Eagles Shot

Wildlife authorities are investigating reports that protected wedge-tailed eagles have been illegally shot in the Yea (Victoria) area. The Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) says it has received several reports that the birds have been killed in recent weeks, possibly by landowners who have lost lambs to eagle attacks. Wedge-tails are Australia's largest bird of prey and they are fully protected under the Wildlife Act. A DSE spokesman, Darren Skelton, says anyone caught killing protected species can face heavy penalties. "There are significant fines or even imprisonment in some cases, so we'd like to hear from anyone who may have information about these alleged incidents," he said. "They can contact the DSE customer service centre on 136 186 and they can choose to remain anonymous if they wish. "I think most people in the community would find allegations of this nature pretty concerning, so in small communities, people who hear these type of reports most certainly contact DSE and let us know about them." *ABC

Seagulls

 In Tasmania, a kelp gull found with fishhooks inserted through its eyelids has prompted Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary owner Greg Irons to offer a reward of $1000 if the perpetrator is found and charged. The juvenile gull was found in Glenorchy and rushed to Montrose Veterinary Centre for urgent treatment. Mr Irons said the vet had done extremely well to remove the hooks without further injuring the bird. He hopes the reward might entice anyone who knows something about the cruel act to speak out. "I'd love to pay $1000 to see someone charged with that, it would be a pleasure," Mr Irons said. "We've seen some pretty sad cases but not fishing hooks through eyelids there's something drastically wrong with a person." He said the bird was underweight and showing signs of having had trouble feeding when it was brought in. "One eye is still badly swollen and it may lose that eye," he said. "It can be released with one eye." *Mercury

Quolls

 A late night encounter has resulted in the first confirmed sighting of a critically-endangered tiger quoll in over a decade. The Otway Ranges in Victoria's south-west are a known habitat of the carnivorous marsupial, but for the past 10 years no-one has been able to confirm if the species was still alive in the wild. Late last month Matt Morton heard a thud on the deck of his home in the region and went out to investigate. "There was a ginger and white spotted animal that sort of looked like an oversized possum," he said. "Then it slowly had walked up a couple of flights of stairs and as it got past the laundry it defecated in front of the laundry door. "Luckily we picked it up with a doggy bag and then placed it in the bin and we ended up missing the bin collection on Monday morning. So we were very lucky to have the scats still in the bin." The animal's faeces were collected and DNA testing has confirmed it was a tiger quoll. Lizzie Corke, the founder of the Conservation Ecology Centre at Cape Otway, has been trying to establish whether there is a surviving population of the animals for the past 18 months. "They are stunning animals, they're gingery-browny colour, covered in beautiful white spots right down their tails and across their bodies and they have the most divine little pink noses and very strong teeth," she said. "Completely carnivorous, they are our largest remaining carnivorous marsupial on the Australian mainland. "So they are very, very special and play a really important role in ecosystem." *ABC

Logging

 Documents released by the WA Environmental Protection Authority show the State Government is planning to increase logging in South West forests up to 20 per cent a year for the next decade. The figures are contained in a scoping document for the next forest management plan that sets out a blueprint for logging until 2023. It proposes to allow 10,000ha of native forest, an area 25 times the size of Kings Park, to be logged every year for the duration of the plan, up from the current average of about 8000 to 9000ha a year. Also released with the scoping document was the State Government's latest audit of the current management plan that showed the logging industry's continued failures to meet basic performance indicators, including effective dieback hygiene and water protection. The plans to increase native forest felling have outraged environment groups, who say the current level of logging is unsustainable and could lead to destruction of the forest ecosystem. Conservation Council of WA director Piers Verstegen said the plan would have a greater environmental impact than the proposed Margaret River coal mine. Logging was already affecting threatened species such as black cockatoos and numbats. "This outrageous proposal to increase logging could easily lead to the extinction of these unique animals," he said. The scoping document did nothing to address the breaches of logging guidelines highlighted in the audit. "The scoping document confirms that the Government has no intention of protecting the huge natural carbon stores in our native forests (or even assessing their value)," he said. Jess Beckerling, from the WA Forest Alliance, said the plans were "an absolute shambles" and amounted to a denial of the impact of native forest logging on native species. Conservation groups have launched an online campaign to urge the EPA to reject the new plan. *WA News

Reptiles

 In a recent scientific publication, 24 new species of lizards known as skinks, all found on the Caribbean islands, have been discovered and named. Each year, in dozens of scientific publications, approximately 130 new species of reptiles from all over the world are added to the global count. But, since the nineteenth century not more than 20 reptile species have been added at one time in any single publication. The research team responsible for the new discoveries examined museum specimens of the lizards. The team identified a total of 39 species of skinks from the Caribbean islands. However, Blair Hedges, lead researcher in the study and a professor of biology at Penn State, has concluded that of those newly discovered species, half may already be extinct, and that all of the other skink species on the Caribbean islands are close to or threatened by extinction. The researchers say predation by the mongoose is the primary cause for the loss of the lizards and the threat of their extinction. The mongoose is an invasive animal to this region that was introduced to the islands in the late nineteenth century by farmers to control rats in sugarcane fields. * RedOrbit Read more .. http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1112525074/newly-discovered-skink-species-already-close-to-extinction/

Crocodiles

 A large crocodile has been spotted in a Queensland river near Maryborough, in the first confirmed sighting that far south since the early 1900's. Rangers are preparing to trap the 3.5-metre saltwater croc, which was spotted by a commercial fisherman in the Mary River, about 250km north of Brisbane. The sizable reptile was sighted today on a mud bank about 2km from Beaver Rock boat ramp, opposite Brothers Island. Environment Minister Andrew Powell claims this is the first confirmed sighting of a crocodile this far south. But couriermail.com.au readers have disputed this claim, saying a crocodile was spotted in the Logan River in the early 1900's, in either 1903, 1905 or 1906. Rangers have arranged for a trap to be set for the hefty animal tomorrow morning. State government policy dictates that any crocodile seen south of the Boyne River in central Queensland is to be relocated to a crocodile farm or zoo. Mr Powell said the area where the reptile was seen is well upstream from swimming spots, but is used by fishers. He urged people to stay away from the area. A 2010 environment department survey examined 48 rivers and found no evidence of crocs between the Fitzroy River to the north and Maryborough, which lies west of Fraser Island. *Courier Mail * Ed comment; Contrary to the above report, there have been quite a few credible sightings of crocs in this area, including one seen on the Western side of Fraser Island.

National Parks Selloff?

 A Queensland ecologist is calling for a rethink of Australia's conservation strategy to combat an "extinction crisis". Professor Hugh Possingham, an ecologist from the University of Queensland and the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, says selling some of the country's national parks is one option. Australia has thousands of national parks and reserves, from the wilderness of the rainforests and deserts to the popular and busy beaches and rivers. Many are protecting vulnerable animals, birds and reptiles. The parks are designed to encourage conservation but Professor Possingham says funds from the parks could be better spent on more urgent ecological projects. "We are losing species very, very fast and we can't invest in every national park equally well," he said. "There are some national parks that deliver a bigger return, that are going to deliver more conservation outcomes per dollar than others. "Maybe some of those other national parks need to be managed in a much more cost effective fashion, and maybe they'd be better off managed by people other than governments." He says it is clear that Australia's ecological protection strategy is not working anywhere near as well as it should. * ABC Read more ... http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-05-07/ecologist-warns-of-australian-extinction-crisis/3995946?section=qld

 Peru Pelicans and Dolphins

 Peru is urging people to stay away from Pacific beaches because of continuing discoveries of dead pelicans and dolphins. The South American nation's Ministry of Health has issued the warning and it says it is trying to find the cause of deaths. Since February, some 877 dolphins and 1200 pelicans have washed up on Peruvian beaches for unexplained reasons. Local fishermen and restaurant owners say Saturday's warning hasn't had much effect on their businesses. It's the low-season for Peruvian beachgoers in any case. * AP

Marine Wildlife

 Send an email now to Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke, asking himn to protect our Marine Wildlife http://ccwa.org.au/content/send-email-minister-burke-asking-him-save-our-marine-life

AZWH Patient of the Week...Brown the Barn Owl

 Found At Kilkivan, west of Gympie, after being hit by a car. Transported to The Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital for specialised treatment and care. Veterinary Assessment: Dr Amber assessed Brown, who was underweight and had a wound on the right wing. X-rays revealed Brown’s no breaks in the wings, however the left leg had been shattered into more than three pieces. Treatment: Dr Amber operated on Brown, and inserted a pin and external fixation device into the leg to repair it. Brown was administered pain relief and fluids, and kept under close observation. Outcome: Brown was in a critical condition and kept in a humidicrib for three days following the surgery. Brown is now in a larger enclosure, and is progressing and standing well on the repaired leg. AZWH Statistic: Birds are the most commonly admitted patient to the AZWH, with 3629 brought in during 2011.

Did you Know?

 Since 1987, at least 18 employees and several members of the US public have been exposed to cyanide when they triggered spring-loaded cartridges laced with poison meant to kill coyotes. They survived – but 10 people have died and many others have been injured in crashes during agency aerial shooting operations over the same time period. * Turtles Freshwater turtles are facing more and more devastating overharvest in the United States for sale to the pet industry and food and medicinal markets in Asia. Beautiful map turtles are already endangered, and unregulated international trade is rapidly destroying them and other native turtles. Protection under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species would put limits on international trade and monitor their populations. In response to a petition filed by the Center for Biological Diversity, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently announced that it may propose 17 species of U.S. freshwater turtles for CITES protection at the next meeting in Thailand. Pleasetake action now to tell the Service to protect U.S. freshwater turtles. * http://action.biologicaldiversity.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=10334

 Flying Foxes

 Plans to relocate the flying fox colony from the Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens are up in the air, one week into a three-month window in which the animals can be moved. It is the third year the Botanic Gardens has tried to oust the grey-headed flying foxes, which are destroying heritage-listed trees. And the $2.2 million project, which involves disturbing the colony with a cacophony of percussion noises, again looks to be in jeopardy. The conditions of approval specify that dispersal can occur only from May 1 to July 31. This is to ensure that flying foxes, classified as vulnerable, are not disturbed during later pregnancy, when the young are being born and when mothers are carrying young. The Botanic Gardens Trust is at the last minute seeking changes to the time and duration of the disturbance and in the way it tracks the dispersed colony. A response is expected this month from the department of the federal Environment Minister, Tony Burke, who has requested the matter be assessed ''as a matter of priority''. However, the proposals have prompted a 44-page dossier of objections from conservation group Batwatch Australia, which says the request for variations so close to the planned dispersal ''suggest that the Botanic Gardens Trust may be having issues managing a project that is more complicated than they originally acknowledged''. The group also points out that dispersing the flying foxes could increase the size of the colony at Centennial Park from where they might, in turn, have to be moved on. Batwatch spokesman Nick Edards said: '''I think they have created a bit of a bind for themselves.'' The Botanic Gardens declined to comment to The Sun-Herald. *AGE

Become a Wildlife Warrior

 By making a one-off donation or joining our monthly giving program you can become part of a global wildlife force that is working hard to preserve our natural environment. Monthly Giving Program; Sign up to become a regular giver for wildlife conservation! Donations start from as little as $2.50 a week and can go to helping our native wildlife at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital. Nearly 100 wildlife emergency calls are received every day at the Hospital, Up to 30 different species are admitted to the hospital every day, Currently around 80 koalas undergoing treatment, Approximately 70% of patients are victims of car accidents or domestic pet attacks, The cost to treat one animal ranges from $100 to thousands of dollars To sign up or find out more please visit http://www.wildlifewarriors.org.au *

Nuclear Energy Threat Still There

 There is wide concern amongst independent news gatherers so worrying that it has caused one of Japan's former ambassadors to make the following extraordinary statement: "It is no exaggeration to say that the fate of Japan and the whole world depends on No. 4 reactor." - Mitsuhei Murata, Former Japanese Ambassador to Switzerland and Senegal, Executive Director, the Japan Society for Global System and Ethics. A further failure of the reactor -- and the subsequent catastrophic release of Cesium-137 -- would decimate human life across North America, killing off crops, polluting groundwater, causing widespread infant stillbirths and unleashing an explosion in cancer rates. North America could become uninhabitable by humans for centuries. Cesium-137 has a half-life of 30 years, meaning that if North America is blanketed with a layer of radioactive dust in 2012, that radioactivity will still be half as strong in the year 2042. It will drop by half again by the year 2072. By the year 2102, it might be low enough to where humans could start to re-colonize the continent, but even then, rates of cancer and birth defects would likely be off the charts. Yet, as we speak, the mainstream media is running a total media blackout on this story. Governments are pretending there is no problem, and the corporations that built these nuclear facilities (like GE) are quietly running disinfo campaigns to convince everybody there is no problem. *Natural News

 SA Seal Cull

 Proposed Seals versus little penguins - it's an age-old battle playing out on Kangaroo Island, the jewel in South Australia's tourism crown. As the population of NZ fur seals slowly rebuilds to about 100,000 after being almost eradicated by commercial sealing in the 1800s, once thriving penguin colonies have been halved, victim to a faster moving, stronger, natural predator. Pleas to the Environment Department for a seal cull or sterilisation program to protect dwindling little penguin colonies and shore up KI's important visitor drawcard have been rebuffed. In desperation, KI Penguin Centre owner John Ayliffe has called on the State Government to consider a legal harvest of aggressive male NZ fur seals, as practiced in Canada and some European countries. "We will eventually have to manage and harvest NZ fur seals at some stage in the future," Mr Ayliffe said. "Harvesting is a major tool used internationally to manage numbers. It's only a matter of time before we implement some control measures here in SA.

 Penguin numbers have halved at Kingscote so it is important that seals are managed away from colonies at Kingscote, Penneshaw and Granite Island to ensure tourism assets stay viable." Mr Ayliffe said seals harvested in the northern hemisphere were part of a viable commercial industry and attempts should be made to develop one locally. "In five years' time we could have 5000 to 10,000 seals hanging around in each of SA's gulfs," he said. "Now that's just not sustainable for our fish stocks. We need a viable marine ecosystem that provides food for people while being sustainable for all species." SA's fishing industry has come out in support of Mr Ayliffe's proposed intervention. Stehr Group executive director Marcus Stehr said NZ fur seals attacks on tuna farms and infrastructure was costing his business "at least $1 million" annually.

 "Seals cost the entire industry millions of dollars every year and we do need support from the State Government to look at how we manage them," he said. "In SA we have failed to develop any strategies to manage growing seal numbers and it's vital that this begins." An Environment Department spokeswoman said NZ fur seals were protected under the National Parks and Wildlife Act. "The Government does not support culling, sterilisation or relocation of NZ fur seals in SA," she said. "Attempts interstate and overseas to manage seal populations through culling, sterilisation or relocation have proven resource-hungry and largely ineffectual and any benefit received from relocating a small number of seals would likely be lost due to the influx of new seals."The most effective way to stop seals taking farmed fish is for fish farm infrastructure to be designed to prevent seal entry." Adelaide Now Ed Comment; As well, the political fallout for a Governemtn if it did approve a seal cull would be horrific! *

Bird Strike

 A commercial airliner had to delay its take-off as an echidna waddled past the runway and a turtle turned up in the middle of Gold Coast Airport's taxiway but miraculously avoided being squashed. These two quirky incidents illustrate why Gold Coast Airport runs a 24/7 operation to keep the airspace and runways clear of animals. Bird strikes are the main concern and keeping the airspace and airfield free of avian missiles is the job of wonder dog Joe and his team. But threats from rabbits, hares, foxes, snakes, goannas and even the odd turtle and echidna must also be considered. Martin Ziviani, of Avisure, keeps the airspace clear of birds with the help of dispersal dog Joe, pyrotechnics, stock whips, sirens and cap guns. "Bird strikes are one of the highest risks to planes," said Mr Ziviani. "There are probably minor bird strikes on a weekly basis. Serious strikes are a rare event but can be catastrophic when power to all engines is lost. "We've found a turtle on the runway, I've relocated an echidna from the taxi-way and we get foxes, rabbits, hares and goannas in the airfield. "There are times when an echidna will dig its way to where it wants to be. "Quite often you'll hear sirens out there or us firing caps to shoo away the birds ... we are trying to reduce the attractiveness of the airport as a habitat." Last year Gold Coast Airport reported 130 minor incidents, including bird strikes, to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau. Mr Ziviani said he worked closely with the air traffic control tower to inform pilots of any potential animal hazards in the area. Sometimes it will cause a plane to delay take-off or landing. "If there's a chance of one in a million of something happening, then that's a risk to us," said a Gold Coast Airport spokesman. "Our safety officers are out there inspecting the runways 24/7. They are the eyes and ears for the tower." The airport even uses DNA testing to identify the species of bird involved in a strike if the carcass is not found. The last serious bird strike at Gold Coast Airport happened about eight years ago when a commercial airliner received significant engine damage when it hit an ibis. It landed safely. * Gold Coast Bulletin

Koalas

 Koalas in NSW, Queensland and the ACT will be classified as vulnerable under a protected listing by Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke. Mr Burke says koala numbers have dropped by 40 per cent in Queensland and by a third in NSW over the past two decades. The koala will be listed as vulnerable on the threatened species list following advice by the Threatened Species Scientific Committee. "On a species as iconic as the koala, I really don't think I could have credibly said to the Australian people don't worry, you might not have any more left in Queensland the way things are going," he told ABC Radio on Monday. "You can go to South Australia if you want to see one." Mr Burke said developers will have to account for the koala listing when making building applications. "If someone wants to make a development there is a tougher hurdle as a result of a species being endangered," he said. "That is what environmental legislation is designed to do." 9News

 The battle over the protection of koalas is heating up, with activists accusing the State Government of failing to do its homework on the animals' perilous condition. Australian Koala Foundation executive director Deb Tabart said she was appalled that Premier Campbell Newman had labelled Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke's move to list koalas as vulnerable as merely green tape. Mr Newman was backed by Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney, who ramped up the issue, saying the protection would hinder development and inhibit growth and that it was an unnecessary duplication of an LNP promise to protect koalas. "The State Government will always ensure koala populations are protected and habitats are maintained," Mr Seeney said. Developers already were required to carry out environmental impact assessments and koala protection was guaranteed in that process under state planning regulatory provisions.

 Ms Tabart said 25,000 koalas had died under the planning provisions and the green tape angle was nonsense because no further documentation would be needed from developers. She said the Government's attitude reflected the political push to devolve federal environment powers down to state or local level. "Newman's comments are predictable," she said. "I've received a deluge of emails from people who are outraged. "His are last century's views. Coming out with the old green tape line sounds fabulous but he doesn't realise how enlightened a lot of voters are these days." Queensland Resources Council chief executive Michael Roche said the industry was proud of its record in protecting koalas. He agreed with Mr Seeney that the listing was an extra layer of regulation because miners already put aside habitat or provided offsets. "This is something we do day in and day out," he said. Australian National University Centre for Climate Law and Policy associate director Andrew Macintosh said it was unlikely that many developments would be stopped. *Courier Mail

Ed Comment; The development Industry is furious about the listing, which did come as a surprise to most koala groups. Few expected that the Feds would take any strong action to protect kaolas. While its true that some large mining companies have taken strong steps to replant and revegetate, many dont care. But in the Southeast corner, housing and Industrial development proceeds at any cost to the koalas. Regional Councils seem to approve anything if it brings in more people and rates, even though the roads cant handle the traffic on them now. Recently, just North of Brisbane, several koala habitats have been bulldozed for housing and even more Industrial sheds, even though many of these sheds remain empty. Developers of course are now feeling the pinch due to previous uncontrolled developments that were not really needed. *

Wildlife Trafficking

 A Japanese national who admitted to smuggling live, endangered turtles and tortoises into the U.S. in snack food containers was sentenced Monday to 21 months in prison, federal prosecutors said. Atsushi Yamagami, 39, pleaded guilty last August to sneaking in 55 reptiles in snack food boxes stuffed into suitcases, many of which were protected species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, according to the U.S. attorney in Los Angeles. In court papers, prosecutors contended the scheme constituted animal cruelty and risked transmission of salmonella. Yamagami, according to authorities, was the leader of a smuggling ring that trafficked in chameleons and lizards in addition to turtles and tortoises, all brought into the U.S. through Honolulu or Los Angeles and sold or traded at pet shows across the country. Yamagami, described as "a major wildlife trafficker" in court filings, also bought North American snakes, turtles and tortoises to be smuggled back to Japan, prosecutors said.

 In addition to smuggling the animals himself, Yamagami paid couriers to transport reptiles to and from Japan in their luggage, making or arranging a total of 42 trips between 2004 and 2011, according to prosecutors. Two of the couriers, Norihide Ushirozako and Hiroki Uetsuki, were also convicted of wildlife smuggling and sentenced to time served -- seven and six months in prison, respectively. When he was arrested in January 2011 at Los Angeles International Airport on a flight from his home in Osaka, Japan, Yamagami and a courier were carrying Fly River turtles, Indian flapshell turtles, Chinese big-headed turtles, albino Chinese soft-shell turtles and Malayan snail-eating turtles, according to court papers. In addition to the prison term, Yamagami was ordered to pay $18,403 in fines. * LA Times

Wildlife Fundraiser

 Hi, My name is Tegan Lather. I am a 12 year old Joey Ambassador for Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors. I am very lucky that I have a wildlife hospital so close to me that I can help out with at such a young age. I love helping the animals I find when they are hurt and I LOVE raising money and awareness for the wildlife hospital. Each year my family and I organise events to help bring in money. This year we are holding a Family Fun Day Car Rally. 100% of the profits raised from the day are going to the wildlife hospital! All over the Sunshine Coast business have donated amazing challenges and stops for the day as well as fantastic prizes. We will be riding on Segways, zooming at Big Kart Track, a ride at Aussie World, cuddling animals at Maleny Dairy, playing mini golf at Top Shots, looking for treasure at Sunshine Castle and so much more. Australia Zoo is allowing everyone to enjoy the afternoon at the zoo to check out Africa or feed the elephants, or just have fun!

The cost of a car is only $125* per car. If you have a family of 5 that works out to only $25 a head. If you arrive in a rescue car or ambulance with your logos etc on the cars we are happy to help and ask that all you do is to cover the cost of the challenges etc of the day. This would mean you can enter for only $75.00 per car. It works out to be a great day out for a family or a group of friends for everyone. I really hope you would please help us promote the fundraiser and better yet join us on the day. I am hoping that a lot of the wildlife carers and other wonderful organisations such as yourself will come in your rescue cars to show everyone where you are and who to contact when they discover a injured animal. If you would like to learn more or register a vehicle please go to http://www.wildlifeemergency.com.au/rally and please like us on http://www.facebook.com.au/wildlifeemergency That would be awesome. Mum says we can make any receipts or invoices out to the business name as you would be promoting your service to the community. We are so lucky to have cars coming from Harvey Bay, Brisbane and Nerang on the Gold Coast. We were able to be promoted in the RACQ Road A Head magazine and on the Great South East so we have go a lot of attention. We have contacted the media and expect to be on the news that night. How exciting if we had a line-up of rescue cars from all over the state! Please join us on the day. Looking forward to your reply. Thank you, Tegan Lather *

Kangaroos

 Recently I was invited to the Brisbane Uni to a debate about kangaroo harvesting...on air. To my surprise the other person was Professor Gordon Grigg. Grigg is known by some wildlife groups as the "Godfather of the Kangaroo Mafia", those accademics who have prostituted their learning by propping up the commercial kangaroo Industry with shonky research documents. Interestingly, Grigg agreed with much of what we said, although he still supports a "small" boutique kangaroo Industry. When we talk about the commercial kill now, we use the formula below. We've successfully used this format in letters to IGA and other supermarkets to encourage them to stop selling kangaroo meat. IGA is good one to target, as they are getting a lot of competition from ALDI. We've reprinted this format in Wildlife Bytes because others may wish to use this format too. We divide the many issues of concern into 5 groups, as below.

The Need

 Here we discuss the need to kill our kangaroos, an icon species that everybody in the World loves...except for some Aussie farmers. We mention the failing tourism Industry, the potential for kangaroos tourism to benefit the Industry, how the kangaroo is the second most wellknown tourism icon in the World, after the Statue of Liberty, etc, etc. And how Australia produces the best beef and lamb, fruit and vegetables in the World, much of it now organic. Why do we need to eat our kangaroos as well?

The Unsustainability

 Then we talk about the unsustainability of the Industry, the lack of kangaroos in the shooting areas, how many shooters have got out of the Industry and got real jobs, or are only shooting parttime. We talk about the large numbers of female kangaroos in the chiller boxes, and the large number of small kangaroos. Then talk about the loss of the larger kangaroos through decades of shooting, and the impact on the gene pool, lack of wildlife corridors, and kangaroo entrapment in expanding urban development areas.

The Cruelty

 Then the cruelty, to the adult kangaroos with 10% of shot kangaroos only wounded, the cruelty to the joeys, inpouch joeys being decapitated, or having their heads crushed, and the expouch joeys fleeing into the night to die of exposure or predation. We talk about the low survival rate for joeys in Nature.

The Health Risks

 Then the health risks of eating the meat, bush meat shot in the middle of the Aussie bush at night, carted around in the heat and dust till daylight, then dumped in a chiller box that often has trouble holding the required temperature. After up to two weeks in the chiller box, it goes to a processing plant, is skinned and cut up, packed into a black tray with preservative gas, then it sits on a supermarket shelf for up to three weeks. After that it is discounted down to get rid of it, and it is picked up by those in our community who can least afford to get sick.....our aged pensioners. I also talk about the high levels of eColi and Salmonella found in our independent testing of kangaroo meat.

The Unaccountability

 There is no community process in any State to monitor what is happening to our kangaroos. Kangaroo Advisory Committees of the past have been closed down, or have been filled with bureacrats. In each State a bevy of bureacrats are employed to "manage" the commercial kangaroo kill. Their jobs depend on the kangaroo kill proceeding, so they have no interest in wether the Industry is sustainable or not. There are other kangaroo issues that can be raised too, and we find putting the issues in this format helps to focus. * WPAA

Here is a good article on the Kangaroo Industry

 http://www.voiceless.org.au/content/cute-baby-seals-and-kangaroo-pests by Voiceless Council member, Dr Deidre Wicks.

 Money is continuing to pour in today in support of a reward for information about the mutilation of a kangaroo in Bendigo last Friday. Wildlife Rescue Emergency Services volunteer Tracey Skate said the current reward was valued at more than $3300. WIRES have been inundated with support on a Facebook page set up to find those responsible. The group, Justice for Josie Campaign, has more than 1000 people signed up. Mrs Skate said people had generously added their own contributions. Bendigo business Australian Social Network Marketing yesterday put forward $500 for any tip-offs leading to details on who was involved in the incident at Coles car park. Director Tom Bailey said he hoped the money would act as an incentive for people to come forward. Other local residents who heard about the story then added to the kitty, which has grown to more than $2000. Bendigo Spirit and Opals basketballer Kristi Harrower was one local horrified by the incident. “I just found it absolutely disgusting,” she said. “I don’t understand how people can do stuff like that. I hope they find them and it’s not just a smack on the hand.”

Another donor toward the fund, BLS financial services managing director Adam Mackenzie said he hoped the party responsible would do the right thing and hand themselves in. Mr Mackenzie has offered $1000 toward the fund. “I’m fairly disturbed by the whole thing and just hoping it’s put to rest. That person needs to realise that it’s not going to be tolerated in our community,” he said. Mr Bailey said within hours of putting forward the idea he’d received several leads in anonymous emails. “There’s been a lot of name-dropping already,” he said. All emails were forwarded to police, with one man in his 20s mentioned multiple times. “I was expecting that people would start to come forward. The fact that they’re not having to go directly to the police helps and I think it’s pretty clear the person or people responsible will be caught.” One email forwarded to police last night named a man and said “people that were there said he put it in a trolley and pushed it down the steps”. Mr Bailey is asking anyone with information to contact his email address, info@asnm.com.au. * Bendigo Advertiser