Ecologist Inka Veltheim uses taxidermy decoys to catch rare native brolga

By Bridie Smith, Science Editor
Updated December 21 2015 - 10:13am, first published November 20 2015 - 10:25pm
Ecologist Inka Veltheim waits in a hide for the notoriously shy brolgas to land. Photo: Birgita Hansen
Ecologist Inka Veltheim waits in a hide for the notoriously shy brolgas to land. Photo: Birgita Hansen
Inka Veltheim measures the head of a captured brolga. Photo: Supplied
Inka Veltheim measures the head of a captured brolga. Photo: Supplied
Inka Veltheim and Felipe Chavez-Ramirez measure a captured brolga's wing. With an adult body weight of up to nine kilograms, the birds can be difficult to handle. Photo: Roslyn Jamieson
Inka Veltheim and Felipe Chavez-Ramirez measure a captured brolga's wing. With an adult body weight of up to nine kilograms, the birds can be difficult to handle. Photo: Roslyn Jamieson
Brolgas at Lake Barnie, Bolac, in south-west Victoria. Photo: Inka Veltheim
Brolgas at Lake Barnie, Bolac, in south-west Victoria. Photo: Inka Veltheim
Decked out in camouflage gear, Inka Veltheim holds one of the taxidermied brolgas.  Photo: Simon O'Dwyer
Decked out in camouflage gear, Inka Veltheim holds one of the taxidermied brolgas. Photo: Simon O'Dwyer
A 'decoy brolga' at a waterhole.  Photo: Simon O'Dwyer
A 'decoy brolga' at a waterhole. Photo: Simon O'Dwyer

How far would you go to catch a wild brolga? Would you consider retrieving a dead brolga from a freezer, defrosting it and stuffing it until it looked life-like?

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