Two juvenile cassowaries are back in the wild near Tully, Far North Queensland, after they spent 10 months in rehabilitation.
The Qld Environment Department (QED) says it is the first time they have released two cassowaries into the wild together.
VIDEO AVAILABLE: Watch the cassowaries being released
The sibling cassowaries had been in the QED’s care since November 2024 when one of them and their father were struck by a car near Innisfail.
The QED says the public alerted them to their plight; wildlife rangers rescued the birds and took them to the Garners Beach Cassowary Rehabilitation Centre, north of Mission Beach.
During their rehabilitation, the chicks were reintroduced to each other and spent the next nine months in the same pen learning to forage for food, the department says.
CASSOWARIES FULLY FIT
Wildlife ranger Jeffrey Lewis says reuniting the chicks with their father was not possible due to the prolonged separation in care.
“The father was successfully rehabilitated and released back to the wild earlier this year, and has since been observed thriving in the Wet Tropics,” Lewis says.
“On July 31, the juvenile cassowaries had reached an age where they would naturally separate from their father in the wild.
“After receiving the all-clear from a veterinarian they were taken to Japoon National Park and released back into the wild,” Lewis says.
“As the cassowaries adjust to their new environment, it is hoped they will eventually establish their own territories.”
These young birds will serve as “rainforest gardeners,” consuming native fruits and spreading seeds throughout the World Heritage-listed ecosystem, the department explains.
The public can report injured, sick or orphaned cassowaries by calling 1300 130 372.
Residents and visitors are asked to Be Cass-o-wary at all times while in the Wet Tropics region.
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