University academics help ABC host ‘Eat the Invaders’
A new ABC series examines how Australia might deal with some of its most problematic invasive species, by posing the question of whether we can suppress these hugely costly pests by turning them into dinner – with every plate consulted upon by two University of Adelaide academics.
Faculty of SET’s Professor Andy Lowe and Professor Phill Cassey consulted on the new ABC series Eat the Invaders. Credit: Closer Productions
Hosted by Tony Armstrong, Eat the Invaders is a six-part series looking at the impacts cane toads, camels, carp, deer, rabbits and cats have wrought upon the Australian landscape and its ecosystems.
University of Adelaide academics Professor Andy Lowe, Director of the Environment Institute, and Professor Phill Cassey, Head of the Invasion Science and Wildlife Ecology Group, feature in every episode and ensure their scientific underpinnings.
Each episode tasks Museum of Old and New Art (Mona) artist and curator Kirsha Kaechele and head chef Vince Trim with turning the pests into haute cuisine, its deliciousness judged by the likes of Poh Ling Yeow, Dr Karl Kruszelnicki and ‘Nat’s What I Reckon’.
Eat the Invaders will provoke Australian audiences to reconsider their understanding of some familiar but harmful animals.