Humbug Scrub Wildlife Sanctuary Cassowaries for Humbug Scrub?

ZYBen

ZYBen

Well-Known Member
At the moment i am in the planning stages of getting approval for Double Wattled Cassowaries, i have basic fences up (using old ones that were already there, been there for ever).

The Enclosure is around 40m by 20m.
Theres is a shady fig tree up one end.
It is next to the dam so is fairly moist.
I am thinking of using Bamboo Reeding as a fence, so that its high and the cassowaries can have privacy and cant get people, this would be behind the Mesh fence.
Theres wallaby grass all over one end (around 2m in, the other end opposite the fig tree)
All over the left hand side from the fig tree is Perwinkle, Vinca sp. i have found very conflicting reports about the toxicity. Anyone know? ZooPlantman?

I will take some photos tomorrow.

Just want to reinform you all, the Sanctuary is a registered Charity established in 1905, left in trust to the Animals that occupy the land, staffed entirley by volunteers.
 
I have taken photos of every aspect of the area, i will upload them when the gallery is back.

I am thinking... Maybe our members of Zoocaht can help design the whole thing :) it will be a Zoochat Forums Cassowary exhibit!
 
ZooYouthBen said:
All over the left hand side from the fig tree is Perwinkle, Vinca sp. i have found very conflicting reports about the toxicity. Anyone know?
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I'd say that if you've had conflicting reports on toxicity then its better to err on the side of caution and remove it all from the enclosure. Better safe than sorry in my book.
 
Yeah thats what i am thinking, its going to be a massive task which is why i was trying avoid it.
 
was there anything else kept on the area before? Or is it a brand new enclosure?
 
Tammar wallabies were kept in the area for 80 years sucessfully. i have been told they only even chewed the stalks and never the leaves.
 
I did some searches and apparently, from what I gather, all Vinca are very toxic. The following link has a list of many common plants that are toxic, and a definition of grades of toxicity (Vinca are graded as number 1)
Toxic Plants
Toxicity Class
1. Major Toxicity: These plants may cause serious illness or death. If ingested, immediately call the Poison Control Center or your doctor.
2. Minor Toxicity: Ingestion of these plants may cause minor illnesses such as vomiting or diarrhea. If ingested, call the Poison Control Center or your doctor.
3. Oxalates: The juice or sap of these plants contains oxalate crystals. These needle-shaped crystals can irritate the skin, mouth, tongue, and throat, resulting in throat swelling, breathing difficulties, burning pain, and stomach upset. Call the Poison Control Center or your doctor if any of these symptoms appear following ingestion of plants.
4. Dermatitis: The juice, sap, or thorns of these plants may cause a skin rash or irritation. Wash the affected area of skin with soap and water as soon as possible after contact. The rashes may be very serious and painful. Call the Poison Control Center or your doctor if symptoms appear following contact with the plants.
5. Animal toxicity: Pets, especially cats and dogs, frequently ingest plants. If a plant is known to be hazardous to humans, it will probably be toxic for animals as well.
Click to expand...
 
wholearea.jpg


Theres the area.
You can see the perrywinkle around the whole right hand side of the area.
Theres the large fig tree at the back, then a gum tree, then a dead gum, then teh fallen tree, then theres another tree in the foreground i am yet to identify.
 
that's a lot of periwinkle! No wonder you're not looking forward to having to grub it all out! I'd probably rip it all out, spray the whole area if you can find a herbicide that is safe (or that degrades quickly), and then cover the ground with a thick layer of mulch to prevent the periwinkle coming back through (something like thick leaf litter or bark chips). Apparently periwinkle is pretty invasive though so it might be struggle to keep it controlled.

Are you going to be planting more trees in the enclosure?
 
I think we have found the first task for a Zoochat working bee!!!

I will rip it all up, funilly enough theres not alot of roots and it comes up quite easily.
Thats what i was thinking too, fill the area with leaf litter, i think once i have a solid side on that side of the fence (reeding) i wil see when it comes through and be able to get it quickly.

That large patch of dead wallaby grass is a hard part, its in a part that really never gets shade, i was thinking of halving the exhibit so that the cassowary can have acess to teh shady area and locked in eht sunny one for cleaning, there was also talk of putting some kind of Gazebo in the area to look at the Lake.

I hadn't even thought of the task of putting more trees in, I was going to put arumm lillies and a heap of bamboo in all around it. with some tress to make it shadier but. The problem is i dont have the equipment to move large trees. I can look at large palms but they wont give too much shade..

I think if i made a dam area where the 1/2 watertank is, that will keep the area a bit more moist, cassowary can bathe in it and plants will grow around it.
 
are what Australians call arum lilies the same as what NZers call arum lilies (Zantedeschia)? Over here they are invasive in some areas, but more importantly they have toxic sap so probably best to avoid them as well.

Regarding trees I was thinking more of putting in small specimens of fast-growing species (though I wouldn't use eucalypts because they don't throw enough shade) -- maybe protect them with fences until they are established if the cassowaries would destroy them (?). The more trees in the enclosure the more comfortable I suspect the birds would be, but also more leaf litter would accumulate on the ground to keep down unwanted weeds.
 
That fencing looks a little flimsy to me, for something like Cassowaries. Especially if you get aggressive ones.

Then again, maybe it just looks that way in the photo.

:)

Hix
 
Its just sheep fencing, i will modify it, i have rolls of Chainlink to use.

Yeah, arrum lillies are toxic, but i know of a heap of people who keep their wallabies in it, and my emus eat it and they are still going.
 
You wrote 40metresx20metres for the entire enclosure. Am I having fata morganas or is your fenced enclosure (in the photograph) a lot smaller than that?

If you are going to maintain cassowaries how are you going to separate the birds. They are a tropical species that is strictly solitary and tends to be very aggressive when put together (even known to kick and kill)!

Vegetationwise you really have a full workload on your hands and need to think of better shading. Bamboo alone will not do the trick as you need a large shaded cover for these tropical forest birds. Visual barriers between both birds in the individual enclosures is deemed essential.

Good luck!
 
I know people that keep cassowarries in open grassy enclosures andthey breed sucessfully, so its not "immersion that i need" I only in tend on keeping one at this time.

Those measurements were just my guess's, between each star dropper is around 3m
 
The size would be very close to what ben said, maybe 18 by 36 but that is 648 square metres. (nearly double size minimum standards for big cats and bears and things like) I think there will be plenty of room for the bird/s. the only concern I'd have would be the height but as ben ssaid he will be modifying the fence.
 
Our cassies are waiting for their new enclosure to be finished, and they are breeding happily in their grass enclosures. Hopefully the eggs in the incubator will hatch (fingers crossed for us and Ben ;))
 
yeah, whats your fecning like jo, its not too tall is it?

chain link is 2.2m If installed to full stretch.
 
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