Tasmania's Wallaby Massacre

MARIA ISLAND

Since 1992 the Tasmanian NPWS has been slaughtering tens of thousands of wallabies and Forrester Kangaroos on Maria Island in the name of animal welfare and environmental protection.

However an FOI investigation into these culls revealed that the NPWS has little interest in animal welfare or environmental protection. Veterinarian reports on the cull in 2006 revealed that wallabies were killed inhumanely and left to die from body and chest wounds. Joeys were left in their pouches after the mother was shot, and would have died a slow and painful death from hypothermia and dehydration. Post-mortems also revealed that NPWS had failed to provide water or food for the animals on the island, during drought, despite being a captive population.

These acts are in clear breach of the Animal Welfare Act Tasmania

FOI material obtained from Tasmania's NPWS also revealed that despite the justification for the culls being to protect and enhance vegetation on the island, not one botanical study had been conducted since 1995 to assess the effects of killing. Nor has there been any attempts to revegetate the island, or trial contraception or non lethal management.

In 2010 the Australian Society for Kangaroos offered the Tasmanian NPWS volunteer veterinarian assistance to vasectomise the entire male kangaroo and wallaby on the island in an effort to initiate long term, economical and humane population management. However to this day, they have failed to accept our offer.

Please see the MEDIA REPORTS section for further information on this issue.

Forrester Kangaroos Tasmania

Information obtained through Freedom of Information by Australian Society for Kangaroos, revealed that the estimated population of Forrester Kangaroos, which are unique to Tasmania, had been all but wiped out by landholders under permit obtained from Tasmania's Department Primary Industries and Water. Population estimates conducted for 20 years on Forrester Kangaroos revealed that only 20,000 of these unique animals remained in Tasmania in 2000. Consequently they were supposed to be part of a conservation program designed to protect them from extinction. However government data shows that landholders have been killing around 5000 annually since 2003.

Australian Society for Kangaroos will continue to investigate this disturbing state of affairs.

Tasmanian Wallabies

Every year, the Tasmanian DPIW gives landholders permits to kill 1,000,000 wallabies. This is despite reports from farmers, in the Alternatives to 1080 Newsletter, that wallaby proof fencing is a viable and economical alternative to killing.

YOU CAN LODGE YOUR OPPOSITION TO THESE KILLINGS TO:

Tasmanian Premier
Lara Giddings
03 6233 3464
lara.giddings@dpac.tas.gov.au
http://www.premier.tas.gov.au/contact

Minister Environment Parks and Heritage
Mr Brian Wightman
Brian.Wightman@dpac.tas.gov.au
PH 03 63365221

The Mercury (Tasmanian newpaper)
mercuryedletter@dbl.newsltd.com.au