Rare sighting of spikey native

THE extended drought has had a big impact on much of our local wildlife, and our iconic echidna is no exception.

Despite their distinctive spikes and common occurrence, the special creatures are rarely sighted in the wild, but in recent weeks, one Dubbo Photo News reader has spotted two of the prickly native animals.

Elsie Howe, who is also a member of the Dubbo Field Naturalist and Conservation Society, believes the loss of vegetation during this dry year, under which the echidna would normally seek out its diet of termites and ants, means the animal is more exposed than usual and subject to more stress.

Choosing not to reveal the echidna’s location to protect its survival, Mrs Howe said she has never seen an echidna in that area.

“Until two recent sightings, I have not seen echidna along there in almost 50 years,” she said.

“Although, they were doubtless always there, well-hidden under those now-dead layers of groundcover.”

Mrs Howe’s advice to others who are fortunate enough to spot an echidna is to keep a sensible

This echidna was spotted in a residential area of Dubbo. It was the first time in 50 years the photographer had seen one in this location. Drying vegetation means native animals like this have less places to hide.

distance while watching its wanderings and keep dogs on a leash.

Cat owners are also being warned about the potential threat felines pose to local wildlife.

A recent study revealed that pet and feral cats kill over 2 billion reptiles, birds and mammals each year in Australia.

CEO of the Invasive Species Council, Andrew Cox, said local wildlife are particularly vulnerable to cat attacks during dry periods.

“Any cat that is out in the wild, including some – not all but some – domestic cats, are good at killing wildlife,” he said.

“During the drought, wildlife may be more easily hunted because they are in places they would not normally be.”

As well as being microchipped and desexed, Mr Cox said cat owners should do their best to keep pets from straying while unsupervised.

In 2016, a study in Lithgow used GPS technology to track a group of domestic cats for 10 days revealing data on how much the moggies roamed.

While some only wandered 10 doors down the street, others travelled up to three kilometres from home.

“Owners should be keeping cats indoors ideally, or contained on their property, so they should be trying to make sure they don’t get out in the bush and impact on wildlife, particularly those people who live near the edge of urban areas,” Mr Cox said.

“Just don’t trust your cat, which might seem nice and snuggle up to you on the lounge chair. It could actually be a very effective killing machine and they often cause a lot of damage to our native wildlife.”