The Crucial Cassowary

Cassowaries are large ratites, flightless birds, that are a crucial or keystone species in the northern tropics of Australia. Both males and females have unique black feathers and compelling red and blue necks. The females, like those in the raptor world, are usually bigger and more aggressive then the males. In a twist on parenting the female will lay eggs in a clutch for the male to incubate them, he is then responsible for the care of the chicks until they are old enough to go create their own home range in the forest.
    They are one of the largest native animals in these rain forests and are critically endangered. Because of their size and unique digestive system they are the only animal that can adequately process and distribute the seeds of ~150 species of tree in the rain forest. The loss of the cassowary alone would shrink the current forest by 20-25%.
    There are many threats to the cassowary which cumulatively are causing a decrease in their numbers. These threats include loss and fragmentation of habitat, being killed by cars, dog and feral pig attacks, and sadly some of these amazing birds are being shot out right.
    Perversely, because they are an endangered species, they have become an animal tourists dearly want to see and take pictures of and so some tourists think it is ok to feed these birds when they wander through the picnic or car park area. Feeding cassowaries is dangerous for both the birds and the people feeding them. They are obligate frugivores, which means they eat only fruit, and because of their delicate respiratory track if they eat something with certain types of mold (like the ones found on bread) they can die of an infection. They are wild animals and can be easily spooked and if you are in their space they are likely to kick you with their claws (5 in long).
    It may seem like common sense not to feed the wildlife but it isn’t. 
This past weekend while on a trip to the Atherton Tablelands the following occurred.
At the Babinda Boulders car park a large cassowary came out of the rain forest to make its way across the picnic area to the other part of the forest. There was our bus of students (~15 persons) and another group of tourists. We were all enamored of this big handsome bird. Cassowaries are curious by nature and went to investigate the group of tourists who started clicking cameras wildly and one pulled out something and started trying to feed it. Our guide told them to stop, for the reasons above, but they kept feeding it. They started getting on their bus and threw one more tidbit to the cassowary. One girl had to get one more picture and the starting of a car engine spooked the bird and he/she ran at the girl and almost got her. The cassowary then proceeded to stalk our van, which resulted in great pictures for us but no more food for the cassowary who disappeared back into the forest. While it was exciting to see one of these birds in the wild it is extremely sad that people are a) willing to risk the well being of the animal they love for a photograph, and b) changing the behavior of such a beautiful bird from being self-sufficient to begging for scraps.

Source for Cassowary Facts:
Dr. Joan Bentrupperbäumer professor of Conserving Tropical Rain Forests at James Cook University
Wet Tropics Management Authority at http://www.wettropics.gov.au/pa/pa_casso.html

Pictures: Ann Bishop (me)