"When it was no longer tenable to discharge sewage at the cliff face..."

"Last week, after torrential rain in Sydney, fresh poo balls washed up on the beach at Malabar, the closest beach to the problematic Malabar sewage treatment plant. In early April 2025, the EPA finally admitted the poo balls likely originated from Sydney Water’s land-based sewage treatment network."

"The deepwater ocean outfalls were opened from 1990, mainly because they were the cheapest option when it was no longer tenable to discharge sewage at the cliff face. Funding a fix now will take political will – and some impressive engineering."
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/jan/28/sydney-water-sewage-poo-balls-fatberg-beaches-investigation
#pollution #NSW #coast #beaches #faeces #infrastructure #sewage #CheapOptions #swimming #MarineAnimals #PooBalls

Man's best friend - First eradicate the Neanderthals, then biodiversity

Humans and their dogs drove our evolutionary cousins Neanderthals to extinction
"Early dogs, bred from wolves, played a critical role in the modern human’s takeover of Europe 40,000 years ago when we vanquished the Neanderthal locals. The Neanderthals, who had lived there for more than 200,000 years. However, within a few thousand years of our arrival, they disappeared...Humans and hunting dogs were, and still are, a deadly combination." >>
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/mar/01/hunting-with-wolves-humans-conquered-the-world-neanderthal-evolution

Man’s best friend may be nature’s worst enemy, study on pet dogs
“Many owners simply don’t realise the environmental damage dogs can cause, from disturbing wildlife to polluting ecosystems." >>
https://www.curtin.edu.au/news/media-release/mans-best-friend-may-be-natures-worst-enemy-study-on-pet-dogs-finds/

Bad dog? The environmental effects of owned dogs
"The sheer number of dogs contributes to global carbon emissions and land and fresh water use via the pet food industry. " >>
https://www.publish.csiro.au/pc/pdf/PC24071

#dogs #dog #pets #HumanAnimalInteraction #carnivores #DogAttacks #penguins #koalas
#extinction #Biodiversity #wildlife #conservation #water #pollution #faeces #disturbance #zoonoses #PetIndustry #meat #ecosystems #climate #shorebirds #beach #ExtinctionCrisis #Neanderthals #BellingenShire #EcologicalDisturbance #IntroducedSpecies

Leaving the supermarket, I said to my daughter, "I don't know if that smell is faeces or dead rat, what do you think?" She said, "I think it smells like Vegemite scroll".

This tells you all you need to know about the Australian delicacy.

#Australia #faeces #DeadRats #food

Raison de vivre
Companion animals - a reason for living

For many dog owners the companionship of dogs is often
“literally the only reason to survive,
to get up, to still keep going.
It gives them a reason to get up,
a reason to get out,
a reason to move around and
be in contact a little bit with the world outside."
>>
Pet dogs have ‘extensive and multifarious’ impact on environment, new research finds
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/apr/10/pet-dogs-have-extensive-and-multifarious-impact-on-environment-new-research-finds

"Approximately 69% of households in Australia own pets, with dogs being the most common."
>>
https://kb.rspca.org.au/knowledge-base/how-many-pets-are-there-in-australia/
#dogs #pets #wildlife #birds #penguins #beach #DogOwners #ProstheticDevices #harm #pollution #GHG #meat #pesticides #faeces #climate #DogAttacks #Australia #community #ReasonForLiving #CompanionAnimals #zeitgeist

Pet dogs pose significant threat to wildlife and ecosystems

"Many owners simply don't realize the environmental damage dogs can cause, from disturbing wildlife to polluting ecosystems...Others may feel their individual actions won't make a difference, leading to a 'tragedy of the commons' where shared spaces like beaches and woodlands suffer cumulative degradation."
>>
https://phys.org/news/2025-04-pet-dogs-pose-significant-threat.html
#dogs #pets #wildlife #birds #penguins #beach #DogOwners #DogAttacks #cars #harm #pollution #GHG #meat #pesticides #faeces #climate #degradation

The environmental impacts of man’s best friend
We give a free pass to dogs and their owners

Study "highlighted the impacts of the world’s “commonest large carnivore” in killing and disturbing native wildlife, particularly shore birds."

A "study of animals taken to the Australia Zoo wildlife hospital found that mortality was highest after dog attacks, which was the second most common reason for admission after car strikes."

"The researchers attributed the extent of the environmental impacts to the sheer number of dogs globally, as well as “the lax or uninformed behaviour of dog owners. A lot of what we’re talking about can be ameliorated by owners’ behaviour... pointing out that low compliance with leash laws was a problem."

“If nothing else, pick up your own dog shit."
>>
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/apr/10/pet-dogs-have-extensive-and-multifarious-impact-on-environment-new-research-finds
#dogs #pets #wildlife #birds #penguins #beach #DogOwners #DogAttacks #cars #harm #pollution #GHG #meat #pesticides #faeces #climate

#Genomic tools reveal health insights for endangered Indiana #bats.

#wildlife #microbiome #parasites #Eimeria #faeces

https://phys.org/news/2025-02-genomic-tools-reveal-health-insights.html

Sydney Beach balls: Cooking oils and human faeces?

"A UNSW scientist has criticised the NSW environmental watchdog for dropping its investigation into the cause of hundreds of tar balls appearing along Sydney's beaches."

"One possible explanation for the balls could be the illegal dumping of large vats of cooking oil into the sewerage system, where it has mixed with human waste to form fatty balls. If companies are seeing this as a cheap option to pump oil through the sewage system, that's a real concern."
>>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01-15/epa-criticised-for-dropping-probe-into-balls-on-beaches/104817182
#Pollution #dumping #waste #Sydney #NSW #beaches #NorthernBeaches #Manly #faeces

Today's poem - a short prose piece

La Belle Alliance
- by Frances King

https://www.tumblr.com/ukdamo/770014457842843648/le-belle-alliance?source=share

#wellington #napoleon #blucher #waterloo #LaBelleAlliance #faeces