Nancy Cushing
Newcastle
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Articles by Nancy Cushing
Introduced species aren't good or bad—they are labeled according to human interests
Camels were brought to Australia to carry people and cargo through the dry interior. There are now about one million of them roaming freely. Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain In George Orwell's 1945 allegorical novella "Animal Farm," pigs coach the other revolutionary farm animals in their new creed of Animalism using the memorable maxim: four legs good, two legs bad. In Australia, there's a parallel mantra: native animals good, introduced animals bad.
Introduced species aren’t good or bad. But when they slip from our control, we are quick to condemn them
In George Orwell’s 1945 allegorical novella Animal Farm, pigs coach the other revolutionary farm animals in their new creed of Animalism using the memorable maxim: four legs good, two legs bad. In Australia, there’s a parallel mantra: native animals good, introduced animals bad. Australians learn from an early age to distinguish between these groups. A sighting of a koala or kangaroo is good and natural, but seeing rabbits amid eucalypts or flocks of starlings in the sky is bad and wrong.
Introduced species aren’t good or bad. But when they slip from our control, we are quick to condemn them
Nancy Cushing, University of Newcastle Tue 13 October 2026 at 6:52 pm UTC 6 min read Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. In George Orwell's 1945 allegorical novella Animal Farm, pigs coach the other revolutionary farm animals in their new creed of Animalism using the memorable maxim: four legs good, two legs bad. In Australia, there's a parallel mantra: native animals good, introduced animals bad.
Introduced species aren’t good or bad. But when they slip from our control, we are quick to condemn them
JohnCarnemolla/Getty In George Orwell’s 1945 allegorical novella Animal Farm, pigs coach the other revolutionary farm animals in their new creed of Animalism using the memorable maxim: four legs good, two legs bad. In Australia, there’s a parallel mantra: native animals good, introduced animals bad. Australians learn from an early age to distinguish between these groups.
Doing Charisma Differently: How a Charismatic Halo Effect Shapes Perceptions of Negatively Charismatic Animals
As an environmental historian and a cultural geographer whose collaborations began with a study of an Australian reptile park, we were intrigued by the emergence of the new term “uncharismatic” and considered whether it would be useful for the snakes, spiders and crocodiles upon whom we focussed. We had seen that animals labeled as dangerous commanded the attention of visitors in the park who stared at them in their enclosures and flocked to feeding and venom milking demonstrations.
Are our pampered pets really living their best life?
Pet-keeping is often promoted for the benefits it brings humans. A close association with another animal can provide us with a sense of purpose and a daily dose of joy. It can aid our health, make us more conscientious and even help us form relationships with other humans. But the situation is perhaps not as rosy for the animal itself. Domesticated animals often live longer than their free-living counterparts, but the quality of those lives can be compromised.
Might our pampered pets be better off without us?
Pet keeping is often promoted for the benefits it brings humans. A close association with another animal can provide us with a sense of purpose and a daily dose of joy. It can aid our health, make us more conscientious and even help us form relationships with other humans. But the situation is perhaps not as rosy for the animal itself. Domesticated animals often live longer than their free-living counterparts, but the quality of those lives can be compromised.
It's time to face an uncomfortable truth: Maybe our pampered pets would be better off without us
Pet-keeping is often promoted for the benefits it brings humans. A close association with another animal can provide us with a sense of purpose and a daily dose of joy. It can aid our health, make us more conscientious and even help us form relationships with other humans. But the situation is perhaps not as rosy for the animal itself. Domesticated animals often live longer than their free-living counterparts, but the quality of those lives can be compromised.
It’s time to face an uncomfortable truth: maybe our pampered pets would be better off without us Original
Pet-keeping is often promoted for the benefits it brings humans. A close association with another animal can provide us with a sense of purpose and a daily dose of joy. It can aid our health, make us more conscientious and even help us form relationships with other humans. But the situation is perhaps not as rosy for the animal itself. Domesticated animals often live longer than their free-living counterparts, but the quality of those lives can be compromised.
It’s time to face an uncomfortable truth: maybe our pampered pets would be better off without us
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A case for cannibalism? What ‘Eat the Invaders’ doesn’t say
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The Long History of Live Animal Export
The icon indicates free access to the linked research on JSTOR. Australia is the world’s largest live animal exporter. The industry is contentious not least because it means thousands of sheep and cattle are forced to travel thousands of miles by ship only to be slaughtered at the other end, what many see as an unnecessary trial when they could be processed for meat domestically. But there’s a global market for live animals and suppliers to meet it.
Re-storying monuments: forum introduction
Abstract Statues, monuments and memorials have been key sites of protest in recent years in communities around the world. Local demands for racial justice and historical truth-telling interacted with transnational movements and concerns.
Smoke Shrouded Skies
Lessons in air pollution from Australia’s bushfires Smoke from this season’s bushfires has turned the sun red, the moon orange and the sky an insipid grey. It has obscured iconic views tourists flock to see. Far more than an aesthetic problem, it has forced business shutdowns, triggered health problems and kept children indoors for weeks. City dwellers in southeast Australia have been forced to take a crash course in the finer points of air pollution.
Are you in danger of catching the coronavirus? 5 things you need to know
Editor’s note: The Chinese government has quarantined Wuhan, a port city of 11 million people, and it has restricted travel to and from several other cities, including Beijing, to contain the coronavirus that has sickened more than 800 people and killed at least 25 as of Jan. 23, 2020. A case has been reported in Seattle, and officials are monitoring a patient with a possible case in College Station, Texas. This raises the question: Will this spread – to me? 5. Am I at risk?
How mathematics can save your life
The Italian mathematician and astronomer Galileo Galilei is often credited with discerning the vital role played by mathematics in our attempt to understand the universe. In a 1623 essay titled “Il Saggiatore_”_ (“The Assayer”), Galileo compares nature to a book that is laid open for us to read — but cautions that the book “cannot be understood unless one first learns to comprehend the language and read the letters in which it is composed.
History repeats itself. That's bad news for the 2020s.
What will happen in the 2020s? If history is any guide (and there’s good reason to think it is), the outlook isn’t great. Here are some big-picture predictions: stagnant real wages, faltering standard of living for the lower and middle classes, worsening wealth inequality, more riots and uprisings, ongoing political polarization, more elites competing for limited positions of power, and elites co-opting radical movements.
These 6 “micro-behaviors� can help your diet stick
As hard is it is to start dieting, sticking to a weight loss plan can feel even more difficult. But by studying the "micro-behaviors" of successful dieters, scientists have hit on six tricks that could help more of us lose weight and develop healthier habits that last.
These lasers turn air into plasma, and plasma into useful radiation
Terahertz radiation is used in all sorts of places. Scientists are making it easier to get
Air pollution historian: "These past weeks have been a shock"
Smoke from this season’s bushfires has turned the sun red, the Moon orange, and the sky an insipid grey. It has obscured iconic views tourists flock to see. Far more than an aesthetic problem, it has forced business shutdowns, triggered health problems, and kept children indoors for weeks. City dwellers in southeast Australia have been forced to take a crash course in the finer points of air pollution.
Even for an air pollution historian like me, these past weeks have been a shock
Smoke from this season’s bushfires has turned the sun red, the moon orange and the sky an insipid grey. It has obscured iconic views tourists flock to see. Far more than an aesthetic problem, it has forced business shutdowns, triggered health problems and kept children indoors for weeks. City dwellers in southeast Australia have been forced to take a crash course in the finer points of air pollution.
Even for an air pollution historian like me, these past weeks have been a shock
A satellite image showing fires burning on Australia’s east coast. Credit: NASA EARTH OBSERVATORY Smoke from this season's bushfires has turned the sun red, the moon orange and the sky an insipid grey. It has obscured iconic views tourists flock to see. Far more than an aesthetic problem, it has forced business shutdowns, triggered health problems and kept children indoors for weeks. City dwellers in southeast Australia have been forced to take a crash course in the finer points of air pollution.
Even for an air pollution historian like me, these past weeks have been a shock
Smoke from this season’s bushfires has turned the sun red, the moon orange and the sky an insipid grey. It has obscured iconic views tourists flock to see. Far more than an aesthetic problem, it has forced business shutdowns, triggered health problems and kept children indoors for weeks. City dwellers in southeast Australia have been forced to take a crash course in the finer points of air pollution.
Even for an air pollution historian like me, these past weeks have been a shock
Smoke from this season’s bushfires has turned the sun red, the moon orange and the sky an insipid grey. It has obscured iconic views tourists flock to see. Far more than an aesthetic problem, it has forced business shutdowns, triggered health problems and kept children indoors for weeks. City dwellers in southeast Australia have been forced to take a crash course in the finer points of air pollution.
The lost world of the mayaroo | Nancy Cushing
The map at the beginning of this book foreshadows that this is no ordinary work of Australian history. A reader will seek the capital cities in vain, the only labelled coastal features being Townsville and a few places in Western Australia. The focus is on the interior of the eastern half of the continent, with the Diamantina and Bulloo Rivers and towns including Boulia, Birdsville, Silverton and Lake Killalpaninna given unaccustomed attention.
Live export is a centuries old Australian industry, but the cameras are new
A recent episode of 60 Minutes has captured public attention and the political agenda by airing dramatic video footage from Animals Australia, showing the fate of Australian animals in the live export trade. Video shot secretly by a crew member shows sheep on five separate voyages from Fremantle to the Middle East last year. They are buffeted by the movement of the ship, strain to breathe in the hot, noisy and acrid atmosphere between decks and trample the dead and dying under their hooves.
Australia's history of live exports is more than two centuries old
A recent episode of 60 Minutes has captured public attention and the political agenda by airing dramatic video footage from Animals Australia, showing the fate of Australian animals in the live export trade. Video shot secretly by a crew member shows sheep on five separate voyages from Fremantle to the Middle East last year. They are buffeted by the movement of the ship, strain to breathe in the hot, noisy and acrid atmosphere between decks and trample the dead and dying under their hooves.
How Christmas pudding evolved with Australia
In a current TV advertisement for supermarket chain Aldi, a young traveller returns to his northern hemisphere village and shares his newfound knowledge of the Aussie Christmas. The villagers begrudgingly try surfing, cricket and a frozen slip ‘n slide but are won over when he introduces them to Australian Christmas fare. With its combination of summer activities and wintry foods, the ad goes right to the heart of the contradictions around ways of celebrating Christmas in Australia.
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