Take your pick: The Ballendella Street Library calls a disused bus shelter home. The shelves hold children’s books, DVDs, encyclopedias, Lee Child page turners, popular romance novels and much more.
Lockdown boosts street library
The school may be a house and the buses don’t run any more, but this little green bus shelter between Rochester and Lockington continues to serve a purpose.
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Set up by the family that now lives in the old school house, the bus shelter operates as a street library for the small community of Ballendella.
Most users stop to browse the selection while commuting between towns.
People can borrow or take permanently from the donated books on offer.
Since COVID-19 restrictions kicked in, the custodians have noticed people are taking more books — and keeping them.
Getting antsy
An investigation into the online sale of ants has revealed a disturbing global trade that offers up some of the world's most terrifying and dangerous ants as pets, including red imported fire ants, yellow crazy ants and Australia's own bull ants and jack jumpers.
"Countries across the world, including Australia, are spending tens of millions of dollars every year battling red imported fire ants and yellow crazy ants, so the thought that people can buy these invasive species online is terrifying," Invasive Species Council co-founder and biologist Tim Low said.
Two of the global traders operate out of Melbourne, offering up 'beautiful and unique’ Australian queens that ‘we will ship directly to you, where ever you are in the world'.
“The export of invasive ants could pose serious biosecurity threats overseas and must be stopped,” Mr Low said.
"Australia is spending over $750 million just to eradicate red fire ants. It is unconscionable we permit the export of our own problem ants and burden other countries with eradication costs."
Ant species exported from Australia include a bull ant with fierce stings listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s most dangerous ant. Other exported ants include jack jumpers, for which there is a national program to desensitise people to their stings.
The online investigation of Australian ant traders was sparked by a recent study of the global ant trade, which revealed sales of 13 of the 19 worst ant invaders listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The Invasive Species Council is calling on the Federal Government to stop the export of all Australian ants.
Mr Low is also behind the new online portal Insect Watch, which shows Australians how to identify and report possible new insect invaders.
Thirty days, 30 ways to save the koala
Jump on board: September is Save the Koala Month.
September 1 marks the beginning of the annual fundraising and awareness campaign, Save the Koala Month, by the Australian Koala Foundation.
Each September the foundation invites the public to join it to celebrate and help save the koala through month-long festivities.
The foundation has created the ‘30 Days, 30 Ways to Save the Koala’ social media campaign to tie in with the ‘I Need a Hero’ theme for Save the Koala Month.
The campaign aims to highlight the small changes people can make in their daily lives which, collectively, will help save the koala.
“The campaign is a wonderful way to engage with our supporters across the globe during Save the Koala Month,” foundation chair Deborah Tabart said.
“It highlights an incredible number of ways to be a hero this September and encourages people to be creative.
“It provides supporters with some fun and interesting ideas on how to become more involved during the Save the Koala Month festivities.”
Follow Australian Koala Foundation social media platforms to learn more.
