The new feature on the Tas possum proposed plan is now live on the website – you can see it directly here - (please copy and paste this link)
http://www.animalsaustralia.org/take_action/save-tassie-possums/
But it is also on the front page so that everyone will see it.
I am sure it will result in hundreds of emails to the Minister, so lets hope he is listening. If an election is held soon of course he will be in caretaker mode and not able to sign off on the management plan – so there may be a reprieve. *Animals Australia
Monday, July 26, 2010
Possums 27/7/10
I was very disturbed by an article in your paper encouraging violence against possums (Heckler, July 23). I am a wildlife carer and have some hints on how to live in harmony with possums.
My neighbour has a very productive vegetable garden and when a possum eats his produce he puts it down to experience and works out ways to outsmart the marsupial. That is the beauty of being human and having a large brain - we can work out non-violent solutions to problems.
Australia holds the record for the highest rate of mammal extinction on the planet and habitat destruction continues apace. Consequently, our cities are often the last refuge for wildlife . This is the predicament facing the "common" possum, which is native to Australia and not an introduced pest, as it is in New Zealand.
The brushtail possum is lucky enough to be adaptable and has found ways to survive in our cityscapes. I think we will be grateful for this adaptability in years to come. There is concern that with the current rate of land clearing and climate change we will see a catastrophic loss of wildlife over the next 10 to 20 years. The federal government recently conceded that extinction for some species is inevitable, so why then are we not taking every possible step to protect our urban wildlife ? Once they are gone, we can't get them back.
As an inner city resident, I feel blessed that we have such a plethora of wildlife in our backyards and I strongly believe our lives and those of our children are made richer for their presence. So, next time you wake up to the sound of jackboots on your roof as a possum uses your house as a highway, roll over and put in some earplugs.
In the morning, trim back the branches on the trees close to your house. Not only will this encourage the possum to find an alternative route to his destination, but you will be doing your gutters a favour and reducing fire risk.
Brigette Sharp chairwoman, WIRES inner west branch, Petersham
My neighbour has a very productive vegetable garden and when a possum eats his produce he puts it down to experience and works out ways to outsmart the marsupial. That is the beauty of being human and having a large brain - we can work out non-violent solutions to problems.
Australia holds the record for the highest rate of mammal extinction on the planet and habitat destruction continues apace. Consequently, our cities are often the last refuge for wildlife . This is the predicament facing the "common" possum, which is native to Australia and not an introduced pest, as it is in New Zealand.
The brushtail possum is lucky enough to be adaptable and has found ways to survive in our cityscapes. I think we will be grateful for this adaptability in years to come. There is concern that with the current rate of land clearing and climate change we will see a catastrophic loss of wildlife over the next 10 to 20 years. The federal government recently conceded that extinction for some species is inevitable, so why then are we not taking every possible step to protect our urban wildlife ? Once they are gone, we can't get them back.
As an inner city resident, I feel blessed that we have such a plethora of wildlife in our backyards and I strongly believe our lives and those of our children are made richer for their presence. So, next time you wake up to the sound of jackboots on your roof as a possum uses your house as a highway, roll over and put in some earplugs.
In the morning, trim back the branches on the trees close to your house. Not only will this encourage the possum to find an alternative route to his destination, but you will be doing your gutters a favour and reducing fire risk.
Brigette Sharp chairwoman, WIRES inner west branch, Petersham
Monday, May 24, 2010
Possums 25/5/10
Possums
Sydney is undergoing an "epidemic" of possum-napping as increasing numbers of residents illegally trap the troublesome marsupials then dump them in city and suburban parks. But experts say moving the animals to another area is a death sentence for many possums. Native animal rescue service WIRES said moving the animals to places such as the Royal Botanic Gardens causes possum warfare as the new arrivals fight for territory with existing animals. "It's a common belief that by relocating a possum there are no consequences for the animal," said WIRES spokeswoman Jilea Carney. "Unfortunately, it is usually a death sentence for a possum." WIRES staff have been called to rescue 1030 ringtail and 843 brushtail possums this year in NSW. It suspects many of these animals have come from other areas. WIRES said the number of possum rescue calls has risen 10 per cent each year since 2006.
St Ives has the highest number of possum rescues from private properties in the Sydney-Blue Mountains region, followed by Springwood, Avalon, North Ryde, Newport, Roseville, Lane Cove, Wahroonga, Mosman and Mona Vale. Outside the metropolitan area, Coffs Harbour, Katoomba and Alstonville have the highest possum rescues. "WIRES knows of recent and ongoing possum dumpings at Waverton and illegal trappings at Vaucluse for relocation on the north shore but it almost certainly would not be limited to any particular area," Ms Carney said. "WIRES suspects that we are dealing with the victims of possum dumping almost every day."
Trapping native animals without a permit is illegal and people can be prosecuted under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. The Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water said it only issues possum-trapping licences as a last resort and is asking anyone who knows about possum-trapping to notify a NSW Parks and Wildlife office. A department spokesman said the best way to get a possum out of a roof is to build it a small shelter in a nearby tree. "In their natural environment, possums usually live in tree hollows but with the loss of native bushland many of these natural homes have been destroyed," the spokesman said. *SunHerald
We've just heard this possum story from a wildlife carer. "A call came in some minutes ago on our Emergency Line from a very embarrassed father. His little daughter woke him up repeatedly last night crying that there were monsters under her bed - he, half asleep told her to go back to bed she was dreaming. Well, this morning she came out to him while he was having breakfast, took him by the hand and led him into her bedroom and demanded he look under the bed...He did, only to come face to face with a brushtail possum! So from now on he advises, he will believe everything his little daughter tells him!" *
Sydney is undergoing an "epidemic" of possum-napping as increasing numbers of residents illegally trap the troublesome marsupials then dump them in city and suburban parks. But experts say moving the animals to another area is a death sentence for many possums. Native animal rescue service WIRES said moving the animals to places such as the Royal Botanic Gardens causes possum warfare as the new arrivals fight for territory with existing animals. "It's a common belief that by relocating a possum there are no consequences for the animal," said WIRES spokeswoman Jilea Carney. "Unfortunately, it is usually a death sentence for a possum." WIRES staff have been called to rescue 1030 ringtail and 843 brushtail possums this year in NSW. It suspects many of these animals have come from other areas. WIRES said the number of possum rescue calls has risen 10 per cent each year since 2006.
St Ives has the highest number of possum rescues from private properties in the Sydney-Blue Mountains region, followed by Springwood, Avalon, North Ryde, Newport, Roseville, Lane Cove, Wahroonga, Mosman and Mona Vale. Outside the metropolitan area, Coffs Harbour, Katoomba and Alstonville have the highest possum rescues. "WIRES knows of recent and ongoing possum dumpings at Waverton and illegal trappings at Vaucluse for relocation on the north shore but it almost certainly would not be limited to any particular area," Ms Carney said. "WIRES suspects that we are dealing with the victims of possum dumping almost every day."
Trapping native animals without a permit is illegal and people can be prosecuted under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. The Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water said it only issues possum-trapping licences as a last resort and is asking anyone who knows about possum-trapping to notify a NSW Parks and Wildlife office. A department spokesman said the best way to get a possum out of a roof is to build it a small shelter in a nearby tree. "In their natural environment, possums usually live in tree hollows but with the loss of native bushland many of these natural homes have been destroyed," the spokesman said. *SunHerald
We've just heard this possum story from a wildlife carer. "A call came in some minutes ago on our Emergency Line from a very embarrassed father. His little daughter woke him up repeatedly last night crying that there were monsters under her bed - he, half asleep told her to go back to bed she was dreaming. Well, this morning she came out to him while he was having breakfast, took him by the hand and led him into her bedroom and demanded he look under the bed...He did, only to come face to face with a brushtail possum! So from now on he advises, he will believe everything his little daughter tells him!" *
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