Last month, two cassowary chicks cared for at the Garners Beach Cassowary Rehabilitation Facility were successfully released into Japoon National Park near Tully.
Arthur and Martha, as they’ve come to be known to volunteers, had been in care since November 2024 after a vehicle collision near Innisfail tragically struck their father. Concerned locals alerted authorities, enabling wildlife rangers to rescue the orphaned chicks. They were just stripeys when they first arrived at the centre.
The ten-month rehabilitation process was a collaborative effort. Volunteers from C4 worked alongside staff from Tropical Vets and the Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (DETSI) to ensure the siblings received the care and nutrition they needed to grow strong and healthy. During their time in care, Arthur and Martha remained together, sharing a pen, learning essential foraging skills.
On 31 July 2025, with veterinary clearance and at an age where they would naturally begin to separate from their father in the wild, the two juveniles were transported to Japoon National Park and released together. Their father, who had also undergone rehabilitation earlier in the year, has since been observed thriving in the Wet Tropics.
Wildlife ranger Jeffrey Lewis explained:
“While it wasn’t possible to reunite the chicks with their father due to the time apart, both young cassowaries were ready to begin their journey as independent adults. We hope they will establish their own territories and contribute to the ongoing survival of their species.”
Cassowaries play a crucial role in our rainforest ecosystems as “rainforest gardeners,” dispersing seeds from the native fruits they consume across the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. Arthur and Martha’s release marks not only a milestone for their individual journey, but also for cassowary conservation in our region.
“The outcome is a credit to our team of volunteers who assisted the chicks’ development into the sub-adult stage ready for release back into the wild. Every day, rain or shine, the rostered volunteers turned up to prepare and distribute the food, clean the pens and ponds and record the birds’ behaviour. It was most heartening for everyone involved to see the video of the chicks being released from their transit cages and running out into the forest.” – Peter Trott
C4 extends sincere thank you to DETSI rangers, Tropical Vets veterinary staff, Mission Beach community members, and importantly to the C4 volunteers who supported the chicks’ rehabilitation and release from Garners Beach Rehabilitation Facility.
Read more:
The Cassowary Coast Observer: https://www.observernews.com.au/rainforest-gardeners-return-to-wild-2025-09-29
DETSI Media Release: https://www.detsi.qld.gov.au/our-department/news-media/mediareleases/juvenile-cassowaries-released-to-the-wild
Watch their release on video: https://resourcesssl.newscdn.com.au/cs/video/vjs/stable/build/index.html?id=5348771529001-6377060317112