Kangamail archives 26!==================================== Kangamail 27/4/07 ====================================
Aussie Kangaroo Activists Invade Russia! First report from the European anti-kangaroo kill invasion! We made the news. I'm surprised we got even this with Yeltsins funeral, however the first address has to do with the food industry which is good. The translation summary is that the reports are essentially a take from our press release and are very positive. For those who can read Russian the links are below. The photos and story are now on the Kangaroo Protection website at www.kangaroo-protection-coalition.com/kangaroo-meat-Europe.html http://www.dp.ru/msk/news/foodindustry/2007/04/25/215408/ http://www.nr2.ru/moskow/116492.html http://www.gazeta.ru/news/lenta/2007/04/24/n_1061201.shtml http://www.mospravda.ru/issue/2007/04/26/article6057/ http://www.hippy.ru/eco/aust/ http://ikd.ru/node/2774 Copy (Ctrl+c) and Paste (Ctrl+v) to your browser if you can read Russian. This one here has lots of piccies, http://www.hippy.ru/eco/aust/ http://getactive.peta.org/campaign/ca_kanga PETA have film on the hunting of kangaroos on the website below. http://getactive.peta.org/campaign/p2_kangarooskin?rk=o72LbS11tFlcW If you are a kangaroo shooter and you are reading this, we can understand if you feel a bit despondent. However we suggest that you perhaps consider selling your guns while the market is still reasonable, and purchase a camera. Think of the savings, no more bullets to buy, no more high diesel fuel costs, and you can stay at home nights with your family. Perhaps you'd also get enough to send your wife on a no doubt well-deserved holiday. ********************** Kangaroo meat exports have fallen off in the past month due to growing international competition and the high Australian dollar. Australia's biggest markets, Russia and Europe, are now opting to import South American beef over kangaroo. Ray Borda from Macro Meats says exports are at their lowest levels in three years, which has forced some processors to wind back their operations. "They've limited what they're doing because currently there's plenty of kangaroo around but the market's not very strong," he said. "Importers look for alternatives and currently the South American beef is a very good and very cheap alternative." Rural ABC ************************ Another Kangaroo Kill We sent out an email during the week about the following proposed kangaroo kill. What we didnt have at the time was the email addy of the dynamic local group, "Friends of Pooh Corner" website. Here it is; http://www.poohcorner.info and they have lots more info and photos on that page. A summary is below, please go to the FOPC website for more info. If you haven't emailed the Minister yet, this is just a reminder. :o) Urgent email to all WPAA email lists. "The RSPCA says it reluctantly supports a planned cull of kangaroos on land outside the Sir David Longland prison at Wacol in Brisbane's south-west. RSPCA spokesman Michael Beatty says about 6,000 kangaroos occupying the land are suffering from the drought and are causing havoc with passing motorists. He says the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would supervise the cull, which would reduce numbers down to the hundreds. Mr Beatty says the EPA should have acted years ago. "The situation unfortunately has been allowed to linger on and get out of control going back over a period of about 10 years," he said. "The EPA has done a number of population surveys during that time and each time the recommendation was that population control needed to be brought in." *ABC" Local residents have condemned a plan to cull about 6,000 kangaroos from bushland in Brisbane's south-west. The RSPCA has received complaints about the animals causing a traffic hazard near the Sir David Longland jail. But conservationist Nikki Parker says the decision should be reviewed. "We haven't been consulted with, the community hasn't been consulted with," she said. "I understand that no community groups in the area have been consulted with, and we believe that the kangaroos are hugely important to the local community." *ABC Here we go again! "Harvesting" and "cull" is bureaucratic doublespeak for KILL. Emails to WPAA from locals in the Wacol area suggest the numbers are nowhere near 6000 to 8000 as quoted in the media, and we doubt there would be that many kangaroos in the whole Southeast Qld corner. Together we all stopped the Nanango racetrack proposed kangaroo kill, we can do it again here. Please email the Minister at; EandM@ministerial.qld.gov.au and express your concerns. The issues are; * Kangaroo populations Australia wide (including Queensland) have never been so low, according to their own government data. Consistent drought, ongoing commercial and non-commercial shooting, and Climate Change have reduced kangaroo populations everywhere else in the State. * In the early 2000's the ACT government (not previously well-known for its affection for kangaroos) ran an enormously succesful media campaign against kangaroo road accidents. They also put up road signs saying "Give kangaroos a brake, and slow down!" The Queensland Governent could do the same. * Lower the speed limit on vulnerable sections of road. * Consider adequate fencing on some appropriate sections of road. * Implement mandatory wildlife corridors in strategic areas through development sites. The Government doesn't think twice about resuming land for Dams or Roadworks , why not land for wildlife? * Its been suggested that we need a sign on roadsides that gives more information, much like the Fire Danger sign that tells whether is is Low danger - High danger - Extreme danger for kangaroos/wildlife. Drivers become blase about the existing signs and just don't heed them. The signs don't tell us about habits or densities of kangaroos/wildlife or worst times of the day or any other information. * In Victoria trials are being done to reduce the speed limit from Dusk to Dawn in bad accident areas and asking for it to be policed heavily. It's disappointing that some groups that should know better are still calling for kangaroo kills. Killing wildlife should always be the last option, not the first. Please email the Minister at; EandM@ministerial.qld.gov.au and express your concerns. PS. Through FOI we are now minitoring all wildlife kill permits issued by QPWS, and in future we will reveal the details of all Permits issued. *****************************
27th April 2007 EPA responds to community pressure to do Wacol Roo Count. Today Friends of Pooh Corner welcomes the decision by the EPA to actually count the Wacol kangaroos before a decision is made to shoot them. On Friday 27th April the EPA will conduct a count using helicopters. However it is disappointing it took community outrage to expose the fact that the EPA did not know the size of the kangaroo population before the decision to shoot them. The Friends of Pooh Corner (FoPC) media update from Thursday 26th shows the obvious discrepancies in kangaroo numbers the EPA has previously presented to the public. It is disappointing in this day and age a government department has had to be pushed by the community into doing the research (count the Wacol kangaroos) before killing kangaroos. Friends of Pooh Corner completely disagrees with the statement made by the EPA media that animals are almost starving to death". Ric Nattrass, wildlife expert, who was trained to assess marsupial body condition at the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service says the kangaroos at Pooh Corner are in very good health. He has assessed every kangaroo that has had access to that has been killed on Wacol Station Road. "Any evidence of starving roos will show up immediately in the traffic victims." Ric Nattrass said. "All that I have examined are in excellent condition. " "A very large male had been killed on Wacol Station Road between Grindle Road Intersection and Airy Street. The body condition was excellent, but just how any driver could have killed such a large animal in a 60km/h zone remains a puzzle. Perhaps the 60kmh didn't apply to that driver! " In relation to kangaroos being hit on Wacol Station Road, this points to the need to manage the traffic rather than the kangaroos, and also stop the kangaroos from getting to the road with fencing. A decrease in kangaroo population will not stop kangaroos from being hit. Wacol Station Road needs kangaroo exclusion fencing and underpasses to make it safe for both motorists and kangaroos. *From Freinds of Pooh Corner ********************* 26th April 2007 Why has the government gone quiet on Wacol kangaroo killing? Public and media given misinformation on number of Wacol kangaroos by State government agency. Friends of Pooh Corner is asking the Environment Minister simply to answer some questions about the killing of kangaroos. Lets not use the word cull. This is the government planning to kill kangaroos. The community wants to know why the government is planning to kill kangaroos at Wacol. Given that there is no evidence of starving kangaroos; and given that killing some kangaroos will not stop others getting hit by cars, what is the governments justification? The EPA is silent. The Environment Minister is silent. The kangaroo population size is not known. Stateline on the ABC used the figure of 700 kangaroos (13/4/07, http://www.abc.net.au/stateline/qld/content/2006/s1896572.htm). The Sunday Mail states 6000 (22/4/07 p.38). A Channel Nine report said there were up to 8000 ( http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=262101). Friends of Pooh Corner believes there are approximately 1000. There has been misinformation spread about the number of kangaroos at Wacol. How can the public have any faith in the governments judgement when clearly they don't even know how many kangaroos there are? The EPA and Environment Minister appear to want the public to forget about the Wacol kangaroos so they can proceed with killing them. That won't happen, the community loves these kangaroos and Brisbane is lucky to have them. It is time the EPA recognises this and talks to the community. We also want the government to confirm whether or not the kangaroo killings have started. *From FOPC ********************** Animal rights activists say the kangaroo meat industry is putting kangaroos under threat by killing a large percentage of females and leaving joeys to fend for themselves. Animal Liberation says a two-year investigation of the kangaroo meat industry has uncovered a range of unsafe and unsustainable practices. Spokesman Mark Pearson says a delegation will now take the findings to Europe and Russia to raise awareness of what they claim is the decimation of the kangaroo population. Mr Pearson says 70 per cent of kangaroos killed are female. "Once you start killing females and getting over 40 to 50 per cent, you are having a devastating impact on the gene pool and the sustainability of that species," he said. And Mr Pearson says he hopes the report will help persuade key overseas markets not to buy kangaroo meat."They do not want to be part of supporting a ruthless industry and a barbaric industry such as this," he said. But the executive officer of the Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia (KIAA), John Kelly, has questioned the group's data. "Where these people are getting their data from - small sets which are manufactured to give the results which they wish," he said. Mr Kelly says all kangaroo harvesters are bound by a strict code of practice. "Every year the national parks authority in each state conducts an aerial survey of the kangaroo population to get an estimate of the population," he said. "Now this means that kangaroos are in fact one of the few animals in the world whose populations are monitored annually - we don't even do that for humans." *ABC ********************** Three kangaroos were mowed down by a car, then repeatedly battered in the head in a senseless attack at Bannockburn on Sunday night. At least one of the three kangaroos slaughtered by hoons, two with joeys in their pouches, was left to suffer for hours, the blood on its head still fresh at 9.30am yesterday. Carol Eagland of Teesdale Wildlife Rescue described the scene as the most horrific she had seen. ``It's the worst thing I've ever been to,'' she said. ``I went up to the Framlingham fires (where koalas perished) and it was worse than that. Just the extent of the injuries to these kangaroos. They had gone hammer and tong on the poor girls. They were horrific head injuries.'' The volunteer said one of the kangaroos (pictured) would have suffered all night, with thrash marks on the ground around it giving some indication to the agony the animal went through. ``The blood hadn't clotted when I went out this morning,'' she explained. ``It was still fresh blood coming out of the head wound.'' Mrs Eagland said she would raise the six-month-old joey which was found healthy in her mother's pouch but another younger joey discovered in another animal's pouch would not be so fortunate. ``It's only 150 grams and has a severely broken leg and will have to be euthanised,'' she said. Mrs Eagland said the sight of the kangaroos reduced her to tears. ``I cried. I was just absolutely devastated that somebody could do this to an animal and leave them,'' she said. Senior Constable Tony Milne of Bannockburn police said witnesses saw a vehicle chasing a mob of kangaroos in vacant land behind the Bannockburn estate between 8.30pm and 9pm Sunday. ``They saw it strike one and then the occupants have hopped out and clubbed it to death,'' Sen-Constable Milne said. He said he was outraged by the attack which happened on private land behind Davies St. ``This is new to Bannockburn, we have never had reports of anything like this before and we don't want this,'' he said. Mrs Eagland will have disrupted sleep for the next few months as she raises the six-month-old joey. She will feed it special milk she sources from Melbourne every four hours while it will sleep in a man-made pouch carefully heated to about 30 degrees. She thanked Sen-Constable Milne and Bannockburn resident John Dunning for helping her out and alerting her to the deaths in time for one of the joeys to be saved. The news of the attack on the kangaroos came as the Bracks Government revealed yesterday that it would provide the RSPCA with a $4 million boost over four years to support its role in protecting the welfare of animals. Minister for agriculture, Joe Helper said the money would increase the RSPCA inspectorate's capacity to cover the costs of enforcement, prosecutions and animal rescue. *Geelong Advertiser *************** MEAT eaters are paying up to $50 a kilogram to indulge in a crocodile steak and more than $20 a kilogram for a taste of rabbit or kangaroo. Demand for cuts once thought to be a cheap alternative to pork, beef and lamb is starting to boom. Butchers say meats such as baby pigeon, pheasant and venison also are in vogue. The Meat-ting Place butcher Paul Geiger said customers were paying up to $50 a kilogram for crocodile from Papua New Guinea, $45 a kilogram for New Zealand venison and $22 a kilogram for kangaroo. ``People are starting to buy more of it (game) because they're seeing it prepared in restaurants and want to serve it at home,'' Mr Geiger said. ``We're selling more venison and duck but demand for the other (types of game) is definitely increasing.'' He also sells emu, ostrich, buffalo, and baby pigeon. Prime Speciality Meats manager Matt Buswell said his customers paid up to $33 a kilogram for crocodile, equivalent to the price of some of the best beef cuts. ``Game meat is at the top-end of our market but there's definitely a market for it,'' Mr Buswell said. ``It's not mainstream yet and will never overtake the staple cuts.'' Mr Buswell said his English customers were particularly interested in pheasant and venison. At Brisbane restaurant Gianni's, patrons can dine on Flinders Island wallaby with apple and walnut chutney for $40 or New England rabbit with gnocchi and green asparagus for $43. Chef Damien Davidson-Kelly of Moo Moo, at the Gold Coast's Broadbeach, sells about 6kg of kangaroo a week -- about 30 serves. The dish is pan-fried kangaroo fillet with a crisp risotto and sage cake, and sells for $32. ``It's a good seller for us with everyone giving it a try because it's healthy and a bit different,'' Mr Davidson-Kelly said. ``I'm a big fan of it and rate it up there with some of the best beef you can buy.''*Courier Mail Editors Comment; this is one of several articles Australia wide that have appeared in recent weeks supporting the consumption of wildlife, including kangaroos. Yet its very difficult, if not impossible for us to get story up about why we shouldnt be eating wildlife. Restuarants run paid advertisments, so they get good coverage. **************** MACEDON Ranges residents are divided over how to manage rampant kangaroo numbers feeding near roads. A Leader survey last week, found 50 per cent of residents would support a controlled cull. More than 95 per cent said they had had a close kangaroo encounter in their cars. Kyneton panel beater Garry Skipdon said that over the past two years three cars a week had come into his workshop ``roo damage.'' Gisborne resident Brian Rice said there was a need for a ``controlled cull.'' ``There are too many around. We were close to all of those that were shot and mutilated two months ago,'' he said. ``People are taking matters into their own hands and shooting them. ``I would say a lot is being done by yahoos and is not in a safe and humane manner.'' Northern Region National Party MP Damian Drum called for an urgent ``commercial harvest'' of kangaroos in his electorate. ``The average landowner wouldn't be anywhere near as proficient with a gun as professional shooters,'' he said. ``Harvesting kangaroos would also produce both meat and skins that are in demand, create employment and economic activity in country Victoria and reduce the cost to both farmers and motorists of the damage caused by kangaroos.'' RSPCA chief scientist Dr Bidda Jones supported the move, saying a controlled cull by trained commercial shooters ``was more humane than by landholders.'' But Wildlife Victoria's executive officer Sandy Fernee said kangaroos were not in plague proportions. ``After 10 years of drought they are moving into areas where they were not previously seen,'' Ms Fernee said. Motorists could reduce the risk of hitting a kangaroo by slowing down, particularly between dusk and dawn. She said she hoped Victoria would remain free of kangaroo harvesting. ``Its an ethical responsibility, not just and economic decision,'' she said.*Sunbury Regional News **************** A petition signed by more than 1200 people was presented to Joanne Duncan, MP for Macedon, expressing concern about the way kangaroos are treated in Victoria. At present, the whole population is under threat due to random illegal shooting and licensed culling. Current practices of recreational shooting and kangaroo eradication are inhumane and ignorant of ecological impacts. In addition, we are in total disagreement with the operation of a commercial kangaroo industry in Victoria and in Australia as a whole. We have asked that the issuing of permits be thoroughly investigated and consideration given to preserving wildlife corridors when development takes place to ensure kangaroos and other wildlife are not trapped in urban areas. Victorians need to lobby politicians, spurn kangaroo meat in pet shops and supermarkets and be vigilant to cruelty of animals, reporting to police any suspicious shooting. Kangaroos need our protection before it is too late for them. Jean, Woodend. *Letter to the Editor in the above paper. ******************** Archives can be found at http://www.kangaroo-protection-coalition.com or www.kangaroosforever.com To subscribe to our weekly wildlife ezine, "Wildlife Bytes" send an email to info@wildlifeprotectaust.org.au With 'Subscribe Wildlife Bytes' in the subject line. Pat O'Brien, Coordinator, National Kangaroo Protection Coalition email; pat@wildlifeptotectaust.org.au http://www.wildlifeprotectaust.org.au http://www.kangaroo-protection-coalition.com http://www.kangarooslaughter.com *2005, The Year of the Kangaroo!*
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