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Obese Dog Ricky, a smooth-haired, standard Dachshund, is about 15kg overweight. He is just one of the many fat dogs that veterinarian, Dr Rob Zammit, has seen in his clinic lately. Rob has put Ricky on very restricted food rations, with access to water at all times....
Dr Terry Martin first became interested in birds at the age of 10, when given a pair of Zebra Finches. Terry’s love of birds has continued through to the present day. He is now an avian veterinarian and aviculturist, and has just published a book on colour mutations...
Father Emu On a recent trip to Kalbarri, in Western Australia, Don noticed a male emu looking after a brood of chicks. Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) Emus are large, flightless birds. Although they can’t fly, they are very fast runners, reaching speeds of around...
Imperial Blue Butterfly John Dengate came across a caterpillar covered by a swarm of ants. At first glance it seemed as though the ants were killing the caterpillar, but as John explained, these two insects have a very special relationship. Imperial blue butterfly...
Kosci’s Comeback You may remember the wild brumby we met a few weeks ago on ‘Burke’s Backyard’. She was captured in the Kosciuszko National Park and broken in by master horseman, Pat Parelli, using the principles of ‘Natural...
The Australian budgerigar is the world’s most popular pet, and therefore the world’s most popular bird as well. Don highly recommends breeding budgies as a hobby, particularly for kids. As well as being very easy and great fun, it teaches them about basic...
Don and the Burke’s Backyard team travelled to the Snowy Mountains in south-eastern New South Wales. They met with some of the people who live in the high country and asked them what they think of Australia’s wild horses, the brumbies. Damage to national...
Dogs are often referred to as ‘man’s best friend’, but the relationship between man and dog may be much more important than we realise. Research just completed suggests that dogs and humans co-evolved – we’ve certainly changed them to...
Dr Paul McGreevy, from the Faculty of Veterinary Science at Sydney University, is a specialist in animal behaviour and welfare science. Recently, he and his research colleagues have been looking at the incidence, cause and effects of stereotypic behaviour, such as...
There are around 700 species of birds in Australia and they figure very prominently in our natural ecology. Many of them play an important role in the pollination of native plants. Others, such as crimson rosellas (Platycercus elegans), do not. Don showed some crimson...