{"id":337670,"date":"2026-03-19T16:19:25","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T16:19:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/337670\/"},"modified":"2026-03-19T16:19:25","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T16:19:25","slug":"rare-discovery-in-aussie-bushland-highlights-dark-truth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/337670\/","title":{"rendered":"Rare discovery in Aussie bushland highlights dark truth"},"content":{"rendered":"

A walker has made a rare discovery inside the hollow of a towering tree that had been felled by loggers in Tasmania\u2019s<\/a> rugged Central Highlands.<\/p>\n

Curled perfectly inside was the body of a ringtail possum<\/a> that had likely called the eucalypt home.<\/p>\n

Jenny Weber, a conservationist with the Bob Brown Foundation<\/a>, explained it\u2019s unusual to find the bodies of animals after native forests have been harvested for wood.<\/p>\n

She compares the rigour with which forests are dismantled to an abattoir, where every piece of the cow is processed into cuts of meat, leaving little behind.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe trees are cut down, then stripped, the hollows are cut off, and there\u2019s nothing left,\u201d she told Yahoo News.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s only the second time<\/a> their investigators have found the remains of a mammal after a harvest in the state, although it\u2019s common to find squashed Tasmanian devils on logging roads.<\/a><\/p>\n

And there have been several unrelated incidents of animals found dead<\/a> near forestry worksites in other states.<\/p>\n

Sustainable Timber Tasmania (STT), the state government-owned company that harvests public forests, declined to comment on the death of the ringtail possum.<\/p>\n

\"Left:<\/p>\n

A ringtail possum’s tail could be seen curled inside the hollow of the felled tree. Source: Bob Brown Foundation<\/p>\n

Weber said the animal\u2019s discovery in March at Bradys Lake left her feeling \u201creally helpless\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cA ringtail possum isn\u2019t an endangered species, so people probably aren\u2019t going to care,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut people should know ringtails sleep and nest in family groups, they\u2019re really beautiful creatures.\u201d<\/p>\n

Australia divided over native forest industry<\/p>\n

Western Australian and Victorian Labor governments have largely ceased native timber harvesting on public lands.<\/p>\n

But in other states, including Tasmania and NSW<\/a>, the industry is backed by the Rockliff and Minns governments.<\/p>\n

While the industry provides important jobs to regional areas, felling native trees remains contentious because of its impact on native landscapes and endangered wildlife.<\/p>\n

A 2024 Wilderness Society report estimated around 300,000 animals a year <\/a>are displaced by logging in Tasmania.<\/p>\n

Do you have a story? Contact newsroomau@yahoonews.com<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Two<\/p>\n

Ringtail possums live in family groups. Source: Getty<\/p>\n

(Getty Images\/iStockphoto)Timber operator argues many hollows retained<\/p>\n

One of the most contentious forestry practices is the felling of hollow-bearing trees<\/a>, because generally they only begin to form after a tree has stood for a century.<\/p>\n

They provide critical habitat for species like masked owls, which are endangered in Tasmania, and can\u2019t survive without them.<\/p>\n

Responding directly to a question from Yahoo News about hollows, STT called them an \u201cimportant habitat feature\u201d.<\/p>\n

Suzette Weeding, its general manager of conservation, noted some hollow-bearing trees are retained under the Forest Practices Code.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnder this framework, hollow-bearing trees and other habitat values are commonly retained through a combination of wildlife habitat clumps, habitat strips, reserves and other unharvested areas, with retention planned at both the coupe and landscape scale,\u201d she said in an email.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn practice, that means some trees with hollows are retained in place, while in other cases habitat is protected through aggregated retention areas rather than a tree-by-tree approach.\u201d<\/p>\n

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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