Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius)

Date Published: September 2011

Assessment Summary

The Southern Cassowary is a large flightless bird native to Australia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, where it is probable that its presence on some small islands is due to deliberate introduction.

It is currently listed as 'vulnerable' under the IUCN Red List, and is listed as 'Endangered' under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The Southern Cassowary is a 'controlled animal' under the Tasmanian Nature Conservation Act 2002.

Climate modelling suggests that it is unlikely that the Southern Cassowary could become established in Tasmania.

Cassowaries are known to attack people, and therefore pose a distinct threat to human safety that needs to be carefully managed.

This risk assessment concludes that Southern Cassowaries pose a serious threat to Tasmania and recommends that imports be restricted to those license holders approved for keeping serious threat species.

Assessment Documentation
  Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius)   (831Kb)

Contact

Wildlife Services

GPO Box 44,
HOBART, TAS, 7001.