Page 104 - Port Douglas Magazine 46

wildlife.

I would I were a cassowary
On the plains of Timbuctoo
I’d catch and eat a missionary

Legs and arms and hymn-book too.

Words by Sara Mulcahy

o one knows quite why there should be such tragic consequences Other threats come from domestic dogs and cars. At least 10 birds a year are
for a missionary in Timbuctoo, or even who wrote the poem. But killed by cars around Mission Beach alone — and that’s just the ones that
Nhe needn’t have worried, because one thing’s certain — there are are reported. If you see a cassowary on the road or by the side of the road,
no cassowaries in Africa. But they do roam the fringes of the rainforests in conservationists advise flashing your headlights at drivers coming the other

Far North Queensland. way, to alert them to the hazard and make them slow down.
With a starring role in indigenous creation stories, songs and dances, the One small piece of good news is that a 2025 trial using AI to detect casso-
Southern Cassowary is top of the ‘Must See’ wish list for many visitors to waries crossing the Kennedy Highway at Kuranda, and warn drivers with

our far-flung town. Found only in the tropical forests of PNG, parts of flashing signs, has reduced the number of bird deaths on this stretch of road

Indonesia and here in northeastern Australia, this brightly coloured for- by more than a third, according to the Department of Transport and Main
est-dweller is labelled the ‘world’s most dangerous bird’ (see box out). Roads (TMR). Missionaries, take note.

A whisker smaller than our other famous flightless bird, the emu, cassowar- WHERE TO SEE CASSOWARIES (IN THE WILD)
ies play a pivotal role in the health of the Daintree Rainforest’s ecosystem, The Daintree Rainforest is home to the majority of Far North Queensland’s

as they eat fruit and ‘disperse’ the seeds elsewhere, so new plants can grow
away from the parent tree. Southern Cassowaries. You have a good chance of spotting them if you’re
driving (slowly) or walking along boardwalks in the areas around Cape
One particular fruit, the smooth, blue Cassowary plum, actually needs to Tribulation.
pass through the digestive system of the Cassowary to be able to germinate,
and because of this, the legendary birds have earned the title of ‘rainforest Further South around Mission Beach, there are regular sightings on the
gardener’. Dreaming Trail, Garner’s Beach and various beach access roads. At (dog-
free) Etty Bay, between Mission Beach and Cairns, cassowaries are seen
The cassowary’s other claim to fame is that it is one of the few species where most mornings on the beach.

the male raises the children on his own. Female cassowaries lay a clutch WHERE TO SEE CASSOWARIES (NOT SO WILD)
of eggs (often by different fathers) on the forest floor. Dad then takes over,

incubating the eggs for 50 days. Once they hatch, he stays with his stripey Cassowaries are solitary birds and don’t enjoy sharing their space. At the
young charges for nine months, teaching them how to survive in the wild. Wildlife Habitat in Port Douglas, Cassie and Airlie live in neighbouring
(Mum, meanwhile, is long gone, looking for her next mate.) compounds. Cassie was born in captivity in Adelaide and has been roaming
For those hoping to catch sight of this prehistoric bird, the cassowary is as around at the Wildlife Habitat for more than 30 years.

elusive as it is fascinating. The best current estimate by the CSIRO suggests At Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures, about 30km south of Port Douglas,
the total Australian population of Southern Cassowaries is around 4,400 there are cassowary feeding and information sessions twice a day on the
adults in the Wet Tropics region. Other research puts the number at half Cassowary Walk.
that.
Decades of land clearing have resulted in substantial habitat loss, and
the cassowary is listed as endangered under both the Australian Govern-
ment’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act and the
Queensland Government’s Nature Conservation Act.

BE CASS-O-WARY

Southern Cassowaries can be unpredictable and even aggressive. One kick is powerful
enough to break bones, so they’re best admired from a distance. The Queensland
Kurranji Government’s ‘Be Cass-o-wary’ campaign is an initiative to keep people safe around

cassowaries — and protect these special birds.
The Southern Cassowary Never approach cassowaries. If you encounter a cassowary at close range,
remain calm and slowly back away.

associate people and cars with food. Hefty fines apply!
Never feed cassowaries. It’s illegal to feed cassowaries, as this makes them
PHOTOGRAPHY: Always slow down when driving in cassowary territory and look out for the yellow
Josephine Warnet
@Josephine.wrt ‘Recent Cassowary Crossing’ signs.

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