Habitat corridors connecting sections of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area are very important for the long term survival of cassowaries. Ecological corridors are a vital part of every Council’s new planning scheme. Good planning makes sure that their habitat is conserved and includes ecological corridors for wildlife to move across the landscape.

You can read more in the media release and cassowary guidelines flyer.

You can download the full Cassowaries in Planning Schemes Guideline. 

Deb has been a driving force behind the Cassowary Recovery Team and established the website from scratch. She will be greatly missed.

All the best Deb, and we hope to still see you around the Wet Tropics!

Yellow crazy ants are among the world’s worst most dangerous invasive species, attacking, blinding, and killing vertebrates and invertebrates, and contributing to the decline or extinction of native species in areas they’ve invaded. For example, on Christmas Island, yellow crazy ants have led to severe disruption of ecosystem services and a change in forest structure by decimating the island’s main predator, red soldier crabs.

Yellow crazy ants form super colonies, with multiple queens, and can reach densities of up to 20 million ants per hectare! They can spread up to 1km per year.

Ground-nesting species, like cassowaries, are particularly vulnerable, and there are fears the ants could blind and kill cassowary chicks. 

Yellow crazy ants also farm sap-sucking insects, like scale and aphids, protecting them in exchange for the sweet sticky honeydew they produce. This can lead to mould infections in plants and reduced growth and flowering. In severe cases, this could lead to dieback, depleting cassowary food sources.

The good news is that it’s possible to eradicate yellow crazy ants effectively if colonies are identified quickly. If you live in the Wet Tropics region, we need your help to identify and report yellow crazy ants before they become established!

Please watch this video by the Wet Tropics Management Authority to learn how to identify them, and if you suspect you’ve found yellow crazy ants, please call Biosecurity Queensland immediately on 13 25 23.

Eradication programme

Baits will be dropped by helicopter over the infected areas of Edmonton and Bentley Park, south of Cairns, three times over the next six months to eradicate yellow crazy ant colonies.

Methoprene is a growth inhibitor, blocking reproduction and gradually killing the colonies. It does not harm vertebrates or build up in the environment, and is safe to use around waterways. As yellow crazy ants effectively replace all other invertebrates in colonised areas, there is likely to be minimal impact on native species.

Staff from Biosecurity Queensland and the Queensland Parks & Wildlife Service will carry out surveys before and after baiting, to monitor the effectiveness of the eradication programme.

For many years, CRT member C4 have been collecting sightings information about cassowaries through a daily log at their Visitor Centre in Mission Beach.

When local retiree, Jeff Larson (a self-confessed “mad stats” person), joined C4 in 2009, he generously volunteered his time to enter all the data into a spreadsheet for public viewing.

“The cassowary sightings spreadsheet took me about two years to complete and during that time I came to appreciate just how valuable an asset the bird is to the rainforests of not only this region, but all others in the Wet Tropics.”, says Jeff. “Being a retired person gave me time to input the information into the spreadsheet and also gives me time to walk around in the national parks and ride my bike as well. These activities bring me into contact with cassowary often and being a mad photographer I have been able to take photos of these magnificent birds.” 

We commend Jeff for the incredible job he’s done collating information about more than 3,400 cassowary sightings into this spreadsheet. A fantastic contribution to building our understanding of the cassowary population in the Mission Beach area. Thank you for your dedication!

Please keep reporting your cassowary sightings to help us build a better understanding of cassowary populations in the Wet Tropics – thank you!

One of the major threats facing cassowaries in North Queensland is the loss of habitat and connectivity.

The Australian Government has expressed their commitment to developing a strategy to restore and manage ecological connections in the Australian landscape, and has recently released a Draft National Wildlife Corridors Plan (PDF) for public comment.

The draft plan “lays the foundation for a new, collaborative, whole-of-landscape approach to biodiversity conservation that is based on voluntary cooperation and the existing efforts of communities, landholders, governments and industry“.

Cape York is listed as a potential corridor (Appendix 2) in the draft plan, but the Wet Tropics is not. Cassowary Recovery Team members will be making submissions in response to this omission. If you would also like to have your say, go to the consultation page on the SEWPaC website. Comments close on 20 April 2012.

The workshop was well attended by Zoo and Aquarium Association members, and DERM, and also number of international representatives working with cassowaries overseas.

• Report on Cassowary Husbandry Workshop 2011

Background/Scope

The last Cassowary Husbandry Manual was produced as a result of a workshop held in 1997 and although a lot of the information collected for that document is still useful, recent developments in record keeping, medicine and surgery, husbandry, handling and transport etc, means that we better understand the needs of captive birds and where further research is required. Historical records and knowledge of a species’ natural history also play a vital role in our understanding those needs. Since 1997, advances in the field of information technology have facilitated the compilation of known literature pertaining to cassowaries, allowing us to ground our practical knowledge in the available empirical scientific literature.

Framework

The workshop outcomes were designed and guided by several main topics which will be incorporated into the existing chapters of the revised manual (Biggs, unpublished) prior to completion around June 2012. Participants explored general husbandry, housing, handling, health, reproduction, behaviour, nutrition, artificial incubation and rearing, and the use of Cassowaries as a conservation tool. Invitations were offered to full members, associate members and non-members of the Zoo and Aquarium Association, including a number of representatives from the Department of Environment and Resource Management, Population Managers for the North American and European Studbooks, and Veterinarians who have specialised in Cassowary care.

Location and Timetable

The workshop ran for two days and was held at Dreamworld, Gold Coast, from 3^rd-4^th August 2011. See attached agenda for timetable.

Costs/Funding

The workshop was organized at minimal expense. Costs borne by the participating institutions included accommodation and travel to South-East Queensland. No other expenses were paid by participating institutions. Al Mucci, Dreamworld, sought funding from the Zoo and Aquarium Association Queensland Branch at the request of James to the value of $1000 to pay for transfers of participants to and from the accommodation and for refreshments and meals throughout the workshop. Additional break-time activities were arranged at no additional cost. The cost of a facilitator was borne by the Zoo and Aquarium Association.

Limitations

A significant hurdle for many institutions and individuals was the availability of funding to attend the workshop.

Delimitations

Natural history of the species was not a focus of this workshop, as the current literature, although limited, is sufficient for the production of the manual.

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PRESENTATIONS

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“GENETIC AND DEMOGRAPHIC OVERVIEW OF CURRENT SOUTHERN CASSOWARY POPULATION”

by James Biggs, Southern Cassowary Species Coordinator; and Clancy Hall, Studbook Keeper; impromptu by Nicole LaGreco AZA Population Manager, San Diego Zoo

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Executive Summary: Non-recommended transfers occurred; 2 new founders; 90% of recommendations attempted; 10% achieved; F = 0.000

Priorities for Program: Reconfirm commitment to program by ASMP participating institutions and associate members; run husbandry workshop; identify institutions willing to hold 2.1.0 to allow mate choice trials; finalize and circulate revised Cassowary Husbandry Manual; provide institutions with studbook extracts; review and collate captive breeding techniques.

General Recommendations: No further recruitment of birds from outside of the current ASMP population unless the opportunity to acquire known wild origin founders presents itself;  Limit reproduction of prioritised pairing to one clutch per pairing within the time frame to promote genetic diversity without compromising available regional spaces;  ALL animal movements to be coordinated through the Species Coordinator;  Discourage reproductive events from specimens other than prioritized pairings in the PMP;  Institutions to provide regular updates to ensure studbook to remains current;  Institutions that have specimens placed on historical loan to non-member institutions to review loan agreements and ensure that there is the potential for a percentage of offspring to be recruited back into the program as required.

Studbook Brief: History of studbook.

Husbandry Goals: Achieve reliable, consistent breeding in line with recommendations;  Management practice aligns with species life history.

Demographic Goals: Potential to achieve target population by breeding or acquisition of wild birds.

Genetic Goals: Retain at least 90% gene diversity over 50 years;  Maintain inbreeding coefficients at or below F = 0.125

Recruitment and Placement of Founders; Facilities Available: QSMP discussion;  ZAA & ZAAQ discussion.

Developments – Research News & AZA: CSIRO, JCU, EthoTrak, Ultrasonography.  Nicole LaGreco.

Concerns: Quiescent program; possibility of Inbreeding; non-recommended transfers.

“MANAGEMENT AND RECOVERY OF THE SOUTHERN CASSOWARY”

by Adam Northam, Department of Environment and Resource Management

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Conservation Status & Distribution

Cassowary Recovery, Cyclone Yasi – DERM’s initial response:  Assessment of the QPWS Cassowary Rehabilitation Facility- Garners Beach (infrastructure and birds);  Establishment of a Cassowary Incident Management Team;  A collaborative aerial habitat assessment including transects flown between Innisfail to Cardwell Range- CSIRO, WTMA;  Aerial food drops to encourage cassowaries not to venture into urban areas/ near busy roads- Approx 1000kg;  Preparation for a supplementary feeding program- liaison with  food suppliers, purchase of equipment etc.

Cyclone Yasi – Supplementary Feeding Program:  94 Active Feed stations.  Total fruit delivered 74 359kg.  2554 volunteer hours.  84 scats collected.  55 feeding exemptions issued.  Budget forecast 2.7million (18 month program).

Captive Management:  DERM’s priority for supporting cassowary recovery is to direct available resources towards in-situ conservation projects eg. Responding to natural disasters, threat abatement, habitat protection and management, undertaking ‘in house’ research projects and/or collaboration with external stakeholders; To supplement wild populations, DERM undertakes the rehabilitation and release of wild sick, injured and orphaned animals at the Cassowary Rehabilitation Centre (Garners Beach).

DERM’s Support for ZAA Managed Programs:  DERM actively supports the Queensland Species Management Plan (QSMP) and considers this to be the primary tool for determining priority placement for non-releasable cassowaries; Post Cyclone Larry DERM placed 3 cassowaries with ZAAQ members via the QSMP process;  1 cassowary placement between cyclones;  To date 1 cassowary has been placed with a ZAAQ member post Cyclone Yasi.

“CRUDE ANALYSIS OF SOUTHERN CASSOWARY STUDBOOK: IMPLICATIONS FOR FUTURE MANAGEMENT”

by Carolyn Hogg, Zoo and Aquarium Association; Chris Hibbard, Zoo and Aquarium Association; and, Clancy Hall, Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary

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Studbook Analysis:  Conducted crude analysis of the historical studbook and of birds that have produced 5 or more successful clutches to get a better idea of which birds are actually breeding.

Determinations that have implications for captive management:  Seasonality; viability of hatched eggs; average size of successful clutch; age at peak reproduction; how long after introduction are birds successfully producing;

Results:  Cassowaries will breed (hatch eggs) from September-January in captivity – this will impact when introductions should be attempted; viability of chicks hatching and surviving past one year = 1 chick per clutch – this will impact genetic and demographic analyses in PM2000; average size of successful clutch is recorded as 1 in the studbook, however this may be due to the fact that only hatched eggs are recorded, as opposed to total number of eggs in a clutch;  female peak reproduction 9-16 years old, male peak reproduction 8-15 years old – James will incorporate age data when recommending pairings and include MK values and F statistics;  successful pairs are breeding 2 years after being in the same facility

Requirements of Program: Prioritize breeding of birds between 8-16 years; Start more mate-choice programs; Consider increasing our established F statistic parameter from 0.125 to 0.25 to increase number of breeding events; Start ‘stirring the pot’ – Reproductive assessment of birds that are paired but not producing fertile eggs and move birds if breeding is unsuccessful after a few years; Protocol to determine fertility of eggs; Egg post-mortem protocol; Determine whether infrasound plays an important role in the lead up to breeding season; Consider surrogacy of eggs if parents are unsuitable.

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DISCUSSIONS & OUTCOMES

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY

• DERM has post mortem protocol for use by zoo industry;
• Need to determine whether infrasound plays an important role in communication;
• DERM has ‘back-score rating’ -  physiological assessment of condition visually, for use by zoo industry – James to further develop;
• Agreed to regularly weigh to develop optimum weight range database;
• Concurred that hormones are affecting appetite throughout breeding season;
• Concurred that Cassowaries are not strict frugivores.

BEHAVIOUR

• Interested institutions to implement EthoTrak;
• Developed pre-breeding behaviour list to provide carers with cues for successful introductions;
• Developed enrichment list;
• Developed behavioural and environmental checklist for introductions and breeding events;
• Developed records template for reproductive behaviour, physiological and environmental data
• Developed a more specific sexual, social and agonistic ethogram for captive birds.

HOUSING

• Developed safe enclosure template to facilitate mate-choice trials, adult separation, chick safety and keeper safety – all dynamics discussed and agreed upon.

HEALTH EVALUATION & DISEASE

• Obtained growth development data from AZA;
• Established the need to develop clinical database of illnesses, injuries, treatments etc.;
• Inclusion of ultrasonography in medical assessment pre inclusion in program;
• Developed checklist for behavioural signs of disease.

NUTRITION & FEEDING

• Revised adult diet to match components from CTZ, ARP, Fleays, Australia Zoo, Currumbin – what to feed, what not to feed;
• Identified capacity of Cassowaries to consume toxic foods;
• Revised juvenile diet.

REPRODUCTION

• Revised egg management, when eggs should be considered infertile, and developed protocol to remove eggs;
• Established parameters for data to collect from eggs;
• Developed method to check fertility of eggs;
• Developed egg post mortem protocol;
• Consider removing food as a trigger?;
• Developed protocol for pair formation;
• Seasonality and when to introduce birds;
• See Behaviour section.

ARTIFICIAL INCUBATION & REARING

• Institutions to consider surrogacy between species and institutions;
• Identified sources to contribute to this area – CTZ, ARP, Denver Zoo, Ratite farms.

CAPTURE, HANDLING & TRANSPORT

• Uniform transport box to be developed to facilitate easy inter-institutional movements;
• Developed protocols for conditioning birds for transport;
• Developed protocols for chemical and manual restraint of adult birds for medical assessment and transport;
• Training seminars and practical experience opportunities to be developed and arranged by DERM for Cassowary carers.

CAMPAIGN & INTERPRETIVE DISPLAYS DEVELOPMENT

• Developed standard data to present in interpretive displays and campaign material;
• Part of campaign funds to be donated to DERM for monitoring work.

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“Twelve months have now passed since Cyclone Yasi damaged large areas of cassowary habitat between Cardwell and Innisfail and at Mission Beach on 2 and 3 February 2011.

The forest is showing significant signs of recovery. Trees now contain significant re-growth, and flowering and fruit development continue to increase, highlighting the resilience of these forests. However, due to the significant damage to the forest caused by the cyclone, the supply of rainforest fruits is still at a low level.

To supplement the cassowaries’ diet during this low food period without making them dependent on handouts, DERM is continuing to supply fruit to feed stations but is progressively reducing the number of feed stations where cassowaries are no longer using these stations and where natural fruit levels are adequate.

Feed stations are supplied with fruit approximately every three days, and amounts are varied to ensure the birds keep up their natural foraging. Cassowary scats (droppings), collected as part of monitoring and research, increasingly show native fruits are dominating the cassowaries’ diet.

At 14 February 2012, DERM had 67 active feed stations from the Cardwell Range north to Flying Fish Point. At the peak of the program 105 feed stations were operating.

More than 153,000 kg of fruit has been distributed averaging almost 3000 kg per week. In the early phase of the program, retailers Coles, Woolworths and Bi-Lo donated fruit. However, the need outgrew their ability to supply. Volunteers have now given more than 4770 hours to cut up the fruit and the work load has been so significant that a fruit cutting machine has been used to help out.

Ten motion sensing cameras monitored the feed stations and have revealed very useful information about the use of the feed stations and numbers of birds in the areas.  Rangers have even been able to capture footage of adults feeding their chicks.

A ranger captured some remarkable footage of a male cassowary feeding his chicks at a supplementary feeding station after Cyclone Yasi:

[There is also a longer clip of the raw footage.]

Orphaned chicks and injured birds are being cared for at a DERM facility at Mission Beach.

Conservation organisation Rainforest Rescue has donated $10,000 to the  feeding program.

The community is helping the DERM Cassowary Response Team’s coordinated response. In addition to the volunteers’ efforts, 55 private landholders have feeding stations on their properties, with permission from DERM. Residents are reporting cassowary sightings so birds can be better managed in the wild and so DERM can alert motorists.

Whether you’re a local resident or a visitor, you are reminded not to feed these birds, for your own safety. Cassowaries that come to expect food from humans can become aggressive and dangerous.

Please drive carefully in cassowary habitat to avoid hitting birds as they cross roads through rainforest.

To report a cassowary sighting, please email cassowary.sighting@derm.qld.gov.au or to report a sick, injured or orphaned cassowary, call 1300-130372.”

Update taken from the DERM website - to keep up to date with the the latest facts and figures about the supplementary feeding programme, please check the DERM website.

Until recently, nothing was known about the fate of the released birds, but a new research project is changing that.

Dr Hamish Campbell and Dr Ross Dwyer from the University of Queensland, are working with staff from DERM, Ella Bay Ltd., and CRT member Graham Lauridsen of Tully Vet surgery, to track the movements of rehabilitated birds using GPS-based technology.

A small cuff, incorporating a remote sensing device and radio transmitter, is attached to the young cassowary’s leg before release. The GPS device is programmed to record the bird’s location every 30 minutes between 3am and 9pm for 180 days, and the VHF radio transmitter emits a signal 7am to 5pm two days a week. The radio signal enables researchers to relocate the bird regularly and to recover the device, which drops off after six months or if the bird is stationary for 48 hours (which suggests it has died).

Of the five cassowaries initially fitted with remote sensing devices, three devices have so far been recovered. One device remains attached to a cassowary in the hills around Flying Fish point (detachment scheduled for February 2012) and the fifth unit attached to a male released at Cape Tribulation has yet to be recovered despite searches of the area. It is thought this bird might Encouragingly, it seems as though all five birds survived following their release.have moved beyond the range in which researchers can pick up the radio signal. Encouragingly, it seems as though all five birds survived following their release.

One of the devices, attached to a female named “Dooley” released at Jarra Creek in the Tully hills, unfortunately dropped off after only 28 days. GPS tracks show that she, and another female “Annabelle” released at Cape Tribulation, quickly established a relatively small home range. The male released at Cape Tribulation moved back and forth between the release site and the Bloomfield River, 12km away, covering four times the distance travelled by Annabelle. The recovered devices are being rehabilitated for future releases.

The information gained through this research will help us better understand cassowary ecology (including how far juvenile cassowaries disperse, and when and where they establish a permanent home-range), and will also provide valuable information for the management of the rehabilitation and release programme. We’ll keep you posted!