Kangaroo and wallaby Newsletter Archives 6!
Kangamail 20/6/05 The deadline for submissions to the Tasmanian Governments proposal to commercially shoot wallabies and bettongs on Flinders and King Islands close on Monday 27th June. Many wildlife groups will be lodging submissions of opposition. If you don’t feel up to writing a long submission, even a short letter opposing this disgraceful proposal is useful. The proposal is pretty hard to find on their website, probably on purpose, (they list it under biodiversity?) the URL is
The postal address is; The Director, Sustainable Wildlife Industries, Department of the Environment and Heritage, GPO Box 787, Canberra ACT 2601, and the email addy is wsm@deh.gov.au King Island Council
PO Box 147
Currie, King Island,
Tasmania 7256
03 64621177
kicouncil@kingisland.net.au
General Manager Flinders Island Council PO Box 40, Whitemark, Tasmania 7255 (03) 6359 2211 flinderscouncil@trump.net.au mailto:flinderscouncil@trump.net.au ******************************************** Our fundraising kangaroo book, “Kangaroos, our Gentle Aussie Icons” now has a standalone web page with some photos on it at http://www.wildlifeprotectaust.org.au/Book.htm
******************************************** That really was 3-foot kangaroo wandering around outside of Charleston Vancouver the last several months. The small male kangaroo comes out mostly at night or in the early morning, officials said. He makes appearances in backyards and on the county's rural roads. "People will call in and say, 'I swear I'm not drunk or on drugs, but I just saw a kangaroo,"' state conservation officer Clyde Armstead said Thursday. The first person to report seeing the kangaroo called 911 one week after Christmas, saying the animal was in their yard. "The dispatcher thought someone was celebrating New Year's early," Armstead said. Some think it may belong to the owners of an exotic animal farm in nearby Evans. "I spoke to someone who doesn't want to claim it," Armstead said. "So I don't know if it has a name. But he does admit to having other kangaroos." WFTV.com ******************************************** The Department of Conservation and Land Management is testing a contraceptive on tammar wallabies on the Abrolhos Islands, off Western Australia's mid-west coast, amid concern the growing population is destroying native vegetation. The tammar wallaby population at North Island has been increasing uninhibited because there are no carpet pythons, which help to control numbers on other islands. The department's Anthony Desmond says the limited options available to reduce the wallaby numbers include a process similar to the contraceptive pill. He says 80 wallabies have had the pill implanted and it should stop them breeding for two years. "It's part of an Australia-wide process because this sort of thing does occur with other endangered species where you don't actually want to cull the species, but you want to keep their breeding capacity down a bit," he said. "So it's an experimental process, it's the first time it's been used in the wild, it's been used in field...trials, but it hasn't been done in the wild." *ABC Ed Comment; this is a real risky business. Macropods control their own populations depending on food resources. I have no confidence that any government department would have the ability to run a contraceptive program with any degree of care or intelligence. While one person may be skilled and cautious in his or her approach, the system within government is so poor that there would be no guarantees that good management would continue. It would be very easy to push a contained population of macropods over the edge. In a contained population there is no ability to introduce new blood to bolster the gene pool. If numbers became too low, it may look as though the contraceptive control works okay…..for a while. But what about a few generations on? Macropods manage their own populations very well, they’ve been doing it without any help from us for hundreds of thousands of years. ******************************************** SPRAWLING green pastures scattered with kangaroos and emus is something you expect to see in the countryside - not in the heart of Sydney. These photos reveal a two-storey version of Noah's Ark that will house various native Australian animals and natural fauna at Darling Harbour. Although it has caused a split in the community, with some saying it would stop tourists from travelling to Taronga Zoo, consent was granted in June by the NSW Government to Sydney Aquarium for the construction of the private zoo. The Australian Animal World zoo project will join a number of parks located in the centre of major cities such as London, New York, Rotterdam, Tokyo and Berlin. The 7000sq m zoo proposal features an open upper level for a nocturnal habitat display.
It will be covered by a wire mesh roof to keep out unwanted animals and will contain a semi-arid grassland area for the exhibition of larger Australian animals including emus, wallabies and kangaroos. The natural flora surroundings will also include 6m-tall trees, waterfalls and a rainforest. The ground level will showcase displays of reptiles and spiders and will be home to the vet surgery and animal food storage. The proposal says the animals will be herded into a soundproof enclosure during fireworks exhibitions. Adjacent to the animal habitat will be a six-storey administration block to provide office space for the supporting functions of both the Sydney Aquarium and the proposed zoo. The Darling Harbour zoo will encourage some of its animals to breed but it will not have a program nearly as extensive as Taronga Zoo, which has bred rare animals including green and golden bell frogs, platypuses, yellow-footed rock wallabies, regent honeyeaters and yellow-bellied gliders. Sydney Aquarium chief executive James Fulford said he did not believe Taronga Zoo would be badly affected. "We will be 100 per cent native animals, attracting overseas visitors, while Taronga Zoo has mainly exotic species attracting domestic visitors," Mr Fulford said. "It will bring new life and revenue to the Darling Harbour precinct and encourage tourists to allocate more time to Sydney versus competing interstate destinations. "As well, we're not convinced it's a Government's job to protect its facilities from competition." It is expected to be open in July 2006. *SMH Ed Comment; Along with many other groups we opposed this, partly because the Aquarium already has significant animal welfare issues it cant deal with. It’s also hardly appropriate that our wildlife be contained in this sort of facility. However, obviously some money has changed hands, and it’s been okayed. We will keep an eye on it. ******************************************** Book Launch 13/6/05 Yesterday I was Gobsmacked. It doesn’t happen very often but yesterday it really did! We had the launch of our new fundraising book “Kangaroos, our Gentle Aussie Icons” at Australia Zoo. We started off with a very pleasant morning tea for 30 or so invited guests. I gave a little talk about the book, and Nicole from the Zoo spoke about the need to protect our native animals and the potential for wildlife watching tourism. We were advised that although Terri couldn’t get to the morning tea, she would be in the Australiana Shop to sign purchased copies of the kangaroo book after lunch. When the time came for the signing, unexpectedly both Steve and Terri arrived! Steve shook hands with me, and wanted to buy a book. Then he realised he never had any money on him, so he asked Terri to pay for it, which she did, and he wanted me to sign the book especially for him! Talk about Wow! So we three sat there and signed books that people had purchased. I had seen this sort of appearance at the Zoo before, but this was the first time I had been closeup and involved. There must have been 4 or 5 thousand visitors at the Zoo, and it appeared they were all trying to get into the shop at once to see Steve and Terri. They are a very charismatic couple, and talked to the kids as they bought up their books to be signed, asking them where they came from, and chatting with them. It seemed as though thousands of digital camera flashes were going off, as proud Mums and Dads took photos continually. Kids were invited to stand beside us, so they could get photos of them with all of us. Many were from overseas, and the kangaroo book will be their most prized and talked about possession for many years. The gathering quickly became bigger as the word spread that Steve and Terri were in the shop. It’s a huge shop, but the 30 or so security and staff had trouble controlling the crush, and eventually the shop doors had to be closed to allow those inside to be able to have their book signed. Crowds outside jostled to take photos through the glass windows. Now I know why they don’t make these appearances very often, they are so popular that crowd control is very difficult. Eventually the last book was signed and then Steve and Terri, surrounded by Security and Staff, disappeared as quickly and unobtrusively as they had arrived, and everything returned to normal. They are truly superstars, consummate ambassadors for wildlife, and absolutely our most active and well known Wildlife Warriors. Thanks Steve, thanks Terri! And thanks Nicole, Sally and the rest of the Zoo staff! *Pat O’Brien ******************************************** Shooting People taking part in this year's King Island pheasant hunt are being warned to check if 1080 poison has recently been laid on the property they are hunting on. Sixteen King Island properties have recently participated in laying a large amount of poisoned carrots. President of the King Island Game Bird Association Nigel Burgess says more then a 100 people have registered for the event which is an 80-year-old tradition. "There's been extensive 1080 poisoning here, so we're recommending that the shooters check the property their on because dogs are very susceptible to poisoning from the wallaby carcasses," he said. *ABC ******************************************** The Federal Member for Braddon, Tasmania, Mark Baker MP, in a Press Release, has branded animal rights activists who have called for a boycott of King Island produce an ‘extremist bunch of self-righteous, ill-informed bullies’. He warned that they run the risk of being sued for compensation if their “deceptive and misleading statements cause harm to producers”. His spluttering has been responded to in an exceptional letter back to him by one of our Tasmanian allies, which is reproduced below his waffle. Animal rights activists an ‘extremist bunch of self-righteous, ill-informed bullies’ The Federal Member for Braddon, Mark Baker MP, has branded animal rights activists who have called for a boycott of King Island produce an ‘extremist bunch of self-righteous, ill-informed bullies’, and warned that they run the risk of being sued for compensation if their deceptive and misleading statements cause harm to producers. Mr Baker said he was disgusted that animal rights activists were targeting King Island producers over the use of 1080 when it was used by farmers throughout Australia and quite heavily in New Zealand. “Clearly, King Island is seen by these extremists as a soft target because its brand is well known around Australia, and indeed internationally,” he said. “However, anyone who has visited King Island will know that it has a major problem with wallabies. “They are literally in plague proportions with an estimated population well into the hundreds of thousands, and if they are not effectively controlled then they will run farmers out of business - which ironically seems to be the same aim of these animal rights activists. “I very much doubt, however, that this extremist bunch of self-righteous, ill-informed bullies has ever visited the island or even spoken to a farmer about why they are forced to use 1080. “Do they even realise that, if left unchecked, the wallaby population will eventually grow to the point that not only will farmers be devastated, but the animals themselves will suffer the more agonising and slower death of starvation? “Local farmers will tell you that where costly wallaby-proof fencing has been erected they have found literally hundreds of animals starved to death along the fence. “Is that really a more humane method of wallaby control?” Mr Baker said calls by extremist animal rights activists for a boycott against King Island produce could backfire. “Not only is it grossly unfair to target the entire island because a small number of farmers feel that they have no choice but to use 1080, but those advocating a boycott are also running the risk of being sued for compensation if their deceptive and misleading statements cause harm to producers,” he said. “In our country, these extremists have every right to have their say, no matter how ill-informed they may be, but they should remember that others have legal rights too.” - Ends - To: Mark Baker MP Federal Member for Braddon Dear Sir, Thank you for your reply with the attached media statement. It is so larded with epithets, inaccuracies and insulting language - Is it a Hansard excerpt? In a rapidly changing world, politicians (especially those who refer to those they don’t agree with as “ill-informed bullies”) need constantly to upgrade their knowledge base. It is absolutely foolhardy to make media statements pertaining to 1080 baiting and the commercial hunting of native wildlife, before you familiarize yourself with all the relevant information. These issues are now being discussed across Australia and internationally. Attitudes to the ecosystem, including wildlife, that were acceptable last century are now insupportable. You rhetorical question “Do they even realise that, if left unchecked, the wallaby population will eventually grow to the point that not only will farmers be devastated, but the animals themselves will suffer the more agonising and slower death of starvation?” reveals ignorance of the zoology, geology, ecology and history of the Bass Strait islands. Marsupials have lived in Australia, in balance with their environment, for 200 million years without over-populating or dying of starvation. All macropods have unique abilities to regulate reproduction in accord with the food and water available (embryonic diapause.) Wallabies have lived on King Island, in balance with their environment, for the 12,000 years since Bass Strait islands (and Tasmania) were separated from the mainland by rising sea levels. The only animal that does not live in balance with its environment is ‘homo sapiens’ i.e. humans. In the very short period of time since farming began in earnest on King Island (less than 60 years, with the soldier settlement scheme after the second World War) over 70 percent of the native vegetation has been cleared, millions of indigenous animals have been slaughtered, the frequency of fire incidents has increased and the ecological balance of the island has been destroyed. You state it is “grossly unfair to target the entire island because a small number of farmers feel that they have no choice but to use 1080”. If you had checked with the relevant DPIWE officers you would know that (1) Most K.I. cattle/sheep farmers applied for 1080 permits but only 16 were granted (a small number of farmers?) (2) These 16 laid over 100 kms of poison baits - enough to kill 100-200,000 wallabies, pademelons and anything else that ate either the baits or the poisoned carcasses - ninety per cent of which were not recovered or disposed of. (3) DPIWE warned the K.I. farmers if they went ahead with the wholesale slaughter of native wildlife it could have adverse repercussions nationally and internationally - particularly since they don’t mesh-fence (”they have no choice but to use 1080”) their exotic pastures that increase the wallaby population. So who is making the island stink in the nostrils of the world? Did they think nobody would notice? Its impossible to hide anything from the media in the 21st century. The world is changing so rapidly that most politicians have been left standing. Ecotourism is now the fastest growing sector of the Tasmanian economy. Travel destinations completely changed in the last few decades of the 20th century. Diseases such as AIDS, SARS, avian flu, tsunamis, the collapse of the USSR, political unrest and terrorism changed the tourism industry. Much of the old world, the Middle East, Africa and the Orient is considered too dangerous for a pleasant vacation. Travellers looking around for a clean, green, safe but interesting place, preferably English-speaking, see Tasmania as a holiday haven. In the 12 months to December 2004 visitors to Tasmania increased by 8% and each of them spent more money, up to the total of $1.080b. That growth has continued this year - but if the state and federal governments endorse the destruction of Tasmanian wildlife, Tasmanian forests and other native habitat the repercussions will soon adversely affect this lucrative ecotourism industry.
“Our greatest wildlife tourism asset is the beautiful landscapes in which our animals live,” said Tourism Tasmania Chief Executive Rob Giason at the launch of The Wildlife Tourism Strategy 2005 on 27 May. Research found that 90 per cent of tourists want to see Tasmanian wildlife in its native habitat. Not in a zoo and not on a plate. This joint industry/government strategy recommends the development of outstanding wildlife viewing opportunities at “Great Wildlife Sites.” The islands of the Bass Strait are unique wildlife sites. Wildlife tourism already employs more than 4000 Tasmanians and by 2007 the tourism industry aims to employ 27,000 people in Tasmania. This month Tasmania’s Bay of Fires area has been named the second most beautiful beach in the world. The accolade has come from leading travel magazine Conde Nast Traveller which stated that “the beauty of the bay was in its untouched wilderness, dramatic landscape, ecology and wildlife.” You urge me “to become better informed about the issue from the point of view of farmers.” How many farmers live on the island? The total population of King Island numbers 1775 men, women and children. A small minority of these are engaged in farming and many of these businesses, particularly dairies, are marginal. Most of the sheep are gone because wool-growing has proved to be not viable. Historically, commercial farming on the Island has proven to be unsustainable, unless supported by the public purse. Meanwhile there has been no industry or public investment in pursuing methods that would allow farming to co-exist with the ancient indigenous wildlife. Although TIAR research has shown that mesh fencing of pastures cost-effectively controls browsing by wallabies K.I. farmers do not use this non-lethal strategy. The island settlers have always treated its unique wildlife as vermin. In times past they massacred whales, seals and shearwaters (muttonbirds.) Today everyone agrees that is not acceptable. But every year Island farmers shoot and poison tens of thousands of native animals. This continuing destruction of Tasmania’s wildlife and its habitat, on the Bass Strait islands and on the mainland, makes no sense to any enlightened person. The damage wreaked is well on the way to destroying one of the most unique ecosystems on the planet. Any product that is the result of such destruction will soon become just as unacceptable to the consumer, nationally and internationally, as Nike produced by child labour. In the recent parliamentary debate on the use of 1080 on King Island the Environment Minister Judy Jackson said “Tasmania is the only place in the world that poisons its native wildlife.... It is not a good look." Liberal primary industry spokesman and farmer Jeremy Rockcliff, who uses mesh fencing, said “I have not found it necessary to use 1080.” Unsustainable practices and outdated political policies, not animal activists, “will run farmers out of business.” Your political stance encourages KI farmers to self-destruct. You write “I make no apologies for standing up for the people of my electorate.” Why do you support the short-term interests of a few inefficient K.I. primary producers at the cost of the long-term interests of the rest of Tasmania? When outmoded business practices are encouraged by ill-informed politicians, boycotts are superfluous. Attached are news reports on boycotts by Tasmanian farmers. Can I expect to see you responding in the media to these activists who are planning to boycott many Australian-owned small business franchises? Will you call them “ an extremist bunch of self-righteous, ill-informed bullies.” Will you publicly reprimand “those advocating a boycott that they are running the risk of being sued for compensation if their deceptive and misleading statements cause harm to producers. In our country, these extremists have every right to have their say but they should remember that others have legal rights too.” Or is you righteous anger too selective? Ecotourism is the sustainable way utilize the resources of the Bass Strait islands, an economically responsible way to invest public money and a viable way to provide the residents with ethical, long-term employment. These unique Islands could appeal to the same high end of the international market that will soon be flocking to the Bay of Fires. There is already one ecotourism venture on Flinders Island targetting stressed executives who fly their own Lear jets in from the USA. You can find out more about it at www.healingdreams.com.au
You’re new to the backbenches of parliament but you will find that its a better career move to come up with creative solutions to problems rather than to issue clichéd, knee-jerk media releases.With regards, Brenda ******************************************** Research Notes about the health risks involved in eating kangaroo meat.
Refer this recent article: Australia is the only developed country which has failed to eliminate the eye disease trachoma. The infection disappeared from white Australia 100 years ago but was still rife in a number of Aboriginal communities, Professor Hugh Taylor, of Eye Research Australia, said yesterday.· The Daily Telegraph, Pg 11 10 Jun 2005 <">http://www.rehame.com/printclips/2005-06-10/NSWDAITEL/P6355984.pdf> ">http://www.rehame.com/printclips/2005-06-10/NSWDAITEL/P6355984.pdf>">http://www.rehame.com/printclips/2005-06-10/NSWDAITEL/P6355984.pdf>
My note: However, in the case of our own aboriginals ....game meat such as kangaroo carries toxoplasmosis
Refer these articles:
1. "Toxoplasmosis can injure unborn babies and those with low immunity and first infection during pregnancy can harm foetal eyes and brain. Dr Taylor said that while toxoplasmosis was not considered a major public health issue he did not want to downplay the hazard.
Cases in other states have been linked with undercooked cooked roo meat he said. Dr Obendorf says some cases may be going unnoticed by doctors Making it notifiable would mean monitoring any increase in illness caused by the parasite."
Diseases in Kangaroo Meat
<http://www.awpc.org.au/kangaroos/book_files/diseases.htm>
by Dr. David Obendorf, BVSc (Hons), B(An)Sc, PhD (Melbourne) Chairperson, Wildlife Advisory Committee, Australian Member of the Scientific Advisory Board to the International Animal Health Body, (OIE) Paris (Office des Internationale Epizootes), Wildlife Pathologist with over 20 years experience in the parasites & diseases of Australian native fauna.
Kangaroos and wallabies can harbour a wide range of parasitic, bacterial, fungal and viral diseases and the majority of infections are unapparent (i.e. animals appear normal). Even meat inspection procedures are unlikely to detect some infections unless gross lesions are detected or routine samples are taken for microbiological and pathological testing.
Worldwide, it is recognised that so-called 'game meats' are a source of these infections for hunters, processors and consumers, especially when care is not taken while eviscerating and handling the carcasses or when the meat from these animals is served undercooked or raw. Trichinosis, cysticercosis and toxoplasmosis are examples of parasitic zoonoses (i.e. diseases transmissible from animals to humans).
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TWO rare wallabies have been found with babies, boosting hopes of a successful mainland reintroduction program. Ten tiny Tammar wallabies were reintroduced into South Australia's Innes National Park, at the tip of the Yorke Peninsula,
from New Zealand last November.
Four were killed by foxes earlier
this year and two others also died.
SA Environment Minister John Hill today said two of the surviving wallabies had recently been discovered with offspring in their pouches and there were high hopes for the survival of the fledgling colony."This is a fantastic sign," Mr Hill said.
"These creatures are so vulnerable - and we have already lost six of the original 10. "To have them starting to breed is a good sign for restoring this tiny native animal to the wild in SA." Mr Hill said 36 more wallabies had now been released into the park. The Tammar wallaby, once widespread in SA, was wiped out in
the early 1900s by foxes, hunters and land clearing and are now listed as "extinct in the wild".
However, the species was saved by former SA Governor Sir George Grey, who shipped a small number of the marsupials to
New Zealand's Kawau Island in 1870 to form part of his private collection. The numbers in New Zealand quickly swelled and they became regarded as pests, digging and grazing in foliage and destroying
native vegetation. *ABC
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Kangamail 4/6/05
Tomorrow on the 5th June the Clermont Lions Club is having an Charity Day.
We understand that as part of that function they are having a competition with prizes to shoot the heaviest pig, the heaviest kangaroo, the longest pig tusks ect. This is a form of trophy hunting, and in the case of the kangaroos anyway, is almost certainly illegal.
We just found out about this today. Please send an urgent email expressing your concern to the Premier and to
Premiers@ministerial.qld.gov.au
and to Environment Minister Desley Boyle.
ELGPW@ministerial.qld.gov.au ********************************************
Midweek Bytes, (WallabyBytes)
Sixteen King Island properties participated in a 1080 wallaby baiting program completed last week, in which a 15km line of poisoned carrots was laid. It is understood 1.2kg of 1080 was used on the island, with farmers under increasing pressure from wallaby populations some say are as high as 500,000. Others farmers say 200,000, some say 300,000.
Veterinary pathologist David Obendorf said in theory, the amount of 1080 used could have delivered a fatal dose to between 100,000 and 200,000 wallabies. "They have killed thousands of wallabies in a very painful manner. Only 10 percent of the dead animals will be collected, the rest will then be scavenged on by raptors and other carnivores".
Thousands of inpouch and expouch joeys will die of starvation and exposure. As well, 250 wallabies have been shot and sent interstate, presumably to test the markets for the sale of wallaby fur. We know that China is looking for fur for garments after the Federal government stopped the import of dog and cat fur trimming on clothing from Asia. *
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The 1080 drop of poisoned carrots to kill wallabies and pademelons on King Island received amazing media coverage. I did a quick grab with ABC Tassie radio, and from there it just blew up, with every local media source contacting the local groups for comment. Even the Melbourne papers ran with it.
According to our local allies;
Condemnation of 1080 baiting of King Island wallabies was featured on news programs on ABC radio and on Ch. 9 (WIN) and Ch 7 (Southern Cross) TV as well as being raised in Parliament at Question Time by the Greens. The wildlife groups now want to set up a 1080 Task Force, with a public forum held in Hobart to coincide with Animals Australia’s AGM in October.
After 3 years of Review, the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority has issued it’s Draft findings into the use of 1080 poison. As we expected, it is a whitewash, obviously heavily influenced by rural Industry lobby groups. The only changes recommended were to labeling the stuff! We haven’t finished with the 1080 issue by any means.
The groups are already suggesting strategies, and one of our members is finding some significant research papers about the effects of 1080. We probably need a 1080poison website. *
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Yesterday Environment Minister Judy Jackson in the Mercury said "Tasmania is the only place she knows of that poisons native species. The issue of 1080 poison had to be grappled with, she told a Budget estimates hearing yesterday. "Poisoning your native wildlife doesn't look good," she said. "It is a problem. It's something we've got to work on. We are working with farmers. "There will be some tough decisions."
She said she believed Tasmania was "the only place in the world that poisons our native wildlife". **
Ed Comment, She is partly right. Tassie is the only place that does it deliberately and openly, the other States do it when they aerial bait for wild dogs, then pretend it doesn't happen.
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The Commercial Kill Proposals.
Tasmania has made an application to commercially kill wallabies and pademelons from Flinders and King Islands. All the wildlife groups will oppose this application. We have 28 days to comment to EA, then they will think about it for a month or so, then approve it or not. Im inclined to think they will approve it, they have never rejected a macropod commercial kil before. The EA website URL’s are below.
Proposed Wildlife Trade Management Plans
Commercial harvest of Wallabies on King and Flinders Islands
Invitation to comment closes Monday 27 June 2005
http://www.deh.gov.au/biodiversity/trade-use/invitecomment/king-flinders-wallabies.html
http://www.deh.gov.au/biodiversity/trade-use/invitecomment/king-flinders-wallabies.html>
Two of the most glaring deficiencies are;
that they have no idea how many wallabies there are, they are just guessing through spotlight surveys, and they are using the old fable about killing wallabies to protect farmers grasslands and crops, when all the farmers have to do is put up adequate wallaby proof fencing.
They also intend to let the shooters use .22 rifles and shotguns. *
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There is talk amongst the groups of boycotting King and Flinders Island products too. I’ve already done that, and so have many others. If only 20, or 50, or 100 people stop buying King and Flinders Island products, over a week it means little, but over a year it’s a significant drop in revenue. It’s one of the most powerful tools we have to make an influence. Then the producers of local products may put some pressure on the farmers. Of course we have to tell the producers why we are not buying their products to be effective.
There are other issues here too.
There is an apparently thriving trophy hunting operation on King Island, they drive otherwise protected Cape Barren geese into a corner with 4 wheel motorbikes, flush them into the air, and shoot them! More about that below. On Flinders Island there is a mutton bird kill each year too. They drag the young chicks out the burrow, pull their heads off, and thread them on stick, take them home and eat them.
Flinders and King Islands also have an appalling history of aboriginal abuse from the sealers, who were themselves sourced from European waterfront bars and prisons. The sealers plundered the oceans, wiping out the local elephant seals, and raided the local indigenous tribes. Appalling atrocities were committed, including native girls abducted and taken away to be reluctant ‘wives’. Many of the sealer’s descendents are now King and Flinders Island farmers. *
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