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Endangered Species Series

Australia has one of the highest rates of mammal extinction in the world, and since Black Saturday, more animals are under threat. The area where Black Saturday happened provided natural habitat for many species, and sadly, many are more threatened and endangered due to destruction of their habitat. This series of Endangered Species articles will examine some of the species under threat in this area and increase awareness of their plight. Brush-tailed PhascogaleThe Brush-tailed Phascogale is a carnivorous, nocturnal marsupial. It is also arboreal in nature, carrying out the majority of activities in trees tops and on trunks. The top [...] Read more »

Project Leadbeater’s Possum

Australia has one of the highest rates of mammal extinction in the world, and one species, once thought to be extinct, is now under threat again and is the focus of our second Black Saturday bushfire project. The Leadbeater’s Possum is Victoria’s state faunal emblem and is endemic to Victoria. Unsighted for more than 50 years and presumed to be extinct, it was rediscovered in 1961 in the Montane Ash forests of the Victorian Central Highlands. Currently, the Leadbeater’s Possum is listed as Endangered under both State and Commonwealth legislation, and is predicted to undergo population declines of more than [...] Read more »

Black Saturday help

Nigel Williamson has been rescuing companion animals and wildlife from precarious situations for nearly 25 years. Faced with trying to rescue of hundreds of animals injured and dying from the Black Saturday bushfires, he needed every ounce of this experience and more. Hands-on at the coal face, Nigel and his volunteer team from Nigel’s Rescue Service spent three months rescuing wildlife and distributing food and supplies to the people and animals throughout the Gippsland, Kinglake and Marysville areas. For months, Nigel and his volunteers played an integral role in rescuing hundreds of animals from the bushfire affected areas. Depending on [...] Read more »

Project Bushfire Readiness

After months of selling our books and with the generous partnership of Petbarn stores across the country, we are ever so pleased to announce our first project for the Black Saturday area – Project Bushfire Readiness. One of the limitations to saving animal victims of a bushfire is being properly prepared and able to go into the affected area. Time is critical. Not only do animal rescuers need accredited bushfire training, but they also need the certified DSE (Department of Sustainability and Environment) bushfire safe gear. Born from the devastating effects of the Black Saturday bushfires, the non-profit organisation Australian [...] Read more »

Oscar’s Law Support Rally

Hundreds of people and their dogs gathered on the steps of Parliament House today in Melbourne to raise awareness to end the factory farming of dogs. As guest speaker Derryn Hinch says ignorance is no longer an excuse for this cruel practice to continue. Oscar’s Law, which will change the way animals are kept, bred and sold, is supported by thousands of people across Australia and no more was this on display than this morning in Melbourne city. As readers of this website will know with our Dog Rehoming Project, we’re particularly passionate about helping shelter animals. We feel strongly that the destruction of more than 250,000 perfectly [...] Read more »

Passion through the lens

When photographer Anita Norris sent us a card to thank us, little did she know where it would lead. Anita has always been passionate about animals. ‘I love trying to capture their spirit and essence through my photography,’ she says. ‘I love photographing all wildlife, birds, animals and particularly horses. I feel their eyes and expressions are incredible as you can understand what they are thinking and feeling.’ It’s this type of passion that shone through on the individually-made photo card Anita sent the Foundation’s Managing Director, Lisa Louden. ‘Opening the card and feeling the power of the photo was [...] Read more »

No penguins for dinner

For the first time in 42 years of monitoring, it’s good news for the Little Penguins on Phillip Island! During the 2009/2010 financial year, no deaths of Little Penguins were recorded from foxes at Phillip Island’s Nature Park. Since 1980, 3,177 penguins have died on Phillip Island due to foxes, so this achievement is a significant milestone; one which hasn’t occurred since 1968. ‘This is a positive sign that the Nature Park’s fox eradiation strategy is having a significant impact on fox numbers on Phillip Island,’ says Dr Roz Jessop, Environment Manager at Phillip Island Nature Park. The strategy, in [...] Read more »

Love me, love my pet

Could it be that singles of both sexes are choosing to put their love for their pets ahead of finding a partner? According to new research, 83 per cent of single women and 64 per cent of single men wouldn’t start a relationship with someone who didn’t like their pet. Going by the adage, a dog’s a great judge of character, that may save some heartache! The Newspoll on Pets and Single People, conduted in July 2010, also found that despite this, pets are helping single men and women to make friends, with 36 per cent confirming that they’ve met someone who became a friend as a result of owning [...] Read more »

Keen to be Green

The sustainable industry is booming and consumers all over the world increasingly want their consumables environmentally responsible, both for the product, and its packaging. The global trend for sustainable cosmetics has been largely driven by changing consumer purchasing habits. Consumers not only want to feel good while using products, but feel good about them too. Cosmetics are a luxury item and consumers can invest substanial money in them. The challenge for cosmetics producers is that the industry has a long-held marketing mantra ‘to stand out from the crowd’, so many products come in expressive, elaborate and often unnecessary packaging. So, how can the industry make profits [...] Read more »

Cosmetic certifications: what do they really mean?

There’s something comforting about product certification; it’s our way of knowing that a third party has assessed that product and endorsed it. The Heart Foundation Tick, for example, has long been a campaigner on supermarket shelves approving everything from margarine to marinades. Certification is how companies legitimise their products. Those manufacturers that have them, will do anything to protect them. The cosmetics industry until recently has had very little reason to achieve third-hand accreditations, mostly due to its inability to meet standards and criteria. However, the shift in public demand for natural and organic personal care products along with the establishment of product [...] Read more »