs and Slime Snails and slugs are very successful members of the mollusc family. They have brown or grey, soft, unsegmented bodies and two pairs of retractable tentacles on their heads. Slugs have an obvious ‘saddle’ or mantle, while snails have...
A pet cat is an environmental hazard which can have a devastating effect on local wildlife populations. The average cat brings home 32 small animals each year (16 mammals, 8 birds and 8 reptiles) or more than 300 animals during its average life span. Cats also create...
Even though there are some concerns about feeding native birds, there is no scientific evidence that it causes any harm. In fact, home owners assist in the survival of native birds by offering them food, water and shelter, protecting their nesting sites and growing...
Jack the Corella Update We revisited Jack the Corella and his owner and trainer, Ida Gallop. As well as being an excellent talker Jack has many amazing tricks in his repertoire, including riding on a dustpan, rolling over, and going to the toilet on command. If you...
Dog Mat Rita Hill created a soft, fleecy mat for her dog. Sparky needed a medium-sized mat, but it’s easy to change the dimensions to suit the size of your own pooch. Dog Bed Sizes (includes 3cm seam allowance) Small 76cm x 56cm Medium 76cm x 106cm Large 96cm x...
Jamieson the Trick Horse Horse trainer Steve Jefferys wrote to Burke’s Backyard to tell us about his black stallion, Jamieson. Jamieson, aka ‘Spud’, is a 7 year old Australian Stock Horse. He has a huge repertoire of tricks including: counting...
Fostering Cubs Fiona Fearon and Rob Zammit are hand-rearing two tiger cubs. When only a few days old, the tiny Bengal tiger cubs were rejected by their mother. It is thought that a period of very heavy rain caused the mother to abandon her cubs to concentrate on her...
This week, by popular demand, we showed Misty the Rainbow Lorikeet doing more amazing tricks. (See last week’s road test for more information on lorikeets – click here.) If you have a pet as clever as Misty, why not write in and tell us about it? Send your...