Gardeners are being urged to stop spraying pests, because most pesticides also kill beneficial insects that feed on them. Gardener Mel Logozzo, who has spent eight years turning her paved backyard into a food and native flower garden, has written about nine kinds of helpful bugs. They include ladybirds, lacewings, parasitic wasps, assassin bugs, mantids and hoverflies. The guide also explains how to tell helpful bugs from pests, and how to encourage them with flowers, mulch and leaf litter. Pests such as aphids breed quickly, so a few pests can attract predators that keep numbers in balance.
Sydney Zoo has welcomed seven-month-old quokka Quiche, who left her mother's pouch at the end of September and has joined the zoo's Quokka Encounters. Native animals care manager Kelly Davis said Quiche grew used to visitors while still in the pouch and is confident around people. Quokkas can pause an embryo's development when conditions are poor, a process known as embryonic diapause. Davis said the zoo's quokkas are most active around dawn and dusk, recommending visits around 9.30am, 11.30am or between 3pm and 4pm.
The Invasive Species Council has welcomed a draft national strategy to tackle feral foxes, which the federal government has released for public consultation. The draft would replace a plan dating from 2008. Rewilding Manager Rob Brewster said foxes have helped drive native animals to extinction and continue to prey on threatened mammals, birds and reptiles. He called for an ambitious final plan backed by funding for sustained control on the ground. The draft Threat Abatement Plan for predation by European red foxes is currently open for consultation.
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A targeted trapping program using motion-sensor cameras and specialist enclosures is helping landholders reduce feral pig numbers without harming native wildlife. Central Tablelands Local Land Services biosecurity officers are rolling out the system, which uses trail cameras and Pig Brig traps. Officers say it lets them identify which species visit an area, assess pig numbers and behaviour, and choose when to start trapping. A trial on a local mixed sheep and cattle property removed feral pigs with no non-target animals caught. Officers are now encouraging landholders to access the technology and free grain for trapping and baiting programs.
A national strategy to control feral foxes is being overhauled for the first time in almost 20 years, amid concerns the pest could spread bird flu across the country. Wildlife management consultant David Farlam said foxes now spread through central Australia could carry the deadly virus to native species such as the bilby and bandicoot. A draft Threat Abatement Plan, open for public consultation, will replace a 2008 strategy. Rob Brewster of the Invasive Species Council warned that funding shortfalls could make control efforts ineffective. Submissions close January 29, 2027.
