All Saints College
Ewing Avenue
Bull Creek WA 6149
Friday the 20th of May
1/273 South St, Hilton WA 6163
Dear Ms Andric,
I am writing to you about the growing problem of the endangerment of red-tailed black cockatoos. As you may know, there are 5 sub species of this magnificent creature, and one of them being endangered with only 15 hundred birds left. This species is the southeasten red-tailed blacked cockatoo native to the southeasten regions of Australia. The fate of the southeasten must not be repeated with our local forest red tailed black cockatoos. If you are lucky enough to spot one of these beautiful birds, they will most likely be in pairs or small groups. Unlike most other Australian birds, it is very rare to see our local red-tailed black cockatoos in large groups. Due to factors such as deforestation, vehicle strikes, wildfires and competition with other species, their population has slowly but steadily decreased. This is a huge concern with Australia’s legacy because the red-tailed black cockatoo is debatably one of Australia’s most beautiful birds and it would be a tragedy if they went extinct in the next few decades. The forest red-tailed black cockatoos are vulnerable, and it is our job to protect them
If the red-tailed black cockatoo does go extinct, then this will not only have an impact on Australia, but it will immensely impact aboriginal culture. In the 60,000-year-old Indigenous Australian culture, the red-tailed black cockatoos, known to the aboriginal as Karrak, play an important role guiding the spirits of loved ones to their place with their ancestors. Cockatoos also represent the spirit of strengthening. One of the 5 sub species of the red-tailed black cockatoos are already endangered due to acts of urbanisation, agricultural expansion, and deforestation. If the other 4 sub species, particularly the forest red-tailed black cockatoo which is native to Perth, begin to decrease in population, this will have a terrible impact on aboriginal culture. There will be no majestic creature to guide spirits of the dead which will leave a culture that has stood for millennia incomplete. This is all hypothetical, however if we do not act soon, then the impacts on society, particularly Aboriginal society will be terrible.
There are many ways in which Australians can act to help save the red-tailed black cockatoo. The problem is that not enough of us are doing them. These include:
- Protecting trees with hollows in them, dead or alive, because they provide shelter for our feathery friends.
- Protecting the and plant species of Stringybark and Buloke as this food source is scarcer to find.
- Fence of young strands of red gum for future nesting
Forest red tailed black cockatoos inhabit Jarrah, Marri, and Karri forests. This colourful bird also lives in the humid and subhumid areas of Western Australia. If people that live in areas that fit this description could begin to act, then the Karrak sightings will increase. Taking action can be as simple as fencing of a dead tree with a hollow in it or planting a couple of Karri trees. If many people make a small change, then the results all together will be tremendous. Another thing that the everyday citizen can do, is filing out a a fauna report form and send it to the Department’s Species and Communities Branch at fauna@dbca.wa.gov.au. The Department keeps track of the distributions of threatened species to help monitor population trends and inform management decisions. Even if one more person starts to act, it will make a difference. And that is my goal writing this message, to get more people educated about how endangered the red-tailed black cockatoo is, what impacts their possible extinction would have, and what can be done to help them. I hope you consider helping.
Have a lovely day,
Year 8 Student – All Saints College