CALL FOR INQUIRY INTO VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT DECISION TO BLOCK RESCUE TEAMS FROM FIREGROUNDS

May 2022: The Australian Society for Kangaroos is calling for a public inquiry into the Victorian government’s decision to block hundreds of highly trained wildlife volunteers from fire grounds after the catastrophic 2020 fires, preventing the rescue and euthanasia of potentially thousands of burnt and orphaned native animals.

Internal government documents obtained under a delayed and difficult freedom of information investigation has revealed that the Andrew’s government deliberately blocked highly trained wildlife volunteers from entering fire grounds after the catastrophic 2020 fires, leaving ­millions of mammals and birds to suffer prolonged and horrific deaths.

The documents revealed that despite significant public concern that animals were left to suffer, while hundreds of volunteers begged to able to help, they were deliberately and permanently blocked from accessing fire grounds and never called upon by the Victorian government to assist in the rescue and euthanasia of millions of fire affected wildlife in Victoria.

The call for an inquiry comes after Freedom of Information documents received by the Australian Society for Kangaroos revealed that just 270 animals were rescued from the entire fire grounds in 2020, and just 340 were euthanased, out of potentially hundreds of millions of native animals impacted, across hundreds of thousands of hectares of bush land.

The internal government documents revealed that just 340 animals, from potentially hundreds of millions of animals impacted, were put out of their misery, and just 270 were triaged for assessment. This included just 220 kangaroos/joeys that were put out of their misery and 10 kangaroos/joeys that were taken to triage.

This means hundreds of millions of animals and birds died a slow and painful death, while hundreds of volunteers stood by helplessly, denied access to do the job they were trained for by the Andrew’s government. This is a crime against nature and needs to be thoroughly investigated.

This cruel new policy by the Andrew’s government to block trained volunteers from rescuing animals is in stark contrast to the Black Saturday fires in 2009, when multiple wildlife groups and hundreds of volunteers worked alongside authorities and rescued thousands of animals.

We asked the minister for the reason for her decision and the evidence to support it, but she was unable to provide this.

According to internal documents, the Victorian government knew these fires had an extensive impact on native wildlife, but they denied this to the public and then deliberately blocked trained volunteers from helping them.

Here are just some of the comments from internal Victorian government documents detailing their response on the fire grounds, the horrific impact on wildlife and the significant distress reported to them from volunteers and the community.

“DEWLP understands the concerns members of the public have in relation to wildlife impacted by Victoria’s fires: The welfare of wildlife injured by fires is a key priority for the Victorian government. We have received many generous offers of help and support from organisations and individuals that is greatly appreciated at this time”.

Note: yet they refused to accept any help and left millions of animals to suffer needlessly.

“Access to fire ground restricted……. “
“The use of wildlife volunteers in fire affected areas is not supported by the ICC (IncidentControl Centre-DEWLP) because of safety”

Note: volunteers were never allowed access and were permanently blocked from entering the fire ground to help animals for months after the fires went out. This is despite a safe, co-ordinated response after the Black Saturday fires in 2009 when wildlife volunteers and organisations all worked together with the department to rescue and euthanase thousands of burnt and orphaned animals.

Further comments below from internal Victorian government documents:

“Concerns that wildlife groups and communities accessing fire grounds without permission to search for animals”.
“Significant uncertainty on the full impact to wildlife, but it is likely to be extensive”
“Reports from wildlife groups and carers about reports of large numbers of impacted wildlife have not been substantiated on the ground”.

Note: they deny access to trained volunteers and claims that large numbers of wildlife are impacted, then in another sentence admit that the impact is extensive.

“Their preference will always be to rehabilitate wildlife”.

Note: they deny claims they have a policy to euthanase all wildlife

Note: Yet their own department document quoted below clearly states that all dependent joeys and all large wildlife (kangaroos) that are injured and can’t be handled safely (kangaroos) are to be ‘considered for euthanasia’.

We have also referenced this disturbing government document below which recommends that kangaroos are not to be rescued and joeys to be euthanased:

‘Victorian Response Plan for Wildlife Impacted by Fire’- DEWLP 2018- Written by Anne Fowler

“an over abundant population with established health issues may require a closer consideration for euthanasia of compromised animals over treatment”.

Considerations for euthanasia:

General indications that an animal should be euthanised are:

• burns that cover more than 15% of the total body surface area (see Figure 4). This is likely to have occurred when most of the body hair is singed. For example, a koala with four feet burnt, top and bottom with burns to nose, chin and eyes evidence of severe dehydration suggestive of renal failure
• presence of an infectious disease
• broken limbs
• orphaned milk dependent pouch young
• genetic or other deformities

In addition, larger wildlife that are injured and cannot be handled safely.

Animals that require invasive or complex medical intervention or long term care should be euthanaised.

The Table below reveals just 227 kangaroos were euthanased and 10 taken to triage, out of hundreds of millions of mammals affected.
This was the total number of animals they helped across 200,000 hectares of fire ground.