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Newswatch

Where Light Meets Dark keeps an eye on what's happening in the news: examining the evidence for rare fauna, local action for conservation and getting up close and personal with wildlife.

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feed is available for these announcements and you are welcome to comment on the articles here at WLMD - at the bottom of each page.

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Examining the evidence
Local action for conservation
Up close and personal

Newswatch

Jaws - what was it?

13th Aug 2009 10:21 AM

The dead animal known as Jaws and said to be Thylacoleo carnifex - photographed in Western Australia

In 1975 a photo was taken in Western Australia showing a decaying animal on sand.

Now known as Jaws, some have speculated that this might be evidence that Thylacoleo carnifex still survives - some 20,000 to 30,000 years beyond its accepted extinction date.

Let's take a close look at the dentition on this animal and see whether we can determine the species.

Image: Attribution unknown

20 year comeback

08th Aug 2009 09:48 PM

The western quoll, or chuditch, has not been seen in Western Australia's capital city of Perth in over 20 years.

I missed this story earlier, but in April a member of the public spotted a young male in the backyard of his suburban home at Wandi.

The animal had to be euthanased as it was badly injured, but wildlife officers are happy to see the species making a comeback. They attribute the migration into Perth as being helped by state fox baiting programs.

Image: unattributed at source article.

Australian extinction cloning breakthrough

06th Aug 2009 07:29 PM

Professor Mike Archer - former Dean of Science at the University of New South Wales

Professor Mike Archer has stood down as Dean of the University of New South Wales in order to pursue a breakthrough in cloning extinct species.

When Archer was Director of the Australian Museum he was involved in launching a project to attempt to clone the Tasmanian tiger (or thylacine). Although critics argued that technology would never make up for the degraded state of thylacine DNA the team did experience more successes than many expected.

Over the past 3 years Archer has fostered a team of scientists from 3 universities and 2 research institutes to work on cloning another extinct Australian species. Archer believes the team is close to publicising a world first - possibly before the end of this year.

The team has not used traditional approaches to resourcing the project because Archer does not "yet want to be public about what's happening."

Image: AFPPix

Freeway to extinction

06th Aug 2009 08:59 PM

Southern brown bandicoot Isoodon obesulus obesulus

Victorian Premier John Brumby in Australia last month, turned the first sod on a freeway project which is predicted to increase the liklihood of the southern brown bandicoot (Isoodon obesulus obesulus) being driven to extinction.

The project will destroy 53 hectares of native vegetation, including nearly 100 trees described as "large and very large".

Nine hectares will be lost from the Pines Flora and Fauna Reserve, of which 91% is "of high conservation significance".

Dr Terry Coates, an ecologist at the Royal Botanic Gardens says "this is one of the reserves put aside decades ago to preserve what was there. They are like little arks that carry what was once there."

The project is estimated to cost A$750 million. A plan to tunnel under the reserve to protect the bandicoot was rejected because of its cost, at A$320 million. Another recent road project named EastLink did successfully tunnel under the Mullum Mullum Valley in order to protect its wildlife and flora.

A spokesperson for the government says that the environment effects statement, costing A$5 million, "introduced significant protection, including a realignment of the bypass to protect areas of higher ecological significance".

Tamarisk Creek will be rehabilitated as part of the project.

Image: Tony Brown

Australian Zoo sells endangered species to sports hunter

06th Aug 2009 07:49 PM

Blackbuck antelope and Bob McComb of the Shooters Party in Australia

Dubbo Zoo in New South Wales, Australia, has sold 24 blackbuck antelope (Antilope cervicapra) for between A$160 and A$300 each, to Bob McComb - owner of the Dongadale Deer Park and Stud.

McComb plans to charge hunters thousands of dollars for the right to hunt them on a private game reserve.

The zoo says the animals were "not required" and McComb argues that "private game reserves [are] a very effective way to achieve ... conservation."

The political organisation NSW Shooters Party has introduced a private member's bill which would alter the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act in order to permit McComb using the species for trophy hunting.

The Indian Wildlife Protection Act assigns the highest level of protection to the species, alongside elephants and lions.

The Government maintains it will not support the bill. Robert Brown, who introduced the bill, has "vowed to hold the Government to ransom until it is passed."

Image: Simon Alekna

Resurrected from extinction

06th Aug 2009 06:59 PM

The Pyrenean ibex (Capra pyrenaica) has been resurrected from extinction by cloning. The last known specimen died in 2000. Shortly before its death scientists obtained skin samples.

Scientists replaced the genetic material in domestic goat eggs with DNA obtained from the ibex skin samples. A female ibex (doe) was successfully born but died shortly after birth due to lung defects. Other cloned animals such have sheep frequently exhibit the same lung defects.

Image: unattributed at listverse.com

Ground parrot heard at Malabar

17th Jul 2009 12:41 AM

I conducted an informal survey at Malabar (Sydney) yesterday, in search of the ground parrot (Pezoporus wallicus).

Previously this species was last confirmed from the area in 1904. In 2006 an injured specimen was rescued from Malabar and rehabilitated. Surveys carried out in 2006 reported hearing the species call a number of times.

In 2008 a volunteer bushcare worker sighted a bird matching the parrot's description.

In yesterday's survey, the species was heard to call once. Subsequent cross-referencing of its location with the 2006 surveys showed a direct match.

Blue ibis breakthrough!

09th Jul 2009 09:31 AM

Well this completes the hat-trick!

An Australian White Ibis - blue in colouration - was photographed in Sydney in November 2008. This brings the total count of unusually blue species to 3 - the house sparrow, little corellas and this white ibis.

What makes this one unique, however, is that the photographer collected a blue feather.

Read on...

MJ ghost hoax - exposed here!

06th Jul 2009 03:45 AM

Well, this didn't take long.

Michael Jackson ghost

06th Jul 2009 12:46 AM

Michael Jackson's ghost at the Neverland Ranch

Ok - let me venture out into the paranormal, just once..

Is this, or is this not Michael Jackson's ghost at Neverland Ranch?

Use the poll at the top of the left hand side of the WLMD homepage!

Click through to watch the video

Image: news.com.au