Victoria Archives - Australian Wildlife Protection Council

Wildlife Carers Quitting After 30 Years Due To Delwp’s Hostility Towards Kangaroos

AWPC — Mon, 12 Jun 2023 06:15:00 +0000

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Kangaroos nursed back to health after a planned fire escalated out of control now face a cull on the orders of the same department that ordered the burn. The very same department, DELWP, responsible for the care of wildlife, actually turned tail and permitted a “cull” of kangaroos, despite being tirelessly and lovingly nursed back to health by wildlife carers!

After a planned burn that started the Lancefield fire, they approved a six-month culling permit for the owner of a property that borders the shelter – because of “damage caused by the kangaroos to the land”, where he runs sheep, and fences. Surely more “damage” would be done by sheep than kangaroos? However, the latter animals are economic assets, whereas kangaroos only have economic value when dead – for the pet meat trade!

The Authority to Control Wildlife permit application was approved, thanks to the farmer citing his desire to repasturise the land. So, he can’t live harmoniously with native animals than have a minimal impact on grasslands? This farmer got the go ahead to kill kangaroos on his property, which neighbours the Macedon Ranges (Victoria) Pastoria East Wildlife Shelter. “All of the wild kangaroos here have been through that fire, they’ve all been impacted by it. They’ve lost habitat and food, they’ve been traumatised,” owner Christine Litchfield said.

Wildlife carers Ms Litchfield and Mr Ward say they are bemused by the department’s “heartbreaking” decision, considering DELWP formerly praised the work of the pair and wanted photos for an internal magazine!

“… Keep in mind we’re in a conservation zone, we are up against a large crown land forest. The idea that you’re going to kill kangaroos to stop this problem is unlikely to work completely,” Marcus Ward said. What part of “conservation” do DELWP not understand? What sort of Department, except an Orwellian one, would endorse the care and protection of wildlife – injured by their own “controlled burn” that got out of control – and also permit their “cull”?

Wildlife carers say they cannot continue to nurse injured kangaroos back to health only to risk having them shot by a neighbouring farmer once they are released. These amazing people spend their own time and money on compassion and care for injured animals, only to

have them lethally “managed”! Marcus Ward, owner of the Pastoria East Wild Life Shelter, says he will have to close his doors

after 30 years.

Under such a contradictory and twisted State government Department, presumably meant to be responsible for our wildlife, administer the Wildlife Act 1975, but at the same time approve of “culls” and the kangaroo meat industry in Victoria! They can’t be the carers, conservationists and the killers at the same time – they are deeply embedded in conflicts of interests.

The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) decided not to prosecute the neighbouring property owner for animal cruelty, after kangaroos were shot in the body and left to bleed to death. So, what and when do they actually do to protect wildlife in Victoria?

“We can’t continue… knowing any animal that comes here is under risk,” Mr Ward said.

PETITION: Call of plan to “cull” kangaroos

“That won’t change until we’re confident the culling won’t proceed.” Without Macedon Ranges’ Pastoria East Wildlife Shelter, Mr Ward said rescuers had few local options for shelters to take kangaroos.

“The shelter in Kilmore is overloaded from the area, and the one in Hepburn that we rely on a lot closed their doors to any new animals last week,” he said.

Native animals, especially kangaroos, are enemies of Victoria, and land-holders – apparently. The facade that DELWP have any care of responsibility for native animals is becoming thinner and they are being exposed as more interested in commercial kangaroo meat – and cleansing the State of our iconic native animals – in the name of “progress” and profits!

The post Wildlife Carers Quitting After 30 Years Due To Delwp’s Hostility Towards Kangaroos appeared first on Australian Wildlife Protection Council.

Victoria Is Definitely Not The Place To Be If You Are A Bird Or A Kangaroo!

AWPC — Mon, 12 Jun 2023 05:18:58 +0000

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KILLING COUNTRY

Taken from https://www.creativecowboyfilms.com/blog_posts/killing-country

In Australia’s State of Victoria, ATCWs are authorities to control wildlife, for the majority of permits issued and for the majority of animals, control means kill.

“In a place where nature does not count, counting nature can be a grim business. The reality is that the Victorian Government knows very little about the outcomes for the animals they issue these permits for. Most of course will be killed, just how many (more or less) is a matter for speculation. What has occurred regarding Macropod species for example is a complete disgrace”

CLIMATE CHANGE

What is also particularly disgraceful, the usual head in the sand stuff we get from Australia, is that no account at all is taken of the impacts of climate change, which are severe. So instead of taking the plight of numerous species into account, the numbers of ATCWs granted and the numbers of animals involved have increased at scale.

The most basic applied logic would give you an understanding that increasing the numbers of animals subject to so called control will only result in one outcome – that is putting more species at risk. We are also disrupting the web of life.

“The reality is that most people do not have a clue about what is going on in relation to these matters – the spin from all Australian governments makes it look as if all Australian wildlife is protected and so that is what they believe. And what I find another big problem is that this story is believed around the world. We have done something to dispel this myth in Australia, but not nearly enough”. Peter Hylands

There are gross acts of cruelty involved here too.

Duck shooting has continued despite the most dire climate conditions including the condition of wetlands and associated breeding sites.

In Victoria, tens of thousands of waterbirds are shot on internationally significant wetlands, Ramsar sites, each year.

NUMBER CRUNCH – COMPARISONS

In Victoria in the ten-year period 2009-2018 inclusive a total of 32,147 ATCWs were issued for Australian species covering 1,513,605 animals.
In Victoria, the total number of animals subject to ATCWs in the period 2016-2018 was 2.3 times higher than the number of animals subject to ATCWs 2009-2011.
The number of ATCWs (permits) issued in 2016-2018 was 1.66 times higher than the number of ATCWs issued in the period 2009-2011.
Victoria is also not the place to be if you happen to be a bird, 73 per cent of species subject to control in Victoria were bird species with a total of 397,549 birds, of which 182,721 or 45 per cent were from a range of parrot species. We also need to remember that ATCWs are not the only way animals in Victoria die, so we can add another 4 million dead water birds (I am being modest in my calculations) in the last ten years to the tally in Victoria because of duck shooting in the state. So all up, that is around 4.5 million birds in the state in the last ten years.
Politics and nature: The Victorian Labor Government was elected in November 2014 and has increased the number of animals killed across a range of mechanisms. The Labor tally in relation to ATCWs in the years 2015 – 2018 totals 16,010 ATCW permits covering 844,625 animals. In the previous four-year period the Liberal- National Coalition Government in Victoria (a government described to me by friend Dr Hugh Wirth, President of the RSPCA and WSPA (the world body) as extremely cruel) issued 11,146 ATCW permits covering 461,593 animals, 54 per cent of the Labor total.

IMPACT OF KANGAROO PET FOOD TRIAL AND SUBSEQUENT TRADE IN WILDLIFE

In Victoria, 750,000 Kangaroos were authorised to be killed by ATCW / KPFT permits in the years 2014 – 2018. The number of Kangaroos authorised roughly doubled once the pet food trial really got underway despite government statements that there would be no increase in killing rates once the trial commenced. 390,886 of these animals were authorised under KPFT of which around 212,000 were actually processed.

There was a marked step change in the killing rates of all species in 2013, the number again increased significantly after the year the Victorian Labor Party won government in the state. What was going to happen was always very obvious, and when it did occur, little was done to moderate the situation. The numbers tell us that story.

ATCWS FOR AUSTRALIAN WILDLIFE IN VICTORIA

The first number in bold is the number of ATCWs issued, the second number is the number of individuals of the species subject to control. The period covered is for ten years, from 2009 – 2018 inclusive. For a number of species on the list the number subject to control has increased rapidly in the last few years.

Australian King-parrot Alisterus scapularis –2/10
Australian Fur Seal Pusillus doriferus – 8 / 258
Australian Magpie Cracticus tibicen – 195 / 3,565
Australian Magpie Lark Grallina cyanoleuca – 52 / 460
Australian Raven Corvus coronoides – 862 / 25,163
Australian Shelduck Tadorna tadornoides – 120 / 4,978
Australian White Ibis Threskiornis moluccus – 41 / 2,411
Bell Miner Manorina melanophrys – 7 / 570
Black Kite Milvus migrans – 9 / 185
Black Swan Cygnus atratus – 17 / 530
Black Wallaby Wallabia bicolor – 1,337 / 17,682
Black-tailed Native-hen Tribonyx ventralis – 10 / 240
Broad-shelled River Turtle Chelodina expansa –1 / 100
Brolga Grus rubicunda – 2 / 51
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike Coracina novaehollandiae – 15 / 155
Cape Barren Goose Cereopsis novaehollandiae – 31 / 1,890
Chestnut Teal Anas castanea – 7 / 90
Common Brushtail Possum Trichosurus vulpecular – 56 / 1,850
Common Long-necked Tortoise Chelodina longicollis – 4 / 10,119*
Common Ringtail Possum Pseudocheirus peregrinus –19 / 324
Common Wombat Vombatus ursinus – 2,044 / 26,507
Crimson Rosella Platycercus elegans – 180 / 4,702
Dingo Canis lupus dingo – 14 / 134
Dusky Moorhen Gallinula tenebrosa – 4 / 270
Eastern Banjo Frog Limnodynastes dumerilii – 1 / 10
Eastern Brown Snake Pseudonaja textilis – 29 / 387
Eastern Grey Kangaroo Macropus giganteus – 18,715 / 889,488
Eastern Rosella Platycercus eximius – 74 / 1,535
Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae – 756 / 9,961 Landing image
Eurasian Coot Fulica atra – 30 / 1,271
Fairy Martin Petrochelidon ariel – 3 / 320
Rose-breasted Cockatoo (Galah) Eolophus roseicapilla – 422 / 32,082
Gang-gang Cockatoo Callocephalon fimbriatum – 1 / 30
Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo – 32 / 719
Grey Butcherbird Cracticus torquatus – 22 / 243
Grey Teal Anas gracilis – 39 / 4,492
Grey-headed Flying-Fox Pteropus poliocephalus – 38 / 52,160
Hardhead Aythya Australis – 1 / 15
Highland Copperhead Austrelaps ramsayi – 8 / 65
Laughing Kookaburra Dacelo novaeguineae – 25 / 187
Little Corella Cacatua sanguinea – 390 / 31,930

Little Crow Corvus bennetti– 1 / 15
Little Black Cormorant Phalacrocorax sulcirostris – 41 / 632
Little Pied Cormorant Microcarbo melanoleucos – 37 / 452
Little Raven Corvus mellori – 77 / 1,974
Long-billed Corella Cacatua tenuirostris – 433 / 53,238
Lowland Copperhead Austrelaps superbus – 13 / 246
Mallee Ringneck Barnardius zonarius – 10 / 50
Magpie Goose Anseranas semipalmata – 2 / 1,510
Maned (Wood) Duck Chenonetta jubata – 1,098 / 36,206
Murray Turtle Emydura macquarii – 1 /100
Masked Lapwing (Plover) Vanellus miles – 130 / 1,607
Musk Lorikeet Glossopsitta concinna – 291 / 17,015
Noisy Friarbird Philemon corniculatus – 90 /2,110
Noisy Minor Manorina melanocephala – 78 / 2,526
Pacific Black Duck Anas superciliosa – 105 / 2,480
Pacific Heron (White-necked) Ardea pacifica – 1 / 2
Pied Currawong Strepera graculina – 238 / 5,956
Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyria – 23 / 370
Rainbow Lorikeet Trichoglossus moluccanus – 186 / 9,855 Image just above
Red Kangaroo Macropus rufus – 70 / 49,141
Red-bellied Black Snake Pseudechis porphyriacus – 20 / 226
Red Wattlebird Anthochaera carunculata – 123 / 3,747
Red-necked (Bennett’s) Wallaby Macropus rufogriseus – 184 / 7,863
Richard’s Pipit Anthus richardi – 1 / 10
Rufous (Nankeen) Night Heron Nycticorax caledonicus – 8 / 70
Satin Bowerbird Ptilonorhynchus violaceus – 45 / 840
Silver Gull Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae – 160 / 88,702
Silvereye Zosterops lateralis – 142 / 3,860
Straw-necked Ibis Threskiornis spinicollis – 16 / 495
Sulphur Crested Cockatoo Cacatua galerita – 565 / 31,675
Tammar Wallaby Macropus eugenii 3/30
Tiger Snake Notechis scutatus – 28 / 407
Wedged-tailed Eagle Aquila audax – 3 / 7
Welcome Swallow Hirundo neoxena – 46 / 3,271
Western Brown Snake Pseudonaja nuchalis – 1 / 1
Western Grey Kangaroo Macropus fuliginosus – 708 / 55,700
White-faced Heron Egretta novaehollandiae – 7 / 70
White-winged Chough Corcorax melanorhamphos – 5 / 50
Yellow Rosella Platycercus flaveolus – 1 / 10
Yellow-tailed Black-cockatoo Calyptorhynchus funereus – 9 / 599
Yellow-throated Miner Manorina flavigula – 3 / 90

VICTORIA: COMMENTS ON SPECIES
MACROPODS

Remember that in Victoria, out of 16 species of Macropod that existed in the state in the 19^th century, 7 are now extinct, three more species, if you include the Red Kangaroo, look as if they are in deep trouble, and I am starting to think about the Western Grey Kangaroo in similar terms, I will be correct if things do not change.

Macropods species have been a focus of the ATCW system and in the ten-year period from 2009 – 2018 ATCWs were issued covering 1,019,904 animals across 6 species. The numbers killed increasing rapidly in the last five years.

We also need to remember that the slaughter of Kangaroos and Wallabies also takes in the young, which are not counted by the ATCW system (these are joeys in-pouch and joeys at-foot, these animals are killed by blunt force and discarded unless they escape to die elsewhere). Roughly, because of mortality rates, 70 per cent of Kangaroo populations are female, any claims that males are the only animals targeted is untrue, females are also killed on mass. Because of size, it is also likely that the larger females, that is those of young bearing age, are the most likely to be shot. So let us say here that a modest 65 per cent of females who were killed had young (this is understated but a rough estimate), so that is, another 464,056 young animals at various stages of joeyhood.

RED KANGAROO

The number of Red Kangaroos subject to ATCWs 2016-2018 (at 33,118) in Victoria was 15.6 times the number of Red Kangaroos subject to ATCWs in 2009-2011 (at 2,120). I have expressed my concerns to Victoria’s environment minister regarding what is occurring to the magnificent Red Kangaroo in Victoria, that is, ATCWs are being issued to cover numbers of animals that exceed the species entire population in Victoria. They have taken absolutely no notice of my concerns and just kept going. In their 2017 aerial survey the Victorian Government managed to account for just 23 Red Kangaroos so they know there is a problem here.

EASTERN GREY KANGAROO

The number of Eastern Grey Kangaroos subject to ATCWs 2016-2018 (at 456,712) in Victoria was 3.5 times the number of Eastern Grey Kangaroos subject to ATCWs in 2009-2011 (at 129,195). These poor animals have taken the brunt of the expansion of the trade in wildlife in Victoria and killing rates will decimate population numbers.

WESTERN GREY KANGAROO

The number of Western Grey Kangaroos subject to ATCWs 2016-2018 (at 37,792) in Victoria was 5.3 times the number of Western Grey Kangaroos subject to ATCWs in 2009-2011 (at 7,117). I am now also becoming extremely concerned about the Western Grey Kangaroo, as it is being slaughtered in numbers that are clearly unsustainable.

WALLAROO

The story from the Victorian Government regarding the Wallaroo was as follows – “It is important to note that Victoria is the edge of the Wallaroo’s range and although it is listed under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act in Victoria, the species is found throughout other eastern Australian states”.

This is a classic case of redefining the distribution and range of species, that is, as the Wallaroo is almost now gone (it is listed as endangered in Victoria) from Victoria, it no longer matters as the species still exists in other states (where its populations are also being shot out). The geographic distribution of the Wallaroo in Victoria was far greater than the Victorian Government pretends. Early settlers in the Melbourne region describe Wallaroos occupying the gullies and steeper country in the vicinity of the early settlement. Museum records indicate the species persisted in the Yan Yean area until the 1960s, today Wallaroos persist only in the far north-eastern corner of Victoria and this represents a tiny fraction of their former distribution, occupying possibly as little as 2 per cent of their former range.

The sedentary habits of the Wallaroo and consequently its poor capacity for dispersal, mass shooting of animals and vast scale clearing of land in the east of the state has occurred in its habitats, further restricting the opportunities for remaining animals to disperse, populations were fargmented beyond repair, now leaving the Wallaroo clinging to its remaining and diminishing range in the east of the state.

Note: How the Tammar Wallaby got onto the list is a mystery, this might relate to captive populations.

FLYING FOXES

The Grey-headed Flying-Fox is listed as vulnerable in Victoria. 38 ATCWs covering 52,160 animals for this species were issued in the years 2009 – 2018. Flying Fox species in Australia are in trouble, particularly from mass die offs caused by heat events, sometimes involving tens of thousands of individuals, so numbers are declining fast. The use of ATCWs here is to scare off colonies, in the Botanical Gardens in Melbourne, the Victorian Government attempted to kill the Flying Foxes but because of the fuss this caused, these animals are now moved on but with fewer and fewer places to go.

In New South Wales and Queensland, where there has also been a dramatic decline in Flying Fox populations, these animals are still shot. The outcome of the killing and harassment of these animals can only end one way, and that is further extinctions, to add to Australia’s already long list of such things.

“Heat stress has killed almost a third of an eastern Victorian town’s native flying fox population (more than 2,000 animals), after extreme weather on Friday”. ABC 29 January 2019.

Colonies of Flying Foxes continue to be harassed, current examples are in Cairns, Queensland and in Colac Victoria. You can read more about Flying Foxes in Australia here.

PARROTS

Parrots are a long lived group of animals, their breeding habitat, through the continual clearing of old trees with nesting hollows, is under great threat and the birds also face the challenges of climate change, some birds dying on wing from severe heat events. The likelihood is therefore that we are going to see significant reductions in Parrot numbers as birds find it harder to raise young, and as the older birds die, they will not be replaced in similar numbers.

Parrots are the most wonderful of animals and the fact that a government can contemplate killing them is such vast numbers is disgraceful.

WOMBATS

The wonderful Coarse-haired Wombat is being killed on mass, unprotected in much of the State of Victoria, you will note from the ATCW list above that permits to kill 26,507 animals in the ten-year period. Wombat species are facing serious issues in relation to the parasitic infestation caused by mites, sarcoptic mange.

WHAT THE VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT SAYS TO THE PUBLIC

The number of ATCWs represents the total number of authorisations issued for both lethal and non-lethal methods (e.g. scare or trap). Lethal control of wildlife is only considered when practical non-lethal methods were unsuccessful at resolving the program or are impractical to implement. ATCWs are sometimes issued for the non-lethal control of some threatened species as follows:

Brolga: issued to scare brolgas away from airports in order to protect the birds from aircrafts.
Grey-headed Flying Fox: issued to scare flying foxes from inappropriate areas where they can cause damage to the environment or property.
Magpie Goose: issued to scare magpie geese that are causing damage to crops.

WHAT THE VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT HAVE SAID TO ME IN VARIOUS CORRESPONDENCES

Last year I raised a series of questions with the Department of Environment in Victoria (DELWP). Here are those questions and the department’s answers to them.

1) In the listing of ATCWs 2009-2017 what is the split between lethal and non-lethal methods over this period – my research indicates that the department is against moving wildlife, preferring it to be destroyed. I do not understand entries such as the one for the Long-necked tortoise 9999 animals – is this a relocation relating to climate change for example?

DELWP is unable to provide the split between authorisations for lethal and non-lethal control as our current permit database does not have the function to be able to produce a report on this. A new database is being developed which will address this limitation.

The figure regarding Long-necked Tortoises was a data entry error at the time of the ATCW being issued. The ATCW was issued to trap and hold Common Long-necked Tortoise that may have been encountered during contraction works undertaken to an artificial water body. No tortoises were actually encountered during construction so the ATCW was not acted on.

2) I note there are no Koalas on any of the listings – under what authority have these been culled? For example 686 Koala in 2013/4. Is the government providing other different types of permits, which allow landholders to destroy wildlife?

The euthanasia of Koalas in 2013/2014 was undertaken by veterinarians on welfare grounds, as the Koalas were suffering from starvation and disease. Veterinarians are exempt from the requirement to obtain an authorisation under the Wildlife Act if they are euthanising wildlife on welfare grounds.

3) How are the activities supervised and followed up? How many officers are involved in this process?

DELWP has 52 Forest and Wildlife Officers operating across the state. DELWP Forest and Wildlife Officers monitor compliance with the ATCW system and investigate reports of non-compliance made by the public.

DELWP applies a risk-based, intelligence-led compliance approach and uses a range of compliance activities to encourage compliance and deter non-compliance. The activities undertaken to achieve compliance are selected based on a risk assessment, with consideration being given to the risk posed by the non-compliance and the cost and benefit of different compliance activities. Examples of compliance activities that may be undertaken include:

Providing education and guidance on the compliance obligations, the negative impacts of non-compliance and the best practice ways of complying.
Requesting that voluntary corrective action is undertaken to address non-compliance, if request for corrective action is ignored then compliance action can be escalated
Imposing additional licence and authorisation conditions
Audits and inspections (random or targeted)
Official warnings or notices to comply
Suspension or cancellation of licence or authorisation
Formal prosecution

4) How many prosecutions have there been for non-compliance and acts of cruelty?

DELWP takes matters of non-compliance seriously and is often successful at prosecuting offenders for non-compliance with the Wildlife Act 1975 and regulations, and associated legislation such as the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986.

For example, in 2016 there were 27 charges laid for offences under the Wildlife Act, with two of these being major prosecutions relating to animal cruelty (two accused in each case) that resulted in convictions.

For 2017, there were 11 charges laid for offences under the Wildlife Act, one of which is a major prosecution involving one individual with over 100 charges of alleged cruelty to animals. This matter resulted in a conviction.

5) How many ATCW applications have been rejected in the period 2009-2017?

Our current permit database does not have the function to able to produce a report on this. A new database is currently being developed which will address this limitation.

6) Why has the annual rate risen so sharply?

Wildlife population numbers fluctuate as availability of food and water changes in response to variations in temperature and rainfall. This means that the number of ATCWs sought by landholders also fluctuates year by year. For example, if there are dry conditions then landholders are more likely to seek an ATCW to reduce the competition between wildlife and their stock for feed.

7) What species are off the list in terms of not requiring an ATCW to destroy them?

Under section 7A of the Wildlife Act, the Minister can recommend to the Governor in Council to declare a species of wildlife unprotected in a specified area. Whilst this means that the unprotected species of wildlife may be controlled without an ATCW,

8) Are there any regional differences in Victoria relating to the control of wildlife?

The control of wildlife varies across the landscape. As stated earlier, wildlife population numbers fluctuate depending on availability of food and water changes in response to variations in temperature and rainfall. Similarly, the number of ATCWs issued for the control of wildlife varies.

it does not mean that control is not regulated. The unprotection order will specify the period and area to which the Order applies, in what circumstances the species is unprotected, and the conditions that must be met, such as who may control the species and the methods they may use.

There are currently unprotection orders in place for the Common Wombat in certain parishes of Victoria, Brushtail Possums living in buildings and municipal parks, Dingos on or within a certain distance from private land for the protection of livestock, and Long-billed Corellas, Sulphur-crested Cockatoos and Galahs causing damage to property.

9) In the recent Macropod survey why was the Wallaroo, given its status, not included in the survey – surely it is critical to monitor the circumstances of this species? Or did this species just get caught up in the general count?

The survey was undertaken to survey Victoria’s three Kangaroo species, as they are the species often subject to control under ATCWs. No other macropods were included in the survey. In addition, the area of the state that the Wallaroo inhabits was excluded from the survey due to the difficulty surveying forested areas from the air.

It is important to note that Victoria is the edge of the Wallaroo’s range and although it is listed under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act in Victoria, the species is found throughout other eastern Australian states.

10) On the matter of abundance I note that your fire ground guide in relation to wildlife rescue says ‘Rehabilitation of orphaned milk dependent young for common species such as Macropods and Koalas is not supported’. Given that both Macropods (7 species now extinct in Victoria with two more on the brink) and Koalas (down to a fraction of one per cent of their Australian population 200 years ago), who has and why are these species described as common. I note this issue of abundance arises in the recent efforts to stop wild life carers in Victoria rescuing certain species. I challenge the descriptions of abundance here, given the very significant decline in species, both in number and distribution of a significant range of species in Victoria.

Although Koala populations in Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory were listed as ‘vulnerable’ under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Act 1999 in 2012, the conservation status of the Koala in Victoria is considered to be secure. Koalas are considered overabundant in some areas of Victoria and impact on native flora through overbrowsing. Kangaroo species in Victoria are also considered secure.

DELWP is undertaking a review of the ATCW system and is seeking feedback from the community on ways to improve the system. DELWP recognises that there are often divergent views relating to wildlife management, and these views have been acknowledged in the ATCW review discussion paper.

The broader issues section of the discussion paper outlines concerns that stakeholders have raised during early consultation that relate to wildlife management, including restricting rehabilitation of overabundant wildlife that are often subject to control, such as Kangaroos.

DELWP does not have a plan to restrict the rehabilitation of overabundant species. Restricting rehabilitation of overabundant species is outside the scope of the ATCW review and not under consideration.

Note: Since writing these questions and further investigations and analysis of the findings we have now added the Red Kangaroo to the in danger of extinction group within the state. That is 7 species extinct, 3 more on the brink.

Written and copyrighted by Creative cowboy films https://www.creativecowboyfilms.com/

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Urban Sprawl Threatens Southern Brown Bandicoots — Western Port Bay, VIC

AWPC — Mon, 12 Jun 2023 04:48:52 +0000

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Ecologist Hans Brunner:

Bandicoots, the problems and the answer.

MY CONCERN IS the survival of Southern Brown Bandicoots (SBB) east of Melbourne and especially within the biosphere region around Western Port Bay. This is the site where during the last twenty odd years 95% of them were lost. The reason for the loss of the SBBs was the combination of incompetent and unwillingness by the then governments of Department of Environment and Sustainability, and Parks Victoria, failure to properly protect them there.

(So the very government agencies we expect to uphold the protection of wildlife and habitats are actually failing! Promoting urban sprawl now is endemic to our culture, our economy? Editor)

And now, the new Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning (DELWP) plans to create a large new urban estate adjacent to the Royal Botanical Gardens Cranbourne (RBGC) called the Botanic Ridge & Devon Meadows. This area was previously covered with prime bandicoot habitat land — and now have to be somehow compensated for.

(Strange how the names of some streets and housing estates take on names that represent exactly some of the natural features lost under concrete — “botanic” and “meadows”, editor.)

Since then. I have attended four workshops with DELWP, SBB experts, public servants and environment consultants, about 25 people per session.

IMAGES: Used with permission from Reiner Richter.

I was extremely disappointed that DELWP still insists in the continued use of only narrow corridors as a compensation for the loss of all the SBB habitat. I have earlier explained to them in great detail why these narrow corridors will definitely not be suitable for SBBs. Unfortunately, there seems to be absolutely nothing that I could do to change their mind. They were also not prepared to apply an actual Population Viability Assessment (PVA) to the area. All they did was talk about the use of it, but did not apply it, in order to prove that SBBs could safely survive in these conditions for at least the next hundred years! To me, this looked like 90% of political overbearing and only 10% of environmental input.

No way could a PVA pass a test here and neither can artificial and narrow corridors be used for SBBs.

I have therefore consistently insisted that SBBs can now only be properly secured within large reserves surrounded by a predator proof fence. There are several such reserves suitable for this purpose such as the Pines, the Langwarrin Reserve and the Briars. SBBs can then be safely protected from dogs, foxes, feral cats and from competition from rabbits. Why has so much gone wrong with DELWP? Is there not one person among them who understands and loves SBBs enough to give them the deservedly highest protection available?

I now urge DELWP to urgently carry out their obligation and to put those SBBs safely into some large reserves the same way they are protected in the RBGC. I will be extremely frustrated if this is not done. Only the highest possible protection for them can now do.

— Hans Brunner

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Breaking News: VIC Govt Lifts Moratorium

AWPC — Mon, 12 Jun 2023 04:40:08 +0000

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AS THE BUSHFIRES continue to kill kangaroos, The Victorian State Government has lifted their emergency moratorium of the commercial killing of kangaroos.

No wildlife assessment has been completed.
The number of surviving kangaroos is unknown.

Write directly to the Victorian Premier Daniel Andres today to voice your concerns
daniel.andrews@parliament.vic.gov.au
Or phone directly (03) 9651 5000

#ShameAustralia
#KangaroosAlive
#AnimalWelfare

The post Breaking News: VIC Govt Lifts Moratorium appeared first on Australian Wildlife Protection Council.

Three Days At A Border Fireground (VIC, NSW)

AWPC — Mon, 12 Jun 2023 04:31:27 +0000

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AWPC committee member and long-time wildlife rescuer Chris Lehmann spent three days on the post-fire ground between between Victoria and NSW around Albury and Corryong in early February. Here is his first hand initial report and also a youtube clip from that journey.

The new AWPC committee supports all community efforts to help bring emergency assistance, including food and water drops, to fire survivors as well as to areas that are so dry that animals have lost their natural sustenance (and that might burn next!)

State governments in Victoria and NSW have yet to take leadership or action on helping the wildlife survivors bar a few well-publiced food drops to endangered wallabies.

Landholders and the wider community, including volunteers from overseas are leading the way with generosity and dedication.

My first expression of what I saw at Corryong:

A 2nd report from the Corryong Fire Grounds, February 2020.

(Click above text to link to the written post on the Kangaloola Wildlife Shelter Inc. Facebook page.)

Longing for life

We spent 3 days in the fire grounds of Corryong, some 30 days after Corryong was evacuated because of the fire storms that had destroyed Woormargama, Burrowa, Pine, and Mittamatite Forests plus much of the farmland and many homes around.

We were searching for life.

Mt Mittamatite is a local mountain forest covering about 100 square kms. There might have been 100,000+ furred and feathered animals living on just Mt Mittamatite. Now, 30 days later, as a result of daily searches (over the last few weeks) well into the early hours of the morning, a local wildlife carer estimates there is 50–100 animals surviving there.

He has identified the very few patches of forest that have enough cover and dregs of food for survival and has committed to providing water and food for those few survivors. Those 50–100 kangaroos, wallabies and wombats will be the genesis of the recovery of the mountain.

Life is there, we found it — but the lack of water and good food is too real.

We need to support these animals for a few months. On Tuesday we [sent] 30–40 bags of carrots up to Bellaboo Wildlife Shelter who will lead the water station and food drop effort.

The post Three Days At A Border Fireground (VIC, NSW) appeared first on Australian Wildlife Protection Council.

Sometimes Sad And Unfair Things Happen (VIC)

AWPC — Mon, 12 Jun 2023 04:26:49 +0000

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I HAVE BEEN TREATING this wombat for sarcoptic mange since early June. The 2nd major treatment was yesterday afternoon, when myself and the local landowners were enjoying seeing the improved condition and alertness of this animal. She was definitely on the road back to normal.

Julie, who is the landowner, contacted me this afternoon because she found our dear wombat dead on the grass. Someone had deliberately run over her while she was eating grass. The tyre tracks are pretty obvious.

— Chris Lehmann, Facebook post. 23 July 2020

The post Sometimes Sad And Unfair Things Happen (VIC) appeared first on Australian Wildlife Protection Council.

Historic Court Win (vic) For Threatened Possum, Regional Forests Agreements

AWPC — Mon, 12 Jun 2023 04:19:54 +0000

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AWPC has learned:

THE FEDERAL COURT just delivered final orders for our historic win for Friends of Leadbeater’s Possum that protects the forests subject to the case from logging!

Although the court reached its conclusion in this case in May, until today it had not yet decided how the judgement would apply practically.

IMAGES (from L): Greater Glider, Steve Parish; Steve Meacher, President, Friends of Leadbeater’s Possum; Leadbeater’s Possum, Dan Harley. SOURCE.

Justice Mortimer’s orders today grant final injunctions to protect the 66 areas of forest home to the threatened Greater Glider and critically endangered Leadbeater’s Possum subject to the case.

The judge also made formal declarations of unlawful logging by VicForests in those 66 areas and ordered VicForests pay Friends of Leadbeater’s Possum’s costs of running the case.

This is huge and sets a national precedent!

This case will have national implications for species threatened by logging under Regional Forest Agreements across the country which will now face much greater scrutiny.

Just yesterday, the Bob Brown Foundation launched a similar Federal Court case, challenging logging under Regional Forest Agreements in Tasmania’s forests.

We echo the sentiments of our client, Friends of Leadbeater’s Possum below:

“We are immensely grateful to the public for the donations that have enabled us to pay the costs of mounting a case on this scale and to all those who have worked on the case and supported us in so many ways on this long and challenging journey.

And to the surveying team from WOTCH and the expert witnesses who provided an unassailable body of detailed evidence.”

This is the first time the Federal Court has granted a final injunction to prevent logging of threatened wildlife habitat and the first time Victoria’s logging industry — the largest in Australia — has been held to account under federal environment law for its devastating impacts on endangered wildlife. The outcome of this case demonstrates that properly enforcing our environment laws is critical to stem the loss of wildlife in this country. We are so thrilled that the Greater Glider and Leadbeater’s Possum in these areas of forest can rest easy for now — protecting these areas of habitat is vital to their recovery. We hope this is a message to all industry and governments across the country that if they flout the law at the expense of our threatened wildlife, the community will hold them to account in court.

The post Historic Court Win (vic) For Threatened Possum, Regional Forests Agreements appeared first on Australian Wildlife Protection Council.

State Of Play: Wildlife In Victoria

AWPC — Mon, 12 Jun 2023 02:50:38 +0000

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Amid claims from the Victorian Government that various native species are overabundant, and extraordinarily these claims still continue in various plans being issued by the Victorian Government, despite the vast scale loss of wildlife in the devastating fires.

Here is an updated analysis of some of the Victorian Government’s numbers (publicly available or obtained under FOI) from our President, Peter Hylands, as he describes the real situation for Australian wildlife in the State of Victoria. The question we need to ask is why is so much wildlife dying in Victoria because of the enabling and often promotion of these killing activities by the very government responsible for the welfare of these precious and unique animals?

2020 WAS A very grim year for Victoria’s Australian species. What we can tell you is that Australian wildlife in Victoria is anything but protected. Wildlife in Victoria is also subject to extreme acts of cruelty. Much of this activity is encouraged and enabled by its current government.

“As we managed to get caught in Melbourne’s extensive lockdown and ring of steel which locked up the city for many weeks, I have taken some of that time to investigate the current circumstances for Victoria’s native species. As always, marsupials and birdlife are in the forefront of the abuse. I have created this as a reference document for the reader to use”.

Here are some simple facts for Victoria that tell a very grim story, yet the killing continues and is encouraged by the Victorian Government, and oddly by organisations such as the Country Women’s Association (CWA) as has recently been the case in Central Victoria.

At a time of dire environmental conditions, including vast scale bushfires, the killing of Australia’s wildlife in Victoria has continued at scale. Permits to kill Kangaroos on a very large scale have been issued across Victoria’s regions (including Central Victoria) and populations are declining rapidly region by region, as remaining populations are targeted by commercial and non-commercial shooting activities.

As is the case for the rest of Australia, the Victorian Government Kangaroo population estimates are exaggerated and this means that commercial quotas are most often not met (because the Kangaroos are not there in the numbers stated) and in at least one case in Victoria, and for one species of Kangaroo (it is now coming close to being more than one species), the number of permits being issued and the number of animals covered by these permits is likely to exceed their entire state population for that species. Victoria has been converting its Authority to Control Wildlife (ATCW) Kangaroo permits to commercial permits, a process that commenced in 2014. We can however expect to see a drop off of animals killed in Victoria against commercial quotas as populations dwindle. Australia, including Victoria, is the leading exterminator of mammal species in the world.

“In early March 2020 I was working in the desert country to the west of Alice Springs, a remote place where I often stay. Coming in to see our friends in Hermannsburg I rang the Victorian ecodev number 136 186 to enquire how the latest Kangaroo harvest quotas had been calculated for each Victorian region. I was put through to a staff member in Ballarat and initially told there had been surveys in both 2019 and 2020. I knew this to be incorrect so when I queried the response, I was given a lecture about how terrible these animals are and told that people (like me) living in cities do not understand the issues. Given that I have owned two significant rural properties, one in Central Victoria over many decades and another near the Endeavour River in Far North Queensland and I spend time working in the remotest places in Australia and I know a lot about numbers, these claims seemed pretty outrageous”. — Peter Hylands

Impact of the commercial trade in Kangaroos on killing rates in Victoria

The repugnantly named Kangaroo Harvesting Program (KHP) began in Victoria on 1 October 2019 following the Kangaroo Pet Food Trial (KPFT) which commenced in 2014. If the periods 2009–13 and 2014–18 are compared, the rate of killing roughly tripled from 259,288 to 747,659 animals when those periods are compared. Sadly, having saved the Red Kangaroo from the pet food can in Victoria over concerns with vastly exaggerated population numbers, the high level of animals subject to the non-commercial ATCW permit in 2019 (10,073 animals) can only be described as malicious conduct.

These next numbers required a bit of guess work so may be out by a small margin, but it looks like since 2009, much of it occurring from 2014 on, permits were issued to kill 1,385,339 Kangaroos, of which 555,026 were victims to the commercial trade in wildlife, across three species, that is the Eastern Grey, the Western Grey and the Red Kangaroo (other species were also killed in substantial numbers). If we add another 20 percent to that number for the number of Joeys killed by these activities that adds yet another 277,000 animals to the slaughter since 2009.

“The claims from both politicians and public servants in Victoria that the Kangaroo Pet Food Trial would not increase the rate of Kangaroo killing, and then, once the trial had commenced, claims that significant increases in the killing rate (for example an increase of the killing rate for the Red Kangaroo of 759 times over the 2011 control total) was due to favourable climatic conditions, and hence conditions for breeding resulting in population increases, are simply untrue. This becomes entirely obvious once the increases in kill rates are analysed by region. The very significant increases in kill rates occurred in the Kangaroo Pet Food Trial zones. This is simply disgraceful, particularly given the rates of killing from the period the trial commenced, that it is most probable that populations had started to decline rapidly during 2016.”

— Peter Hylands, 2018

The most Eastern Grey Kangaroos for which permits were issued in the period 01/01/2017 to 31/10/2019 in any shire, were in the Mitchell Shire in Melbourne’s North at 37,920. While this number is a complete disgrace in itself, it is troubling in another sense, in that the greatest level of killing is now associated with regions closer to Melbourne and not traditionally the core Kangaroo killing grounds in those places where the greatest Kangaroo populations once existed.

On inspection of Victorian Government data under FOI we discovered this note attached to the tables as a footnote

NOTE: that the Western Grey Kangaroo figures is considered highly inflated, as the reporting tool only allows harvesters to identify Western Greys which is creating user error – enhancements to the reporting tool will be implemented in 2020.

This NOTE is startling for two reasons – the Kangaroo Pet Food Trial and full commercial market, have combined, now been operating for six years, and DELWP are still not able to know what species are being killed. Secondly this makes a complete mockery of the Kangaroo surveys in Victoria and the population numbers these expensive (to the public purse) activities generate.

Surveys

“In its extensive and recent Kangaroo surveys the Victorian Government were able to count just 23 Red Kangaroos and 2,607 Grey Kangaroos (both Eastern and Western Greys) in 2017 and in a much more extensive survey in 2018 they counted just 91 Red Kangaroos and 4,707 Grey Kangaroos (again this figure includes both Eastern and Western Grey Kangaroos). We should also not forget that the Victorian Government is spending a great deal of taxpayers money establishing and ‘managing’ (it is a disgrace) this commercial trade in Australia’s wildlife as well as its disastrous persecution of birdlife on Victoria’s dwindling wetlands. There needs to be proper accountability within government for the various scandals that have emerged in the last few years”. — Peter Hylands, 2019

Victorian Government comparisons — Coalition/Labor (2009–18)

In Victoria in the ten-year period 2009–18 inclusive a total of 32,147 ATCWs were issued for Australian species covering 1,513,605 animals.
In Victoria, the total number of animals subject to ATCWs in the period 2016–18 was 2.3 times higher than the number of animals subject to ATCWs 2009–11.
The number of ATCWs (permits) issued in 2016–18 was 1.66 times higher than the number of ATCWs issued in the period 2009–11.
Victoria is also not the place to be if you happen to be a bird, 73 percent of species subject to control in Victoria were bird species with a total of 397,549 birds, of which 182,721 or 45 percent were from a range of parrot species. We also need to remember that ATCWs are not the only way animals in Victoria die, so we can add another 4.5 million dead water birds and Quail (I am being modest in my calculations) in the last ten years to the tally in Victoria because of duck shooting in the state. So all up, that is around 4.9 million birds in the state in the ten year period.
Politics and nature: The Victorian Labor Government was elected in November 2014 and has increased the number of animals killed across a range of mechanisms. The Labor tally in relation to ATCWs in the years 2015–18 totals 16,010 ATCW permits covering 844,625 animals. In the previous four-year period the Liberal–National Coalition Government in Victoria issued 11,146 ATCW permits covering 461,593 animals, 54 percent of the Labor total.

ATCWs issued in 2019 – summary

In 2019 the Victorian Labor Government added a further 3,429 ATCW permits (covering 57 native species) to the list of Australian wildlife to be ‘controlled’ covering 183,586 native animals (remember this excludes wildlife killed by commercial wildlife activities [which are growing], other types of hunting, unprotected species and young etc). The real shockers in 2019, despite a range of circumstances and reasons not to be doing it, are the continued and extensive persecution of flying foxes (in this case the dying and disruption to breeding occurs during scaring events) and the significant number of animals covered by ATCWs for Emus, Wombats, Cockatoos and other Parrot species, Red Kangaroos and Western Grey Kangaroos (despite their likely status).
The poor Eastern Grey Kangaroo heads the list, despite its populations being decimated by commercial activities, at 112,477 animals. Shockingly, 20,837 ATCWs to kill 1,001,965 Eastern Grey Kangaroos have been issued since 2009.
Although still relatively few in terms of the number of permits issued Australian Fur Seals seem to have attracted some attention in the year, with the number of permits being issued almost matching those for the previous decade total for the species. The Australian Raven also took a hammering in the year, as did Black Swans.
ATCWs Victoria 2009-19

“The reasons given for issuing ATCW permits and killing these animals are trite at best and include they eat grass, damage fences, are fouling water and migrating weeds (cattle and other farmed animals do these things far more effectively than native animals can ever do).” — Peter Hylands, 2020

In the listing of ATCWs 2009–2017 what is the split between lethal and non-lethal methods over this period? My research indicates that the department is against moving wildlife, preferring it to be destroyed. DELWP is unable to provide the split between authorisations for lethal and non-lethal control as our current permit database does not have the function to be able to produce a report on this. A new database is being developed which will address this limitation.

How many ATCW applications have been rejected? Our current permit database does not have the function to able to produce a report on this. A new database is currently being developed which will address this limitation.

What species are off the list in terms of not requiring an ATCW to destroy them? Under section 7A of the Wildlife Act, the Minister can recommend to the Governor in Council to declare a species of wildlife unprotected in a specified area. Whilst this means that the unprotected species of wildlife may be controlled without an ATCW, it does not mean that control is not regulated. The unprotection order will specify the period and area to which the Order applies, in what circumstances the species is unprotected, and the conditions that must be met, such as who may control the species and the methods they may use. There are currently unprotection orders in place for Brushtail Possums living in buildings and municipal parks, Dingos on or within a certain distance from private land for the protection of livestock, and Long-billed Corellas, Sulphur-crested Cockatoos and Galahs causing damage to property.

Why has the annual rate of animals subject to ATCWs risen so sharply? Wildlife population numbers fluctuate as availability of food and water changes in response to variations in temperature and rainfall. This means that the number of ATCWs sought by landholders also fluctuates year by year. For example, if there are dry conditions then landholders are more likely to seek an ATCW to reduce the competition between wildlife and their stock for feed.

In Victoria has any of the funding allocated from the Government’s January 2020 $17.5 million wildlife and biodiversity rescue package been used for lethal control of pest species, including use of aerial drops of 1080? (note Kangaroo meat is used extensively in Australia as a substrate for aerial and other baiting – the use of 1080 poison in aerial drops is banned in most countries around the world because of cruelty reasons and its indiscriminate impact on numerous species). The substrate for aerially deployed 1080 baits in Victoria does not contain kangaroo. All aerial bait lines and bait drops are mapped with tree canopy cover considered in developing bait lines. Bait drops are deployed accurately using aircraft navigation, specialised equipment and GPS technology based on heights and airspeed according to environmental conditions. Bait lodgement in the canopy of trees is not a concern. The impact of pest animals in fire-impacted areas can greatly affect the survival of native plants and animals and the recovery of threatened species and their habitat. Intensified and sustained control of pest animals has been funded as a priority immediate action under the Biodiversity Bushfire Relief and Early Recovery (BBRER) program. A range of integrated control techniques will be used, including aerial and ground shooting, trapping and ground baiting. Baits used as part of the ground baiting will be buried at an appropriate depth to reduce the risk of non-target impact. No aerial baiting will be funded under the BBRER program. The use of alternatives to 1080 baits, such as PAPP (para-aminopropiophenne) based products, will be trialled in BBRER funded projects. PAPP is a humane, fast-acting toxin.

NOTE: 1080 baits are and have been used extensively in Victoria and other programs continue.

Far from the transparency the Victorian Government pretends, I have had great difficulty on extracting information about the government’s own killing activities relating to Australian wildlife on public lands including state and national parks (particularly at the time of the fires). After initially refusing to provide the information the request has been subject to a series of FOI requests and more recently Questions on Notice in the Victorian Parliament.

What lethal control activities involving native wildlife were undertaken by the Government during the period of October 2019 to February 2020, and is data available on the species and quantities controlled? Records held by the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) show that during the period in question, eight Authorities to Control Wildlife (ATCWs) were issued to government agencies for the lethal control of a range of native wildlife species on public land. ATCWs include strict conditions to ensure wildlife are controlled humanely. ATCWs issued during this period may not have been acted on immediately, as they are typically issued for one year. Records of the species and numbers actually controlled during that period will generally be held by the agency that is responsible for undertaking the wildlife control.

NOTE: After nearly a year of trying to get the species and numbers data we are still trying.

So which Australian species are on the Victoria Government kill list?

As of 25/02/2020: 88 Australian species in Victoria were subject to control by shooting, a subset of those species (22) were further subject to control by trapping or gassing, again a subset of those on the shoot list were also subject to control by trapping and shooting, a further subset of species (12) were subject to control by destruction of eggs and nests.

“So an ATCW permit holder in Victoria can shoot Australian Fur Seals or Pacific Herons, trap and gas Brown Antechinus or destroy the nest (and presumably the young) of a Black Swan.

All this represents suffering and cruelty at enormous scale. Not one is likely to be supervised”

— Peter Hylands, 2020

The list and number of wildlife to be ‘controlled’ in Victoria are greater than those shown above (which are all on the kill list). It should be noted that within the government tables that provide this information there is an UNSPECIFIED category, which according to the environment department, means ‘scare’. While the UNSPECIFIED category has been applied as an alternative in the government table and to many of the species above, there is little evidence, and the department has not been able to provide any, that ‘scaring’ is an option that is much used for those species listed above (flying foxes and a couple of bird species aside). The bullet is by far the most favoured method of ‘control’.

2019–20 Summer fires

Australia’s greatest fires in living memory, along with the death of billions of animals, had little or no impact on Victorian Governments’ attitudes to wildlife. In most cases the killing continued, commercial native wildlife activity was halted for a few days upon request but secretly reinstated, literally within days of the ban.

The duck shooting season, albeit modified, was held in 2020. Bird killing activities, including use of ATCWs and hunting accounted for around five million birds in the last decade or so. The Victorian Government continues its grievous assault on Australia’s birdlife despite a near 90 percent fall in waterbird populations over the last four decades. The commercial trade in Kangaroos in Victoria has commenced in most regions so badly impacted by fire just a few months ago. The justification for this most recent crime — a desktop study by a Victorian Government agency.

“The 2011 and 2012 Duck and Quail seasons in Victoria accounting for an eye watering 1,917,137 bird deaths, many of these deaths occurring on Ramsar sites (signposted game reserves in Victoria NOT Ramsar sites). 2011–12 season estimates from GMA converted calendar year higher estimates from the two- monthly surveys.” — Peter Hylands, 2020

All signs are that the 2021 waterbird shooting season will commence in March, amid of course claims of exploding bird populations. There is only one way to put this — it is, and will be, a lie.

After a vast amount was donated for the rescue and rehabilitation of native wildlife in Victoria and elsewhere and significant government funds were allocated to help in the task the Victorian Government and its environment department rescues just 270 animals from public lands in Victoria (including state and national parks) blocking the rescue efforts of specialists and volunteers. 75 percent of those animals rescued from public lands were Koalas, an act of window dressing at best.

Despite the fires, the pandemic, the suffering and other climate change impacts, the Victorian Government continues to promote and enable its wildlife killing schemes. The double standards applied are evident given the difficulty in finding out critical information if you are trying to help animals, when compared to the ease for, and service provided to those doing or requesting the killing, here is just one example from the Victorian Government’s website:

Find harvesters to manage kangaroo populations on your property. This takes about 3 minutes. After you’ve given us this info, we will email you a list of authorised harvesters with quotas available for your zone. It’s then up to you to make direct contact with one or more to organise a time and date for harvest. There’s no charge for this service.

Perversely, we are charged for the information we request in trying to help animals, just as we did successfully for the Red Kangaroo in Victoria when it was saved from the petfood can and commercial exploitation. This was achieved by analysing and describing the considerable shortcomings in the government data on which the decisions are made.

Historical note

“So when Australian species have made that journey to the brink, many have gone over the edge, they become endangered, and then perhaps, if they are lucky, some attention and belated compassion is directed towards them. By then it is really too late.” — Peter Hylands 2020

The Commercial trade in Kangaroos was banned by the Victorian Government after a trial in the early 1980s. These were the species on the commercial list at that time:

Red-necked Wallaby, Macropus rufogriseus
Black Wallaby or Swamp Wallaby Wallabia bicolor
Western Grey Kangaroo, Macropus fuliginosus
Eastern Grey Kangaroo, Macropus giganteus
Red Kangaroo, Macropus rufus.

For all species combined, the quota in 1982 was 33,000 animals.

A note on climate change in Australia

Australia’s target of a 26 percent reduction of 2005 Green House Gas (GHG) emission levels by 2030 is currently on track for only a genuine 7 percent reduction (that is, without previous target carry-over “credits” being considered) in 2030. Poor policies mean that there continues to be limited action in transport, existing buildings, industrial processes, wastes and agriculture National Greenhouse Gas Inventory (NGGI) sectors. The Climate Change Performance Index, used by Climate Change Tracker, found that the best performing countries are Sweden, Denmark and Morocco, and the worst performing are Taiwan, Saudi Arabia and the US. New Zealand was ranked 34 and Australia 53 of the 58 countries assessed. If Australian fossil fuel exports are embedded into emissions it is likely that Australia’s global share of emissions is somewhere in the region of 3.3 percent. Note: Latest GHG reduction figure for Australia provided by Graham Armstrong, Saturn Corporate Resources.

The Anthropogenic

So how did Victoria get to this place? We all know that COVID has exposed structural weaknesses in society, in the case of Victoria the spread of the virus in a potentially devastating second wave for all of Australia, described that process very clearly. The lack of accountability in relation to wildlife matters is also very evident, with ‘responsibility’ shared between various Victorian Government departments and agencies and Ministers (clearly not an accident), which in the end means that no one is responsible for the cruelty and killing. As these departments grow, so does the destructive activity, as does the elaborate disinformation and justifications, including the rise of a kind of pseudo-science (at tax payers expense) designed specifically to justify every aspect of the behaviour.

I have asked Victoria’s Environment Minister what drives the killing of wildlife and the growing number of animals being targeted? Among the many questions not answered, this is just one. I will end by saying I have tried to set up a meeting with a Labor Party Environment Minister for six years without success (and I am currently the President of a long established and distinguished Australian wildlife organisation). The purpose of the meeting is to go through the issues and discuss the numbers of native animals being killed by the enabling practices of the Victorian Government. Clearly the public service in Victoria are very keen to keep Ministers away from people who deliver a different message to the one being peddled and conducted by the internal mechanisms of government. This is a dangerous road, in the case of COVID it has also proved dangerous for the Minister and public servants associated with the matter.

— Peter Hylands, President AWPC
16 November 2020

The post State Of Play: Wildlife In Victoria appeared first on Australian Wildlife Protection Council.

Country People: Shut Down Victoria’s Bird Shoot

AWPC — Mon, 12 Jun 2023 02:43:45 +0000

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Calls for immediate shut down of bird shoot due to “uncontrollable” lawlessness and health risks

NOT EVEN A week since Victoria’s recreational bird shoot started and not even covid restrictions have prevented lawlessness and cruelty.

Shocking pictures on social media show the proximity of men in army fatigues with guns near built-up areas.

Reports have been made to the regulator about illegal shooting — well before allowable time — with the regulator’s response 24 hours later requesting more information which would help them identify the perpetrator.

IMAGE: Source Regional Victorians Opposed to Duck Shooting Inc

Regional Victorian Opposed to Duck Shooting Inc (RVOTDS) are not surprised. “This happens every shooting season. Not only are regional families having to live with this happening on their doorsteps, but they also have to put themselves in harm’s way to collect evidence for the regulator to do its job as well.”

Elsewhere, a complaint was made that shooters were flouting covid restrictions with the alarming outcome the police did not know the covid rules and nothing was done.

And elsewhere, appalling cruelty appears to have been captured on video of a shooter trying to hide from cameras as he fed pieces of a live bird to his dog.

“It is abundantly clear this pastime is unable to be controlled and poses a serious risk to our native birdlife and rural communities” said Kerrie Allen spokesperson for RVOTDS.

“Why shooting native birds was ever allowed to proceed during covid is beyond us. Now we have lawless guys with guns around the state and bands of rescuers having to follow them. It’s unnecessary and dangerous when an ugly variant of fast spreading virus is breathing down our necks.”

“Victoria is a basket case right now and is it any wonder? Time for accountability. That starts with saying ‘no’ — like other states have — to a group of folks who like to shoot birds for fun.”

RVOTDS has submitted a lengthy complaint to the regulator about it’s “cumulative failings over the years’ and they say if that is not responded to quickly and appropriately they will take it “far further”. In the interim they are calling on James Merlino acting Premier to shut down the shooting immediately.

“The regulator is still unable to provide accurate maps of where shooting is / is not allowed. It has also failed to list wetland closures on its website. How are shooters supposed to know where they can shoot let alone how are the public meant to know where to avoid?

“Regional families have been totally forsaken on this issue year after year. We believe compensation is due given all the long days, weeks and months we’ve had to put up with this madness in our backyards every year with no consideration by policy makers.”

— Kerrie Allen

The post Country People: Shut Down Victoria’s Bird Shoot appeared first on Australian Wildlife Protection Council.

Victorians: Urgent Plea For Help

AWPC — Mon, 12 Jun 2023 02:28:13 +0000

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Dear Wildlife Protectors

DAVINA DUCK AND and her three children Dixie, Dee and Dilley urgently need your help. These gentle, defenceless, voiceless, beautiful birds live their lives in wetlands all over Victoria and the Victorian Labor government has again allowed, supported and promoted another season of duck shooting.

This cruel, barbaric and inhumane slaughter of native wildbirds must be banned forever. This video taken on the first day of the 2021 Duck Shooting season shows very clearly why? This little duck was alive, grabbed by a dog and then the sadistic shooter held the little duck while the dog savagely ripped it apart. It is beyond belief how anyone could commit this atrocity on another living being and just for ‘fun’.

This little duck will never see another sunrise or sunset and you can hear the little duck crying as its life ends so horrifically.

I am writing on behalf of all the ducks and their chicks who will be subjected to this killing spree until June 14. The adult ducks who are killed will leave chicks to die a long and agonising death as a result of starvation.

Duck shooting must be banned forever and the only way to achieve this is for compassionate, caring, intelligent and educated people to stand up for what they believe in, raise their voices and demand change.

These native water birds live in wetlands and they should be havens for these gentle birds, not killing fields where they are slaughtered for fun.

Can you please post and share this video so that all your compassionate, caring supporters will be informed about this needless slaughter and hopefully take action. Once informed people can send an email, make a phone call to politicians and join with thousands of Victorians to Ban Duck Shooting Forever.

No compassionate, caring person could watch this video and not be horrified and appalled at how this little, gentle, defenceless duck ended its life.

The government should be promoting and supporting nature-based tourism in all these regional and remote areas as this will provide jobs, support small businesses and ensure the long term profitablity and sustainability for regional communities, all of which are struggling in today’s world.

Each of us has a voice and as shown by young people like Greta Thunberg and Malala we can change the world.

This special message is written on behalf of Davina Duck and her three children Dixie, Dee and Dilley and all voiceless and defenceless native waterbirds and wildlife.

Ban duck shooting forever.

— Barbara Devine

CONTACT LIST FOR POLITICIANS

Please contact your Victorian Labor MPs in both the Lower and Upper Houses of Parliament (you can find their details here — https://parliament.vic.gov.au/about/electorates), send them the link to the above footage (https://www.duck.org.au/breaking-news/) and ask that they immediately ban this obscenely cruel ‘sport’. Insist that duck shooting be included in the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions — whether 5km from home or not.

Killing for the sake of killing is not ‘sport, recreation or fun’.

Minister for Agriculture, Mary-Anne Thomas,
reception.thomas@minstaff.vic.gov.au / phone: 8392 2261

Minister for the Environment, Lily D’Ambrosio,
lily.dambrosio@parliament.vic.gov.au / phone: 9637 9504

The Acting Premier, Hon. James Merlino,
james.merlino@parliament.vic.gov.au / phone: 9651 1222

PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING

Remind these politicians of the Vision and Purpose of their Animal Welfare Action Plan as they have obviously never read the Plan or it was simply a PR exercise and lots of spin.

Vision: A Victoria that fosters the caring and respectful treatment of animals.

Purpose: To ensure Victoria continues to improve animal welfare and is well respected globally for animal welfare practices.

The Humane Society International has publicly condemned the Victorian Labor government:

“Allowing this activity to continue would be an affront to conservation and contravene the commitments made in Victoria’s Animal Welfare Action Plan, tarnishing the stated aim for Victoria to be respected globally for its animal welfare practices.”

“The love of all living creatures is the most notable attribute of man.” — Charles Darwin

The post Victorians: Urgent Plea For Help appeared first on Australian Wildlife Protection Council.

Victoria Archives - Australian Wildlife Protection Council

Wildlife Carers Quitting After 30 Years Due To Delwp’s Hostility Towards Kangaroos

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Victoria Is Definitely Not The Place To Be If You Are A Bird Or A Kangaroo!

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CLIMATE CHANGE

NUMBER CRUNCH – COMPARISONS

IMPACT OF KANGAROO PET FOOD TRIAL AND SUBSEQUENT TRADE IN WILDLIFE

ATCWS FOR AUSTRALIAN WILDLIFE IN VICTORIA

VICTORIA: COMMENTS ON SPECIES MACROPODS

RED KANGAROO

EASTERN GREY KANGAROO

WESTERN GREY KANGAROO

WALLAROO

FLYING FOXES

PARROTS

WOMBATS

WHAT THE VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT SAYS TO THE PUBLIC

WHAT THE VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT HAVE SAID TO ME IN VARIOUS CORRESPONDENCES

2) I note there are no Koalas on any of the listings – under what authority have these been culled? For example 686 Koala in 2013/4. Is the government providing other different types of permits, which allow landholders to destroy wildlife?

3) How are the activities supervised and followed up? How many officers are involved in this process?

4) How many prosecutions have there been for non-compliance and acts of cruelty?

5) How many ATCW applications have been rejected in the period 2009-2017?

6) Why has the annual rate risen so sharply?

7) What species are off the list in terms of not requiring an ATCW to destroy them?

8) Are there any regional differences in Victoria relating to the control of wildlife?

9) In the recent Macropod survey why was the Wallaroo, given its status, not included in the survey – surely it is critical to monitor the circumstances of this species? Or did this species just get caught up in the general count?

Urban Sprawl Threatens Southern Brown Bandicoots — Western Port Bay, VIC

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Ecologist Hans Brunner:

Bandicoots, the problems and the answer.

Breaking News: VIC Govt Lifts Moratorium

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Three Days At A Border Fireground (VIC, NSW)

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My first expression of what I saw at Corryong:

Longing for life

Sometimes Sad And Unfair Things Happen (VIC)

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Historic Court Win (vic) For Threatened Possum, Regional Forests Agreements

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AWPC has learned:

This is huge and sets a national precedent!

We echo the sentiments of our client, Friends of Leadbeater’s Possum below:

State Of Play: Wildlife In Victoria

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Country People: Shut Down Victoria’s Bird Shoot

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Calls for immediate shut down of bird shoot due to “uncontrollable” lawlessness and health risks

Victorians: Urgent Plea For Help

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Dear Wildlife Protectors

CONTACT LIST FOR POLITICIANS

PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING

VICTORIA: COMMENTS ON SPECIES
MACROPODS