Echidna Restoration Movement
Echidna Restoration Movement
News Feed:
February, 2014
Official Site Launched
After about a week of planning and design, the official Echidna Restoration Movement website has been launched. While the site was not initially going to be released until April 1st, site designer Ian Keates obtained permission from the ERM council of core members to launch the site early. As Keates put it, "We have here a site that is inches away from completion. Why would we just let it sit around while echidnas are dropping down dead left and right?"
Although the council allowed the site launch, they are still hesitant about giving it their full backing. Their reasons for uneasiness seem justifiable. The site is Keates's first ever design job. At just 17 years of age, it is doubted wether he is adequate for the job of starting a website to draw attention to a fledgling movement. As if this wasn't unsettling enough, there have been legal questions raised regarding the site. Given that that the ERM is what is commonly called a prank organization, it is questionable wether it has the right to provide a means to collect donations. Critics claim that this is equivalent to a scam, and should be treated by law as such. Some think otherwise. As Keates pointed out, "It's actually pretty obvious that this is all a prank. There's gotta be least four references that explicitly identify the movement as a prank. You would have to be a dummy to not notice that." According to his argument, the multiple disclaimers throughout hte site should be enough to alleviate all legal objections.
In any case, only time will tell how successful the new site is.
"Wildlife officers say they have seized almost 100 exotic animals and birds, including cockatoos, echidnas and wallabies, that had been smuggled into the Philippines for sale to wealthy collectors.The cache, hidden in small containers in a van, was made up of wildlife from Australia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, said Eric Gallego, spokesman for the local office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.They included yellow-crested cockatoos and long-beaked echidnas, two species listed as "critically endangered" by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.They also included four wallabies from Australia and about 90 exotic parrots from Indonesia, said Gallego.Several of the birds or animals had died, possibly from the stress of long travel in harsh conditions, he said.Law enforcers acting on a tip stopped a van with the wildlife and two attendants in the southern city of Surigao on Mindanao island on Saturday, just as the vehicle was about to board a ship heading north.The birds and animals are believed to have been shipped from Indonesia to Malaysia and then across the maritime border to the southern Philippines where they would be taken to Manila, said Gallego."There must have been an order from a rich person in Manila for the animals as collector's items. It must be someone who is into rare animals," he told AFP.The head of the government's wildlife division Josefina de Leon said a crime syndicate with members from different countries was known to be smuggling rare animals from Malaysia into the southern Philippines.Two men caught with the van will be charged with illegally transporting wildlife, a crime punishable up to six months in jail and a 50,000-peso ($A1,245) fine depending on the rarity of the animals involved."
(Source: http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2014/02/19/echidna-wallabies-among-seized-animals)
"The impossible became the possible with the birth of four baby echidnas over the past two months at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary on the Gold Coast.The four new echidna babies (called puggles) join two that were born last year as part of the echidna study program jointly run by The University of Queensland (UQ) and Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary.The births have confirmed the echidna breeding program as a world-leader and could help save the monotreme’s critically endangered cousins.Reproductive biologist with UQ’s School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, Dr Steve Johnston, says echidnas have been notoriously difficult to breed in captivity.“It was only a few years ago that it was thought to be almost impossible to breed echidnas in captivity and most births were somewhat accidental and unplanned,” Dr Johnston said.“We had two puggles born last year and this year all five of the females have mated and four have produced puggles so far – we are still waiting for one more.Less than 20 echidnas had previously been bred in captivity in Australia until Currumbin’s four puggles were born this year. Having bred this notoriously difficult-to-breed species two years in a row, Dr Johnston believes the centre now has a sustainable captive breeding program."
(Source: http://www.uq.edu.au/news/article/2012/11/puggle-baby-boom-boosts-hopes-endangered-echidnas)