Going, going, going, go........
I joined this forum for reptile information, and I’m amazed at the quantity and quality of the forum information. However I’m also interested in kangaroos and other wildlife, so when I found this thread it took me quite a while to read all the posts. I agree with Richard Wells, but I must say I’m surprised at the amount of mis-information that still is being quoted by some otherwise clever people.
I was living in Central NSW in the ‘70’s, and we used to drive to an area not far from town just before dusk, and watch countless thousands, perhaps millions of kangaroos hopping into the wheat fields. Sadly that’s no longer the case. The big mobs are gone forever. Every state in Australia, (except perhaps Victoria where they don’t have a commercial kill because there are not enough kangas), has a situation of quasi-extinction, or regional extinction. The Federal government states we currently have 25 million kangaroos in Australia. However no one can find them, not even the shooters. There are now only 5 or 6 fulltime shooters in NSW, the rest are on the dole and/or working part time, and only shoot at the weekends.
Dozens of chiller boxes have closed, and the Industry is in decline, even though overseas markets are strong because the meat is cheap. Every State has similar problems.10 years of drought, and consistent, unrelenting commercial and non-commercial shooting has left our kangaroos in a situation closely resembling the eradication of the bison herds in America. This year our organisation undertook an undercover survey of kangaroo matters in W. NSW and W. Queensland. With a private detective, (for evidentiary purposes) an ex-kangaroo shooter, and a few others we drove 8000 k’s around NSW and Qld. We inspected properties and chillerboxes, we talked to shooters, farmers, and shopkeepers and did lots more that we can’t talk about yet. We hope to release the results soon, but make no mistake, kangaroo populations have crashed, and the matter is very, very serious. Even in WA, where kangaroo numbers have always been low, shooters are trying to access golf courses and conservation parks to get enough kangaroos. The Government knows all this, but doesn’t care.
But there still seems to persist the hoary old theory that we humans provided food and shelter for kangas, and that’s why they are in so-called “plague” proportions, which usually means half a dozen resting under a tree (if they can find a tree.) Studies by Dr John Auty have shown that in 1860 there were enough natural grasslands Australia wide to support 400 million kangaroos. And with 5 major river systems flowing across Australia, plenty of natural lagoons and wetlands, and good constant rainfall, kangaroos couldn’t get a drink until farmers arrived and dug dams?
I also noted on the Forum that some people quote the Pukapunyal kill as being justified. Well, I was part of the protest that eventually stopped the kill. The reason they wanted to kill the kangaroos is only because the local Federal Member’s family were grazing stock on agistment at Pucka, and they wanted the grass for their cattle. The kill was stopped because the Defence Force was seriously embarrassed by the bad publicity, as it should have been. As well, Pucka has a huge high fence around it, which trapped the kangaroos inside. We suggested they pull down the fence in strategic places so the kangas could spread out into the adjacent conservation reserves, but they wouldn’t do that because the kangas might go onto farmlands and upset more farmers. The kangaroos were not starving or diseased, and had plenty of feed. I have a lot of experience with kangaroos, and I went into Puka with others and had a good look for myself. There is lots of other mis-information being peddled on this thread to attempt to justify the commercial kill.
Make no mistake, kangaroos are in serious, serious trouble. The State and Federal Governments know this too, but couldn’t care less. I don’t hide behind a nom-de-plume either. Pat O’Brien, President, Wildlife Protection Association of Australia Inc.
