Kangamail 23, kangaroo archives
Last AAT Appeal On the 28th February 2007, the Wildlife Protection Association of Australia lodged an Appeal with the Federal Administration Appeals Tribunal in Sydney, over the NSW 2007 to 2011 commercial Kangaroo Kill. We made application to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal seeking review of the decision of the Federal Minister for Environment, Mr Ian Campbell to declare the 'New South Wales, Commercial Kangaroo Harvest Management Plan, 2007-2011' (the Plan) an approved Wildlife Trade Management Plan on 19 December 2006 pursuant to section 303FO of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth). Note: This will be the last AAT Appeal we will ever be able to mount. Late last year (2006) the Federal Government amended the EPBC Act to prevent any interest group challenging the Ministers decision on wildlife management plans. If the Ministers delegate approves a wildlife kill plan (not likely), we can Appeal, but not if the Minister approves it! However there are options available to us under State and Federal legislation, but the costs are usually exorbitant.
This Appeal is all or nothing. We must have a good result, it's the last chance we have to secure a safe future for our kangaroos. More information about the Appeal can be found at www.kangaroo-protection-coalition.com/kangaroo-AAT2007.html ************************** Roos mob pets A pet pony trampled by "thirst-crazed" kangaroos has been injured so badly it has had to be destroyed. Dunolly farmer John Adamson said a group of 70 kangaroos stormed across his property this week, spooking his horses and trapping his two pet ponies against a fence, where they were trampled in the frenzy. One pony suffered severe lacerations, while the other was forced through the wire fence, severing a leg. As a result of the injury the pony had to be destroyed. Mr Anderson said the kangaroo problem on his property was getting out of hand, with herds of 60 to 70 roos regularly drinking from the dam and eating his livestock feed. "Two or three years ago you would be lucky to see 10, now they're here in groups every night. "It's the drought. If there's no food in the bush they're forced to leave, and unfortunately we're their lifeline at the moment," he said. Mr Adamson said it was no longer safe to walk near his dam because of the large male kangaroos which drink there. He said the roos were not afraid to approach people. Mr Adamson has been told kangaroos are a protected species and cannot be destroyed without a permit. His local council has advised that building a kangaroo-proof fence was the best way to keep the wildlife off his property. "We've got a lot of land, so to build a roo-proof fence would cost a huge amount," Mr Adamson said. "Something has to be done about them though – thinned out or culled." Mr Adamson said the ponies which were trampled had been in the family for 20 years. "They were our children's first pets and were part of the family really. "The ponies have never been apart from each other before. "We're really hoping the survivor, Zac, doesn't give up without his mate around." Mr Adamson's neighbour, Robert Jellet, was woken by two male kangaroos fighting outside his bedroom window about 3am one morning last week. "I had to get in the car and let the horn off and flash the lights to get them away. "They're running riot at the moment," Mr Jellet said. Wildlife Officer for the Department of Sustainability and Environment Bendigo, Shaun Burke, yesterday told The Advertiser the maximum penalty for destroying protected wildlife is $5000 or six months imprisonment. "If people are experiencing problems with wildlife they need to submit an authority to control wildlife permit," he said. "The case will then be assessed and the animal can be destroyed, or we will utilise other management strategies such as fencing or scaring techniques. "Destroying an animal is a last resort," Mr Burke said. *Bendigo media, March 2, 2007 ****************** Kangaroos in the US. They're probably the last things you'd expect to see in the foothills of the Northeast Georgia Mountains. "We have the largest collection of Kangaroos outside of Australia," says Facilities Supervisor Jeremy Maneyapanda. But here they are, more than 300 of them, hopping around the Kangaroo Conservation Center in Dawsonville. "Why are there kangaroos in Dawsonville?" you ask. "The climate and terrain here is very wonderful for these animals. It's nice and warm in the summer but not too hot. It's nice and cool in the winter, but not too cold," Jeremy says. Those are important factors and not just for tourism. This is one of the premiere kangaroo breeding centers in the world. "We do ship our animals all over the world -- as far as China and Japan, believe it or not," he says. Jeremy Maneyapanda helps keep the place running. He loves being around so many unique animals every day. He helps give tours, too, and says people are amazed by how the animals move. "The kangaroo is one of the world's fastest land mammals. They've actually been recorded cruising at speeds of about 55 miles per hour when they get started," Jeremy says. While kangaroos are the big attraction, there's other outback wildlife to see too. You can get up close and personal with Australian birds and even "Bearded Dragon" lizards. "We have some agile wallabies, which are extraordinarily rare in North America," he says. New this year are self-guided "walkabouts" through the park, and you can even go behind the scenes. "You can learn a lot more interesting details about how we care for our animals and what's involved in their care -- how they live and operate in the wild," he says. It's a slice of Australia here at home in Georgia. The "Kangaroo Conservation Center" starts its tour season this weekend. You have to call ahead to reserve a spot on a tour. *WNEG NewsChannel 32 http://www.kangaroocenter.com ****************** Government Funds Kangaroo Industry The RIRDC has received a range of applications for funding in kangaroo industry R&D projects for 2006/07. These are briefly described below. The Funding Committee will meet to discuss these and decide which projects they will invite to submit full proposals. From the full proposals it will be decided which projects will actually be funded using the industry levy funds. • Design and manufacture of a biodegradable tag for kangaroos. Handling and disposing of tags is a huge cost to the tanning sector. This project seeks to design a tag that will decompose during the tanning process. • Production of a kangaroo meat cook book targeting the home consumer. This has been put up by Penguin books who envisage the end product being a 150 page glossy cook book which they will distribute nationally. • Rationalising kangaroo industry entry. The kangaroo industry utilises a resource strictly limited by govt set quota. Yet there is no limitation on the numbers of players who can gain access to the resource. This project will look at how this issue is dealt with in other industries and recommend on a new model. • Ensuring on-going positive kangaroo industry PR. Countering the negative attacks on the industry and generating positive industry PR is an essential and continual need of the industry. This project would provide the resources to ensure this happens. • Extending kangaroo management zones. Kangaroos are not commercially harvested in Vic, the NT and parts of NSW and SA. This project would seek to extend Management Plans and commercial harvest to these regions. • Value adding kangaroo waste projects. This project argues that there are considerable value in many waste products of kangaroo processing such as cartilage. It would establish processing and marketing channels for these. • Attitudinal study into kangaroo use. This will focus on the domestic smallgoods manufacturing sector, which currently uses next to no kangaroo meat. In export markets however it’s recognised as a highly superior manufacturing meat. This project will attempt to identify why domestic manufacturers don’t use kangaroo. • Targeting the diet industry sector with kangaroo meat. Kangaroo is probably the healthiest red meat available. Let’s actively target the domestic diet industry this project argues. Ed Comment; Trying to defend the Indefensible! *********************** Skin only shooting in NSW In late 2005, the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service was besieged by demands from rural lobby groups to re-allow the skin-only shooting of kangaroos in NSW, which was banned in 1996. NSW NPWS then contracted a consulting company to review whether skin only shooting should be re-introduced. Amongst other reasons, the consultants recommended no skin-only shooting, stating amongst other reasons, that skin-only shooting was impossible to police. Rural lobby groups did not accept this report, and still demanded that skin-only shooting should be allowed. The consultants then produced another Report, an ADDENDUM, reinforcing their recommendations, a summary of which is featured below. This report contains significant and relevant information that will be of interest to those who oppose the commercial kangaroo industry, and the skin only shooting Industry in particular. At this point of time, Feb 2007, the NSW Government does not intend to re-introduce skin only shooting. Interestingly the report reiterates many of the issues of concern we have raised for decades. **************************** Shonky Research In 1998 the Rural Industries Research & Development Corporation funded a survey into promoting kangaroo pet meat and other Kangaroo Products called "Improving Consumer Perceptions." Obviously the survey was highly biased, leading questions were asked to get desired results. However it makes interesting reading, and can be found at www.kangaroo-protection-coalition.com/kangaroomeat-rirdc.html ************************* Queensland Law remains in the 19th Century Queensland will retain an old common law rule preventing motorists from suing farmers whose animals stray on to roads, causing accidents. Sixty years ago, Britain's House of Lords affirmed ancient England's law conferring this special immunity on livestock owners. But the rule -- which applied also in Australia -- was abolished in 1971. All states but Queensland took the same action.The Queensland Law Reform Commission then recommended abolition, State Parliament was petitioned to throw the law out, and MPs made passionate calls to end what is known as the ``Searle v Wallbank'' rule. Insurance companies cited the rule to avoid liability for personal and property damage and the motoring organisation RACQ said it recognised the impracticality of fencing all of Queensland's extensive pastoral holdings.But it also argued that people who were injured or suffered property damage from straying stock were entitled to compensation. It called on the State Government to frame appropriate legislation. But this week Attorney-General Kerry Shine said there were no plans to abolish the rule. ``There are arguments for and against the rule,'' he said. ``The department will continue to monitor the situation. ``I have had representations calling for it to be abolished and others who strongly support it. At this stage, I have no plan to recommend any changes to government. ``My concern would be the impacts on rural producers and farming families if the rule no longer applied. Farmers and graziers would face increased insurance premiums, and they would be exposed to claims that could not have been made.'' An RACQ spokesman said the organisation would like to see more of the details on which Mr Shine based his decision, and still believed there should be legislation. Crashes involving cattle were not common but were sufficient to suggest motorists should have a greater degree of financial protection. A spokesman for rural lobby group AgForce said Mr Shine had adopted the only practical course, considering the thousands of kilometres of unfenced roads in Queensland. Motorists should realise there were not just cattle but kangaroos and pigs when they drove in the bush. *Courier Mail
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