Mission Beach Cassowaries
  • ABOUT CASSOWARIES
    • Cassowary ID and tracking >
      • Sightings maps
    • World Cassowary Day 2015
  • NEWS
  • Information
    • Developments
    • Thorsborne Trail NOT FOR SALE >
      • MARGARET 'T' AO 1927-2018
    • Walking tracks
    • Birding
    • Lot 66/Garrett Corridor
    • Publications
    • Mission Beach Naturally >
      • Community Identity
    • Heritage
  • Photo Gallery
    • Fauna >
      • Cassowary
      • Birds
      • Mammals
      • Reptiles
    • Flora >
      • Flowers
      • Plants and trees
      • Fungi
    • Scenic
  • Contact
    • Privacy policy

Cyclone Yasi

Category 5 Cyclone Yasi crossed the coast at Mission Beach about 10.30pm on the 2 Feb 2011 

It left a path of destruction in its wake.  Many people were made homeless and businesses lost as houses, buildings and farms were damaged or destroyed.  Thankfully there was no cost to human life as the 300 kilometre winds tore through the  World Heritage area and  left vast areas of natural vegetation shattered and broken.
The sense of community has been amazing and has triumphed over the impact Yasi has dealt  to the continuity and every  day life in the villages of Mission Beach.

There has been a lot of concern for the wildlife within the fragmented landscape and a strong focus is on the endangered cassowary population that was badly affected after cyclone Larry in 2006.  31 birds died in the twelve months following the cyclone, 15 in the Innisfail area, 11 at Mission Beach and  5  in Tully.  

Birds became needy as food resources became scarce  and a practice of relocation was established by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service.  
Cassowary surveys damage to the rainforest
It is not known how many birds survived the relocations as reports have not been made available.

Most recorded deaths were as a result of road deaths, some of dog attack and one of starvation.  There are no accurate records of how many Cassowaries died during the cyclone but it is known some did not survive.

Cassowaries need our help - now and in the long term


Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service are establishing food stations, carrying out aerial food drops and are encouraging  the  community to let them know  about cassowary  presence and behaviour in their area. View the map of food stations already set up.   Please help QPWS by reporting cassowaries sightings to cassowary.sighting@derm.qld.gov.au
The more information the less intervention.
Bob Irwin has swung into action with an appeal along with the Save the Cassowary Campaign and  Rainforest Rescue. 

Community response as been fantastic.  As Margaret Thorsborne says we must give a voice to those that cannot speak for themselves.  On the ground stories about cassowaries are being told on mission beach cassowaries facebook so please share your news, comments or questions. 

Cyclones part of Wet Tropics evolution

Three devastating cyclones have hit the Cassowary Coast in 25 years.
Bureau of Meteorology image
On February In 1986 high category 3 cyclone Winifred crossed the coast  at 7pm just north of Mission Beach at Silkwood. The slow moving cyclone buffeted the coast for more than 10 hours with winds reaching 200 kilometres an hour.

Image Bureau of Meteorology
Cyclone Larry, a much smaller but more intense category 5 took just five hours to cross the coast at Innisfail early in the morning on 20th March 2006 bringing with it gusts up to 300 kilometres and hour. 
Image Bureau of Meteorology
Just five years later the whole nation watched as massive category 5 cyclone Yasi brewed out in the coral sea in the weeks before moving in a straight line for Mission Beach on the Queensland coast crossing at 10pm 2nd Feb.  Those who stayed decribed the experience as terrifying as the 300 plus kilometre winds uprooted huge trees and destroyed homes and buildings.  
Read more about previous cyclones

Rainforests could
take decades to
recover from Yasi
Listen to Professor Bill Laurance, conservation biologist at James Cook University

Cyclone Clean-up
More than 400,000 cubic metres  of waste

Where do the
butterflies go?
Nature observations by Yvonne Cunningham

Lessons from Larry

Picture

Cyclone history -Bureau of Meteorology 

Image Bureau of Meteorology
Historical impacts of cyclones along the east coast of Australia

Get the latest news on  cassowaries after cyclone Yasi
Cassowary stories

10 tonnes of fruit in food drops help feed flood-hit cassowaries  11 April Courier Mail
Bob Irwin visits Mission Beach Cassowary feeding stations 7 Mar Win News

Starving cassowaries fight to survive
 16 Feb Cairns Post

Fruit flown in for hungry cassowaries in flood-hit Mission Beach
11 Feb The Australian

Bob Irwin's mission to save the Cassowaries
11 Feb ABC Far North news

Cyclone Yasi hits Mission Beach Cassowary population
 Feb 10 Rainforest Rescue Press release

Endangered Cassowary hard hit by Cyclone Yasi
  9 Feb Fran Kelly Radio National

Concern grows for cyclone-hit cassowary habitat
8 Feb 7pm ABC News

© All content on this website (except where otherwise stated) is copyright Mission Beach Cassowaries All Rights Reserved If copying or publishing  content or information from this site please credit and link to Mission Beach Cassowaries Inc. website Except where otherwise credited, all photos on this website are copyright and must have permission to reproduce