Australian_Geographic_-_February_2016_

January. February 17

buzz

T

WO YOUNG filmmakers are

focusing their lenses, and public

attention, on one of Australia’s

largest birds, the endangered south-

ern cassowary. This flightless bird is

found only in the dense rainforests of

far north Queensland. It is an impor-

tant species that helps maintain

rainforest ecology by dispersing seeds

and encouraging plant diversity, yet

its numbers are in decline. This is due

largely to habitat loss, impacts with

vehicles and dog attacks.

To help combat this decline,

Edward Saltau and Daniel Hunter are

using their cameras for conservation.

The pair is making a documentary

that will provide a glimpse into the life

and behaviours of the cassowary, in

the hope that they can create greater

public awareness about its plight.

“They are secretive, cryptic animals,”

Edward says. “They usually spend

their time deep in inaccessible

rainforest, so it’s difficult to observe

their natural behaviours. Our aim is to

show the intimate world of the

cassowary in a new level of detail.”

Edward and Daniel will spend up to

nine months in 2016 in the rainforests

of the Wet Tropics observing the

birds, surveying their habitats, and

capturing them on film. “We hope to

communicate the cassowary’s

fragility and highlight the need for

its conservation,” Daniel says. “Our

rainforests need cassowaries. They

are environmental engineers that help

create complex and healthy forests.”

The pair is excited about the

long, hot days of filming ahead. “It’s

going to involve hard work, and there

will be lots of leeches and mosquitoes,

but seeing a wild cassowary in an

ancient rainforest is a truly humbling

experience,” he adds.

CASSOWARY

CLOSE-UP

A new AGS-supported documentary

offers a glimpse into the secret life

of these majestic birds.

Australian Geographic Society

Dan Hunter (top) and Edward Saltau

are hitting the Daintree in 2016 to

fi lm the southern cassowary (right).

CASSOWARY:ANDREW GREGORY; FILMING ED SLOANE; HISTORIC FRANK HURLEY (FH)/SLNSW

Australian Antarctic

expeditioners undergo

health checks before

being approved to

work in Antarctica.

When Mawson

Station opened in

1954, expeditioners

had to have their

Ask an expert

What body parts have to

be removed before you can

get a job in Antarctica?

Dr Jeff Ayton, chief medical

officer, Polar Medicine Unit,

Australian Antarctic Division.

Q

A

appendix removed prior to departure.

Today, only doctors undergo this –

there’s just one doctor on the station

during winter, and evacuation is impossi-

ble for part of the year. This requirement

dates back to the 1950s, when a doctor

developed appendicitis on Heard Island

and had to be evacuated at great cost.

Appendicitis is an unpredictable

condition that can occur in healthy

adults, and be potentially

life-threatening. It is recom-

mended that expeditioners

undergo a thorough dental

check before they depart,

but there is no requirement

to have wisdom teeth

removed unless they are

likely to cause a problem

during the expedition.

Fifty years ago, the switch to

decimal currency transformed

Australia. A series of names

were considered for our new

coins and notes – including

the Emu, Koala, Digger, Oz,

Boomer, Roo, Kanga, Kwid

and Dinkum – before the

British pound was replaced

with the dollar. The UK itself

did not follow suit until 1971.

On this day