Garner's Beach Cassowary

The Garner’s Beach Cassowary Rehabilitation Centre was established in 2001 to provide intensive care and rehabilitation for sick and injured Southern Cassowaries and orphaned chicks. In response to the devastating impact of Cyclone Yasi (2011) on local populations, the Rehabilitation Centre was inundated by affected birds. Since this time, there has been an ongoing need for the operation of the Centre, with multiple chicks or birds being admitted every year.

The birds are solitary aside from brief encounters during the breeding season. Females abandon their one-pound eggs soon after laying them, and males build a rudimentary nest on the forest floor and incubate up to five eggs for almost two months. After the chicks hatch, they follow the male for six to nine months as he protects them from predators such as wild pigs and dogs. He will also guide them to fruit trees within a home range several hundred acres in size

.Chicks can require care for up to 18 months and depending on what condition an adult bird is in at the time it is admitted for care, the required time in care can vary greatly. In 2014, the threat of the Centre being forced to close due to lack of funds was very real and Rainforest Rescue stepped in as an effort to keep the Centre open and in operation. Rainforest Rescue is now in partnership with the Queensland DEHP TSU to fund the ongoing operations of the Centre.

The current situation at the Centre now is that there are three orphaned cassowary chicks in care.  Two of the chicks have been in care since 11 October 2014 when they were found wandering down a road in south Mission Beach without their father. It is believed he was killed in a dog attack. The third chick came into care on 16 November 2014, at approximately one month, old after being struck by a vehicle in the nearby Etty Bay area. The chick was initially unable to walk, and was later found to have a fractured tailbone. All three chicks are now under the expert care of rangers from the DEHP and the local tropical veterinarians. Thanks to their expert care, each of the birds is doing well and we are pleased to say that the condition of the chick with the fractured tailbone has improved steadily and it is now able to walk!