|
Gypsy Boy
Redeemer



Registered: 03/17/17
Posts: 4,501
Loc: Deep in the discoteka
Last seen: 3 months, 12 days
|
Re: Why I love Australia [Re: Ice9]
#26956155 - 09/26/20 01:40 PM (3 years, 4 months ago) |
|
|
Wolf creek is like. ..... my favourite film
--------------------
|
mistamonsta
Threadkiller



Registered: 07/06/11
Posts: 888
Loc: Uranus
|
Re: Why I love Australia [Re: Gypsy Boy]
#26956500 - 09/26/20 06:09 PM (3 years, 4 months ago) |
|
|
Quote:
Ice9 said: I like Australia, they had a problem with invasive European rabbits, so the built a fence to contain them...which failed for obvious reasons. Then they got a brilliant idea, why not introduce myxoma virus into the population which causes myxomatosis. Clinical presentation of this virus is Days after infection Clinical signs 2-4 Swelling at site of infection 4 Fever 6 Swelling of eyelids, face, base of ears, and anogenital area 6 Secondary skin lesions, including red pinpoint lesions on eyelids and raised masses on body 6-8 Clear ocular and nasal discharge that becomes mucopurulent and crusting 7-8 Respiratory distress 8-9 Hypothermia 10 Complete closure of eyelids due to swelling 10-12 Death
Despite being a virus naive population and being severely reduced in number, they have adapted are at pre-virus levels currently.
Wonder if they are gonna take similar drastic measures against the cane toads invasive species.
We also released calicivirus to try and kill the rabbits. It actually escaped from the lab before it was ready so they had to hurry the trials and do successive waves of release around the country before the rabbits developed an immunity. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbits_in_Australia
Deer and foxes were released here for sport hunting which has had a devastating effect on habitat and native wildlife, not to mention the environmental destruction caused by feral cats, feral pigs, feral goats, feral camels, feral oxen, feral buffalo and wild dogs that bred with the dingoes. There are also countless invasive weeds that have taken hold in this country causing serious native plant displacement, there are very few of our national parks you can walk through without seeing foreign weeds taking over. In 240 short years of colonial agriculture and destructive environmental policy much of our native bush has nearly come to complete ruin...
Ice9 also mentioned cane toads, they were released to counteract the effects of a native beetle on sugar cane crops. I understand several biological control measures have been looked at for this species but recently it was discovered that an Australian native rat, the rakali, can eat them without harm. The little rats have actually developed a learned behaviour where they can dissect the toads and eat everything except the poison glands. How cool is that? https://www.sbs.com.au/news/the-feed/eat-your-heart-out-native-water-rats-have-worked-out-how-to-safely-eat-cane-toads
Quote:
Gypsy Boy said: Wolf creek is like. ..... my favourite film
Not a bad film, the main character portrays a very typical Aussie bushman persona, eerily similar to a few people I have met in my travels. The movie itself is based on a composite of Ivan Milat the infamous backpacker murderer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Milat and the Peter Falconio murder https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Peter_Falconio If you like Aussie films with this kinda content, check out Snowtown https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowtown_(film) based on these murders https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowtown_murders
But after all this talk of doom and gloom I would like to leave you on a lighter note so meet Trent from Punchy:
|
Nickoloxious
Forest solivagant



Registered: 06/18/17
Posts: 2,420
Loc:
|
|
Quote:
mistamonsta said: recently it was discovered that an Australian native rat, the rakali, can eat them without harm. The little rats have actually developed a learned behaviour where they can dissect the toads and eat everything except the poison glands. How cool is that? https://www.sbs.com.au/news/the-feed/eat-your-heart-out-native-water-rats-have-worked-out-how-to-safely-eat-cane-toads
That is cool.
|
|