After the Black Summer bushfires and drought, there's been some rays of light shining back through the forest so to speak.
Some of that light and hope is most welcome. After all, three billion animals were killed or displaced in Australia's Black Summer.
We've heard stories from across Australia of species surviving. And there's been some good news in the Hunter about native freshwater turtles.
Aussie Ark has been working with the NSW government to save the Hunter River Short-Necked Turtle.
This turtle was facing a grim future. The combined effects of drought, disease and predators were taking a toll.
Hundreds of turtles were found dead along dry rivers early this year. Others were moved to deeper waters.
The turtle is only found in the Hunter River and its catchments. These freshwater turtles are known as the "garbage trucks" of rivers for their role in keeping waterways healthy. They nest from October to December, laying eggs in river banks, which are susceptible to stock trampling and pests such as foxes.
Since the drought started to ease, Hunter Local Land Services and Aussie Ark developed a captive breeding project and conducted surveys.
Ecologist Phil Spark said 400 turtles were found in four days.
"This is quite the opposite to what we expected. There is a good range of young and adults observed, and they are consistently the dominant species in the rivers," he said.
In all, more than 1000 turtles were found across a number of major rivers in the Hunter. Weir pools that kept their water through the drought supported turtles, while shallower waterways like parts of the Wybong River did not fare well.
Meanwhile, a control program is reducing the effects of wild dogs and foxes. River health, water quality and the turtles are benefiting.
Nevertheless, Tim Faulkner, president of Aussie Ark at Barrington Tops, has warned that the fires "should be a big reality check for everyone".
Tim said recently it was questionable if the wildlife and bush could ever be brought back to what it was, but "we have to prevent it from happening again at all costs".
As for the Hunter River turtles, he isn't taking any risks. Aussie Ark collected 20 adult turtles in January for insurance populations and breeding.
As Tim says, there's still a long way to go. So while it's good to see some rays of light, the light can be blinding if we're not careful.
Skilled Hunters
Along with the threat of fire, drought and pests, native wildlife faces the threat of killers that many of us keep in our midst.
Aussie Ark's Tim Faulkner urged people to "keep your cats inside to help protect our native species".
"Feral cats are skilled hunters and a threat to the survival of many native species including small mammals, birds and reptiles," Tim wrote on Instagram.
"Put simply, our Australian species evolved for uniqueness not to compete with placental mammals such as the fox or cat. They simply can't compete with these highly intelligent species.
"Remember responsible pet ownership can make a huge difference to our native wildlife."
Non-Viral Joke
What do you call a famous turtle? A shellebrity.
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