New team set up to help cassowaries

A specialist team has been formed in a bid to stop endangered cassowaries starving to death after Cyclone Yasi.

Climate Change and Sustainability Minister Kate Jones said the team was conducting aerial surveys of vital habitat around Mission Beach.

Consideration would then be given to aerial food drops in targeted locations to supplement food sources for the birds.

Feeding stations were also being investigated, she said.

After Cyclone Larry hit the same area in 2006, some cassowaries starved to death after food sources were stripped from the rainforest.

Ms Jones said discussions are underway with independent experts and conservation groups to ensure the safety of the birds.

"New monitoring cameras will also be deployed to ensure we have the best possible information on the movements and welfare of the cassowaries," she said in a statement on Tuesday.

"While some areas are still inaccessible on the ground, it's expected that cassowary habitat further south, along the coastal range between Mission Beach and Ingham has also suffered significant damage."

She said people should not feed cassowaries as it was dangerous and could compromise the birds' survival in the longer term.

Conservationist Bob Irwin has already launched a campaign to help the cassowary in the wake of Yasi.

The father of the late Steve Irwin is raising money to establish food stations and generate driver awareness about the birds. Donations can be made online at bobirwinwildlife.com

Earlier this week, Tully vet Graham Lauridsen said some cassowaries would have been killed in the cyclone.

"We know that some of these cassowaries would have perished, especially at this time of year when there's lots of chicks around," he told AAP.

The focus now must be on preventing deaths from starvation.

The Mission Beach cassowary population - which ranges anywhere between 40 and 200 - is one of the most healthy in Australia.

They have become iconic for the region, and the local council even uses the name in its title, The Cassowary Coast Regional Council.