Permits to kill?
NATIONAL DISGRACE FOR OUR NATIVE ANIMALS
PERMITS to kill thousands of native animals,
including black swans, kookaburras and more than 1500 wombats were issued by
Victoria's Department of Sustainability and the Environment last year in a move
that has outraged animal activists and simply makes no bloody sense to me as a
carer.
“The idea that all other avenues were
exhausted is simply lazy policy, and very short sighted indeed” says Mark
Aldridge
A recent news article showed authorities also gave the nod for more than
32,000 kangaroos and wallabies to be killed and permits to kill up to 300
parrots were issued, believe it or not “to protect golf courses”
“I do not know anyone who uses a permit to scare away
kangaroos, only to kill them, and you are supposed to try other methods first.”
So where is the compassion or indeed the will to do the right thing?
.
Australian fur seals, Eastern rosellas, wedge tailed eagles, rainbow
lorikeets and sulphur-crested cockatoos are all on the hit list it appears.
“Killing over 100 Brushtail possums in the Geelong Botanic Gardens, seems
far from an educated move, as they are territorial and rarely overpopulate”,
says Mark, while Avalon Airport was allowed to kill 10 magpies, 20 galahs, 40
ravens and two Cape Barren geese that were supposedly interfering with
aircraft.
The fact that my wife and I are carers of native wild life, my
experience leads me to believe there is no justification for such moves, and
this expose begs the question “How many similar permits are being issued in
other states around Australia?”
I will seek to find out the exact numbers in every state so questions
regarding the issue of such permits can be debated.
The figures from Victoria alone are staggering, considering many of the
Kill permits are issued to supposedly protected species.
The recent hit list for endangered species in Victoria alone includes:
Swamp Wallaby
PERMITS ISSUED: 128
No. TO BE KILLED: 2239
Rainbow Lorikeet
PERMITS ISSUED: 20
No. TO BE KILLED: 910
Kookaburra
PERMITS ISSUED: 3
No. TO BE KILLED: 30
Emu
PERMITS ISSUED: 37
No. TO BE KILLED: 538
Black Swan
PERMITS ISSUED: 1
No. TO BE KILLED: 10
Common Wombat
PERMITS ISSUED: 134
No. TO BE KILLED: 1612
So may good people put time and money into the
rescue of injured and abused wildlife, yet the government hiding behind the “Department of Sustainability and the
Environment” hand out permits to kill, it is past time compassionate
alternatives were flavor of the day, or is moving on an animal their idea of a
waste of money?
Full details
are not out in the open, that being the case, the true figures should be the first
thing we as Australians should demand and I for one will be.
Mark Aldridge Community advocate
Owner of Willow Wood Sanctuary