Amuze the Mob

17/01/2025

Don’t be a duck-dumper 😞

Every year rescue groups receive countless calls from folks who have found either an injured duck or one(s) who have been dumped at the local pond or dam and are now struggling to survive.

A Pond Is a Duck’s Natural Habitat… Right? Not necessarily.

But, it's a beautiful pond, and, I've seen so many other ducks living there, and people feeding them, so it must be the perfect place for a duck, right?

No.

It's not the perfect place for a pet duck to be "relocated" (dumped) to. And here's why.

Wild ducks often congregate at ponds. Water offers safety from land-dwelling predators and is a likely place to grab a free meal. Aquatic plants, small fish, and crustaceans are all in the natural diet of waterfowl. However when food is scarce wild ducks fly to other water sources. Domestic ducks, however, do not have a “natural” habitat. They were bred as livestock for either egg or meat production. Some domestic duck species CANNOT fly and DO NOT have any wild instincts, unlike their wild cousins.

A domestic duck cannot survive in the wild because it lacks the necessary survival instincts and physical adaptations needed to find food, evade predators, and migrate. Domestic ducks are the cute little fluff balls you'll see in the stock tanks at your local farm supply store each year. They are selectively bred for size and meat production, resulting in poor flight capabilities, a lack of camouflage, and an inability to forage effectively in natural environments. Essentially, domestic ducks are too reliant on human care to thrive in the wild.

IF a dumped duck somehow manages not to get taken by a predator they often starve. They rely on humans coming each day and throwing out duck food. Add to this the fact that ducks have been bred to be producers, so they have far higher nutritional and caloric requirements than the small, wild counterpart. They will face hunger and severe health conditions much sooner than their wild counterparts.

Please. PLEASE do not be a duck dumper.

If you found yourself (months ago) in a moment of weakness and in line at your local farm store holding a box of cute little yellow fuzziness, and now you own very large eating-machine mess-makers and you're considering "setting them free"... PLEASE reach out to farm sanctuaries. Or, call your local shelters, rehabs, or rescues and ask for guidance or advice. Ask your farm friends if they have room for some more ducks.

But please, DO NOT just take them out to a pond somewhere and drop them off. You'll only be dooming them to a very short life of either predation or starvation.

FYI: A domestic duck's lifespan can range from 8–20 years or more, depending on the breed and how well it's cared for. If you're not prepared to care for your duck for the long run, then please, don't get one/some/any. Please.

(Thank you Grit & Grace Farm & Wildlife Rehabilitation, Inc for the amazing work you do and for being the original source of this information)

📷 Rachael Ellen Anderson

16/01/2025

“What’s the hardest part about having a dog?” they asked, their tone casual, like it was just another question.

I glanced at the worn leash hanging by the door, my chest tightening. “Letting them go,” I said quietly.

They frowned a little, waiting for me to explain. “They come into your life like they were always meant to be there,” I said, trying to find the words. “They make everything better—simpler, brighter. And you think it’s always going to be that way. But it’s not. One day, they’re gone, and you’re left with all the space they used to fill.”

They nodded, but I wasn’t sure they understood. “It’s not the messes they made or the routines you have to let go of,” I continued. “It’s the absence. You walk into the house, and it feels... wrong. The quiet is heavier. The mornings don’t feel the same without them nudging you awake.”

“So why do it?” they asked, their voice softer this time.

I sighed, glancing down at my hands. “Because the love they give you is worth every bit of the heartache. They teach you how to love without holding back, even when you know it’s going to hurt in the end. And you keep choosing that love because you know it’s one of the best things you’ll ever feel.”

R.M. Drake 🐶 from the book ' Dog People'

Artist Credit : Iain Welch

14/01/2025

Ewwwww

The Antarctic scale worm’s fluffy gold body hides a massive feeding mechanism.

Deep in the Southern Ocean near Antarctica, at depths over 500 meters, lives a creature that looks like something imagined in a horror movie. But this worm is very real.

It's the Antarctic scale worm (Eulagisca gigantea). With its golden, fluffy backside and an unsettling, alien-like head, this 20-cm-long (8 inch) marine worm is a fascinating predator.

Belonging to the Polynoidae family, the worm is covered in protective scales called elytra, but the real fright lies in its feeding habits. That seemingly eyeless "head" hides a retractable proboscis — a tubular appendage that unfurls to reveal sharp, tearing mouthparts. When feeding, the worm launches this 7-cm (2 inch) proboscis to grab and devour prey.

While researchers still don’t fully understand its diet, it’s suspected to be an active hunter, adding to the list of reasons you wouldn’t want to encounter one. Despite its menacing appearance, the Antarctic scale worm’s unique adaptations make it a marvel of the deep, perfectly evolved for life in one of the harshest environments on Earth.

Image credit: Matthew Brown / NIWA

11/01/2025

09/01/2025

04/01/2025

Endangered spectacled flying foxes and vulnerable grey-headed flying foxes are ‘astonishing’ animals but misinformation is rife

24/12/2024

Wishing you all a very merry Christmas and a wonderful new year xx

22/12/2024

He lay only one metre off the road.
Hit days before as the maggots were already eating the necrotic tissue in both of his broken feet.
I saw him as soon as I turned onto the stretch where he was. Resting on his elbow, head up looking around.
The driver that was only 100 metres in front of me kept driving past him. Didn’t stop, didn’t slow down.

The 8 other drivers, coming in the opposite direction only slowed down because they thought I was a speed camera!

ONE call.
His suffering only mattered to one person…Angela
She called me to let me know he was there.
10 minutes for me to get there, how many more drive past.

There’s NO excuse not to call in injured Wildlife.
Not. One.

We use Google for Everything!
I used Google to find out the hours of the shopping centre yesterday to do some Christmas shopping.
I used Google to find “Dog Rescue” organisations to give a member of public who was surrending her dog .
I used Google to find out what dates my kids were returning to school next year.
I used Google to research a gradual tan a girlfriend had recommended.
We use Google pretty much on a daily basis but yet so many do not use Google to find a Wildlife Organisation.

I will never understand why…
They matter.
Their suffering matters
Be the person to make a difference.
Save a wildlife number in your phone.
That’s just not in Australia, that’s all over the world.
Nothing deserves this kind of suffering.

21/12/2024

Please remember that our furry friends paws are sensitive to heat this summer.

20/12/2024

Yep
Show me your choices 😉

14/12/2024

Sparrow always knows when the dolphins are about ❤️

13/12/2024

Know a budgie lover, some unique and beautiful Xmas presents here, supporting local artists.

12/12/2024

DON’T GET A DOG…UNLESS YOU CAN MAKE A COMMITMENT

In an ideal world dogs would be included as a family member and we would commit to sharing our time and life with them in the relatively short time they have on earth.

In an ideal world, we would take the time to learn about how dogs communicate through their body language, their emotions, their needs and keep learning about updated, modern, force free / pain free methods to understand or modify behaviour.

In reality, dogs are so often seen as an item of property, an object, a commodity to be bred and make money from, a cheap, replaceable security system, a garden decoration, a toy to play with when the kids are bored or an accessory that looks good while out walking, running or taking selfies.

Dogs are not objects, just like us they are sentient beings with the capacity to feel a range of emotions.

Dogs are naturally social beings and need to spend time with their human family.

A life spent confined to a backyard or fenced in with little or no human companionship is not a life.

They need love and attention, exercise and mental stimulation. They need routine, consistency and predictable patterns to feel safe and secure in our world.

Having a dog requires commitment, understanding, patience and dedication.

It’s hard work, it’s sometimes messy, dirty and stinky, it costs money and requires changes to our lifestyle.

It’s a decision that shouldn’t be taken lightly or without making a long term commitment, but the rewards of forming a secure bond with another sentient being can bring so much joy and enrichment to both our lives and theirs.

12/12/2024