Latest news with #ZoosVictoria
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Australia's sky could change forever after winter ends
When Aussies look up into the sky at the end of winter, there will be a noticeable difference from what we saw a decade ago. Bogong moths used to migrate across Victoria, NSW, Queensland and South Australia in their billions, reportedly blocking out the moon, but in 2017 and 2018 their numbers crashed by 99.5 per cent. Mortein once advertised its sprays could be used to kill bogong moths, but that advice was eventually removed after the species was listed as endangered in 2021. While the moths have been in steady decline since the 1980s, it was the sudden drop in numbers during the Millennium Drought that caused the average punter to take notice. The situation has a leading conservation biologist 'extremely worried' both about the moth and the animals that depend on it as a food source, like the critically endangered mountain pygmy possum. Dr Marissa Parrott from Zoos Victoria said it's accurate to say 'within a generation, Australia has changed' as invertebrates vanish from the landscape. 'In Australia, with animals like the bogong moth, it becomes apparent things can go wrong very quickly,' she told Yahoo News. For thousands of years, bongog moths have meant spring was here, and Christmas beetles were a sign of summer. These insects are wound up in memories from our childhoods, but today both are seldom seen. '[Insect] numbers are all declining across time. But then you get those big events like a major drought, flood or bushfires and they can wipe out entire species,' Dr Parrott said. 'We're seeing that every day, that these animals are struggling, and we've probably lost far more invertebrates than we could ever even imagine… and it's only getting worse. We really need to change.' Parrott notes the problem is a global one, with many referring to it as an 'intertebrate apocalypse'. Often, people don't realise the insects are gone until their crops stop being pollinated or the birds that eat insects suddenly vanish. When it comes to bogong moths, the good news is that since 2018, there has been a trend towards recovery. But the species' future is far from secure. Zoos Victoria's Moth Tracker project, an online platform where people around the country can report bogong moth sightings, was launched in 2019, and last year was its best season on record. Between September and December, there were 1,956 sightings, and 1,089 were verified by the expert team. Some swarms (groups of over 100 moths) were even observed in 2024, something that hadn't been seen in years. "It was wonderful to see that again, but they're only one more drought from those numbers dropping right back low again. We need to have a long-term plan to protect and recover them," Parrott said. Related: 🚨 Call to protect Australia's changing insect landscape A bogong moth will live for around a year, with each dying after the autumn breeding season. The caterpillars live underground throughout the winter and then migrate up to 1,000km across Australia to alpine regions in the warmer months. Those that survive the feeding frenzy from native animals fly back across the country to their breeding ground to lay their own eggs. 'Each female can lay up to 2,000 eggs, so their numbers could bounce back quite quickly if we can protect them,' Parrott said. 🌏 'Shocking' jellyfish find could change the way Aussies visit the beach 🔍 Rare find inside ancient cave after tourists banned for years 🏡 Key detail caught on front yard security footage sparks alarm Earlier this week, a new study published in the journal Nature revealed bogong moths used constellations of stars and the Milky Way to navigate their migration routes. This upended a belief that moths simply flew towards the brightest light in the sky. The team from Lund University, the Australian National University (ANU), and the University of South Australia compared their abilities to those of migratory birds. Insects like bogong moths face multiple threats, including pesticides for agriculture, deforestation, climate change and light pollution. A 2017 study of select conservation areas in Germany found the insect biomass had dropped by 75 per cent in 27 years. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
ABC News
08-05-2025
- General
- ABC News
Victorian helmeted honeyeaters returned to the wild in historic release
More than 20 iconic yellow and black helmeted honeyeaters have fluttered off into their new forest home on Bunurong Country in eastern Victoria. The birds were bred at Healesville Sanctuary near Melbourne as part of a conservation program establishing a crucial wild population in the fight against extinction. Zoos Victoria helmeted honeyeater field officer Nick Bradsworth said the release in Gippsland this month was a bittersweet time for those involved in the program. "It is an emotional moment for the recovery team, and so many of our partners, to have had helmeted honeyeaters return to this area after an absence of over 40 years," Dr Bradsworth said. Scientists are hopeful the continued introduction of new colonies of the birds will help re-establish their numbers and ensure their survival. Honeyeaters are unique to Australasia, with around 170 species recorded. The helmeted honeyeater is known for its striking black and yellow plumage, and a bright yellow crest or "helmet", which distinguishes the bird from other honeyeaters. Dr Bradsworth said the helmeted honeyeater was chosen in 1971 as Victoria's bird emblem partly because it was only found east of Melbourne. "Its historic distribution used to be from the Yarra Valley down to the Westerport Bay and through the hills of the Koo Wee Rup swamps," he said. Zoos Victoria estimated there were only 200 helmeted honeyeaters in the wild. The birds are listed as threatened under Victorian legislation and endangered under Commonwealth legislation. The species has not been seen in the Cardinia area since the Ash Wednesday fires in 1983. The team at Healesville Sanctuary has been part of a national recovery plan for the species, with a focus on population management and the establishment of new colonies in the wild. Healesville Sanctuary's helmeted honeyeater breeding program lead, Kim Miller, said the team was hopeful the new population of birds at Cardinia would help improve the genetic diversity of the species. Dr Bradsworth said Zoos Victoria had been working closely with other local organisations to rehabilitate the habitat ahead of the birds' release. "They are listed as critically endangered still, but we're actively working to help reverse their decline, and so one of those factors is through re-introductions into the wild, mainly with captive-bred birds," he said. As the honeyeaters establish themselves, a dedicated team will monitor and provide supplementary food to ensure the species thrives in its new location. Scientists from Healesville have managed to attach tiny VHF radio transmitters to the birds' tails, allowing them to track the birds, although Dr Bradsworth has managed to come up with his own way of identifying the colony. "All of the birds have unique colour combinations on their legs, so I can actually identify which individuals are which … who they pair off with, and where they go," he said. All involved hope the release is the beginning of re-establishing the iconic species. "We do hope to increase the number of sites in years to come, bolster numbers with captive-born birds and hope that they thrive into the future."
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists rediscover rare species thought to be extinct with help from specially trained dogs: 'A career highlight'
Daisy, the wildlife detection dog, found her first dragon after months of training and searching. As part of a program run by Zoos Victoria in Australia, Daisy and her canine teammate, Kip, have been on a mission to locate Victorian grassland earless dragons — extremely rare reptiles that had not been seen for about 50 years and were assumed to be extinct before a rediscovery in 2023, the Guardian reported recently. The dogs have found at least 13 of the critically endangered creatures. The challenge for the dogs — and their human collaborators — is that there are likely fewer than 200 of the reptiles in the wild, and they often hide in spider burrows or under rocks, per the news outlet. The zoo's search team uses the dogs' skills in tandem with technological and traditional methods of surveying. "If something is hidden, or camouflaged, in a burrow, and just difficult to see, it might be easy to smell," Emma Bennett, a detection-dog trainer and researcher not involved with the project, explained to the Guardian. Dr. Nick Rutter, who trained Daisy and works with her in the field, described her first find as "a career highlight" for him and told the news outlet he felt "an overwhelming cascade of joy." He added that the light-brown, distinctively banded lizards are "bloody gorgeous." According to the news article and accompanying video, the dogs appear happy doing their duty of finding reptiles. They take payment in the form of "treats, cuddles, ball games, and praise." This doesn't change the fact that the team does important work. A 2023 Australian government report called the Victorian grassland earless dragon "nationally significant for being the most imperilled reptile on mainland Australia." Understanding more about threatened and endangered species, the roles they historically played in their habitats, and what it takes to protect them can lead to positive outcomes for animals and their surroundings. One 2023 study documented how 29 formerly threatened species in Australia are thought to have recovered from immediate risks after investments in conservation. Should the government be paying people to hunt invasive species? Definitely Depends on the animal No way Just let people do it for free Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. The Guardian reported that only about 0.5% of suitable grassland is left for the dragon, as its habitat has been encroached on by housing and farmland expansion. The effects of a warming planet are also having impacts on various habitats and animals in Australia. Yet the discovery of the lizard species hanging on is a reminder of nature's persistence, argued Jane Melville, a senior curator at the Museums Victoria Research Institute, per the Guardian. "They've shown amazing resilience," Melville said. "This little dragon has managed to hold on under really difficult circumstances." Meanwhile, the cooperative approach of humans and dogs taking action to locate the reptiles is an inspirational interspecies story. Detection dogs — along with other animal hero species — have helped humans in Australia and elsewhere, as the Guardian noted, finding threatened species, sniffing out viruses and disease-carrying organisms, and surveying for birds and bats at wind farms. As for the dragon detectors, Rutter said in the video that they are training additional dogs and expanding their search areas. They also want to see if their current team can generalize from their training to search for similar species that also "haven't been seen for quite a long time." Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Incredible moment sniffer dog makes rare discovery in Aussie bush
Wildlife experts have trained three specialised dogs to detect some of Australia's rarest animals, which they say will be a 'game-changer' for protecting the species. This is the incredible moment a sniffer dog made a rare discovery in the Aussie bush. Wildlife experts have trained 3 specialised dogs to detect some of Australia's rarest animals, which they say will be a game changer for protecting the species. The 3 dogs, Daisy, Sugar and Kip, were selected for a month-long programme that taught them to sense the critically endangered Victorian grassland eless dragon. For decades, scientists feared the Tiny lizard species was extinct as they hadn't been seen since the 1960s. But in 2023, it was accidentally rediscovered by ecologists who were surveying private farmland that was earmarked for development. Dragons spend much of their time out of sight, hidden inside wolf spider holes, but the dogs are able to detect them with their specialised sense of smell that's up to 100,000 times more acute than a human's. Specialist trainer Doctor Nick Rutter said, When Daisy and I found our first dragon, it was absolutely incredible. She alerted to a little hole in the ground, and I quickly got out my endoscope and put a little camera down in the hole. And there was this tiny, adorable little dragon face staring back at me. The dragon detection is helping researchers collate data about population density and helping them locate animals to add to Zoos Victoria's captive breeding programme.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Rare discovery in Aussie bush by sniffer dog: 'Incredible'
Wildlife experts have trained three specialised dogs to detect some of Australia's rarest reptiles, which they say will be a 'game-changer' for protecting the species. The three dogs, Daisy, Sugar and Kip were selected for a months-long program that taught them to sense the critically endangered Victorian grassland earless dragon. For decades, scientists had feared the tiny lizard species was extinct because less than 0.5 per cent of its original habitat has yet to be destroyed, and they hadn't been seen since the 1960s. But in 2023, it was accidentally rediscovered by ecologists who were surveying private farmland that was earmarked for development. The Zoos Victoria-led detection mission involved specialist trainer Dr Nick Rutter, who said the relationship each handler builds with an individual dog is the 'cornerstone' of how effective their work is. Because dragons are so rare, the dogs only had limited opportunities to smell them during training, but they were quick to learn. "Training them, being out in the field — is really important,' Rutter said. Dragons spend much of their time out of sight, hidden inside wolf spider holes. But the dogs are able to detect them with their specialised sense of smell that's up to 100,000 times more acute than a human's, discovering 10 new dragons that ecologists had previously been unaware of. 'When Daisy and I found our first dragon, it was absolutely incredible… she alerted to a little hole in the ground and I quickly got out my endoscope and put a little camera down in the hole, and there was this tiny, adorable little dragon face staring back at me,' Rutter said. Related: 🐕 Sniffer dog's remarkable wildlife discovery 😳 'Incredible' 500-year-old discovery hidden behind invasive weed 🐠 Fisherman shocked by 'unfathomable' scene at beaches 👏 Aussie camper's brave act after spotting massive emu in need A similar program after the 2019/2020 Black Summer bushfires trained dogs to locate pungent koala scats, so burned animals could be brought down from trees and treated. The dragon detection is helping researchers collate data about population density and help them locate animals to add to their captive breeding program at the zoo. The dragons were rediscovered in Melbourne's west, a region that has been flagged for extensive housing development. Zoos Victoria now plans to take their dogs on sniffing missions outside the rediscovery site, in the hope more dragons will be found. They could also be used in the hunt for another dragon species that hasn't been seen since the 1990s, that ecologists in Bathurst are currently searching for. The trial was a collaboration between the Resilient Landscapes Hub, Wildlife Detection Dogs and Zoos the results published here. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
