What is the Cassowary?
The Cassowary is a large, flightless bird that lives in New Guinea and parts of Australia. It is the heaviest bird in Australia and the third largest bird in the world. They are around 1.5 – 2m tall. The adults have a striking appearance with a large crest, thick, glossy plumage and a bright blue neck with touches of red.
Cassowaries feed mainly on fruit, and are truly omnivorous. The will eat plant food including shoots, grass seeds, and fungi in addition to invertebrates and small vertebrates. Cassowaries are very shy animals but when provoked they are can be very dangerous. Unfortunately, they are endangered and need to be cared for if we want to keep them safe.
Cassowaries feed mainly on fruit, and are truly omnivorous. The will eat plant food including shoots, grass seeds, and fungi in addition to invertebrates and small vertebrates. Cassowaries are very shy animals but when provoked they are can be very dangerous. Unfortunately, they are endangered and need to be cared for if we want to keep them safe.
Where are they found?
The Cassowary is located in some parts of Australia (mainly on the tips of Queensland) and are plentiful in New Guinea. They are shy creatures and like to stay in tropical forests and will not hurt unless provoked.
Why are they threatened? Explain how the actions of humans have contributed to the decline of species.
The cassowary is threatened is a number of ways, including vehicle strikes,
og attacks, human interactions, pigs, disease and natural catastrophic events, but the main cause, is our destruction of their habitat. As we decide to clear areas of forests, the species is being eliminated. There are approximately only 2000 cassowaries left because of our actions.
Also, humans often kill cassowaries by accidently hitting the adults when in cars or trucks. Humans, especially in the areas of the cassowaries habitat, need to be more careful on the road. People are killing, not just birds but people too, by not being careful when driving. They often get distracted or lose focus. Humans have to think more wisely about their actions to ensure that the environment of Australia can remain safe and so these amazing, threatened birds can live and perhaps repopulate once more.
og attacks, human interactions, pigs, disease and natural catastrophic events, but the main cause, is our destruction of their habitat. As we decide to clear areas of forests, the species is being eliminated. There are approximately only 2000 cassowaries left because of our actions.
Also, humans often kill cassowaries by accidently hitting the adults when in cars or trucks. Humans, especially in the areas of the cassowaries habitat, need to be more careful on the road. People are killing, not just birds but people too, by not being careful when driving. They often get distracted or lose focus. Humans have to think more wisely about their actions to ensure that the environment of Australia can remain safe and so these amazing, threatened birds can live and perhaps repopulate once more.
How can they be helped and what can we do?
Cassowaries can be helped in a few ways such as reducing vehicle accidents and forest destruction. They are being killed for a number of ways that we cant control for example dog attacks, diseases and natural catastrophic events. Those are not human faults but natural occurrences.
However, vehicle strikes and deforestation are both human actions. Like I said before, humans are not making wise decisions when it comes to our environment. They don’t think about all of the animals they can endanger but instead they think about themselves. They think about the money they will get after they clear the forest areas and build new theme parks or buildings. We need to stop being selfish for once and look at what our environment is becoming because of our actions.
However, vehicle strikes and deforestation are both human actions. Like I said before, humans are not making wise decisions when it comes to our environment. They don’t think about all of the animals they can endanger but instead they think about themselves. They think about the money they will get after they clear the forest areas and build new theme parks or buildings. We need to stop being selfish for once and look at what our environment is becoming because of our actions.