Troppo and Hope hope to help increase the number of their endangered species in the wild.
Troppo the southern cassowary’s 1,400-kilometre journey from the Gold Coast to Townsville will be worth it if Hope finds him a suitable companion.
Jordan Mountney is a bird keeper at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary and leads the national breeding program for the southern cassowary.
“Troppo has lived with us since 1993. Unfortunately, we haven’t had great success with him, so we thought we’d send him here,” says Mountney.
Mountney says one of the biggest problems with captive populations is the limited genetic pool to choose from when finding mates for the animals.
“When we’re matching birds, we look at genetics and lineage to make sure these birds are suited to each other,” he says.
Hope and Troppo first meet through a fence. (ABC North Qld: Mia Knight)
Mountney says the main goal of the breeding program is to make an “insurance population.”
“So if, God forbid, something happens to the birds in the wild, we have a wealth of information that we’ve learned and found from these birds that we can then use to bring the species back, hopefully,” he says
“I think he’s going to be very much in love with her. They seem like they’re going to be a really good couple.
“Maybe they won’t hit it off right away, like people. You can’t put two in the same room and hope for the best. Sometimes it takes a little time to get to know each other. .”
Jordan Mountney runs the national cassowary breeding program at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. (ABC North Qld: Mia Knight)
In addition to a good lineage, Hope also has ties to the local military.
Since 2018, Private Hope Tenacious has been the official mascot of the 11th Combat Service Support Battalion.
“We are very conscious of the matings we make, making sure these animals are suitable both from a compatibility point of view and from a genetic point of view,” says Mountney.
“I would be delighted if I had some babies.
Troppo was transported in a temperature-controlled container. (ABC North Qld: Mia Knight)
“I think it has the ability to raise some babies to adulthood.
“Then hopefully these babies can be distributed around some of the facilities in Australia to make more pairs.
“It is very important that we can perfect the techniques and husbandry to create sustainable populations in captivity.”
Beau Peberdy is the general manager of Billabong Sanctuary near Townsville. (ABC North Qld: Mia Knight)
Troppo travels to Townsville
Mountney says the logistics of getting a cassowary from the Gold Coast to Townsville “is not one of the easiest things to do”.
The 31-year-old bird had to be transported by road in a temperature-controlled vehicle.
“The boxes we put them in don’t fit on an airplane,” says Mountney.
“He’s from the Gold Coast; maybe he has that influencer mentality, who knows?”
Troppo was hesitant to leave his container at first. (ABC North Qld: Mia Knight)
Beau Peberdy, CEO of Billabong Sanctuary, says the reception to Troppo so far has been quite positive.
“Hope saw him through the fence and there has been no aggressive behavior,” says Peberdy.
“They have a low frequency sound that we can’t hear, but they hear each other. She started making very curious noises.
“Hope let out a sound we haven’t heard before. It’s usually a very loud bellow that travels through the forest quite quickly.
“That vibration was unlike any other noise I’d ever made. It wasn’t aggressive; it was quite unique.
“We think that can only be a good thing.”
Mr Peberdy says the breeding season runs until the end of November, but it may be a little longer until eggs are laid.
“If we’re lucky and these two get along, next year they start mating,” he says.
“They can lay a clutch of eggs and 50 days later we might see some chicks.”