Conservation

CONSERVATION OF AUSTRALIAN WILDLIFE

Australia is one of the most important nations on Earth for biodiversity; we have the largest biodiversity of any developed nation on earth – and we must protect it! Australia is one of only 17 megadiverse nations and is home to more species than any other developed country.

80% of Australian species are unique to this country:

900+ reptiles
820+ birds
380+ mammals
200+ amphibians
5000+ fish
24,000+ plants

Australia is facing an extinction crisis. This is due mainly to predation by feral cats and foxes, clearing of native vegetation, habitat destruction and bushfire.

Sadly, many Australian species face an uncertain future. Australia has the worst mammal extinction rate in the world, with 1 out of 3 mammal extinctions in the last 400 years occurring in Australia. Most of Australia’s wildlife is found nowhere else in the world, making its conservation even more important.

It is our hope, that by allowing you an up close encounter with Australia’s wildlife, we can bring awareness to the wide variety of animals that share our Australian environment, instil a passion for wildlife and spark an interest in conservation.

The choices we make in our everyday lives can have a huge impact on the natural Australian ecosystems and their inhabitants. Making good choices about the products we use and consume can make a significant impact to the survival of some of our native Australian animals. Taking simple steps towards a more ecologically sustainable lifestyle can protect our environment for the future; such as remembering to 'reduce, reuse and recycle', reduce energy consumption, become water wise and shop sustainably - 'byo' bags, avoid plastic and excess packaging, avoid disposable products, choose biodegradable products, shop locally, buy recycles, buy energy-efficient, buy in bulk and think before you buy.

FERAL CATS

Cats are natural born killers. The feral cat is one of the main predators of Australian wildlife. However domestic cats can kill wildlife too; in fact it is estimated that cats kill 3.8 million native Australian animals each year. Of course, they are blameless; they are simply following their instincts. However cats are a major threat to our native wildlife and cat owners need to take responsibility. If you have a cat, there are easy steps you should take to minimise the impact on local wildlife. Keeping it in at night can reduce the kills it makes by half. Cats should also wear a collar with a bell, or a sonar beeper that produces high-pitched tones to alerts birds to their presence. Neutering stops cats procreating and makes them less likely to roam and hunt.