A large group of Friends attended Edgecombe Brothers Winery on Saturday 5th May to help erect the display shelter provided by the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC). When the job was completed we strolled to the Winery’s Lake Yakine at the rear of the property to see if there were any of the resident long-necked tortoises sunning themselves. Thanks to Alf Edgecombe for plying us with refreshments to help the project along. As the venue is a wonderful tourist destination, the 3 DEC panels and Friends Group panel will be viewed by people from all over the world.
On Saturday 21st July at the Chittering Landcare Centre ANZ bank presented a much-appreciated cheque for $10,600 to the Friends of the Western Swamp Tortoise (FoWST) group. The money had been raised from the sale of blue elephant moneyboxes at the bank’s WA branches, through an initiative of WWF Australia, with whom ANZ now has a national partnership.
It was an unexpected pleasure to see Gerald and Guundie Kuchling featured in a short item on Stateline last November. The feature focussed in part on the unusual situation of two European immigrants taking on the preservation of this uniquely West Australian animal. Most of you will realise that’s partly because the first Western Swamp Tortoise known to science was acquired by the Museum of Natural History in Vienna, where Gerald and Guundie once lived.
The Friends of the Western Swamp Tortoise was delighted to receive its third Community Conservation Grant in three years, after applying to help the Perth Zoo build a prototype new Captive Breeding Tank.
The Director of Animal Health and Research, in her letter of support for the application, said ‘The old ponds have become insecure and leak continually to such an extent that we have to have taps running constantly into them to maintain water in them for the tortoises.’
The Friends Group has recently purchased three of Guundie Kuchling’s books about the Western Swamp Tortoise. Yakkinn the Swamp Tortoise: The most dangerous year follows the life of Yakkinn from hatchling to 12 months old. Delightful illustrations and evocative text helps children understand the problems facing Western Swamp Tortoises in their first year of life. This book is recommended by the Children’s Book Council of Australia.
