The Zoo and Aquarium Association hosted a cassowary husbandry workshop on 3-4 August 2011 to update the Cassowary Husbandry Manual (Romer Ed. 1997) with the latest information about all aspects of the captive management of the Southern Cassowary. The primary aim of the document will be to update and improve captive cassowary husbandry and management across the board, and it will be freely shared with all establishments housing Southern Cassowaries, and with those who work with, or would like to work with, the species. Continue reading
Cyclone Yasi Response 14/02/12
CYCLONE YASI UPDATE FROM DERM 14/02/12
.
“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.
Keeping track
Young cassowary chicks have a low chance of survival after the premature death of a parent, so chicks are regularly brought into care at the Garner’s Beach rehabilitation facility where they are hand-reared by DERM staff until ready for release into the wild.
Until recently, nothing was known about the fate of the released birds, but a new research project is changing that. Continue reading
Traffic impacts on cassowaries
Road mortality is the greatest cause of known cassowary deaths at Mission Beach. Between 1992 and June 2010, at least 60 cassowaries died on local roads. At the request of Terrain NRM, James Cook University (JCU) undertook significant research into traffic impacts on cassowaries (and other fauna) on Mission Beach roads. Continue reading
Minted cassowaries
Looking for the perfect gift for cassowary lovers? Then you’ll be delighted to know the cassowary is one of the latest additions to Australia’s coinage!
The Perth Mint has produced a beautiful set of 2011 Celebrate Australia $1 coins that portray scenes from World Heritage Areas across Australia. Continue reading
Queensland pledges support for the cassowaries of Mission Beach
On Sunday 20 November, the Queensland Government launched it’s new biodiversity strategy: Building Nature’s Resilience: A Biodiversity Strategy for Queensland.
One of the priorities in the strategy is “developing and implementing a Cassowary Rescue Plan in collaboration with key stakeholders in the Mission Beach area“. Continue reading
Welcome!
Featured
Welcome to the website of the Cassowary Recovery Team (CRT), a group of organisations working together to implement the recovery plan for the Southern Cassowary and ‘protect cassowaries, habitats and corridors from threats through better planning, monitoring and community involvement’ .
We hope you enjoy exploring the site and learning more about the endangered Southern Cassowary and how we’re working to protect these magnificent birds.
