Brown tree snakes destroying more than just Guam’s birds
A brown tree snake
In the last 60 years, brown tree snakes have become the embodiment of the bad things that can happen when invasive species are introduced in places where they have few predators. Unchecked for many years, the snakes caused the extinction of nearly every native bird species on the Pacific island of Guam. But new research by University of Washington biologists suggests that indirect impacts might be even farther reaching, possibly changing tree distributions and reducing native tree populations, altering already damaged ecosystems even further.
Quoted from the original article.
I like brown tree snakes, even though I had a bad experience with them once. I know it’s wrong, but I sort of get a sense of pride when I hear about Aussies doing well overseas.
Save the planet – eat Skippy!
Eastern grey kangaroos: rare or rare?
Australian scientists have come up with a unique way to combat climate change: eat kangaroos and save the world. A study claims that farming and consuming more kangaroos instead of cattle and sheep will reduce carbon gas emissions.
The President of the Wildlife Protection Association of Australia, Pat O’Brien, described the study as nonsense. He said that 500 times more kangaroos than the current population would have to be killed to produce the equivalent amount of sheep and cattle meat.
“The kangaroo population is in demise in Australia; it’s never been so low because of ten years of drought,” said Mr O’Brien, who is also the chairman of the National Kangaroo Protection Coalition.
Quoted from the original article.
I don’t know what sources Mr O’Brien is drawing on. Everything I’ve read has said that kangaroos are more numerous now than before European settlement. I had kangaroo steak the other night. Don’t overcook it – it goes quite tough if you do.
