IMAGINE a species where males incubate and raise their young, that can regenerate areas of land, and is charismatic.<\/p>\n
You can see two of these animals at the Ballarat Wildlife Park. They are southern cassowaries and have inspired a special fundraiser for the school holidays.<\/p>\n
Acutely aware that their natural rainforest habitat in Queensland is threatened, passionate conservation activist and the park\u2019s carnivore keeper, Simon Faithfull is leading the charge.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re calling the fundraiser Cuppa for a Cassowary, trying to raise as much money and awareness, using our two birds as the keystone species. It\u2019s for an NGO based up in the Daintree Rainforest called Rainforest Rescue,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The Daintree is split into two regions, but one is currently safer than the other.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe upper is protected under federal law, but the lower is all over the place,\u201d Mr Faithfull said. \u201cThe Daintree is an amazing region of Australia, a biodiversity hotspot that\u2019s home to the southern cassowaries.<\/p>\n
\u201cRainforest Rescue is trying to buy blocks of rainforest before mining companies disseminate it and create wildlife corridors to link the lower and upper Daintree.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re regenerating it through all the necessary vegetation that is found up in that region, and a lot of fruit trees as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
There\u2019s an estimated 1500 to 4000 southern cassowaries in Australia, but they\u2019re a very active animal that\u2019s difficult to track.<\/p>\n
Mr Faithfull said people rarely understand them, part of the ratite family of flightless birds.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey move huge distances, picking off small native figs. They walk for kilometres and defecate.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe digestive system can break down the fruit but not the seeds, so when they defecate you\u2019ve got an amazing compost manure, regenerating the rainforest,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t have monkeys here. That\u2019s one of the major roles of primates over in the new and old world, to regenerate rainforest. We have cassowaries.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re quite unique animals, and when you get to know our two, they\u2019re really charismatic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over the school holidays, the park encourages families to visit their females, 24-year-old Zena, formerly of Cairns Tropical Zoo, and 2-year-old Echo, born at Perth Zoo.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got donation tins around the park, and the idea is you can add a dollar to your coffee and put it in the donation tin. It\u2019s a Cuppa for a Cassowary,\u201d Mr Faithfull said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have a young daughter who\u2019s heavily involved with conservation, so I want it to be geared towards kids. They\u2019re the next conservationists.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I can get the awareness out there with the young kids about how groovy these birds are and what people are trying to do, to me that\u2019s more important.\u201d<\/p>\n
Today, Thursday 26 September is World Cassowary Day, with presentations, feeding encounters and a raffle with cassowary inspired prizes throughout the day at the Ballarat Wildlife Park.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
IMAGINE a species where males incubate and raise their young, that can regenerate areas of land, and is charismatic. You can see two of these animals at the Ballarat Wildlife Park. They are southern cassowaries and have inspired a special fundraiser for the school holidays. Acutely aware that their natural rainforest habitat in Queensland is […]<\/p>\n