Close Menu
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    • Home
    • About Us
    • Digital Subscription
    • Advertisement
    • Contact Us
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    The Tennessee TribuneThe Tennessee Tribune
    Advertise With Us
    • Home
      • COVID-19 Resource Center
        • Dr. Henry Louis Gates’ PSA Radio
      • Featured
    • News
      • State
      • Local
      • National/International News
      • Global
      • Business
        • Commentary
        • Finance
        • Local Business
      • Investigative Stories
        • Affordable Housing
        • DCS Investigation
        • Gentrification
    • Editorial
      • National Politics
      • Local News
      • Local Editorial
      • Political Editorial
      • Editorial Cartoons
      • Cycle of Shame
    • Community
      • History
      • Tennessee
        • Chattanooga
        • Clarksville
        • Knoxville
        • Memphis
      • Public Notices
      • Women
        • Let’s Talk with Ms. June
    • Education
      • College
        • American Baptist College
        • Belmont University
        • Fisk
        • HBCU
        • Meharry
        • MTSU
        • University of Tennessee
        • TSU
        • Vanderbilt
      • Elementary
      • High School
    • Lifestyle
      • Art
      • Auto
      • Tribune Travel
      • Entertainment
        • 5 Questions With
        • Books
        • Events
        • Film Review
        • Local Entertainment
      • Family
      • Food
        • Drinks
      • Health & Wellness
      • Home & Garden
      • Featured Books
    • Religion
      • National Religion
      • Local Religion
      • Obituaries
        • National Obituaries
        • Local Obituaries
      • Faith Commentary
    • Sports
      • MLB
        • Sounds
      • NBA
      • NCAA
      • NFL
        • Predators
        • Titans
      • NHL
      • Other Sports
      • Golf
      • Professional Sports
      • Sports Commentary
      • Metro Sports
    • Media
      • Video
      • Photo Galleries
      • Take 10
      • Trending With The Tribune
    • Classified
    • Obituaries
      • Local Obituaries
      • National Obituaries
    The Tennessee TribuneThe Tennessee Tribune
    National/International News

    Australia’s Most Dangerous Bird Is Threatened with Extinction

    zenger.newsBy zenger.newsDecember 16, 2020No Comments3 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Telegram Pinterest Tumblr Reddit Email
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    In the presence of the Southern Cassowary, time stands still. The large, flightless bird is a spectacle of nature, with its fierce features, shaggy-feathered body and three-toed claws. For the first-time tourist, spotting a cassowary is a bewitching experience — but locals remain entranced, too. Pottering through World Heritage rainforests and backyards, the big bird is an illusive mascot for the Wet Tropics of Queensland.

    Despite being shrouded in mystery, there is one thing advocates and experts know: Cassowaries are on the brink of extinction. Only 1,200 to 1,500 cassowaries remain in the wild in Australia, with the highest concentration found in the sleepy four-village town of Mission Beach. It’s the closest land-point to the Great Barrier Reef and provides a fertile habitat for the creatures. Remove the cassowary and the ripple effect is felt throughout the ecosystem.

    Endangered by speeding cars and dog attacks, no method has kept the population intact. In the past 28 years, an estimated 120 adult cassowaries have been killed by these lethal threats. (Photo Courtesy of Jeff Larson)

    “Cassowaries are a cornerstone part of our environment. If the bird disappears then the rainforest disappears. We would see a disappearance of certain types of trees or plants. We’re talking hundreds of years for the ecology to change, but it would probably change to a different type of rainforest,” said naturalist Jeff Larson of Community for Coastal and Cassowary Conservation.  It’s terrifying the cassowary could become an icon in name only, says local activist Liz Gallie.

     

    The Mission Beach community has fought for the cassowary for 20 years. Endangered by speeding cars and dog attacks, no method has kept the population intact. In the past 28 years, an estimated 120 adult cassowaries have been killed by these lethal threats. When Mrs. C, a beloved local cassowary icon of over half-a-century, was hit and killed by a speeding vehicle in South Mission Beach, it sparked community action.

    Advertisement

    Local advocates, conservation experts and state and local government have joined forces to devise strategies to protect the cassowary. Proposed solutions include ads and campaigns targeting locals and tourists, and educational updates to schools. “It’s an ongoing problem that’s only going to get worse, not better,” Gallie said.

    Despite a reputation for being dangerous, cassowaries are responsible for only two deaths in nearly 100 years. (Photo Courtesy of Jeff Larson)

    The Queensland State Government also launched a landmark project in July — building a vegetated land bridge that will let the birds cross a multi-lane road. The highway has previously been a troublesome area for cassowary crossings, as it interferes with their natural corridor. That’s key, since the cassowary plays an integral role in the flourishing ecosystem. The seeds in their dung helps the rainforest grow.

    And despite a reputation for being dangerous, they are responsible for only two deaths in nearly 100 years — when they were provoked. Otherwise, the cassowary is shy and timid.

    “People become transfixed,” Gallie said. “They’re the most tranquil, beautiful, big entities that share their time with you.”

    (Edited by Fern Siegel and Bryan Wilkes)



    The post Australia’s Most Dangerous Bird Is Threatened with Extinction appeared first on Zenger News.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    zenger.news
    • Website

    Related Posts

    USM, OMEGA PSI Sued Over Alleged ‘Hell Night’ Hazing

    October 7, 2025

    Judge sentences Sean “Diddy” Combs to 50 months in federal prison

    October 3, 2025

    Assata Shakur, Black liberation activist who escaped U.S. prison, dies in Havana at 78

    September 27, 2025

    Delta State University Student Found Hanging on Campus

    September 16, 2025

    MAGA Billboard in Montgomery, Alabama Sparks Outrage with Racist Imagery

    September 9, 2025

    The Game: What Black City Gets the National Guard

    September 9, 2025

    Comments are closed.

    Advertisement
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZODr-6rxyI
    Business

    FUNdraising Good Times Nonprofit heroes hidden in plain sight

    October 10, 2025

    Amazon Web Services partners with Nashville Innovation Alliance to address Tennessee’s technology talent demand

    October 5, 2025

    Nashville airport ends minority business program to comply with federal order

    October 2, 2025
    1 2 3 … 389 Next
    Education
    Education

    Meharry appoints leader of Diaspora Human Genomics Institute

    By TN Tribune Staff WriterOctober 16, 2025

    NASHVILLE, TN — Meharry Medical College, one of the nation’s oldest and largest historically Black…

    TSU Homecoming 2025: What you need to know

    October 8, 2025

    Meharry launches study to build world’s largest African ancestry genetics database

    October 7, 2025

    Digital Pioneers Academy Partners with The $50 Study to Launch Groundbreaking Student Cash Transfer Program in Washington, DC

    October 2, 2025
    The Tennessee Tribune
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    • About Us
    • Digital Subscription
    • Store
    • Advertise With Us
    • Contact
    © 2025 The Tennessee Tribune - Site Designed by No Regret Media.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    Our Spring Sale Has Started

    You can see how this popup was set up in our step-by-step guide: https://wppopupmaker.com/guides/auto-opening-announcement-popups/