On Thursday July 9 I watched Catalyst, the ABC TV science show. One segment featured Devils' Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD), a horrible contagious cancer now threatening to exterminate Tasmanian Devils. In particular the item focussed on the research work being done by one Dr. Kathy Belov and her associates into this unique and dismaying disease.
Funding for conservation is always disappearingly minute compared to the boggling sums spent on submarines and warplanes, Olympics Games and sporting venues and such. I have always resented that ordering of priorities.
As I watched the ABC program, the Rolling Stones' amazing song Sympathy for the Devil came into my head, and it occurred to me that if the Stones' energies could be enlisted in support of Devils, it could provide a major source of funds for Devils, and attract deserved popularity for the musos themselves from all who care about conservation.
I emailed Kathy Belov next day to offer that suggestion. She replied almost immediately with the astonishing news that Jon English, rightly famous for very much more than just rock music, had already weighed in on Devils' behalf, with the notion of a series of benefit concerts for them, Devil Rock, an initiative backed by Conservation Minister Peter Garrett, himself an old rocker of course. Kathy says that many bands have already volunteered their cooperation, and good on all concerned. Kathy took on board the Stones' particular relevance, and as you might know, Mick Jagger has a particular fondness for Australia, so . . . with the right sort of approach . . . the Stones just might lend their weight to Devil Rock.
Research into DFTD is the sole hope for Devils, and funding is the sole key to research.
I want people who read this blog to look up Kathy on the Net, read up on the situation for yourselves, and vote for her for the Eureka Science Award. It's not hard, and if she wins the award it will be of major benefit in drawing attention to the Devil's plight, and also to the plight of other native creatures and habitat.
Did you know that Koalas and Platypus suffer from new and dreadful diseases too? I don't want to dwell on them for now, but if you want our wondrous fauna to be around in future, we better start doing as much as possible as soon as possible. Once extinct they don't come back. and there are many on the brink, and many already gone. It's a national disgrace, but it shouldn't be allowed to get any more shameful.
The point about the Devils, though, is that they are indeed at the pointy end of all conservation efforts in Australia at the moment. If funding isn't to be found for research and action to save them, we might as well go home tail between legs. Devils are our litmus species.
I haven't finished about this issue, but I want to post this much at least rtight now.
Please look up Kathy Belov's work on the Net, and do please vote for her in the Eureka Award.
And Jon English's CV is something to astonish you, he is an international treasure.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment