World Cassowary Day is observed on 26th September every year. The second heaviest flightless bird, the cassowary is perhaps one big natural contributor in developing rainforests. Cassowaries feed on the fruit of several hundred rainforest species and usually pass viable seeds. They are known to disperse seeds over distances greater than a kilometre, thus playing an important role in the ecosystem. These magnificent big birds are found deep in the forests and can cleverly disappear long before humans know they are there. All cassowaries’ feathers consist of a shaft and loose barbules. Cassowaries have small stiff wings and whose wedge-shaped bodies are thought to easily ward off forest vines, thorns and saw-edged leaves, allowing them to run quickly through the rainforest. Amazingly, cassowaries are also known to be good swimmers despite having only three-toed feet! Their powerful legs are fearsome with a dagger-like claw positioned in the middle of each foot ready to defend themselves from other animals. Cassowaries can run up to 50km per hour through dense forest and can jump up to 1.5m high. There are three species of cassowary, the Southern cassowary, Northern Cassowary and Dwarf cassowary. You can learn more about cassowaries by visiting the Port Moresby Nature Park where much insight about cassowaries is shared at the Rainforest Retreat where you can walk along the boardwalk and learn. The Port Moresby Nature Park is an international welfare accredited zoo through the Zoo & Aquarium Association of Australasia and is heavily committed to conservation and education, research and most importantly, dedicated to protecting PNG’s wildlife.