Happy World Cassowary Day today!

Did you know that there are actually 3 different species of Cassowary? The southern cassowary is also found in Australia, but the Dwarf and Northern cassowaries are only found on the Island of New Guinea. How lucky are we?!

But cassowaries in PNG are decreasing due to over-hunting and habit loss. You can make a difference to saving cassowaries by not eating cassowaries (or limiting consumption if you aren't prepared to stop), not buying cassowary chicks as pets (if the buying stops, so will the catching), and by looking after your cassowary feathers if you wear them as part of your traditional dress. You can care for your feathers by storing them in a dry place, between sheets of plastic with moth balls. And lastly we can advocate for more the introduction of more protected areas in PNG and a reduction of logging of cassowary habitat.

All these little steps will ensure healthy cassowary populations into the future.