Southern cassowaries are keystone species in Australian rainforest ecosystems facing vehicle strikes, dog attacks and habitat fragmentation that cause ongoing individual welfare harms.
Cassowary vehicle strikes cause acute traumatic injury — large birds hit at even moderate speed suffer severe internal injuries with poor prognosis. Dog attacks on cassowaries in peri-urban areas cause deep lacerations and stress. Feeding by tourists habituates cassowaries to roadsides and creates dangerous interactions. The welfare case for cassowary protection is aligned with the conservation case — their ecological role means their decline has profound consequences beyond individual welfare.