On a solitary night
in Flinders
a man
in military gear
designed for covert diving
surfaces the brine
with 459 salty abalone
only eight days prior
did a judge fine and
brand him a
professional poacher
Good news though
this time he winds up
trapped on a cliff face
suffering from
hypothermia
In the Pines
Flora and Fauna
Reserve
backpacked people
are observed
overturning logs
suspicious behaviour
when walking groups
know better and
joggers are too
busy jogging
They stop
when they see
they are watched
Not so lucky
are the dismantled
nesting boxes
in Darebin Parklands
It's a hot spot for
sugar gliders
and microbats
both protected by
the Wildlife Act
but some plucky
fella had a fancy
for climbing
ladders up a tree
Hooroo
to Darebin's furrier
family
Moulting Spider Crabs
are nabbed and bagged
at Rye's annual
congregation
Three women brazenly
trade gliders
easy as Pokémon cards
at North Melbourne
station
Stealing wildlife
is a multi-billion
dollar deal
and we are an
ingenious
species
masking tape
playdough
aluminum foil
any way you
please
the sky's the limit
when migrating
cockatoos
in small cubes
or a postal tube
You can fit
at least two
Blue-tongues
in a rice cooker nook
while other reptiles
can be stuffed in
air fryers
toys or socks
for frequent flyer
miles
bird or lizard
smuggling eggs
barely gets a cheep
but in true Aussie style
the fate of Sydney
shock jocks cycle
news reels for weeks
It's exactly enough human
insanity to send you
spiralling into a
state of dysphoria
And poachers
are encroaching
on our fauna
Just seek a local
council briefing
or environmental
gathering
you'll hear about
the upturned rocks
in bushland near
the creek