Aussie Ark president Tim Faulkner calls for NSW Native Wildlife State of Emergency

[Flaviemys purvisi]

DECEMBER 27 2019

A koala amid the fire. Pic: AUSSIE ARK


AFTER assessing the state of native wildlife in the greater Barrington Tops, Aussie Ark president Tim Faulkner is calling for an urgent collaborative response to help save what is left.

The Australian conservationist believes the mass loss of life among native animals deserves to be classed as a NSW Native Wildlife State of Emergency.

During a recent visit by Aussie Ark and Australian Reptile Park staff to assess the drought and fire-affected areas, the wider region around Aussie Ark's sanctuary in the Barrington Tops - two hours from Scone - revealed devastating results.

They had to relocate 50 endangered Hunter River turtles from dried up waterways, while 10 platypus were found and transferred, with five requiring veterinary care due to poor health conditions.

The staff also monitored and provided food drops for Brush-tailed rock wallabies and assessed the possibility emergency intervention for the critically-endangered Manning River turtle.

By definition, a State of Emergency is declared by a government in a situation of national danger or disaster resulting in the suspension of normal constitutional procedures in order to regain control of the situation.

"I believe substantial investments have been seen by governments in fire-fighting, National Parks and the protection of private properties and infrastructure," Mr Faulkner said.

"This is where the focus has been.

"Nobody has declared a native wildlife crisis, yet that is exactly what it is - a native wildlife state of emergency.

"So much has been lost already and it won't come back without help.

"What is needed is a mass upscaling of initiatives and projects that directly impact native wildlife.

"We need public and private partnerships, corporate, government and philanthropic groups, conservation groups along with the community to recognise the crisis and support organisations delivering results on the ground."

Mr Faulkner admitted they must rebuild.

"What is needed is a mass scale combined effort and it is needed now, not later," he said.

"Many of the species affected were already at risk of extinction, such as koalas, Brush-tailed rock wallabies, turtles, quolls and platypus.

"Entire populations and ecological communities have been entirely wiped off the face of the earth, some will never be what they once were.

"If I could have one News Year's wish it would be that Australia steps up and addresses the native wildlife state of emergency and rebuild."

As a not-for-profit organisation, Aussie Ark raises the necessary funds to continue its ambitious vision of providing a long-term future for Australia's threatened wildlife.

Investment allows for the construction of captive facilities and predator proof fencing on large wild sanctuaries.

 

[nuttylizardguy]

I'm pretty sure there will be thousands of injured and very hungry reptiles ranging from geckos, skinks, to dragons out there that have suffered nasty burn injuries and now finding they have no habitat or hides and no food.

Where are the stories about kind people stepping up , rescuing injured wild reptiles , and assisting these unfortunate and equally needy reptiles ?

Wonder how many local populations / colonies of reptiles have been killed in these bush fires ?

 

[CF Constrictor]

Dont be silly , Burned Koalas begging for water , is a story . MASSIVE pythons trying to murder our children, is a story. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS boa constrictor on the loose in Sydney , is a story. HUGH carpet python hiding in christmass tree, is a story. Unfortunatly reptiles are just not cute and cuddly enough for most people to give a damn about. They are always the bad guys , if you believe everything writen about them in the media.

 

[Harrison_Asensio]

i wish the government would actually listen to this and do something about it instead of spending all there money on stadiums and other stuff

 

[CF Constrictor]

HUH!!!! That will be the day !!! Pollies are not concerned about the environment , they just pretend to be in order to get green votes. They are far to short sighted and only interested in feathering there own nests and looking after there mates. Any pollies who do actualy care are put straight in there place and made to tow the company line quick smart. COME ON ANYONE PROVE ME WRONG ???

 

[dragonlover1]

HUH!!!! That will be the day !!! Pollies are not concerned about the environment , they just pretend to be in order to get green votes. They are far to short sighted and only interested in feathering there own nests and looking after there mates. Any pollies who do actualy care are put straight in there place and made to tow the company line quick smart. COME ON ANYONE PROVE ME WRONG ???

You are correct, remember when Peter Garrett became a pollie and thought he could make a difference? Didn't last long because the party told him to shut up. Party policies rule and individual members have no say. That's why people like Pauline Hanson, Bob Katter and Jacquie Lambie are important because they are not ruled by the party. Whether you love or hate them remember they have Australia first.

 

[Sdaji]

You are correct, remember when Peter Garrett became a pollie and thought he could make a difference? Didn't last long because the party told him to shut up. Party policies rule and individual members have no say. That's why people like Pauline Hanson, Bob Katter and Jacquie Lambie are important because they are not ruled by the party. Whether you love or hate them remember they have Australia first.

Peter Garrett didn't last long because he almost immediately demonstrated that he was a terrible manager of projects and caused many house fires and a few human deaths by trying to fast track a project without adequate due diligence.

The reality is that like all other species, humans are primarily interested in the immediate wellbeing of their own species. Wildlife in the wilderness not directly interacting with humans aren't a big concern to the vast majority of people and never will be. Show them pictures of cute fluffy animals and they'll say they care deeply but they won't actually take meaningful action. Koalas, platypus etc aren't going to go extinct. These species get mentioned because they're iconic, not because they're actually in danger of extinction.

 

[Flaviemys purvisi]

One positive thing Peter Garrett did do was s**t can the Traveston Crossing dam proposal. If that had of gone ahead, the Mary River turtle would be extinct today.

 

[nuttylizardguy]

The trouble is the very short term these cretins are voted in for ( most of them in all parties are cretins who only got a look in because they knew the pockets to piss into and are not the least bit interested in making the lives of their constituents better unless they can get something out of it ). They don't give a rats about anything beyond the next election and too busy making sure they have lucrative board seats or ambassadorial roles to go into when they leave office.

When it comes global warming , …. they are right up there with the Flat Earth People . Nuff said.

 

[dragonlover1]

Peter Garrett didn't last long because he almost immediately demonstrated that he was a terrible manager of projects and caused many house fires and a few human deaths by trying to fast track a project without adequate due diligence.

The reality is that like all other species, humans are primarily interested in the immediate wellbeing of their own species. Wildlife in the wilderness not directly interacting with humans aren't a big concern to the vast majority of people and never will be. Show them pictures of cute fluffy animals and they'll say they care deeply but they won't actually take meaningful action. Koalas, platypus etc aren't going to go extinct. These species get mentioned because they're iconic, not because they're actually in danger of extinction.

the first part of your post isn't entirely correct because you can't blame the minister, he/she is just a figurehead who likes to take the credit when something goes right but the truth is a bunch of boofocrats make all the decisions but can't be blamed because they are "following directions".
Have you ever watched an episode of "Yes Minister"? this is so close to the truth it's scary.
And the unfortunate people who died was because of incompetence or simply the bosses greed, neither of which can be laid at the ministers feet, as much as the media would like to portray the opposite.Similar to the recent uproar when Scomo had a little vacation when Parliament was closed for the holidays, what exactly was he supposed to do with the bushfires? don a firey suit Like Tony Abbot and piss on massive fires? Much ado about nothing as usual

 

[Sdaji]

the first part of your post isn't entirely correct because you can't blame the minister, he/she is just a figurehead who likes to take the credit when something goes right but the truth is a bunch of boofocrats make all the decisions but can't be blamed because they are "following directions".
Have you ever watched an episode of "Yes Minister"? this is so close to the truth it's scary.
And the unfortunate people who died was because of incompetence or simply the bosses greed, neither of which can be laid at the ministers feet, as much as the media would like to portray the opposite.Similar to the recent uproar when Scomo had a little vacation when Parliament was closed for the holidays, what exactly was he supposed to do with the bushfires? don a firey suit Like Tony Abbot and piss on massive fires? Much ado about nothing as usual

I can't agree regarding Garrett. He was the man at the top of the scheme, ultimately the responsibility ends with him, he enacted it, and it was done in a way which guaranteed houses were going to burn down and made it highly likely people would die. It happened because of him, without him it wouldn't have happened. Part of due diligence when implementing anything is making sure that the people below you are competent. If I hired a pedophile to work in a day care centre, sure, they'd be gguilty but some guilt would rest with me if I hadn't done anything to screen staff during the hiring process. Garrett neglected to practice due diligence during the implementation of his insulation scheme and legitimately carries guilt.

I'm well familiar with Yes Minister, it's a great show, I agree.

 

[CF Constrictor]

I could not have put it any better than this. Cheers

The trouble is the very short term these cretins are voted in for ( most of them in all parties are cretins who only got a look in because they knew the pockets to piss into and are not the least bit interested in making the lives of their constituents better unless they can get something out of it ). They don't give a rats about anything beyond the next election and too busy making sure they have lucrative board seats or ambassadorial roles to go into when they leave office.

When it comes global warming , …. they are right up there with the Flat Earth People . Nuff said.