Bilby

interactive performance and a post-performance workshop for young children. This will take place at David Fleay’s Wildlife Park in Burleigh Heads, Gold Coast over five days during a week of the September school holidays. The purpose of this work is to educate young children about why it is important to preserve Australia’s native flora and fauna, why it is in danger, and what they themselves can do at home to help the preservation. The project is planned to accompany National Bilby Day, which is held annually on the second Sunday of September, to honour one of Australia’s most endangered animals (Save the Bilby Fund, 2016). Bilbies were…

The bilby is an interesting animal that looks like a jigsaw-puzzle mishap. Part rabbit, chinchilla, and kangaroo, it is quite an unusual creature, but it is well adapted to life in the desert. Medium size, varied diet and the ability to speedily reproduce, this animal is well equipped for a harsh life. Bilbys, also known as rabbit eared bandicoots, are among the largest in the bandicoot family, measuring up to 55 centimeters in length with a tail of around 29 centimeters. It possesses…

The children’s picture book ‘A Home for a Bilby’ is written by Joanne Crawford and illustrated by Aboriginal artist Grace Fielding. The first attraction to ‘A Home for Bilby’ arises when viewing the striking cover. Fielding has illustrated a screen-printed image of a gathering of dot-painted Australian animals. The uniqueness of the cover and feature of native Australian animals will intrigue young children to follow shy Bilby on her journey to a new home. Mallett (2015) suggests that text and…

An offender profiler might be asked to construct a profile of an unknown offender giving details of his or her likely characteristics as inferred from the offender’s behaviour at the crime scene.” (R. Bull, C. Cooke, R. Hatcher, J. Woodhams, C. Bilby and T. Grant, p.…

The fox was deliberately introduced to Australia for recreational actives in 1855. The fox populations became well established in the wild in 1871. Over the following hundred years the foxes had spread over a large majority of Australia. The fox has played a huge role in the decline of medium to small sized mammals such as the bilby, as well reptiles such as green turtles as well as the decrease of ground nesting birds, although the foxes aren’t full responsible for the decline in native animals…

In 1855, a number of foxes were shipped from Britain to the Australian colonies by English nobles. They were bred and released into the wild, ready to be hunted down for sport. Over many, many years, the love for hunting grew, as did the fox population. As the numbers increased, there was a steady downfall in that of small, indigenous animals. Bilbies, birds and lambs have been a target for this feral pest. Foxes can live almost anywhere; bush, woodlands, suburbs. This can cause many different…

predation, no fatal disease threats and an extreme reproductive rate, these species have been able to over populate regions all over Australia. Feral animals pose a great threat to native species by predation, competition for food and shelter, destroying habitat, and by spreading diseases. Feral animals are generally solitary and nocturnal, spending most of the day in the safety of shelters such as rabbit burrows, logs or rock piles (The Department of the Environment, 2014). On Australia’s…

comparatively free of invasive species that existed in other countries, until post-Colonial times increasing trade between Australia and foreign countries has caused an increase in the species entering the country. Invasive species are a threat to the environmental, social and economic health of Australia. Invasive feral animals such as pigs, goats, rabbits, cattle, buffalos, donkeys, camels and Horses cause degradation to natural habitats by selective or intensive grazing. Animals with hooves…

ascination is the best word to describe teenager’s reading about themselves in a novel on the adolescent mind or a coming of age story. But why are they so hooked, so attracted, you may ask? It is the aspect of relatability that attracts them, the fact that it is relevant to every one of them as they go on their path to find their way. Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta is the story of Josie Alibrandi on her quest to self-discovery in her final year of school. The recipient of The…

As M. tempus is an omnivore due to their monogastric digestive system, and is similar to a pigs digestive system, but with adaptations similar to that of bilbies (Thylacomyidae) due to the occasional low availability of prey and living food sources, resulting in adapted hindgut fermentation and a long digestive tract, (Tyndale-Biscoe C H 2005). Although M. tempus must ferment the consumed plant material, their gastrointestinal tracts are still incredibly different to those of foregut fermenters,…