Cassowary numbers are in

CSIRO scientists have estimated that approximately 4,400 cassowaries live in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area.

The figure is based on several years of cassowary monitoring and DNA analysis conducted by Dr David Wescott and his team under the National Environmental Research Program.

This is substantially higher than previously thought with numbers projected around the 1,200 mark, but correlate with upper estimates in surveys undertaken 20 years ago.

The cassowary surveys in the Wet Tropics covered 1,886 km and 156 transects. Researchers recorded 1,444 signs of cassowaries such as dung, feathers, tracks and sightings.

Findings from the survey have reiterated that although cassowary numbers are higher, the population is still small enough to be at risk from chance events such as cyclones, genetic effects, and increasingly fragmented habitat.

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Published: 01st Jan 1970