The Melbourne Herald Sun has taken an interest in government payments made to "cult" TV series Wilfred, running on network broadcaster SBS. Film Victoria put up over AU$500,000 across sixteen episodes, while Screen Australia contributed almost AU$1 million.

The show features drug use, sexually-themed conversation, and psychological mind-games between Wilfred (Jason Gann dressed as a dog) and his owner's boyfriend, Adam, who finds himself drawn into competition with Wilfred for his owner's affection.

Despite critical acclaim, Family First Senator Steve Fielding was not impressed:

I don't think taxpayers' money should be used to finance film projects that display acts of bestiality.

Several videos are available on the show website; U.S. viewers may also get their own version in the future. [tip credit: Higgs Raccoon]

A new Australian convention — Furry Down Under, or FurDU — hopes to draw fans to Queensland's Gold Coast on 23-25 April.

The event is based in the Vibe hotel, not far from Surfers Paradise beach. Registration will be AU$30, while hotel rooms are AU$149 for two people.

The first forty registered attendees are also to receive a "generic tail".

The con was initial to be held in Melbourne, but the venue changed when organizers Oz Kangaroo and FlameDrake moved.

Tursiae has created a chart of sexual activity, past and present, within the Australian furry community.^[1]

The OzFurry YiffChart was first announced on Tursiae's LiveJournal late last month,^[2] and promoted on FurNet IRC channel #ozfurs. Individuals were invited to submit lists of prior relationships under terms of confidentiality.

Recent updates have resulted in charted individuals being coloured by state, except for those residing in low-population states which might cause them to be identifiable.

New antibiotic found in wallaby milk

Scientists have discovered a bacteria-fighting compound 100 times more effective than penicillin - in wallaby milk.

Researchers found the highly-potent compound, tagged AGG01, was active against a wide variety of fungi and bacteria including antibiotic-resistant superbugs.

Research team leader Dr Ben Cocks said the discovery could have a profound impact on both human and animal health.

"This compound has the potential to be commercially synthesised and may prove vital in the war against increasingly resistant human and animal diseases," Dr Cocks said.

He said researchers from the Victorian government's Department of Primary Industries made the discovery while investigating the chemical properties of Tammar wallabies' breast milk to determine how their immune-deficient newborns built up resistance to bacteria while in the pouch.

Using online biological information, they searched the wallaby's genome to identify more than 30 factors in the breast milk that contribute to fighting bugs.

Compound AGG01 was found to be effective against a relative of the hospital superbug MRSA, or golden staph, as well as ecoli, Streptococci, Salmonella, Bacillus subtilus, Pseudomonas spp, Proteus vulgaris, and Staphylococcus aureus.

Original Story is here

Australians living in the nation's drought-ravaged capital have been warned to keep their distance from aggressive kangaroos after the iconic marsupials attacked one woman and killed a pet dog.

Eastern Grey kangaroos, which can grow 1.7 meters (5.6 feet) tall and weigh 70 kg (154 lb), have started moving out of the parched bush into inner Canberra suburbs during the day to look for grass and water, increasing their contact with people.

Read Article

According to this article, there are many sightings of feral panther-like cats in the area near Sydney. If this is true, it's a real problem for Australian native animals (and plants), already under attack from feral pests such as cane toads, pigs, rabbits, and foxes.

According to this report, an axe-wielding Australian was forced to employ an axe against a kangaroo in self-defense. The 'roo might well have had a history of such attacks.

The RSPCA is threatening legal action over a decision by the Defence Department to drastically reduce the kangaroo population at Puckapunyal military training base north of Melbourne.

The base - and the kangaroos living there - are enclosed by an electric fence. Officials have determined that the 36,000 kangaroos have an inadequate food supply and must be culled to prevent starvation. A minimum of 15,000 and as many as 30,000 'roos are to be killed by the end of August. More than 20,000 Eastern Greys were shot at the base last year.

Animal activists acknowledge the need to prevent suffering but are opposed to such massive reductions and point out that the fence is the real problem.

Towards the end of this year, Australia is to begin construction of a memorial dedicated to all those animals who served their nation in armed conflict.

At a cost of $214,000, the memorial will honour the animals who hauled men and materiel, carried messages, acted as guards, mascots, or performed countless other duties in time of war.

According to an RSPCA spokeswoman, "It's about all the animals that played a variety of roles in war... We sent an estimated 100,000 horses to World War One alone. Only one came back".

Kanook, Ping Ping, Lia and Lutik live a very warm Sea World in Brisbane, Australia. But a little Christmas magic, and a snow machine, will provide them with icy snow for the next month. Though it's the dog days of summer in Australia, the holiday season inspired the zoo to try out a winter landscape to keep their bears happy and healthy, both physically and mentally.
Polar bears are very smart, and need a wide variety of stimuli to keep them from suffering problems in captivity. Among other stimulating things the four have, there are even wind generation fans designed to entertain the bears with a wide range of interesting smells.

The fossilised remains of prehistoric giant lions and other mammoth creatures have been discovered in caves in Western Australia.

See the news article on the BBC web site.

Article debating whether the Australian Thylacoleo, an extinct class of cat-like marsupials from the Pleistoscene era, is still alive in Queensland.

Direct URL:
http://www.forteantimes.com/exclusive/thylacine.shtml

Or, look for article 'Will The Real Thylacoleo Please Stand Up' in the Fortean Time's Web Page