NEWS DESK
Koalas concern Keith Platt keith@mpnews.com.au PROPERTY owners on French Island are worried that koalas are eating themselves out of house and home. Although not native to the island, the introduced koalas are so successful that their numbers have increased past the point of being able to sustainably coexist with the vegetation on which they feed. Islanders fear the koalas will die of starvation or need to be culled as hundreds were in 2013 and 2014 near Cape Otway, south-west of Melbourne. “The extent of damage and loss of koala habitat has increased over the last three years to the point where koalas themselves are becoming desperate for food,” French Island Landcare Group president Alison Pitt said. “It is not uncommon to see three koalas in one tree. Not only is this bad news for the tree but stressful to koalas who are quite territorial.” “Koalas on French Island remain disease free and have no predators. They do not self-regulate in their breeding habits so left unabated increase their population very quickly and are now eating themselves out of habitat.” Wildlife officers say there should be one koala a hectare. Ms Pitt said members of the Landcare her group had “been expressing their concerns to Parks Victoria, DELWP and the Minister for Environment about the koala population on French Island for almost 12 months without response”. She said a sterilisation program believed to start in spring would do little
to ease the problem in the short term. Ms Pitt said a sterilisation program started in 2007 allowed trees to recover in some areas but other parts of the island were being decimated. Since 1923 more than 8,500 koalas from French Island have been used to repopulate areas on the mainland where their numbers had been declining. “In spite of the importance of the Island for Victorian koalas, koala habitat on the island has been neglected and koala numbers have frequently been allowed to rise to the point of widespread destruction of island trees,” Ms Pitt said. “The koalas did an enormous amount of damage to koala habitat on the island in the 2000s, when translocations were halted for lack of further suitable places in Victoria, exacerbated by the millennium drought.” Ms Pitt said of thousands of trees planted by the Landcare group over the past two decades had been killed or damaged by koalas. Although a management plan is being devised for the island’s koalas the group believes doing nothing to manage the animals’ habitat should not be an option. Ms Pitt said it appeared the island was seen as a place to breed koalas but without consideration being given to damage being done to areas of manna gum heathy woodland and swamp gum plains grassy woodland “where tiny degraded remnants remain on basalt soils on private land, which are constantly threatened by koala overbrowsing”. The News has contacted DELWP for comment.
Picture: Makala Peter, Wildlife Cruises
Whales breaking records WHALE watchers are recording the “busiest season on record” as sightings pour in from Western Port and Port Phillip. “The 2016 whale season has turned into a record breaker around our bays. We’ve just had our busiest weekend of sightings ever,” said Dolphin Research Institute, research officer David Donnelly said on Wednesday. “Winter in our bays and surrounding coastal waters has become something of a busy time for keen whale watchers. Large whales are now so regular in our waters that sightings have become an expectation rather than a novelty.” Mr Donnelly said although “hunted to the edge of extinction during the industrial whaling era, humpback and southern right whales are making a
comeback, though the latter still has a long way to go” He said the east coast population of humpback whales is expected to reach 26,000 animals this season “which is close to the estimated pre-whaling numbers”. “The news is not so great for the slow to reproduce southern right whale, with their southeast Australian numbers estimated to be between just 224 and 251 individuals.” Mr Donnelly said up to 16 whales were sighted in the preceding weekend, bringing the number to 56 since 16 June 16. This time last year there had been 33 validated sightings. “Whether this is a case of more whales, more people looking or a bit of both is yet to be determined but one thing’s for sure, whales never fail
to attract the attention of the public,” he said. Mr Donnelly said reports had also been made of vessels approaching too close to migrating whales. State whale watching regulations limit boats to being no closer than 200 metres. Jet skis and other smaller craft were limited to 300 metres. The Two Bays Whale Project is a citizen science project being run by the Dolphin Research Institute and Wildlife Coast Cruises for the public to report whale sightings and contribute images to a centralised database. The data is used to compare sighting rates, monitor changes in behaviour and give an overall understanding of trends in numbers of visiting animals. Log your whale sightings at www. dolphinresearch.org.au
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Salon cuts for a cause SILK Hair and Beauty Spa will be doing their part to help cut the chains of slavery on “Style For Life” day on 31st July. The Mount Martha salon will be donating all the proceeds from the day’s trading to the cause, and joining hundreds of other salons around the country. “This is a wonderful event, and we are thrilled to be involved”, said salon owner Leanne Barnes. “We are hoping for a really busy day, with as many customers as we can sit in chairs, with 100 percent of the proceeds from the day donated to not-for profit organisation Hagar. “We’ll also have the Men’s Den operating on the day, so the guys can get in for a cut or a shave for a great cause.” Hagar patron, award-winning actor and director Rachel Griffiths said “The United Nations estimates that over two million people will be sold into slavery every year”. “By taking part in Style For Life day Austral-
ians can truly transform the lives of women and young people in our nearby countries like Cambodia, Vietnam and Afghanistan. “Every dollar from your service will provide survivors with a skill like hairdressing, giving them economic power and freedom to build themselves up from slavery,” said Grifiths. Hagar is an international charity that works to restore the lives of women and children who have survived severe human rights abuse including rape, paedophilia and modern slavery. With specialist recovery programs in Cambodia, Afghanistan and Vietnam, Hagar provides trauma counselling, intensive education programs and career training opportunities for people who would otherwise have had no chance of a future. “Style For Life” day will be held on 31st July at Silk Hair and Beauty Spa, 1 Bay Road, Mt Martha. To make a booking for the day, call (03) 5974 1832. Offered on the day will be all “non-chemical” services.
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1300 WE IMPROVE Mornington News 19 July 2016
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