Australian bushfires help

Andrea82

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I've joined two groups on Facebook to help collect materials for the marsupials, birds and mammals (making joey pouches...it's fun!), and I saw someone making a post to ask for help for the inverts and insects that are affected as well.

I've contacted the person asking what is needed besides donations, and I wanted to use this thread to post anything that is needed.

@RezonantVoid @Rhino1 do you guys know what is needed over there to help inverts? Is there anything at all beside donations we can do?

I hope it is okay to post this here, if not, then I'm sorry. ;)
 

Garth Vader

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I've joined two groups on Facebook to help collect materials for the marsupials, birds and mammals (making joey pouches...it's fun!), and I saw someone making a post to ask for help for the inverts and insects that are affected as well.

I've contacted the person asking what is needed besides donations, and I wanted to use this thread to post anything that is needed.

@RezonantVoid @Rhino1 do you guys know what is needed over there to help inverts? Is there anything at all beside donations we can do?

I hope it is okay to post this here, if not, then I'm sorry. ;)
Great idea to post this here. It's just heartbreaking what's going on there.
 

Arthroverts

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Let me know if there is anything I can do!

And stuff like this isn't just limited to Australia, although this is certainly a more potent example. Oceania and Asia are also suffering from extreme habitat degradation (not to mention the rest of the world).

Thanks,

Arthroverts
 

Andrea82

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Great idea to post this here. It's just heartbreaking what's going on there.
It absolutely is. But the response to help from all around the world is mind blowing. The facebook group has exploded from 800 to over 100000 members, all people knitting, crocheting and sewing for the orphaned animals. Almost every western country has its own department facebook group that is busy collecting stuff.

I really hope we can do something for the inverts as well!

Maybe I should duplicate this post in the 'not so spineless wonders' section... @Ungoliant @cold blood?
 
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Dave1969

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Sorry to play the pessimist, what would we even collect for invertebrates though? It's not like you can knit a false egg sac casing.
@Dennis Nedry, @Dave1969, @RezonantVoid, @Rhino1, @Oompoofishy, @BushYeti, @Staehilomyces, @dragonblade71, @peach, @Ftang5, is this even feasible? Anything we can do?

Thanks,

Arthroverts
Ultimately, the inverts are at the mercy of the fires. We need rain soon. With the amount of land already burned, I can't help but believe that species both undiscovered and undescribed in addition to some known may have already had their populations decimated beyond repair. The only solution that I see is ensuring that bushland rehabilitation is appropriately funded and those, few, of us willing to collect, breed, and reintroduce inverts that have not been lost... or one allmighty rain dance.
 

Dennis Nedry

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Short of going out and collecting all the inverts and then re realeasing them or their offspring once the habitat has regenerated there’s basically nothing you can do that I can see. The rescue focus is basically limited to mammals and maybe some birds, even reptiles are largely ignored let alone bugs
 

RezonantVoid

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Honestly the only thing to do is caltive breeding here. Which sucks because only Aussies can do, nobody cares about our invertebrates and those that do have to spend a fortune on extra feeders
 

The Snark

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The only solution that I see is ensuring that bushland rehabilitation is appropriately funded...
Let's repeat that, The only solution that I see is ensuring that bushland rehabilitation is appropriately funded.
I've seen this scenario more times than I care to count. After the drama some funds get shoved around, are given a short shrift, out of sight - out of mind takes over, politicians fracture concerted efforts usually concentrating on activities that help to get themselves re-elected and the best intentions goes the way of the Dodo.
-After a fire I was on, scientists and environmental organizations determined 50 million trees needed to be replanted, 6 million had funds allocated, less than 3 million were purchased or sprouted and around 1.5 million actually went in the ground.
-West coast, US. 66 spawning rivers and streams destroyed due to logging. Public outrage. Corporations wanted to exploit resources and spread their propaganda: habitat rehabilitation is a small group of radical tree huggers. So far 16 have been recovered.
-2011, floods put about 1/4 of Bangkok under water. The King advised, "Plant deciduous forests." So far there are four small seedling nurseries, woefully underfunded. Most replanting is done voluntarily by college students.

And the present fire. The BS has started already:
https://www.theguardian.com/austral...al-media-disinformation-campaign-false-claims
 
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Andrea82

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Maybe it helps to put some focus on inverts and such. Although I'm disappointed to see there is not much done for reptiles... I'll try and bring that up in the rescue group, thanks for the pointer @Dennis Nedry
 

Dennis Nedry

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Maybe it helps to put some focus on inverts and such. Although I'm disappointed to see there is not much done for reptiles... I'll try and bring that up in the rescue group, thanks for the pointer @Dennis Nedry
Reptiles have the same issue as inverts, only the legality is harder to work around as many cannot be held without certain permits and there aren’t enough wildlife rehabilitators to handle it. Not to mention the fact that not too many people who are licensed to rehabilitate wildlife probably wouldn’t be too keen on long term care of an eastern brown, tiger snake, death adder, etc, etc
 

RezonantVoid

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@Dennis Nedry i know a bloke who wound up in ICU for 3 weeks because his king brown nicked him when he picked it up wrong during a rehouse. Imagine a distressed wild adult with horrific burns and how much more difficult thatd be to manage
 

Andrea82

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Reptiles have the same issue as inverts, only the legality is harder to work around as many cannot be held without certain permits and there aren’t enough wildlife rehabilitators to handle it. Not to mention the fact that not too many people who are licensed to rehabilitate wildlife probably wouldn’t be too keen on long term care of an eastern brown, tiger snake, death adder, etc, etc
I've contacted the wildlife crafting group, there are definitely organizations working with reptiles. Not much can be done for inverts unfortunately, there is not much knowledge in how to rehabilitate them, same as over here, and they're harder to find and rescue. They require specialists, but people are working on it.
For the reptiles there is the option to make snake bags out of pillow cases, and there are people hammering wooden boxes together for whatever they find.
 

Vanessa

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@Andrea82 can you please provide a link to this group on FB? I would like to spread it around over there.
 

RezonantVoid

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Btw ill be releasing a few hundred Arbanitis sp. Kempsey Black slings back to where bushfires have ravaged. Only a few years ago that habitat got him bad and already its back under threat. Ill post a few photos of the devastation up close for everyone to see
 

Andrea82

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@Andrea82 can you please provide a link to this group on FB? I would like to spread it around over there.
Sure, here you go:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/arfsncrafts/
I've contacted a local reptile rescue center with a request for what they need, I'll keep everyone posted.

@RezonantVoid
That is so awesome. I've heard there are rumors that there are actually species dying out due to these fires...absolutely horrifying. I don't know how big the invert hobby is over there, but I have seen some people mentioning there might be cause for the hobbyists and zoos to reintroduce species.
Doh. I totally overlooked someone in these posts.... @Staehilomyces you're an Aussie member as well, are you not? What's your take on this? Do you know more about what is needed?
 

RezonantVoid

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Sure, here you go:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/arfsncrafts/
I've contacted a local reptile rescue center with a request for what they need, I'll keep everyone posted.

@RezonantVoid
That is so awesome. I've heard there are rumors that there are actually species dying out due to these fires...absolutely horrifying. I don't know how big the invert hobby is over there, but I have seen some people mentioning there might be cause for the hobbyists and zoos to reintroduce species.
Doh. I totally overlooked someone in these posts.... @Staehilomyces you're an Aussie member as well, are you not? What's your take on this? Do you know more about what is needed?
I can guarantee we've lost countless species already. Nearly all Arbanitis sp. dont build lids which means if a fire is above the burrow, the oxygen is sucked straight out and the burrow fills with co2. Its been proven before they deal well with low intensity bushfires but now we are talking flames as high as 3-5 story buildings.

Selenotypus sp. tarantulas have been noted to plug their burrows with a snail shell before fires so i imagine alot of our native T's are dealing better than the non T primitives.
 

Vulgarteacup

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What’s happening in Australia and the other places of the world is just completely heartbreaking. But it’s amazing to see people like you Andrea82 taking initiative and joining the fight for the planet and all it’s creatures.

If the world was run with people with hearts like yours we wouldn’t be in this mess. Climate Change is real!

Fat Politicians need to stop lining their sleazy pockets and going on vacations when the world is literally turning to ash around them.
 
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Garth Vader

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Sure, here you go:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/arfsncrafts/
I've contacted a local reptile rescue center with a request for what they need, I'll keep everyone posted.

@RezonantVoid
That is so awesome. I've heard there are rumors that there are actually species dying out due to these fires...absolutely horrifying. I don't know how big the invert hobby is over there, but I have seen some people mentioning there might be cause for the hobbyists and zoos to reintroduce species.
Doh. I totally overlooked someone in these posts.... @Staehilomyces you're an Aussie member as well, are you not? What's your take on this? Do you know more about what is needed?
Cool! I joined the group. Maybe I can sew some things that will be helpful.
 
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