Extinct: the Bramble Cay melomys By Suzanne Deed
WHILE many people in South Gippsland honoured their mother with breakfast in bed and lunch at a local restaurant on Mothers’ Day, others gathered in Inverloch for a vigil for Mother Nature and a memorial service for the latest mammal to become extinct in Australia.
The Bramble Cay melomys lived on a tiny sand island in the Torres Strait, in Northern Australia. The species has not been seen since 2009, when Bramble Cay was flooded by rising sea levels. It was officially declared extinct on February 18, 2019, the first mammal known to become extinct due to climate damage.
WHILE many people in South Gippsland honoured their mother with breakfast in bed and lunch at a local restaurant on Mothers’ Day, others gathered in Inverloch for a vigil for Mother Nature and a memorial service for the latest mammal to become extinct in Australia.
The Bramble Cay melomys lived on a tiny sand island in the Torres Strait, in Northern Australia. The species has not been seen since 2009, when Bramble Cay was flooded by rising sea levels. It was officially declared extinct on February 18, 2019, the first mammal known to become extinct due to climate damage.
Supporters of Extinction Rebellion Gippsland met at The Hub, dressed in mourning clothes and holding flowers to talk about the sorrow and fear they feel due to damage to the living world.
The group was set up to raise awareness of an extinction crisis and climate emergency. It also provides a supportive environment for people feeling heart broken by the deaths of native animals and forests, and damage to waterways and seas.
We are saddened and profoundly concerned by the recent United Nations report on biodiversity that warns that a million species are at risk of extinction in the next few decades.
The very fabric of the natural world that sustains us is being ripped apart by human actions. We know people care deeply about nature, but many are not aware of the extent of destruction that is occurring, or feel paralysed by grief.
Participant Jo Wainer said allowing herself to feel the pain of the loss of the animals brought tears to her eyes, and this was followed by determination to do all she can to protect and nurture our native wildlife.
Dr Suzanne Deed is a cofounder of Extinction Rebellion Gippsland.
The group was set up to raise awareness of an extinction crisis and climate emergency. It also provides a supportive environment for people feeling heart broken by the deaths of native animals and forests, and damage to waterways and seas.
We are saddened and profoundly concerned by the recent United Nations report on biodiversity that warns that a million species are at risk of extinction in the next few decades.
The very fabric of the natural world that sustains us is being ripped apart by human actions. We know people care deeply about nature, but many are not aware of the extent of destruction that is occurring, or feel paralysed by grief.
Participant Jo Wainer said allowing herself to feel the pain of the loss of the animals brought tears to her eyes, and this was followed by determination to do all she can to protect and nurture our native wildlife.
Dr Suzanne Deed is a cofounder of Extinction Rebellion Gippsland.
A vigil for Mother Natuure