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Perilous times for Australia wildlife amid severe drought
BOOLIGAL, Australia, Nov 1, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – From abandoned baby kangaroos
to wallabies being blinded by the sun and koalas having to go walkabout to
look for eucalyptus leaves, Australia’s exotic wild animals are struggling to
adapt to a crippling drought.
The “big dry”, lasting for several years in some areas, is turning vast
swathes of lush green land across the continent’s eastern interior brown.
“There are large numbers of kangaroos dying all over the country,”
ecologist Richard Kingsford from the University of New South Wales told AFP,
warning that change was occurring “at such a fast rate for so many animals
and plants that they can’t adapt in that amount of time”.
The government is ramping up aid to support drought-stricken farmers as
they struggle to make ends meet and feed their stock.
But conservationists warn that the natural environment, particularly
endangered wildlife, also needs support.
While droughts are not uncommon in Australia and native species are hardier
than livestock, additional factors such as human activity, introduced animals
and dwindling water sources are adding to the stress on populations.
Wildlife rescuer Racheal Walker has seen a sharp increase in the number of
baby kangaroos, or joeys, being taken into care in central-west New South
Wales (NSW) state.
The malnourished babies are abandoned by mothers who aren’t able to feed
them, while others are orphaned young whose parents were struck by vehicles
as they roam closer to towns in search of food and water.
Other smaller marsupials that usually prefer wooded areas are also
venturing far beyond their habitat in search of sustenance.
“We’re finding a lot more wallabies with blindness because they’re actually
coming out into the open paddocks searching for food, and their eyes are
unable to cope with full sunlight,” Walker, of NSW rescue group WIRES, told
AFP.
Koalas are travelling longer distances as the eucalyptus trees they feed on
dry up, exposing them to dog attacks and car accidents.
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And echidnas, also known as spiny anteaters, are becoming roadkill as they
venture onto roads during the mating season.
Between 2016 and this year, WIRES recorded a 52 percent increase in the
number of macropods rescued, and a whopping 81 percent jump for wombats. The
toll could be much higher in inland areas not frequented by people, Walker
warned.
In northwest NSW, ecologist Kingsford has seen a collapse in the kangaroo
population of more than 90 percent.
– Sharing habitats –
The drought has fuelled conflict between native animals and farmers
fervently trying to save every last blade of grass and feed for their
livestock.
In Booligal, where rainfall this year is 75 percent below average, farmers
Matt and Sandra Ireson have seen increasing numbers of kangaroos and emus
near roadways as they chase the “green pick” — tufts of grass that spring up
from water running off tarmac after a rare shower.
One result has been a 20 percent jump in the number of traffic collisions
involving wildlife in the last three years, according to insurance industry
figures, prompting Sandra Ireson to start teaching young farmers “drought-
driving” skills.
The largest kangaroo species are powerful creatures that can grow up to two
metres (6 foot, six inches) tall and weigh up to 90 kilogrammes (198 pounds),
causing serious damage to cars and drivers.
“People don’t want to hurt the animal because that’s understandable, but
sometimes you just need to learn you don’t swerve, you just have to brake,”
Ireson said.
“And you may have to injure the animal, which is disappointing but that’s
better than having a disastrous accident.”
Ireson’s lessons are part of her efforts to attract and keep younger
Australians in the bush.
With scientists warning that climate change is exacerbating droughts and
increasing the intensity and frequency of heatwaves, Australians are having
to adapt to the extended dry periods and learning to live with more — and
closer — encounters with animals.
For local farmer Alison McLean, who runs tourism project The Long Paddock
to draw visitors to the agriculture-dependent region, the sharing of habitats
between native animals and humans doesn’t have to be a negative experience.
“They are coming closer, which actually gives people an opportunity to see
them, as long as they practise safe-driving,” McLean told AFP, adding that
she now has two echidnas living just outside her yard.
“It’s pretty amazing to see mobs of 30 emus go past you, which is what we
see quite regularly and yet we still stop and take photos of it.”
With no end to the drought in sight, ecologist Kingsford is hopeful
governments will take measures to protect vulnerable species, such as keeping
farm livestock out of national parks so that wildlife has a food source
during the dry spells.
“There’s a discussion, which is right, about the challenges for farming
communities, but people also need to realise that the natural environment
also goes through very hard times during droughts as well,” he said.
BSS/AFP/FI/ 1003 hrs