1500 kangaroos illegally killed in WESTERN AUSTRALIA in 2003!Approximately 15000 western grey kangaroos were illegally killed in Western Australia for the commercial kangaroo industry according to evidence given at an Administrative Appeals Tribunal hearing in Sydney last week. Reasons given were that there had been late and incorrect data entry. The evidence was given in an action brought against the Commonwealth Minister for the Environment and Heritage by the Wildlife Protection Association of Australia Incorporated, on the grounds that the Minister should not have approved the kangaroo management plans for 2003 for Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia as he had failed to address concerns about animal welfare. “A blunder of this magnitude coming to light only because we initiated this court case makes a mockery of Government claims that the industry is well managed and Government processes environmentally sound and transparent,” said Pat O’Brien, President of the WPAA.
“The commercial kangaroo kill is widely recognized as the largest slaughter of wild animals in the world, but in fact the kill is substantially greater than the official figures would indicate,” he said.
Evidence was given that there is no supervision at the time and place of shooting and no records kept of numbers of kangaroos injured but not killed. However, it is estimated that 1% of wounded kangaroos escape and 4% of carcasses arriving at the processor have been shot other than in the head. In a year when the total commercial kill is 3.5 million, this represents a total of 175,000 kangaroos where there has not been instant death. Moreover, given that approximately 40% of kangaroos shot are females, the majority with two dependent joeys, the actual kill numbers are greater than the records of kill numbers by 60-70% based on this factor alone. Counsel for the applicant submitted that the management plan for each state made no provision for the ex-pouch joeys through the code of practice. He also argued that the code of practice does not legally apply because the management plan applies only to those kangaroos taken for sale. In pouch joeys are routinely ripped from the pouch and decapitated, or bludgeoned to death. Occasionally they are shot. The joey at foot is normally left to starve or to meet death by predation. There is no record of numbers of joeys killed or left to starve. “The community as a whole is not aware of the callous cruelty involved in the commercial killing of kangaroos,” said Mr O’Brien. “Nowhere else in the world are the young of wild animals treated with such blatant disregard for their suffering. “With the support of other organizations we are fighting to end the cruelty and the suffering to this unique and beautiful species.” Mr O’Brien said that the Administrative Appeals Tribunal action was supported by the Australian Wildlife Protection Council, the World League for Protection of Animals, Animals Australia and the NSW Animal Societies Federation and the National Kangaroo Protection Coalition consisting of 22 Australian Groups. Media Release WLPA
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