Savannah cats
On 3 August 2008 Minister Garrett announced that he had used his
powers under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity
Conservation Act 1999 to amend the Act's live import list to
change the definition of 'domestic cats' to rule out cats with the
genes of the African wildcat, the Serval. 526 out of
549 public submissions to a review on the importation supported
this amendment.
This closes a legal loophole which would have allowed hybrid
African Serval x domestic cats to be imported as 'pets' called
Savannah cats. [Read more on
Savannas] [listen to a radio
interview with our CEO]. Our media release calling for the ban
is below.
1080 debate
At present, 1080 is the only suitable pesticide for the control
of feral pigs, wild dogs and foxes in Australia and is also an
important control tool for rabbits. Its ongoing use is
critical to the success of regional conservation efforts. The
RSPCA has expressed concerns over its continued use. The
Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority has,
however, recently reviewed its use and on 17 January 2008 approved
continued registration with new labelling conditions.
Visit the
APVMA website for more information.
<More
information on 1080>
Australia named as one of the world's six hot spots for
invasive fish invasions
A research paper published in the online journal PLoS Biology
has identified Australia as being in the top six sites where 'more
than a quarter of the species of freshwater fish are
non-native'.
< Click here
to read more>.
Tilapia spread assisted by deliberate releases
There has been recent press on deliberate releases of aquarium
fish into Australia's waterways, with the result that fast breeders
like Tilapia have quickly become established in some parts of the
country. Read
press.
< Read our tilapia
web page>.
Are rabbits developing resistance to calicivirus?
The short answer is yes! Australia's leading expert on the
biological control agency and CRC researcher Dr Brian Cooke has
reviewed the evidence and has found that some populations are
showing high levels of resistance to the disease. < Read media
release>.
< More on the RHD genetic
resistance project>
Wild dog management project gears up
Click
here to read some
of the recent press. For more on our wild dog management
project, visit the project
page.
'Tree change' phenomenon contributing to wild dog
problem?
Wild dogs have traditionally been seen as a rural problem.
Now popular 'tree change' localities such as Maroochy Shire are
finding resident wild dog populations. In the last year
the council caught 69 pest animals, of which 49 (over 70%) were
feral. To read more, click
here.
ABC Rural - "Rabbiting On" Competition
Christmas 2009 will mark 150 years since the rabbit was released
in Australia. The ABC, in conjunction with the IA CRC, Australian
Wildlife Conservancy, and the Foundation for Rabbit-free Australia,
has launched a competition inviting people to tell their stories of
life with the rabbit. The best entries will be turned into radio
packages and two overall winners will each receive a holiday for 4
to AWC's Scotia Sanctuary. < Click here for
the Rabbiting On website >.
Six more fox scats collected from across Tasmania
Six scats collected as part of the Tasmanian Fox
Eradication Program’s ongoing monitoring and investigation
activities have been identified as fox scats by the University of
Canberra’s Institute of Applied Ecology. The scats were among
thousands of scats that have been collected by the Program and sent
to the University of Canberra for DNA analysis.
< Click here to read more - Fox Eradication
Program website >
< Click
here to go to the Tasmanian demonstration site page - IA CRC
website>
