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Why
exterminate the 'Easter' bunny?
Rabbits are not native to Australia. They've been introduced. They're
a monumental pest. Feral Rabbits damage the environment and compete with
native animals. Especially the endangered bilby. So why do Australians
celebrate rabbits at Easter - with chocolate bunnies in every shop?
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So
what's a bilby?
I'm cute...cute...cute
A bilby's a desert-dwelling bandicoot. They have huge, furry ears and
long tails. They're very cute, very rare - and rapidly becoming rarer.
Bilbies
are endangered in Australia.
They're threatened by feral foxes and cats. Cattle destroy their natural
habitat. Rabbits compete with them for food. Bilbies could soon become
extinct.
But
not if Peter and Frank have their way.
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The picture above is an actual frame from the High Definition video filmed
by famed wildlife cinematographer Peter
"Eyes" Nearhos
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The
big plan
Peter and Frank's crusade to exterminate the Easter Bunny - and save the
bilby - involves breeding bilbies in a safely enclosed, fenced area at Currawinya
National Park, and ultimately releasing them to the wild. That means
all competitors in the area will be excluded or exterminated. Including
rabbits. |
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The
Location
Currawinya's the essence of central Australia. Incredibly photogenic.
Remote. Dry. Wild. Red earth, burning blue sky. Granite boulder-hills,
inland lakes where pelicans breed.
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| This
is the story of two ordinary men and their extraordinary crusade against
the....Easter Bunny. |
Peter
and Frank
Peter and Frank work at the Queensland National Parks and Wildlife Centre
in Charleville. Peter's a zoologist; Frank's a ranger. Peter and Frank
are the driving forces - the dynamos - behind the campaign to save the
bilby. If it weren't for them, there'd be no campaign.
Not
so quiet achievers
You couldn't call Peter and Frank quiet achievers. They're very vocal
about saving the bilby. And they're truly great Australian characters.
Peter's
been researching bilbies for 10 years. He plays "Mum" to a tiny
and precious family of 30 breeding bilbies at the centre - and has plans
to release them to the wild. Small, fragile, bright-eyed, with a wispy
Ned Kelly beard, Peter looks a bit like a bilby himself.
Frank's
the other side of the coin entirely. If Frank was a dog, he'd be a rottweiler.
Big, assertive, articulate, he's an ex-professional kangaroo shooter who
saw the light, became a ranger, and now works - passionately - to save
the bilby. Frank voluntarily works four nights a week showing the bilbies
at the Charleville centre to tourists - and then selling them his home-made
stubby holders (beer coolers) at $4 a go to raise money for the cause.
You'd think twice before refusing to buy one.
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Chief
Ranger Frank Manthey (L) and
Peter McRae, Zoologist, Qld Parks & Wildlife
Service, outside the Bilby Information Centre,
Charleville,
western Queensland.
Astabla
Downs
The research site. |
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AUSTRALIAN
SCHOOLS: To receive a copy of this video
on a "Sale-or-Return" basis please send your school's Official
Purchase Order.
Site Licence Fee
to Australian Schools and Educational Institutions is AU$55.00, which
includes GST, Postage & Handling
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BUY
THE VIDEO ONLINE
HERE
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Australian
Residents: AU$33.00,
including GST, Postage & Handling
All other Countries: US$30
including Postage & Handling.
PAY ONLINE USING PAYPAL.
IT'S EASY
A
part of the profits from sales of this video goes to the Save the Bilby
Fund
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VIEW
VIDEO CLIPS HERE
Real
Video Hi Res
Clip
1. (Requires Broadband Net Connection)
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© 2003
Gulliver Media
Australia Pty Ltd.
ABN: 86 010 372531
PO Box 371, Paddington, Qld., Australia, 4064
Phone: (07) 3236 2087. Fax: (07) 3236 2655
Email: Please
click HERE
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