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Category Archives: Wildlife Management

Rare early morning Wongari hunt observed on beach

K’gari NRM Wongari (dingo) Rangers on an early morning patrol, were recently treated to a remarkable wildlife observation: an adult swamp wallaby hopping along the beach, a sight rarely witnessed on K’gari.

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Collaborative maintenance of Kingfisher Bay dingo fencing

K’gari QPWS fence maintenance totalling over 30km is a full-time job. Fences associated with wongari risk mitigation commenced in 2001. A rolling program of full fence and part-fence replacements has been funded and commenced in 2025.

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H5N1 Virus (Asian Influenza) – What can you do?

Biosecurity Queensland has confirmed that initial laboratory samples taken from a deceased petrel washed up on Moreton Island (Mulgumpin) were positive for H5N1 as Queensland became Australia’s fourth state to confirm a case of the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza (bird flu). The samples were later confirmed to be positive for H5N1 by the CSIRO.

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Be a voice for the voiceless: Join the Cooloola Coast Wildlife Rescue Team

Our stunning Cooloola Coast is home to an incredible array of native neighbours—from the iconic kangaroos grazing at dusk to the vibrant birdlife that fills our mornings with song. But sometimes, these wild residents find themselves in trouble. Whether it’s a joey orphaned by a roadside accident or a sea bird tangled in fishing line, their survival often depends on the quick thinking of a local hero.

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Know your Sea Cucumbers!

The Great Sandy Strait (Korrawinga) and surrounding Hervey Bay area are known habitats for many sea cucumber species, including those that were historically targeted in the local bêche-de-mer fishery during the 1980s and 1990s. 

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Combatting Cane Toads on K’gari

Introduced to Australia in 1935, cane toads (Rhinella marina) were first reported on K’gari in the 1960’s with their appearance coinciding with a dramatic reduction in the island’s snake populations, particularly death adders. 

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Sea Cucumber Research Update

As we wrote in the last newsletter, PhD student Alison Hammond from the University of the Sunshine Coast is currently undertaking a research project on the sea cucumber (bêche-de-mer) fishery in Hervey Bay, the Great Sandy Strait and Tin Can Bay in the 1980s and 1990s. Project results will be used to map the historical and current distribution of sea cucumbers. 

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K’gari Conference 2025

The University of the Sunshine Coast’s 2025 conference celebrated the theme Voices of K’gari: Research, Respect and Responsibility, bringing together K’gari’s Traditional Owners, the Butchulla people, leading researchers, conservationists and artists who together explored the cultural, ecological and geological stories of K’gari and the surrounding Great Sandy region. 

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Will killing dingoes on K’gari make it safer? We think it’s unlikely.

After the tragic death of Canadian backpacker Piper James on K’gari (Fraser Island) on January 19, a coroner found the 19–year–old had been bitten by dingoes while she was still alive, but the most likely cause of death was drowning. Days later, the Queensland government announced it would cull the entire pack of ten dingoes seen near where Piper’s body was found. Most of those animals have now been killed.

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K’gari Tops the Island Charts for Frog and Freshwater Fish Biodiversity

Researchers have completed the first comprehensive database of freshwater species on Australian islands. The results of the research have been published in Diversity and Distributions journal.

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