Famous cassowary helps spread the word about safety

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Snitty the cartoon cassowary has been a psephologist, a celebrity chef, and now he’s a teacher.

Due to regular appearances in First Dog on The Moon, drawn by award-winning political cartoonist Andrew Marlton for Guardian Australia, he may be Australia’s best-known cassowary.

Snitty is now also featuring in a series of educational signs launched today at Etty Bay, on the Cassowary Coast, bringing a new approach to protecting this endangered flightless bird.

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Cassowary Coast Regional Council teamed up with Andrew Marlton to create designs that would stand out from more conventional signage.

Councillor Jeff Baines said the aim is to keep people and cassowaries safe from each other.

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"We want to get the community and visitors talking about how to be Cass-O-Wary,” he said.

“The signs use a comical approach to educate Etty Bay visitors on how to act around cassowaries and the important dos and don’ts.

“It is important that visitors and the community be vigilant in areas where cassowaries are, and don’t feed, approach, or leave food scraps behind.

“Across Australia, the current population estimate for the Southern Cassowaries is just 4,000.

“Unfortunately, habitat loss, car strikes, and dog attacks continue to threaten the species.”

Department of Environment and Science senior wildlife officer, Dinouk Perera, said the cassowary goes back to the dinosaur age.

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“Queensland is the only Australian state where these iconic, massive, flightless birds can be found in the wild, and it is always exciting for people to catch a glimpse of a cassowary in the wild.

“Unfortunately, cassowaries do become victims of vehicle strikes and we’re asking people to slow down, never feed cassowaries, and always try to observe them from a distance,” he said.

Monday 26 September is World Cassowary Day

How to be Cass-o-wary

Don’t approach cassowaries. They’re unpredictable.

Don’t approach cassowary chicks. Dad will be close and could fiercely defend them.

Never feed cassowaries. It’s illegal, potentially dangerous for people, and has led to cassowary deaths.

Discard food scraps in closed bins in cassowary country and ensure compost bins have secure lids.

Slow down and be on the lookout when driving in cassowary territory.

Never stop your vehicle to look at cassowaries on the road.

Keep dogs behind fences or on a leash.

Slowly back away from an aggressive bird. Put something like a tree or backpack between you and it. Let the cassowary go on its way.