Animal climate-change refugees in Australia

We can expect waves of animal refugees because of climate change…before the waves of human refugees.

Here’s an unexpected moment shared with a weaning koala clearly suffering in the heatwave. It was early evening on a day when finally we had some relief from the heat of the middle of the day when the youngster displayed his new skill of hailing cyclists and sharing their drink bottles with them. The photo of the koala bathing was taken in Maude in the Mid North of South Australia. The koala came to the back porch looking for relief, the lady of the house put out the basin and the koala promptly sat itself in the water. This was similar to the experience of callers into the program. Another listener Paul sent in the photo of the koala drinking from the ice cream container. "We spotted this hot koala while taking our dog for a walk. The container (marked koala water) was nearby. We filled the container with water and the koala had a long drink" Justin sent in this photo from the backyard. "This guy was hanging around this morning in a tree out the front. When I saw him and in light of Tim’s recent experience, I (illegally) filled up the fountain under the bird bath nearby and when it got hot he went down and had a dip. And don’t believe any one who tells you they don’t like water – he was splashing around and guzzling it!"

Cyclists share water bottle with thirsty koala; Parched koalas win hearts worldwide; Wooden power poles self-igniting Meanwhile, flooding in the north is causing animals to enter human developments.

Crocodiles and snakes add to flood chaos in Queensland It is the Australian nightmare. Never mind the floods and the poisonous snakes and crocodiles swimming through the town centres. Pubs in some of Queensland’s inundated towns are down to their last few kegs of beer. In the rain-lashed state, much of which has been declared a disaster zone, the army has been sent in to help with a recovery effort after more than a dozen rivers burst their banks, flooding towns and carrying some of the world’s deadliest animals into inhabited areas. The local Parks and Wildlife Service has also issued a warning: “Be wary of crocodiles and other reptiles turning up.” Some locals, however, have other worries. Others emphasise that it was the wildlife that was largely on the receiving end of floods. This week a man driving on the road alongside Townsville’s Ross River, drove over what he thought was a speed-hump. But after closer inspection he discovered it was a 1.6m (5.3 ft) freshwater crocodile. “The croc probably thought it was still in the river,” Neil Mattocks, a wildlife officer with Queensland Parks and Wildlife told The Times. … David Harkin, a local resident, said that he was going to move out after watching water run through the ground floor of his two-storey home and seeing several snakes. “I keep the broom here (at the front door) to chase the snakes away,” Mr Harkin told local media.