ANIMALS

Aircraft Delivers Tons of Food to Help Starving Animals in Australia

During the recent bushfires that ravaged Australia, a staggering number of at least one billion animals perished. While there were some fortunate survivors, tens of thousands find themselves trapped in the affected regions, facing a dire fate of starvation.

Image source: NSW Office of Environment & Heritage

Recently, the authorities in New South Wales initiated a program called “Operation Rock Wallaby” to assist the affected animals. The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service took to the skies, utilizing aircraft to drop approximately 5,000 pounds of nourishing vegetables such as carrots and sweet potatoes. This effort aims to provide food to vulnerable creatures and offer them much-needed support.

Image source: NSW Office of Environment & Heritage

“The wallabies typically survive the fire itself, but are then left stranded with limited natural food as the fire takes out the vegetation around their rocky habitat,” Matt Kean, environment minister for New South Wales told MailOnline.

The wallabies were already experiencing a great deal of hardship due to the ongoing drought, which made it extremely difficult for them to survive on their own. Without any help, their chances of survival were greatly diminished.

Operation Rock Wallaby 🦘- #NPWS staff today dropped thousands of kgs of food (Mostly sweet potato and carrots) for our Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby colonies across NSW 🥕🥕 #bushfires pic.twitter.com/ZBN0MSLZei

— Matt Kean MP (@Matt_KeanMP) January 11, 2020

The NSW official mentioned that they are making efforts to closely monitor the wildlife that has survived the wildfires. They are setting up cameras whenever possible to observe how the animals are responding to the food being provided and to keep track of the different types and numbers of animals in the area.

Image source: NSW Office of Environment & Heritage

Given the scale of the recent events, the feeding program was not just important but essential. The bushfire crisis has already resulted in the complete disappearance of entire species. During a press conference, Lyn White – spokeswoman for Animals Australia said: “With roads likely shut for weeks, the risk of starvation for surviving wildlife in the area is very real. It would be tragic if there was a further loss of life because the needs of surviving animals was not being met.”

One happy customer 🦘🥕🥕🥕🥕#operationrockwallaby #AustralianFires pic.twitter.com/wtzMgeaX6D

— Matt Kean MP (@Matt_KeanMP) January 11, 2020

The World Wildlife Fund Australia has reported that the recent blaze has had a devastating impact on several species, with koalas, kangaroos, and wallabies being the most affected. According to CEO Dermot O’Gorman, the loss is truly heart-breaking, including thousands of cherished koalas on the mid-north coast of NSW, as well as other beloved animals like kangaroos, wallabies, gliders, potoroos, cockatoos, and honeyeaters. These species have suffered greatly due to the wildfires.

Sadly, a large number of animals have been lost due to the blaze, but there is some positive news. Thanks to the courageous efforts and involvement of the Australian people, many animals have been rescued from the devastating fires.

Source: dailymail | Twitter

ANIMALS

Amazing Video of Unseen Ocean Creatures in the Ningaloo Canyons

The Schmidt Ocean Institute recently explored the Ningaloo Canyons on the western coast of Australia using a robotic underwater vehicle called the ROV Sebastian. Check out the amazing video of what they discovered in the deep parts of the Indian Ocean.

More info: Youtube

ANIMALS

These Pics Are Art and the Artists Are Insects

Flying insects move so quickly that they are hard to follow, but new technology and some smart ideas have helped Spanish photographer Xavi Bou do just that. After spending 10 years focusing on birds in flight for his Ornithographies project, he turned his attention to insects.

For Entomographies, he uses high-speed video footage taken by Adrian Smith, an insect expert at North Carolina State University, to study and record how insects move. Bou then picks multiple frames and combines them into single images that show the fast movements of one or more insects through space and time.

With Smith’s help, Bou has captured the aerial tricks of wasps, the jumps of leafhoppers, and the fluttering of butterflies in amazing detail. He hopes that by doing this, he can make people more aware of the decline in important insect populations around the world.

1. Zebra longwing

This butterfly, which is common in many areas of the Americas, really fits its name. It can fly very high with just a few flaps of its large wings.