NSW Kangaroo Kill Appeal Fails!
Wildlife groups who appealed the 2007 to 2012 NSW Kangaroo Managment Plan in
the NSW Adminisrative Appeals Tribunal are bitterly dissapointed but not surprised
that the Appeal failed. "It's alway as been obvious to us that the Federal Legislation
(the EPBC Act) is there to protect the Industry rather than protect the kangaroos"
said WPAA President Pat O'Brien.
The Tribunal Findings, released today, have not ruled to set aside the decision of the
Fed. Minister to approve the Management Plan. The AAT Hearings, which sat for
nearly two years, only recommended that "trigger points" be established in each of
the shooting zones, so that if a kangaroo population in that zone dropped 30 to 35%
since the last survey taken, the commercial shooting be immediately stopped.
However a new report for the The Australian Society for Kangaroos, and based on
Government figures, has exposed kangaroo densities at less than 5 kangaroos per
square kilometer across most of NSW, South Australia and Queensland. These low
densities have been defined in the Federal Government's Murray Darling Report as
“quasi extinction” or the “nominal value taken to be the effective loss of the species” .
The Murray Darling report titled “Kangaroo Options in the Murray Darling Basin” was
sponsored by the Murray Darling Commission, and written by government and
independent scientists in 2004. It warns of the risks of killing kangaroos at levels
below 5 kangaroos square kilometer, stating that strategies that produce average
densities of less than 5 kangaroos per square kilometer would result in minimum
densities of less than 2 kangaroos square kilometer and could be considered a threat
to species conservation”
The Report also warns that populations of less than 2 kangaroos per square
kilometer would generally be considered at risk of extinction. The commercial
kangaroo industry, which is the largest wildlife slaughter in the world, has once again
been shown to be unsustainable and should be stopped immediately. There is
significant risk of large scale extinctions of Red Kangaroos, Grey Kangaroos,
Wallaroos and Euros, across New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland.
Kangaroo populations have already dropped 75% in the last 4 years.
President of WPAA Pat O'Brien said that wildlife groups now know for sure that
Australians cannot rely on their Governments, nor the Legislation, to protect
kangaroos. The groups will now campaign vigorously to destroy the commercial
kangaroo Industry.
Pat OBrien, President
Wildlife Protection Association of Australia Inc.
Coordinator, National Kangaroo Protection Coalition
Wildlife Representative, Animals Australia
Ph 07 54941890, 0408 711344
WPAA, PO Box 309, Beerwah, Qld, 4519
email, pat@wildlifeprotectaust.org.au
NEWS 
