Hope for the hopping mouse
Mitchell’s Hopping Mouse was presumed extinct in NSW due to habitat loss and feral animals. But since April 2022, 150 of the mice have been reintroduced.
Bred at a South Australian safari park, the mice have been released in western NSW’s Mallee Cliffs National Park in the largest feral predator-free enclosure on mainland Australia!
Find the other species already released, or soon to be re-wilded at Mallee Cliffs …
GOOD NEWS …
Plastics bans start in NSW
Australians have the second biggest single-use plastic use per person in the world, but things are changing for the better …
Lightweight single-use plastic bags have been banned in NSW since June 2022 and from November so will other single-use plastics including straws, cutlery and plates.
Have a look at the 10 worst single-use plastics and eco-friendly alternatives
10 worst single-use plastics and eco-friendly alternatives
Koala colony discovery
Koalas are an endangered species in NSW and also, it turns out, good at blending into the scenery! Two citizen scientists have photographed nearly 80 previously undocumented koalas in Heathcote National Park on Sydney’s southern fringe. It’s hoped that there could be more as-yet-undiscovered koala colonies.
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Wet weather helps pelicans thrive
With extensive flooding and storm damage in 2022, it’s easy to forget that wet weather is not always a bad thing. NSW’s wet summer helped created ideal conditions for native pelicans to breed at Lake Brewster in the Central West. A record-breaking 15,000 nests were recorded at the lake! Research and conservation work has used bands on pelicans to track their movements, as well as artificial intelligence to analyse drone footage.
Look at and listen to some noisy pelican footage
Wild summer sparks ‘extraordinary’ pelican breeding season as 30,000 birds look for mates
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Magpies v Researchers
Researchers testing out backpack-like tracking devices on magpies were surprised to discover an entirely new social behaviour rarely seen in birds. The magpies cooperated … to help each other remove the trackers!
So it’s “back to the drawing board” for researchers on how to collect the data needed on magpie movements.
Read more about the research and magpies here: Altruism in birds? Magpies have outwitted scientists by helping each other remove tracking devices
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