Salut tlm,

voici un post pour ceux qui aiment beaucoup les animaux d'australie comme moi...

Melbourne Herald Sun, le 23 septembre, 2003

Super Roo Lulu a real life saver

'BARK' ALERTS FAMILY TO INJURED DAD.

A Gippsland (Victoria) farmer owes his life to his pet Kangaroo Lulu, who alerted the family after he was badly hurt by a tree branch.

In a scene like off the 70's TV series "Skippy the bush Kangaroo", the kangaroo stood guard over her unconsious master, Len Richards, and 'barked' for help like a dog.

The RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) last night called for Lulu, who has only one eye, to be given a national bravery award.

The Richards family adopted the western grey as a joey 10 years ago when they found her in the pouch of her mother, who had been killed by a car.
Yesterday she returned the good deed.

"She was making this noise which sounded like a dog barking and she was obviously trying to get our attention because she never acts like that," Mr Richards 17 year old daughter, Celeste, said.
"It went on for about 15 minutes, so we went outside to investigate and we saw Lulu standing upright with her chest puffed out over dad's body."

Mr Richards, 52, had been checking a tree in a paddock about 300 m from the house when he was struck by a falling branch and knocked unconscious.

After Celeste, his wife Lynn and son luke found hi, he was taken from their hobby farm at Tanjil South, near Morwell, to the Alfred Hospital with head injuries. He was released last night.
"If it wasn't for her, dad could have died. We might not have found him for ages," Celeste said.
"Lulu thinks she is a dog."
"Lulu and Dad are very close and she follows him around, but we all just love her so much. Lulu is my hero."
Mrs Richards said "I watched 'Skippy' as a kid, but it's just amazing that it can happen in real life."
She said she believed Lulu knew exactly what she was doing.
"She's a one-in-a-million special kangaroo. She must have formed such a bond with Len to do something so amazing. I definitely think she saved his life."

Rural Ambulance Service spokesman John Mullen said the farmer was in a life-threatening condition and could have died had it not been for the clever kangaroo.
"The wife found him an hour after the accident," Mr Mullen said. "If she hadn't found him, it could have been a lot worse. In an unconscious state with a head injury like that, it was just as well.
"No one else could have raised the alarm. If it hadn't been for the Kangaroo, it could have been a lot worse."

Mr Richards said he had no memory of the accident and was amazed to hear of his kangaroo rescue.
"She's a pretty amazing animal but I didn't believe she stood there and barked to get their attention," he said.

Lulu, like her famous TV star counterpart, loves the comforts of her adopted family's home, but is still a bush kangaroo at heart and comes and goes as she pleases.

Mrs Richards said she roams surrounding bush with her native friends but always returns once or twice a day for her daily food of Arnott's Teddy Bear biscuits.
"She knocks on the back door to let us know she's come for a visit," she said.
"I'll have to buy her a whole box of Teddy Bear biscuits after this."

RSPCA president Dr Hugh Wirth urged the family to nominate Lulu for an RSPCA national bravery award.
"From my point of view, it's a very good story and I would hope Lulu is nominated," Dr Wirth said.

It was the second time an animal helped save its owner's life in the past week. Rescuers say Dazie the Blue Heeler dog helped keep her elderly owner, Janette Luscombe, alive by providing warmth when she was lost in the bush for 6 days outside Broken Hill, in outback NSW.

Good story, huh?

Kate

Et une autre histoire, un peu moins mignonne.

KENNY SNAPS BACK AFTER BIG ADVENTURE

Le 23 Novembre, 2003, Melbourne Age

Late on Friday, Bendigo police got the call: a youngster was missing. His name was Kenny. 5 years old.
Worryingly, Kenny was on a special diet, required a heated environment - and could possibly eat people. Or at least their pets.

Early yesterday, with no leads and no sign of the little fellow, police put out a plea to locals: a young crocodile was missing: 1.5 metres long.
He was described as "very calm" but could become aggressive if cornered.
A few hours later, Kenny was seen, wrapped in a Persian carpet and riding on a wheelbarrow in a residential street in North Bendigo.
Apparrently his snout and jagged teeth gave his identity away.
Soon after, he was taken home to Epsom, and reunited with the man who had raised him, Shane King, who hopes one day sto open a crocodile park in the Top End.
While his wife complained in the background about all the cameras and journalists in her backyard, a quietly emotional Mr King posed for photographs with young Kenny squirming and thrashing about in his arms.
"He's been a bit stressed and has a few marks around his mouth. He's been out and he's been cold...but he's otherwise not in bad condition," Mr King said. "All they think about is food."

Soon after, Kenny was tucked into bed, in a tin shed, to rest and later dine on croc comfort food, "chicken and rats", and possibly wonder about his strange journey.

It appears that somebody stole Kenny, put him in the wheelbarrow, but then had trouble selling him, and then somebody who knew both Kenny and his owner came across the wheelbarrow and notified the police.

Kate

23 Bites and a couple of escapes later, Roy is still happy.

Ballarat’s Roy Pails thinks he could be the next Steve Irwin the Crocodile Man - only he’s still waiting to be discovered.

Mr Pails has a 3 1/2 metre crocodile in his back yard, but his real claim to fame is his incredible collection of more than 400 snakes, all kept in individual glass cages in his home.
For 28 years, Mr Pails has had a fascination with the scaly creatures, despite being bitten 23 times. Among his rare collection are rare twin black headed pythons, taipans, brown snakes, a 4 metre olive python and green tree pythons. He is one of the biggest snake breeders in Australia.
His snakes sell for $120 between and $10,000 and are together worth more than $400,000.
Mr Pails hopes his collection will produce more than 200 eggs this year. Some will be sold to parks and individuals across Australia.
His obsession with snakes started as a child when he began picking up izards and playing with them. This soon changed to snakes.

“Occasionally one will get out from the cage and crawl across the floor, but I just pick it up and put it back in. “
His snakes eat mice and rats, so Mr Pails has 4 deep ferezes in his home full of the vermin to make sure his collection doesn’t go hungry.
Mr pails breeds his snakes at his Delacome business, “Pails for Scales”.

Ah, dommage, car lorsque Reno etait ic en Australie, he was looking for snake breeders to visit! If only I'd known about this one earlier, I could have taken him there.....while I waited outside in the car!!!!!!!!! Eeeeek je deteste les serpents.

Kate

Novembre 2003
Pooping Tiger a crowd pleaser.

A Tasmanian Tiger toy which shits chocolate sweets has been voted the crowd favourte at an exhibition honouring the extinct marsupial.
Made from Huon Pine by retired bank manager Wally Mainsbridge, “Pooping Tiger” could soon feature in souvenir shops state wide.
It was selected for the $2,000 People’s Choice award from a field of 95 entries in the Thylacine Editions exhibition at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery in Hobart.

Kate

Sightings of extinct Tasmanian Tiger
Septembre 2003.

Tasmanian tigers are running wild in parkland 25 kms from Melbourne’s CBD, according to at least 20 sightings reported to the Victorian Government.

Freedom of Information requests revealed 63 possible sightings of Tasmanian tigers and big cats in Victoria, including a Parks Victoria report into multiple tiger sightings in the Warrandyte State Park in Melbourne’s north east.

Other repeat sightings of Tasmanian tigers, panthers and pumas since the early 1990’s centred around Wilsons Promontory National Park in the South East and the Grampians range, in the west.
Melbourne researcher Michael Moss, who made the request to the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) and Parks Victoria, said the government was ignoring strong evidence the Tasmanian tiger was alive and breeding in Victoria.

The last known Tasmanian tiger, or thylacine, died in captivity in Hobart in 1936. It is believed to have been extinct on the Australian mainland for 2000 years.
But Mr Moss said several recent sightings were made by believable witnesses, who gave detailed descriptions of the striped marsupial.

Believe it...or not!
Much as I love mysteries, I'm almost inclined towards the 'not'....2000 years extinct is a long time!!
but there ARE strange things out in the bush...the 'big cat' stories have been around for years, decades even, even sightings very close to my home town, and theories surrounding how they came to be here range from escaped circus cats/pumas running wild to other ideas.
(The most convincing evidence pointing towards them is that they've killing sheep on farms and leaving huge footprints behind, and there have been sightings of cats at night which are far too large to have been domestic cats gone feral, even though ferals can grow quite large once running wild and killing native animals for food).

I find these mystery stories rather intriguing...but if they ARE out there, I almost hope nobody finds them, because their life would be short and they'd die in captivity like the last Tasmanian Tiger....

Kate

Octobre 2003
Humpback whales thrill onlookers in Sydney Harbour

Tourists at Sydney Harbour had an unexpected treat yesterday (* I forget what date this story was) as three humpback whales frolicked in the city’s famous waterway.
To the delight of visitors, the 2 adults and 1 baby swam to within 100 metres of the shore.
They were first seen near Clarke Island around 7.45 am, then swam near the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge before turning around and leaving the harbour shortly after 12 noon.
Officials from the Dept. of Environment said it was unusual to see humpbacks come so close to the shore, but their presence was a good indication that the ongoing anti-pollution campaign is becoming successful.
National Parks and Wildlife Service ranger Robert Newton said the giant animals looked healthy as they splashed around the harbour waters.
“Really they were just going for a bit of a cruise,” Mr Newton said.
“There was a little bit of tail flapping, but not too much.”
“They were just moving as whales do. They came up to blow and they went back down again.”
The two adults were each estimated to be about 14 metres long and the youngest humpback measured around 10 mts, Mr Newton said.
Female humpback whales grow to an average 14 mts long and weigh more than 35 tonnes.
Listed as a vulnerable species, Humpbacks are protected throughout Australia and boats and jet skis are not allowed to come any closer than 100 mts of them.
Humpback whales can usually be seen off the NSW coast between May and July, and south from September to November.

Nice!
Kate

Novembre 2003
Barrier reef a Tourism goldmine

The Great Barrier reef is the most valuable coral reef system on earth, earning up to 2.29 billion a year, a new study has discovered.
Research by economists from Yale University found coral reefs had major economic benefits and called for worldwide conservation programs to protect them.

The Great Barrier Reef was one of the most popular ecotourism sites in the world: about 2 million visitors annually spend up to $1145 a visit.

The study comes as the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority finalises a plan to increase no-fishing areas from 5% of the reef to more than 30%.

Cereal Sales to benefit Koalas
Ballarat, 17/1/04

Thanks to a German man who calls Australia home, profits from a Canadian breakfast cereal are helping the plight of Ballarat’s koalas.
That man is Rolf Schlagloth, liaison officer of the Australian Koala Foundation.
His photo, along with facts about the foundation’s work and Ballarat, are now on the back of 500,000 Koala Crisps cereal boxes in Canada and the US.
Some of the cereal boxes have also been spotted at the Friendly Food Co shop in Ballarat’s Bridge Mall.
The company that makes the cereal, Nature’s Path Foods, gives 1% of cereal sales back to conservation groups around the world through the company’s Envirokiz fund.
“The cereal company contacted the AKF to ask what hands-on vegetation work we were doing. They wanted to link Koala Crisps with a koala project, Mr Schlagloth said.
The money donated by Koala Crisps funded a project carried out by Buninyong Primary School and the City of Ballarat to plant more than 500 trees between Mt Innes and Mt Buninyong.
Mr Schlagloth said destruction of habitat was the biggest threat to Ballarat’s koala population, along with dogs and cars.
“There’s not a lot left and it’s very fragmented,” he said.
Mr Schlagloth said the cereal boxes demonstrated the power the Koala had for highlighting conservation and encouraging tourism.

COCKROACH RACING - you bet on it!
20/1/04

Gambling-mad Aussies, teased for willingly betting on two flies crawling up a wall, have expanded their horizons - now they’re placing bets on cockroaches.
A record crowd of more than 7000 punters is expected to attend the 23rd annual Cockroach Races in Brisbane on January 26, with some bringing their own runners and others buying competitors there (we’re dealing with giant cockroaches here)

“More and more people are coming to town especially for this premier racing event, where everyone can be the owner of a thoroughbred,” said organiser Richard Deery, general manager of Brisbane’s Story Bridge Hotel that hosts the races.
Australia is home to about 450 native species of cockroach, which are not pests and are mainly bush dwellers, and also has around 6 species of pest cockroach, most of them introduced from outside the continent.

Australians have the highest rate of gambling in the world (per head of population), a passion dating back to when the first convict settlers, shipped out from Britain in 1788, reportedly bet on cards and dice. By the early 1800’s, horse racing was the rage, but this has now been overtaken by the flashing slot or poker machines that line the walls of just about every pub, hotel and casino. More than 20% of the world’s poker machines are in Australia, about 5 times as many as in the US on a per capita basis.
Few Australians are reluctant to bet. The nation comes to a standstill every year for the Melbourne Cup horse race and the nation’s richest man, Kerry Packer, is a gambler who's definitely not sorry about it, known for spending millions at the baccarat table.
Mr Packer probably won’t be spotted cheering on his favourite cockroach, but Mr Deery said more and more people were heading to Brisbane to bet on the 14 races.
Last year’s winner, 'Osama bin Liner', was lovingly reared by his owners who turned up on the day in full beards and headwear, dressed as the world’s most wanted man.
Other past winners include 'Drain Lover' (whose name plays on that of 2 time Melbourne cup winner Rain Lover), 'Millennium Bug' and 'Guns N Roaches', whose contestants styled themselves on US rock band Guns N Roses, carrying their roaches in boxes shaped like tiny guitars.

Mr Deery said people who didn't have enough time to trap and train their own 6 legged runners could buy a cockroach from the house stable for $5, but warned that demand always was always more than available supply. All funds raised go to a local childrens hospital.

The races are held on a round track with the cockroaches released from an upturned bucket in the middle. First to the edge is the winner. The steeplechase event is a bit trickier, with the runner having to negotiate a circular fence - well, a garden hose - to get to the edge.
Mr Deery said the same cockroach can be entered in any number of events for a $5, if you can catch it after the first race.
“But for the cockroaches, it is short term success and glory, as most don’t last to return the next year, “ said Mr Deery.


Oh nooooo! Somebody tell me this isn't true....Effisk? Obones?
Did you hear anything in the media about this supposed huge event?

It really looks convincing enough that I believe it's true, and I'm certainly not surprised that Australians will bet on anything - we've always had the reputation for it, and it seems like in the cities it's more horse racing, lotto, Pokies and Casinos, and the further you get from cities, the more important it is to the town and its people and the more inventive the racing gets (on anything available - in Port Douglas in a pub I saw a sign for nightly Cane Toad racing!).

Kate

Woman feared for life in Kangaroo attack
17-3-04

A woman feared for her life as she was attacked by a rogue kangaroo near her Brisbane home yesterday.

Sylvia Aldren was attacked by an eastern grey kangaroo around 6.30 am outside her home on the city’s northern outskirts.
Ms Aldren said the attack took place outside her home while she was picking roses.
She said she sensed trouble when she noticed a few roos nearby and one approached her.
The look in the kangaroo’s eye made me feel that I knew I was in trouble,” Ms Aldren told ‘A Current Affair.’
She said during the attack, which lasted more than 5 minutes, she was pushed to the ground a number of times and kicked, bitten and scratched.
“I thought ‘”this is it’, he’s going to kill me””
Neighbours of Ms Aldren said they had been terrorised by a mob of around 50 kangaroos that had randomly attacked them in recent years.

See? Laurent's right when he says there are more dangerous creatures to watch for than sharks...

Kate

PS: Seriously, as a general rule Kangaroos aren't dangerous unless provoked, teased, starving hungry....but these ones seemed to be just plain nasty!

RSPCA says it will ‘butt out’
17-3-04

The RSPCA has promised to ‘butt out’’ of the debate on the export of live sheep once the organisation is confident the animal husbandry requirements of the animals are being met.
Outspoken Vic. RSPCA president Dr Hugh Wirth made the commitment in Melbourne last week when addressing the Rurasl Press Club of Vic.

“We are only campaigning about the live animal export problems because we can’t see them being fixed,” he said.
“When it comes down to the welfare of animals and the RSPCA, the community only wants to be satisfied when it goes to bed at night that animals are being looked after properly.”
“We didn’t create the problem in the Australian community whern there was an uproar over the Cormo Express that even the Federal Cabinet, which is going to decide on the Keniry report in the next few weeks, really had their ears well and truly bashed and burnt by the community.”
Dr Wirth, who appealed to those present “not to shoot the messenger” said he was amazed that the farm community which supplied sheep and cattle for export, was not doing something to fix the problem.

“If the industry is lost, it is not because of the RSPCA, it is because of the intransigence of people dealing with live animal exports in not fixing up a massive husbandry problem.”

VFF Lifestock president Simon Ramsay, who was in the audience, took issue with these comments.
“Our organisation is always keen to work with the RSPCA on animal welfare on any issue,” Mr Ramsay said during question time.
“Do you want me to give you my number,” Dr Wirth asked.
“I have got your number, thanks,” Mr Ramsay replied.
“Wee seem to be poles apart for a long, long time, decades in fact,” Dr Wirth responded.

“I think we are seeking common ground with the RSPCA,” Mr Ramsay said before expressing disappointment that the RSPCA had not acknowledged improvements in the live export trade.
“We have spent a lot of our money, producers’ money in providing safe transport for livestock,” Mr Ramsay said.

4-4-04
Sharks are biting fit, says RSPCA.

Almost a year after attacking the welfare of sharks at Sea World, the RSPCA praised the theme park’s new shark exhibit yesterday, and warned the man-eaters going on public display next week are so healthy they’re dangerous.

After a final inspection ahead of the official opening of Shark Bay tomorrow, RSPCA chief inspecttor for Queensland, Byron Hall, said the tiger and whaler sharks cruising the world’s largest shark lagoon system were ‘biting fit’ and as healthy as they would be in the wild.

“I wouldn’t want to fall in the water with them. They all look very fat and healthy,” Inspector Hall said.
“The display is magnificent. I couldn’t fault it. The animals there are in magnificent condition.”

Last year Mr Hall led an RSPCA investigation into the welfare of several large sharks held in a temporary pool awaiting the construction of Shark Bay.
“The temporary holding pool wasn’t enough, as far as the RSPCA was concerned,” recalled Inspector Hall.

Site for native animals
Ballarat, 4-4-04

Hundreds of native injured kangaroos and wallabies have been saved from certain death thanks to a few Ballarat residents and businesses.
A land owner south of Ballarat has offered bushland as a release site for the animlas.
The plan has delighted wildlife shelters, stretched beyond their limits in recent times.
Haddon wildlife shelter operator Kylie Forster said many animals would have been put down if a solution hadn’t been found.
Enviropine Timbers has donated treated pine poles for the perimeter of the 30 m x 40 mt enclosure. Shade cloth has also been promised.
Volunteers are being called for to help with construction.

Amnesty on illegal exotic reptiles

If you are hiding a foreign python in your broom cupboard or a boa constrictor in your bathtub, the government is giving you a chance to come clean.
Owners of illegal exotic reptiles have until May 24 to surrender their scaly friends to authorities and avoid jail terms of up to 5 years and fines of up to $110,000.
Announcing the amnesty at the Melbourne zoo, Federal Environment Minister David Kemp said foreign reptiles posed a serious threat to the australian environment.
“These exotic reptiles can carry quite serous pathogens - diseases which can infect our native wildlife and cause a significant loss of species, “ he said.
Dr Kemp said there were large numbers of exotic reptiles in the community and the demand for them was encouraging smugglers to try to sneak them into the country.
The lengths smugglers would go were highlighted by the Swedish man caught at Darwin airport last year with 4 highly poisonous king cobras and 4 emerald tree boas strapped to his legs.
Authorities do not know how many exotic reptiles are out there but say previous amnesties yielded hundreds of creatures.
Anyone ready to hand over their poisonous pet can call the amnesty hotline on 1800 684 447.

Amnesty on illegal exotic reptiles

If you are hiding a foreign python in your broom cupboard or a boa constrictor in your bathtub, the government is giving you a chance to come clean.
Owners of illegal exotic reptiles have until May 24 to surrender their scaly friends to authorities and avoid jail terms of up to 5 years and fines of up to $110,000.
Announcing the amnesty at the Melbourne zoo, Federal Environment Minister David Kemp said foreign reptiles posed a serious threat to the australian environment.
“These exotic reptiles can carry quite serous pathogens - diseases which can infect our native wildlife and cause a significant loss of species, “ he said.
Dr Kemp said there were large numbers of exotic reptiles in the community and the demand for them was encouraging smugglers to try to sneak them into the country.
The lengths smugglers would go were highlighted by the Swedish man caught at Darwin airport last year with 4 highly poisonous king cobras and 4 emerald tree boas strapped to his legs.
Authorities do not know how many exotic reptiles are out there but say previous amnesties yielded hundreds of creatures.
Anyone ready to hand over their poisonous pet can call the amnesty hotline on 1800 684 447.