Glider deaths on barbed wire fences: a call for help to reduce the problem.

Blackbraes is a National Park about 240 k. north of Hughenden. It is the site of an isolated and unexpected stand of Lemon-scented Gum which is home to a population of Greater Gliders and Sugar Gliders.

The Park is surrounded by grazing properties, as a consequence of which the boundary fence is comprised of barbed wire, including the top strand. If a gliding possum launches itself toward a tree across the boundary fence but strikes the fence as it loses altitude, the chances of it becoming impaled on a barb are high. Once impaled the glider tends to spin around the barbed strand, resulting in ever tighter entanglement.  Shock, pain, blood loss and dehydration follow, until the animal dies.

A partial solution to the problem of deaths on barbed wire is to replace the top barbed strand with plain wire. Graziers sometimes agree to this change, which goes a long way to reducing the problem. Where graziers are reluctant to accept the change, fearing their cattle may be emboldened to break a plain strand, gliders can be helped by stretching a bird wire “apron” between top and bottom barbed strands in those sections of fence where glider strike has been recorded.

The apron helps because if a glider strikes the apron section, it cannot spin around the top strand because of the wire-netting curtain stretched from top to bottom strand of the fence. Instead, there is a good chance the glider will be able to clamber off the fence and either leap to the target tree or jump to the ground and scramble to the nearest tree.

It is hoped that a few volunteers can gather at Blackbraes National Park on Tuesday 22 September 2009 to work over the following four or five days, locating trouble spots where either an apron of bird wire can be fixed to the fence, or with the neighbouring grazier’s agreement, the top barbed strand can be replaced with plain wire.

At present there is tentative approval for this project from relevant Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service officers, QPWS may be able to provide some materials and in-kind help,  the Thorsborne Trust may provide some funds to meet costs of  bird wire, netting pliers, and sturdy gloves, and some donations are likely. Volunteer helpers will be a key ingredient of success.