JUNGLE DRUM: Daintree resident keen to identify reason behind increased cassowary numbers
COLUMN

When I was a child, cassowaries encounters in the Daintree were rare.
My father regaled me with stories of baby cassowaries abandoned by their dad during logging, (later) raised by my great uncle and sold to Taronga Park Zoo.
In the 90s, Frank Crome and Les Moore came, studied and counted local cassowary numbers.
There were not many. Even in the ‘hotspots’ of Noah and Cooper Creek the population was small. Since the year 2000 cassowary numbers have slowly but surely increased.
In the valley where I did most of my 4000+ guided walks, we have gone from never seeing cassowaries, to struggling not to step in scat.
My old mate Harry, who worked at PK’s from 93' or so to 96', never saw a cassowary then.
He reckons they are in plague when he visits these days. Another old friend who worked here in 90' and 91', and honeymooned here in 93, never spotted one.
She holidayed here this year and on day one, having tea at my home said ‘is that a cassowary outside?’ It was. And by no means was that the only one she saw.
The pure joy that even locals get from spotting these amazing birds is evident. For tourists it is often the highlight of their trip.
Today, cassowaries are being spotted everywhere, (whether it be) China Camp. Cowie, Woobadda, Thorntons Beach, even the remote Cape York area. In really steep marginal country that tells me the flatlands are at capacity.
The scary thing is we don’t know why. We need to. It would be good if the scientific community could jump off the climate change bandwagon for a bit and look at this plus, current important threats like pig depredation, disease and silent electric cars to name but a few.
Mossman High News
All are welcome to Mossman High School awards at 8.45am on Thursday, October 19.
Come along and see the students get awarded for their hard work. We have a great high school with many dedicated staff and your support for the school and the students would be appreciated.
It is a fun morning with entertainment as well as awards.
I am putting together a School Bus Advocacy Group at Mossman High. The group will advocate on behalf of our kids for safe travel to and from school. The idea is to open lines of communication between parents, the school, Qld Transport and bus companies. Please email me [email protected] if you would like to be part of the group.
Shout out to the pothole crew!
I have never seen the DSC pothole crew. But I have a theory they work in the wee hours because without fail the holes in bitumen here magically get filled on a very regular basis. It has been a wet year, which must significantly increase their workload, but they still get it done. I look out for them to say thanks, but since I never see them, this is my thank you.
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*Lawrence Mason has lived at Cape Tribulation all his life, and has been involved in farming, timber and tourism. He is a former board member of Tourism Port Douglas Daintree, founding Chair of Daintree Marketing Co-operative, and has been a member of both Alexandra Bay and Mossman State High School P&C. He is also a member of the Douglas Chamber of Commerce and has a keen interest in local issues.
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