Urgent help needed for the Canberra kangaroos

[Kerry Baker]

The Australian Society for Kangaroos has been in court this week trying to stop a cull of kangaroos indigenous to the area.

These culls have been almost annual, based on the ACT Government line that they are in 'plague' proportions. The real problem is that the area is the seat of Federal Government with head offices for public sector agencies, and the ACT Government relies heavily on the revenue it receives from the continual turnover in housing and the explosion of building has encroached upon native animal habitat.

An irony here is that the signature on the death warrant was from the only Greens member of parliament who is Minister for Environment as he holds balance of power. This on the same day that Australia is in the IWC arguing against the Japanese for their whaling.

I'm hoping with enough public outcry we can get this stopped still.  If you feel so inclined please send an email to Shane Rattenbury the Minister concerned asking for him to stop the cull. The contact details are at;

 http://act.greens.org.au/people/shane-rattenbury

I do however implore you to be courteous as threats, discourtesy and aggression will only have the reverse outcome to what we are trying to do.

The reality of these culls is that many more kangaroos end up desperately wounded, shot in the mouth instead of the head or body hits, who get away to die slow and horrible deaths. Many joeys are orphaned and escape to starve or be killed by foxes and so on. This is the largest slaughter of wildlife in the world, nothing to be proud of. I ask for your help and send an email to Mr Rattenbury seeking for this to be stopped. The tribunal allowed for over 1200 kangaroos to be shot by the end of July.

[Kerry Baker]

Sadly the cull has begun. I am advised by contacts in Canberra that protesters maintain a vigil but gun shots can be heard through the night. They have a permit to slaughter around 1200 kangaroos, many of whom will have joeys in their pouches and in the Australian Capital territory it is illegal to save a joey, they are to be bludgeoned to death or beheaded by the shooter. One seriously has to wonder how it is that a Greens politician could have put his signature on the permit to shoot wildlife.