Australia

Australia

Cetacean strandings

The 2023 Cheynes Beach whale stranding was a mass stranding of 96 pilot whales that occurred on Cheynes Beach, Western Australia, on 25 and 26 July 2023. It was one of the largest whale strandings in Australian history and resulted in the death of all the stranded whales.

Human-wildlife conflict

Main article: Human-wildlife conflict

Human activities have significantly impacted natural ecosystems and native fauna in Australia. For example, a study analyzing admissions and outcomes data from a Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre in Queensland found that causes for admission typically associated with human influenced activities were dominant and exhibited the highest mortality rates. Car strikes were the most common reason for admission (34.7%), with dog attacks (9.2%), entanglements (7.2%), and cat attacks (5.3%) also high.

Dingoes

In 2023 a string of dingo attacks on Fraser Island had rangers worried that the animals are no longer scared of humans and that tourist behaviour is causing escalations in their aggression. One dingo was killed by injection after attacking a woman who was jogging on the beach. Human activities, such as land development and resource extraction, encroach upon the natural habitats of dingoes, leading to disruptions in their food sources and breeding grounds. The state government ruled out a cull of the dingoes, but implemented other measures such as exclusion fencing, fines, and education.