Mudpoo and the Fungus Mystery Read Online Free PDF Page A

were very proud that they had managed to help CAPTURE Fungus McPhee and scare the horrible pirates away.
    â€œWe’d better get a policeman,” smiled Mudpoo.
    With the eagles and Sammy guarding Fungus McPhee, Mudpoo and Harry ran hurriedly into town to get help.

P at the Policeman gave Mudpoo and Harry a puzzled look when they arrived at the station. They were gasping for breath and trying to explain everything at once.
    â€œHey, slow down, say that again. You’ve captured who . . . at the where . . . with the help of what?” asked the surprised policeman.
    â€œFungus McPhee the poacher, at the old Bethanga gold mine, with the help of Sammy silver gull, boobook owls and eagles!” said Mudpoo and Harry together.
    â€œHmmm, well I’d better go and take a look,” replied the befuddled policeman.
    The angry old wedge-tailed eagle, guarding Fungus McPhee, was trying to take a chunk out of his nose each time he moved too close to the bars on the gate. They were both screeching at each other (Fungus McPhee was screeching in fear) when the policeman, Mudpoo and Harry arrived in the four-wheel drive police car.
    â€œI’ll be blowed, Fungus McPhee, the most wanted poacher in Australia! So it is true,” he said scratching his head.
    â€œTake me in, don’t let that crazy eagle near me,” wailed Fungus McPhee.

    The policeman arrested and handcuffed Fungus McPhee, “Your poaching days are over.”
    â€œI don’t care, just don’t let any eagles go near me, or that kid and his crazy dog,” moaned Fungus McPhee, as he was led into the police car.
    Pat the policeman looked around and noticed more than a dozen cages that still contained animals. “I’d better see what we can do, there are a lot of distressed animals here.”
    He urgently phoned the officer in charge of wildlife management at the ‘Department of Sustainability and Environment’. “We’ve got a few poached animals here including inland carpet pythons, lizards and birds,” he reported, “we need your best person to come out here at once!”
    â€œWe’ll send you Dr Damian; he’s a research officer in Ecology from an important university who’s written a book about identifying Australian reptiles. He’s tracking inland carpet pythons nearby, so he can be there quickly,” the Wildlife Officer replied.
    Dr Damian arrived almost at once in his old four-wheel drive ute. After shaking hands with Mudpoo, Harry and Pat the policeman, he wasted no time getting straight to work to check the captured animals.
    Psssssssst . . . you can find out more about Dr Damian when you visit www.mudpoo.com.au
    First he counted all the animals and then he made a list, writing down their scientific names, which made them sound very important:

    Dr Damian checked them all over very carefully, looking for injuries. He then photographed each one.
    â€œI’ve found a lot of notes in Fungus McPhee’s diary stating exactly where and when he found them all,” explained the policeman, who handed it to Dr Damian.

    â€œWe need to return them to their correct locations at once,” said Dr Damian. “Fortunately they’re all in good health, but it might have been worse if they were transported to America. I don’t think too many would’ve survived such a long trip!”
    He carefully placed each animal in its own special cage, ready for transport back to its original home.
    â€œI’m not sure how we’re going to find all of these places on the list: Lake Road; Springdale Road; Sirls Road; Kurrajong Gap Road; Flagstaff Road and Martins Road. It’ll take me a week to do this,” frowned Dr Damian, scratching his chin.
    â€œHmmm, why don’t we ask Laurie, the lady who runs the Bethanga Post Office to help us? She knows where all these places are, maybe she’ll even let us borrow her mail van?” suggested Mudpoo