Aussie Wildlife Show

Dreamtime entities, mysterious creatures and spooky tales are just some of the things we talk about in this episode. Chris Koolmatrie grew up in the Coorong, learning the traditional ways of life including bush foods, hunting, bush medicines as well as the fascinating stories passed down through time from his Ngarrindjeri ancestors. Chris works for the Natural Resources SA Murray Darling Basin where he helps to protect and conserve the natural and cultural assets of the region as well as sharing his cultural knowledge to future generations.

What do you do if you find injured wildlife? We caught up with wildlife carer Bev Langley to find out. Bev is the owner of 'Minton Farm', a property located in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia.  The sanctuary is a native fauna rescue and rehabilitation centre which houses a wide variety of wildlife including koalas, kangaroos, possums, bettongs, wombats, emus, raptures and many more.   Approximately 600 native animals a year are rescued and rehabilitated on the sanctuary before being released. Over 11,000 injured and orphaned native animals and birds have been received over 26 years of service. Another approximately 11,000 creatures have been assisted offsite via phone, email, website and Facebook advice and assistance.

Frog expert Steve Walker recently paid us a visit at AAHQ where we had a bushwalk, found some rare frogs, and recorded this episode. Steve is the coordinator of Frog Watch South Australia and an Education Officer with the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Environment Board education programme. He is also the co-author of the book Frogs of South Australia, frog photographer and illustrator, and most impressively, as you will hear on this episode, can mimic many Aussie frog calls!

What is a subfossil? We ask Graham Medlin, Honorary Research Associate with the South Australian Museum who has studied subfossils for over 40 years. Graham's detective work out on the field and in the lab have led to the discovery of at least one new species of Australian mammal and to a greater understanding of the pre-European distribution of small mammals in the Australian outback. Graham sits on the council of the Fields Naturalists of South Australia and is an active member of the Field Naturalists Society of South Australia Mammal Club.

We caught with Professor Rob Morrison at Science Alive, 2018.  Profession Morrison has worked as a scientist, writer, and media personality and has added profoundly to the promotion and understanding of science in Australia. For 25 years he has been a familiar face of science on television, as presenter of The Curiosity Show for eighteen years and appearances on The New Inventors, Nexus, Science Magazine, and Radio National’s Ockham’s Razor. He has written thirty books on science and natural history and under his stewardship the SA Royal Zoological Society has trebled its membership in six years. Rob recently helped establish SciWorld, a new science centre in Adelaide that runs exciting education programs, and developed six regional science fairs and shows, including Adelaide’s National Science Week. He is recognised nationally and internationally as an outstanding science communicator and in the citation for his2007 Australian Museum Eureka Prize Rob is described as a national treasure and a well-loved ambassador for science.

This episode, with Tracy McNamara the CEO of FAME, has been released on the 7th of September which is National Threatened Species Day in Australia. The date commemorates the death of the last known thylacine (or Tasmanian tiger, Thylacinus cynocephalus) in 1936. FAME are the Foundation for Australia's Most Endangered Species and have been funding conservation projects in Australia for the past 25 years. In this episode we discuss how business plays a role in wildlife conservation. Click here to check out some of the awesome projects FAME are currently involved with. 

Earlier this year the Aussie Wildlife Show travelled to Borneo with a group of friends including Mark Hura, insect expert specialising in Australian ground beetles. From giant scorpions and centipedes to beetles that glow in the dark, we discuss some of the awesome critters we discovered in the forests and caves of Borneo.

Human overpopulation underpins most of our environmental issues and yet we rarely hear it mentioned in the mainstream media. Dr James Ward is not afraid to come out and address this important yet often controversial issue. Dr. Ward, former president of Sustainable Population Australia, lectures in and researches technology for sustainable living, with an emphasis on urban and peri-urban food production through innovative water recycling and aquaculture at the University of South Australia.  

We caught up with the always inspirational Ranger Stacey backstage at the 2018 World Environment Fair. Stacey is a host on the long-running nature and science themed series Totally Wild, and has been with the show since its premiere in 1992. Formerly a ranger and spokeswoman for the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, she has also appeared on Celebrity Big Brother, Wombat, Agro's Cartoon Connection and Rove Live. For more than 25 years Rangers Stacey has inspired the next generation to care for wildlife and the environment.

Australia is the driest inhabited continent on Earth and droughts are guaranteed. Are there ways we can manage the land to better protect the environment and our biodiversity? We discuss some pros and cons of various farming techniques with permaculture expert and sustainability consultant Chris Day. Click here to conact Chris about his permaculture seminars, desinging and building sustainabe landscapes or to order his home-grown organic olive oil.