Propagate and Plant: Cassowary Conservation

Your donations have been helping to feed, care for and rehabilitate three orphaned Endangered Southern Cassowary chicks in Far Northern Queensland. Thank you!

As we reported earlier this year, as part of our work in saving the Endangered Southern Cassowary from extinction, in late in 2014 Rainforest Rescue began helping care for three orphaned Endangered Southern Cassowary chicks as part of our work at the Garner’s Beach Cassowary Rehabilitation Centre in Mission Beach, Far North Queensland, Australia. Thanks to all your support, these three beautiful cassowary chicks are now healthy once again and are growing very fast! We are delighted to provide for you today this the latest update on these three spritely, lovely cassowaries!

The main care-giver assisting at the Garner’s Beach Centre is Emily, who works hard to ensure that every day the birds have all they need. Here is Emily with a first hand report this month:

“All three birds are doing very well, they are constantly playing and are now eating (so much) fruit! They are comfortably getting through (about) 9 – 12 litres (buckets) of fruit foods each a day – plus their weekly dose of chicken necks and dog biscuits.”

As we reported earlier, the food and care for the three birds is carefully prescribed from expert advice received from wildlife veterinarians who are experienced in specialty care for cassowaries. Care is taken to ensure that the diet the cassowaries are provided closely matches both what they find in the rainforests, as well as being what they require as essential nutrition to help them develop soundly and grow healthy.

With the weather heating up again in Far North Queensland at this time of year, the Centre’s grounds need to be kept cool for the birds. Measures are taken to try and closely resemble the birds’ natural surroundings; the type of conditions they would find themselves in throughout the natural rainforest of the region. Emily said:

“The climate here has changed yet again, …we are having hot days now and the humidity is rapidly increasing… this means the ponds in the grounds are filled and the cassowaries are very much enjoying the two ponds – and the sprinklers I put on - …to frolic and play in.”

As you can see in the photos, the three chicks are actually no longer really just ‘chicks’! They are now considered to be of juvenile age and as they are growing, their feathers are changing to be longer and more defined, and their legs are taller and stronger – as is their appetite! Each of the birds are standing rather tall now, and they are more and more beginning to resemble mannerisms and the look of majestic adult cassowaries!

This is all great news as this indicates all three birds are fit and healthy and as the days pass, they are growing big enough to begin being considered for release back into their rainforest habitat!

Rainforest Rescue was also fortunate enough to meet some of the Global Giving community members earlier this year, in August. We were delighted to have the opportunity to host Alex and Amanda from Global Giving as they toured around Australia. Alex and Amanda were able to meet Emily at Garner’s Beach Cassowary Rehabilitation Centre and briefly get a glimpse of the three cassowaries in care. Here we have a great photograph to share with you straight from Alex’s camera - one of the three happy birds - up close and personal!

Thank you kindly for your support for this important project – your care and interest in our work enables Rainforest Rescue to operate these projects to help save the Endangered Southern Cassowary! Your support is having significant impact, assisting us to make great progress in securing a bio-diverse future for this unique species and its native rainforest habitat in Australia.

All this would not be possible without your generous support. Thank you!