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n December, the e-par team developed environment, health and safety ‘Standup Team Talks’ on bushfire behaviour and bushfire radiant heat. That theme continued into January where we addressed handling bushfire injured wildlife and creating refuges for bushfire injured wildlife. It looks like the theme will now continue into February with such talks discussing how to safely work in bushfire smoke, how to fit P2 masks and bushfire ecoanxiety. Displaced, hungry, stressed and dehydrated animals will most likely continue to be discovered adjacent to fire ravaged areas. Birds, for example, are turning up in weird places and Dr Grant Palmer, a senior environmental science lecturer at Federation University Australia, reports that they have fled their homes and are looking for new ones and there will be fierce competition for resources. This article will focus on the opportunity for golf course superintendents to create a refuge for bushfire displaced wildlife on their golf course.
BIODIVERSITY CRISIS We have all seen the devastating images. Descriptions of injured, burnt and dead wildlife, either caught in the blaze or fleeing their habitat. Images of koalas, kangaroos, wombats and livestock injured or killed by the bushfires are circulating daily in the media and reports are surfacing that entire species of plants and animals have been wiped out. WWF Australia is estimating 1.25 billion native animals have perished in the bushfires. The fires have destroyed mature trees and will rob ecosystems of their vegetation diversity and reduced food resources for wildlife well into the future. While it is always better not to feed native wildlife, we are in extraordinary times and their natural diet is just not there. The drought has taken out most of the vegetation and now the fires are taking the rest. It’s a perfect storm and displaced animals will be seeking food, water and shelter. As gut-wrenching as it is seeing wildlife caught in fires, all animal and emergency services agree that you must not enter fire affected areas to try and rescue wildlife. If you are not a trained animal rescuer, it’s best to leave the animal rescue to the experts.
If you see an injured animal on your site, the first thing to do is to call an animal rescue organisation or the local vet. They’ll provide specific instructions on how to care for the animal you’ve found. However, there are a few things you can do immediately to help the injured animal; l Displaced and injured wildlife will most likely be stressed, so try and keep as quiet as possible when approaching or handling. l The less people interacting with the animal, the better. l Keep pets away from the animal. l Do not attempt to feed the injured animal. Just wrap it gently and loosely in 100 per cent cotton fabric, then place it in a ventilated box with a lid and keep it in a dark, quiet place for transport to the nearest vet or while waiting for a rescuer. l If handling small animals… l Place the animal in a cotton pillowcase or cloth bag; if neither is available wrap it up in a towel or jumper. Wear gloves or protect your hands. l Place the animal in a slightly larger box or container. Place the box in a cool, quiet and safe place. l Contact a wildlife shelter to arrange for drop off or collection of the animal. l If handling large animals: l Supervise the animal if possible, while keeping a safe distance and without disturbing it. l Keep pets and traffic away from the animal. l Note the location and what the problem with the animal is. l Contact a wildlife carer who will advise the best action to take. l Do not attempt to feed or give water to the animal until you have spoken to a wildlife carer. The carer may advise you differently once an assessment of the animal has been made.
CREATING A REFUGE FOR DISPLACED ANIMALS By its very nature, every golf course now has a real opportunity to act as a refuge for those animals fleeing the fires or dealing with the drought. Golf courses have large open tracts of green and woodland space with habitat ranging from wetland to grasslands to forest, all with well managed feral pest populations – it’s the ideal refuge for bushfire vulnerable animals. One of golf’s big challenges is its image among non-golfers. We know of courses up and down the Australian east coast that are viewed by non-golfers as large tracts of land used by an affluent minority. That is why councils around the country are making judgements about the future of golf courses based on limited information about the true community value of a golf course. The recent wildlife death estimates from the bushfires come from Professor Chris Dickman, an expert on Australian biodiversity at the University of Sydney. It is estimated that there is an average of 17.5 mammals, 20.7 birds and 129.5 reptiles per hectare in NSW. If we calculated the area of habitat areas in the roughs and wooded and waterway areas of golf courses and applied that to Victoria’s 374 golf courses (which occupy over 18,750 hectares of land), if just 20 per cent (3750ha) of this area is roughs and forested area that means 65,625 mammals, 77,625 birds and 485,625 reptiles call Victorian golf courses home. If we applied the same data to Sydney – 91 golf courses that cover some 38 square kilometres (3800ha) of open space… if just 20 per cent (760ha) of this area is roughs and forested area that means 13,300 mammals, 15,732 birds and 98,420 reptiles call Sydney golf courses home. These animals are already under drought pressure and bushfire displacement could add
Opposite: WWF Australia is estimating 1.25 billion native animals have perished in the Australian bushfires. The fires have destroyed mature trees and will rob ecosystems of their vegetation diversity and reduced food resources for wildlife well into the future Right: Every golf course now has a real opportunity to act as a refuge for those animals fleeing the fires or dealing with the drought
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