Happy, the Elephant

Happy, the elephant, has been living at the Bronx Zoo in New York for 40 years. The Nonhuman Rights Group, an animal advocacy organisation, asked the courts to rule that Happy was being illegally detained and should be relocated to an elephant sanctuary. There the setting would be more natural and she could be with other elephants.

The Court of Appeals in New York ruled in a 5-2 vote that, since Happy is not a person, she is not entitled to human rights. However one of the dissenting judges argued the court should “recognise Happy’s right to petition for her liberty not just because she is a wild animal who is not meant to be caged and displayed, but because the rights we confer on others define who we are as a society.”

But the Zoo operators argued that Happy is well cared for and strongly bonded to her keepers. Happy will remain in the Bronx Zoo.

Ref: Ed Shanahan, Happy, the elephant, isn’t a person, a top New York court rules, Sydney Morning Herald, 15 June 2022.

Food for Thought

by Nalda Paterson

Jaffa, a kangaroo joey in my care, was doing well but one night, in the wee, wee hours, she was yelling out and thrashing around. I wasn't sure if she was fitting or was having an episode of extreme colic or severe stomach pain (which she had never suffered from before).

I sat and held her for over an hour, trying to think way back to the very few joeys that I had cared for that had had fits. Finally I decided to get the stethoscope to have a listen during one of these episodes. Her heart was beating frighteningly fast. When Jaffa would settle for five minutes or so the heartbeat also settled but then it would go crazy again as another episode came on. This told me that it was severe tummy pain because if a joey is fitting its heartbeat does not slow down but stays extremely fast until the heart collapses and they die.

Having said that, joeys can also die of a severe tummy problems. I had some baby Infacol (used for relief of colic and severe wind) and gave her a full ml straight into her mouth. Within 30 mins she settled. I continued to hold her until around 5am when I was finally satisfied she was okay. At her next feed, 7am, she passed two very small dark blood clots. You wouldn't think anything was wrong after that, she was bright as a button. I will remain alert and get her checked by a vet if it happens again.

It is important to be able to tell the difference between fitting and severe stomach pains. It is frightening. You can get cheap stethoscopes from ebay for this purpose. It is also good to ask your vet how to listen for the sound of aspirated lungs.

NSW Forestry Destroyed Bat Homes

NSW Forestry Corporation (FCNSW) has been fined $230,000 for destroying bat habitat in the Dampier State Forest west of Bodalla. The logging, which was in May 2019, was in an area where the Eastern Horseshoe bat roosts.

However, because the Corporation is state-owned, the fines are ultimately paid by taxpayers, and so the fines are not much of a deterrent.

A corporation spokesperson stated "Where mistakes have occurred, we've set aside hundreds of additional trees to make sure there is no net cost to the environment.” This, however, will not help the bats in the Dampier State Forest.

Ref: EPA fines NSW Forestry more than $500,000 in one month for destroying South Coast habitat, ABC News, 30 June 2022.

Australian Frogs are Dying

Last winter thousands of frogs died. They were found out in the open during the day and were thin and slow with dark patches on their backs or red bellies. The deaths slowed during the summer but this winter they are dying again.

Researchers do not know the cause and are asking the community to report sick or dead frogs and to take sick frogs to vet clinics willing to examine, care for and/or take samples from these frogs.

Last winter 1600 people reported finding such frogs, often multiple finds. More than 40 species were reported including threatened species such as the green and golden bell frog (pictured).

"To help us understand the scale and cause of any frog deaths this winter, please send any reports of sick or dead frogs to the Australian Museum’s citizen science project FrogID via calls@frogid.net.au. Please include your location and, if possible, photos of the frog(s)."

Ref: Jody Rowley and Karrie Rose, Australian frogs are dying en masse again, The Conversation, 13 June 2022.

Wildlife Roadkill

It is estimated that 10 million animals are hit by cars on Australian roads every year. On average, as reported by citizens using the Roadkill Tas smartphone app, 32 animals die on Tasmanian roads every hour.

"Australia’s road toll is so high it threatens whole species. Road mortality is the second biggest killer of endangered Tasmanian devils with around 350 killed every year, and the biggest cause of death of adult endangered cassowaries in Queensland.”

In our own branch in 2021, 191 macropods were euthanised by firearm, 42 euthanised by other means and 70 dead on arrival. Most of these were the result of motor vehicle accidents. And of course many other road deaths occurred without WIRES callouts.

Apart from larger mammals such as possums, wombats and kangaroos, millions of smaller animals are also injured or killed including birds, echidnas, reptiles and frogs, but these tend to go unnoticed.

To avoid hitting wildlife:

• avoid driving at dawn and dusk when many animals are most active.
• Look a long way ahead and on both sides of the road for animal movement. If it is dark, use high beam headlights.
• If you see any animals, lower your headlights and slow down to less than 20km/h so you have time to react as animals such as kangaroos often move erratically.

Above all, DON’T DRIVE SO FAST. "Studies from the Centre for Automotive Safety Research conducted by the University of Adelaide have shown that a reduction in speed of just 10 percent has the potential to reduce vehicle crashes by 20 percent." (Wildlife Victoria)

Refs: Marissa Parrott, 10 million animals are hit on our roads each year, The Conversation, 21 December 2020; Isabella Podwinski, Roadkill data paints bloody picture of wildlife carnage across Tasmania, ABC, 17 April 2022; Marcus Craft, What to do if you hit a kangaroo with your car, CarsGuide, 6 August 2019.

Feeding Mince to Birds

Message from the Avian Management Team:

"The Avian Management Team does not approve the use of commercial mincemeat for feeding birds, as carers cannot be confident of its composition, even if it is marketed as high grade or heart smart mince.

"Instead, we recommend that you purchase lean meat or ox heart (with all fat trimmed off) and use a mincer or blender to turn it into mince. We are aware that the Wombaroo feeding guidelines refer to minced meat, and we make it clear in the avian practical workshop and various handouts that this should be interpreted as lean meat, minced by the carer."

Free Native Plants

Eurobodalla Shire Council’s Environment Team may be able to assist with providing free native plants for the use in wildlife rehabilitation enclosures or for planting on your property as a food source for animals being cared for. If you need many native plants, there may even be an opportunity for Council to organise Eurobodalla Landcare volunteers to hold a working bee to assist with planting them.

Please contact Council’s Natural Resource Supervisor, Courtney Fink-Downes on 4474 7493 or courtney.fink@esc.nsw.gov.au to talk with her about your needs and how she may be able to assist.