Wild About Noosa with Tony Wellington

from Your Local: March 2022

Health

WILD ABOUT NOOSA HINTERLAND Swamp

Wallaby

MANY people whose property abuts bushland will sporadically catch sight of a Swamp Wallaby. They are most often seen bounding across roads with their very distinctive gait: head held low and tail out straight.

Swamp Wallabies appear to be holding their own in the survival stakes. The reason may be that they have a couple of secret weapons. Firstly, they smell. This swampy stench meant that they were not persecuted for food by early European settlers. First Nations people also reportedly found Swamp Wallabies unpalatable.

The Swamp Wallaby's other trick is that it can overlap two pregnancies. Macropods (kangaroos and their cousins) often exhibit what's called "embryonic diapause", which allows them to slow down the development of an embryo if conditions aren't suitable.

Swamp Wallabies, however, are unique in having their gestation period longer than their oestrous cycle. This means they can carry a fertilised embryo and a young foetus at the same time. What's more, while a young wallaby is suckling milk, the development of the next foetus remains dormant, waiting until the joey is weaned. As a result, female Swamp Wallabies are continually pregnant!

The good news is that these animals may actually be increasing in number. A 2019 study found that they have extended their distribution over the last 40 years and are adapting to increasingly dry habitats.

These are shy, solitary animals, designed to live in forests. Swamp Wallabies enjoy a very broad diet including shrubs and herbage. They appear to tolerate plants that other animals find toxic such as lantana, bracken, and even introduced hemlock.

They are a tricky animal to photograph in the wild because they are furtive and don't like to be watched. I get a thrill every time I come across one of these beautiful, smelly animals.

with Tony Wellington

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VOLUNTEERS FOR LOCAL DOG RESCUE

LOCAL charity, PTSD Dogs Australia is calling for more volunteers to help the organisation carry out their great work, rescuing dogs from pounds and shelters, and training them to become supportive Psychiatric Assistance Dogs for Veterans and First Responders suffering from PTSD.

The local charity, now based near Cooroy, provide this service to Veterans & First Responders, living with PostTraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a result of their service to our community.

They are desperate for more volunteers to assist in several areas, including general administration duties, and to help with manning fundraising market stalls, and at fundraising events.

If you have time to spare and the skills to match, then join the pack! Anyone interested in volunteering for PTSD Dogs Australia, please call on 0488 101 026 or visit www.ptsddogs.org.au

GARDEN SUNDAYS ARE BACK SUNDAY March 6 marks the 2022 return of the popular Sunday in the Gardens event at Noosa Botanic Gardens.

Start your day with a coffee and muffin from Rob (Bus Stop Espresso) supplying you with the best from his Cooroy Coffee brand. Or you can take a short stroll over to the Shade Garden, to see some of the more exotic species the gardens have to offer.

From 10am, legendary singer/songwriter Jay Bishoff will perform under the poinciana trees near the Shade Garden. Then join a botanic journaling workshop with Sammy Ciganka to make your own mark makers from found objects and sticks. The workshop is free but you need to book through the website. www.noosabotanicgardensfriends.com