Southern cassowaries are large, flightless birds critical to tropical rainforest ecology whose welfare is threatened by vehicle strikes, dog attacks, and habitat loss in Australia.
Cassowary welfare in Australia is challenged primarily by the expansion of human infrastructure into remaining rainforest habitat. Vehicle strikes are often not immediately fatal — injured cassowaries may survive for days or weeks with internal injuries before dying or receiving treatment. Dog attacks cause severe lacerations that require intensive veterinary care. Both causes are preventable through speed reduction, road crossing infrastructure, and responsible dog management in cassowary areas. The welfare case for protecting cassowaries is strengthened by their ecological significance — their loss would have cascading effects on the rainforest ecosystem through seed dispersal disruption.