Quoll and possum species brought back from local extinction in the Ikara-Flinders ranges

Ten years after the reintroduction of western quolls and brushtail possums into the Ikara-Flinders Ranges national park, rangers say populations of the once-locally extinct mammals are flourishing. In a joint effort between Foundation for Australia's Most Endangered Species and the South Australian government, the animals live in 'safer havens' in the park where predator numbers have been reduced

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Daily Mail​

3 hours ago

• Daily Mail​

Chilling moment fisherman comes face to face with huge great white shark: 'I'm dealing with a beast'

A veteran spearfisher has described the moment he had a close encounter with a five metre great white shark while swimming off the NSW coast. Emanuel Bova was spearfishing in the water off Royal National Park, just south of Sydney, on Friday afternoon when the predator emerged from the depths heading directly at him. 'He came past me, I realised and just went ''whoa,'' it just blew me away. That's when my heart started racing and I realised I'm dealing with a beast,' he told Nine News. While Mr Bova is an experienced spearfisher who has seen many sharks close up, he said this encounter was a first. 'I'm swimming back to the jet ski and there's just this huge (great) white,' he said. 'I'm talking like four or five metres. Big, like wide, bigger than my jet ski. '(It was) scary.' Mr Bova was alone in the water and his jet ski was floating about 15metres away at the time. Footage from the encounter showed the fisherman backing away through the water onto his jet ski as the shark following close behind. Once out of the water, Mr Bova pulled in his fish float and kept a close watch on the great white, who he said circled the vessel which gave him the impression it looked like it 'missed out on his opportunity'. 'Maybe that's what he was thinking because he became a little agitated once I jumped on the ski.' 'He went from being motionless and steady to doing very fast, several laps around the ski.' It is believed the same great white was seen at Cronulla in Sydney's southeast about an hour earlier. Mr Bova said he and fellow spearfishers have noticed an increase in shark activity in the waters around Sydney. He said he has had four encounters with the beasts in the past three years. But he said Friday's incident seemed like an uncomfortably close call. Mr Bova previously told The Daily Telegraph he had been watching shark population changes closely after several incidents in 2022. 'You have to be wary these days whilst in the water, not just when spearfishing,' he said. 'One day it could be a swimmer, surfer, scuba diver, kayaker or a kid at the beach with their family, these sharks are capable of attacking in very shallow water,' he said.

BBC News

4 hours ago

• BBC News

Brown spider money and red panda arrive at Paignton Zoo

Two new animals have arrived at Paignton Zoo as part of a conservation breeding programme.A female red panda, an endangered species, and a female brown spider monkey, a critically endangered species, have been transported from zoos in France to the Devon spider monkeys were added to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List in 2020 because their populations in Columbia and Venezuela were declining due to the pet trade and habitat IUCN said it believed there were fewer than 10,000 mature red pandas in the wild after their habitats in China had been destroyed. The panda will join a female called Ember while the spider monkey will join a troop consisting of females Luna and Lena and male said the monkey would initially remain off-show to visitors while the primates were keeper at Paignton Zoo James Shora said: "The red pandas offer those quieter, more contemplative moments, while the spider monkeys bring incredible dynamic energy from the forest canopies of South America. "It's like having two completely different worlds side by side."The red panda came from Les Terres de Natae, Pont-Scorff and the brown spider monkey from Zoo Amiens Métropole.

The Independent

5 hours ago

• The Independent

Giraffe body part ‘trophies' imported by hunters into UK

Global exports of giraffe body part trophies reached 1,791 in 2023, with 120 from captive-bred animals, and 21 imported into the UK by British Hunters. Hunters imported various giraffe parts, including skins, bones, skulls, feet, tails, and even genitalia, with US Hunters accounting for 60% of global imports. Giraffes are classified as vulnerable by the IUCN, with their population declining by 40% in three generations, leaving approximately 68,000 worldwide. Plans for a UK ban on trophy imports remain stalled, despite a government mandate and calls from campaigners and conservationists. Experts refute claims that trophy hunting benefits local economies, arguing it further endangers giraffe populations and urging the UK to ban imports.