Port Macquarie – Michmutters

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Australia

Growing concerns about spread of feral deer across northern New South Wales

Six feral deer stand in a field surrounded by a fence and old shed

When John Norton heard a noise outside his Port Macquarie home in the early hours of the morning he never expected to be attacked by a large deer.

“At two in the morning I heard this banging noise,” Mr Norton said.

“I went around the corner and in a split second I saw a male deer with horns and he actually stood up, pointed at me and charged,” he said.

“I fell to the ground, then he stomped on me and bolted.”

Mr Norton said he called an ambulance and spent a night in hospital for observation, but managed to walk away with a couple of bruises.

Man in a brown jacket stands in front of a blue house, surrounded by suburban neighborhood
Port Macquarie resident John Norton wants deer control measures to be improved.(ABC Mid North Coast: Madeleine Cross )

Deer have become a seemingly incongruous regular sighting in suburban communities around NSW, particularly in Port Macquarie.

Locals have even reported seeing the animals walking in streets in the CBD during the night, while further north in Coffs Harbor there have been reports of deer on the busy Pacific Highway.

There are growing concerns about the increased spread of feral deer across northern and central New South Wales, particularly in suburban areas.

Invasive Species Council’s conservation director James Trezise said the feral deer herd have expanded across the state over the past 10 years.

“In about 2016, feral deer occupied 18 per cent of the state. They now occupy more than 22 per cent of the state. They’re really growing in the Mid North Coast, northern NSW and the Central West districts,” he said.

Chital deer feeds on green grass
Chital deer are regularly seen at Coffs Harbor on the Mid North Coast.(Supplied: North Coast Local Land Services)

North Coast Local Land Service invasive pests team leader Dean Chamberlin urged people to stay clear of deer especially during rutting season, when deer mate.

“They’re protecting their own little space so they become a little bit more aggressive,” Mr Chamberlin said.

“They become more mobile and move around in areas where they’re not normally.”

There have also been increased sightings of large deer in the state’s north, from the NSW and Queensland border ranges and the Northern Tablelands.

Tweed Shire Council’s feral deer management officer Rachel Hughes said the Russian breed have been spotted near roads.

“Due to the unpredictability of deer and how fast they are… all of a sudden they will appear in front of you and you won’t have time to react,” she said.

“They can write off a vehicle with no problem at all.”

Ten deer with white spots graze on a grassy hill
North Coast LLS says Chital deer have been seen in the Coffs Harbor region(Supplied: North Coast Local Land Service)

Residents across the Hunter region report seeing deer almost daily in some areas.

The Lake Macquarie City Council is funding a University of Technology Sydney project to gauge the extent of the issue.

“We need to know whether they are present, how many are present and what impact they’re having before we can actually make some sensible decisions about how to manage them,” UTS environmental sciences program director Leigh Martin said.

Population has ‘exploded’

The Invasive Species Council said feral deer were likely Australia’s worst emerging pest problem, causing damage to natural environments and agriculture businesses.

“feral deer [numbers] have just exploded across the state and it’s creating a really serious challenge for management because they will keep moving north,” Mr Tresize said.

“Unless we introduce containment and control measures that really stop these populations spreading … we’re going to see deer just march straight up into Cape York.”

Large deer walks along a path in a suburban backyard
Feral deer have been spotted on private property across Australia(Supplied: Judy Owen)

The animal was originally introduced in Australia for hunting and farming purposes. But numbers have continued to grow, largely due to a lack of natural predators.

Mr Trezise said the animal’s grazing and hard hooves could have a destructive effect on vegetation.

“A very small population of deer can have a serious impact on threatened species.”

Control efforts ongoing

North Coast Local Land Service has continued its attempt to control the population through hunting methods and a trapping trial.

Mr Chamberlin said the medium-scale trapping program had been successful in keeping deer numbers static, despite delays due to recent flooding events.

More than a dozen feral deer graze on grass surrounded by a metal fence
North Coast LLS says trapping trials are continuing in Port Macquarie.(Supplied: North Coast Local Land Services )

“That will hopefully bring numbers down to a bigger degree so they don’t have to move into areas of backyards or retirement villages.”

Mr Chamberlin said people should report feral deer sightings to the LLS or the FeralScan app.

“Sight them, report them and leave them alone.”

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Categories
Australia

Wildlife does use highway underpasses, Southern Cross University study reveals

Wildlife does use highway underpasses, Southern Cross University study reveals

Have you ever driven past special road crossings for wildlife and wondered if they actually work?

There’s new evidence to suggest they are effective, based on the first long-term study of road underpasses in Australia.

The research from Southern Cross University (SCU) was published in the journal Ecology and Evolution and based on a two-year study of underpasses located on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales.

During that time wildlife cameras detected close to 5,000 medium-to-large mammals and goannas using highway underpasses at Port Macquarie and Grafton.

The researchers studied 12 underpasses in those two areas– five under the Oxley Highway at Port Macquarie and seven under the Pacific Highway south of Grafton – comparing camera trap detections of animals at underpasses with those at nearby forest sites.

A koala at night walking through a highway underpass
A koala is captured on camera using a highway underpass on the Mid North Coast.(Supplied: Southern Cross University)

The lead researcher, SCU Associate Professor Ross Goldingay, said the results were encouraging.

“More than 4,800 detections were made; that number was quite astounding,” he said.

“These crossing rates suggest animals used the underpasses to forage on both side of the freeways.”

Associate Professor Goldingay said certain species, including eastern gray kangaroos, swamp wallabies, red-necked wallabies, red-necked pademelons, and lace monitors crossed some underpasses more than once per week.

A road underpass with trees in the background.
A dedicated wildlife underpass at Port Macquarie where there have been regular animal sightings.(Supplied: Southern Cross University)

“We actually got quite a bit of traffic of animals passing through those underpasses, particularly in Port Macquarie … it’s a wetter forest type there so it seems there’s a greater abundance of animals,” he said.

“We were getting eastern gray kangaroos and swamp wallabies moving through two to four times per week and other species, including the red-necked pademelon was going through once every two weeks, so quite frequently.

“At Grafton we’ve got a very high use of a couple of underpasses by echidnas and another small wallaby called the rufous bettong, which is actually a NSW-listed threatened species.”

‘Prey-trap’ concerns dismissed

The study also dispelled concerns that underpasses could become a “prey-trap” used by introduced feral pests and that animals could become caught in the relatively confined area.

A cute rufous bettong, a small grey, furry animals that looks like a cross between a wallaby and a rat.
The rufous bettong is a small, nocturnal marsupial species that has been seen using the underpasses.(Supplied: Mt Rothwell)

“We looked at that in detail as there have been a couple of other short-term studies where they have had frequent occurrences of foxes in a few underpasses, and in one case in Western Australia that coincided in a decline in the bandicoots using that particular underpass,” Professor Goldingay.

“Because we had more underpasses and a longer period for this study, we were able to look at this in more detail than anyone has before.”

Professor Goldingay said predators which were detected at the underpasses included the introduced red fox, feral cat, and dingo.

“What we found was feral cats were very rare at both sites. We did have dingoes at both sites, but they weren’t very frequent in the underpasses,” he said.

“The red fox is the main concern, particularly in Port Macquarie. Of the five underpasses there, there were three that were used relatively frequently.

“However, the fox activity coincided less than expected with the activity of the mammals most at risk and it seemed potential prey were possibly avoiding using the underpasses when foxes were about.”

Caution still needed

A concrete highway underpass tunnel.
A combined wildlife and drainage underpass at Grafton.(Supplied: Southern Cross University)

Despite the positive study results, Professor Goldingay said any expansion of road networks in Australia still needed to be done with caution.

“Australia’s wildlife species are increasingly threatened with extinction by habitat clearing and fragmentation,” he said.

“One leading cause of this is the expansion of our road network, particularly the upgrade and duplication of major highways.

“Underpasses are a useful generic tool to enable wildlife to move across landscapes with roads. But not all ground-dwelling species of wildlife will find underpasses to their liking but so far, many do.”

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Categories
Australia

Port Macquarie early risers brave winter ice baths for better physical and mental health

Port Macquarie early risers brave winter ice baths for better physical and mental health

Francine Nunnari admits jumping into a freezing cold ice bath on a crisp winter’s morning sounds “crazy.”

“Who would want to start doing ice baths in the middle of winter? I really thought it would just be me.”

But, to her surprise, a growing group of like-minded strangers have started joining her to brave the cold every Wednesday morning in New South Wales.

“It’s turned into something quite beautiful, meeting up with the community and pushing through self-limitations,” Ms Nunnari said.

A woman in a black t-shirt smiles happily on a beach in front of some portable baths
Francine Nunnari started the weekly ice bath sessions at the beginning of winter.(ABC Mid North Coast: Madeleine Cross)

Port Macquarie Beach, Breath and Ice Group gather at Port Macquarie’s popular Flynns Beach before sunrise.

Ms Nunnari guides them through peaceful, yet important, breathing exercises before preparing for the ultimate challenge.

“Cold represents stress; it’s a form of stress that a lot of us don’t like,” she said.

“It’s about facing a challenge rather than turning away from it.”

Three men sit in separate small blue baths filled with ice with their eyes closed
Group members meet at Port Macquarie’s popular Flynns Beach before submerging themselves.(ABC Mid North Coast: Madeleine Cross)

Each group member has a different motive for waking up at the crack of dawn and pushing their boundaries, but many said it was to improve their mental and physical health.

“You feel it physically, but really dealing with [the cold] is good for my mental health,” Hendo Longstaff said.

“For me, one of the biggest challenges was doing this form of practice in a community environment when I normally hide at home.”

A man with tattoos on his face stands on a beach in a hoodie
Hendo Longstaff says the experience is both challenging and enjoyable.(ABC Mid North Coast: Madeleine Cross)

A family challenge

For Michelle Jordan, the early morning meet-ups are a family activity with her husband and children.

“I find it a real challenge,” Ms Jordan said.

“I feel like I’ve achieved something and it’s building up more resilience in being able to do hard things.”

Her young daughter, Samaya, felt the same.

“It helps me get through the week and it feels nice afterwards,” she said.

Following the ice exposure, group members run into the ocean, which feels like a warm bath in comparison to the ice.

Group of 20 people stretch their arms into the air with the sunrise over the ocean in the background
The early morning risers prepare for the cold by engaging in breath and stretch exercises.(ABC Mid North Coast: Madeleine Cross)

Not for everyone

Ice exposure and cold-water therapy was made popular by Dutch athlete Wim Hof ​​and is practiced around the world.

Queensland University of Technology senior lecturer Jonathan Peak has conducted research on cold water immersion for athletes and said he understood why it was becoming popular within small communities.

“Initially there’s a little bit of shock when you get into the ice baths,” Dr Peak said.

“There’s the slowing of the heart rate and the activation of a sense of relaxation.

“What I think is happening is the cold-water immersion is putting these people into a meditative state.”

Dr Peak said more research was needed on its effects and potential risks for the general population, and recommended anyone with a pre-existing heart condition consult a health professional before participating.

Man sits in small blue bath of icey water with his eyes closed
Ian Goldspink endures the ice bath session for his second time.(ABC Mid North Coast: Madeleine Cross)

Attendees feel ‘invigorated’

Group members aimed to submerge themselves in the bath for two minutes, yet local resident Ian Goldspink endured the ice for four.

“It felt invigorating — I loved it,” Mr Goldspink said.

For surf and yoga teacher Lauren Enfield, immersing herself in chilly water is a daily occurrence.

“I get a lot of ‘stoke’ in my life through surfing, through yoga, through nature, through family,” she said.

“An ice bath is something different, so it gives me the same sense of joy and release all day but I’ve done it in a different way that’s challenging.”

Ms Enfield believed other regional communities should embrace the weekly ice bath catch-ups.

“I think communities can benefit, not only from that changing mindset, but the gathering of the community,” she said.

Blonde woman wears hooded beach towel and smiles at the camera
Group participant Lauren Enfield says its nice to “embrace the cold”.(ABC Mid North Coast: Madeleine Cross)

Ms Nunnari could not agree more.

“Healing comes from connection,” she said.

“I can see this happening within the workplace, in schools, within every community and micro community.”

Ms Nunnari added that she had seen clear benefits.

“There’s the challenge, there’s the resistance, there’s overcoming that, pushing self-limiting beliefs, self-awareness, all of that,” she said.

Group of 20 people stand in a circle on grass with the beach and rocks in the background
Port Macquarie residents meet at sunrise to participate in an ice bath session.(ABC Mid North Coast: Madeleine Cross)

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