In the largest worldwide bird count ever, bird watchers from 101 countries, including Australia, made history in February in the first global Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC). From 15 to 18 February, 2013, bird watchers from around the world set new records, counting more than 25 million birds on 116,000 checklists in four days. They […]
Great Backyard Birdcount goes global Read More »
When is an elephant a picky eater? A study of the African elephant finds that, despite its large size and fast-operating digestive system, this mammal does not eat just anything. This mega-herbivore selectively chooses species and parts of the woody plants that comprise its diet. An article in the current issue of Journal of Mammalogy
The African Elephant’s unique food choices Read More »
Changes in the way Australians are living may impact on community health according to the Planning Institute of Australia and the Petcare Information and Advisory Service (PIAS), who’ve announced an $8,000 award for best practice planning for dogs and public open space. According to Susie Willis from PIAS, ‘The recently released 2011 census data showed
The great Australian dream? Read More »
A new report on successful, safe and humane birth control in elephants should benefit wildlife managers in Africa according to the Humane Society of the United States. African wildlife managers are constantly dealing with questions surrounding the need to slow the growth of elephant populations, especially in smaller parks and reserves, to prevent loss of
New techniques for managing wild elephants Read More »
The latest findings from a UK study of more than 14,000 pregnant women suggests that one of the answers to achieving the recommended levels of exercise during pregnancy could be as simple as walking the dog. The study, Dog ownership during pregnancy, Maternal Activity and Obesity: A Cross-Sectional Study, 2012, found that pregnant women who
Dog walking benefits pregnancy Read More »
The Tasmanian government has unveiled plans to phase out battery hens, in a national first for animal welfare, leading all Australian states and territories to end the cruel practice. The move comes amidst calls from Voiceless, the animal protection institute, to the Australian Egg Corporation Limited (Egg Corp) for a massive change to the free
Praise for Tasmania, but more action needed Read More »
Scientists carrying out surveys to help understand the impacts of climate change on frogs in the sky island rainforests on Australia’s East Coast are calling on volunteers for help. During the past 20 years, nine species of Australian frog have become extinct, a further 15 species have declined, and 27 species are listed as threatened,
Frog Survey Volunteers needed Read More »
If you love animals and Africa then this book Dry Water by Tammie Matson is an absolute must read. At 15, Tammie went to Zimbabwe with her father and it changed her life. Dry Water tells of Tammie’s exploits and adventures in Africa for 12 years while she worked in the safari industry, volunteered on
Just to watch these two old elephants, Jenny and Shirley, gives you the most perfect picture of what friendship is about. This remarkable story of friendship began twenty-two years ago at a circus when Jenny was a calf and Shirley was in her twenties. Back then, they only spent one winter together before they were
As we’ve discovered in previous articles, there are many and varied experiences that you can have with elephants in Asia. So, how do you find the ethical ones? Let me step back for a minute and explain the history of the Asian elephant, once highly revered and domesticated for work and warfare. Far from the
The ethical elephant experience Read More »
