Kangaroos and ducks flying in fright in Victoria

There were reports from residents of shooting last night (Friday, as reported by Fiona Corke) and as kangaroos are very stress prone, there are reports of them fleeing in fright, and they could abandon joeys and get caught in fences. Injuries could result. This violence is horrifying. The DSE should be responsible in caring for wildlife, not the contrary!

EXCLUSIVE: Shots heard as Eden Park kangaroo cull begins

The Department of Sustainability and Environment late last year approved NMIT’s application to kill 300 kangaroos until October. and for the next three years.

According to the police, That is a matter between police and the permit holder. This is hardly true! The kangaroos are our iconic native animals and belong to everyone. The Council unanimously agreed to support them, and so do many residents. There are no valid reasons to kill them.

The DSE have employed shooters were in the Whittlesea area shooting kangaroos and causing mayhem and distress. Why is the State government department above the laws that protect native animals?

"Overgrazing" is not a reason, even in the Wildlife Act (vic) to kill them. They are taking the law into their own hands and ignoring the public, the council and the residents in the area. How can public violence and crime be stopped if we have a State department - the DSE - gone feral?

There is no reason to kill the kangaroos and DSE are not giving any clear answers. Why aren't they dealing with the feral rabbits?

There is something very strange going on, and the DSE's 19th century attitudes are totally out of touch with community attitudes and values. Why do land-holders get so much veneration? We live in the 21 century now, and wildlife belongs to us all. Too much land in Victoria is in private hands.

Kangaroos are not a pest and very rarely will eat crops, only in extreme drought. The grass is almost knee high!

Not only do we have a duck shooting season this year, for the full 3 months, but with 10 birds per day per shooter it is likely to be the biggest massacre of native waterbirds for many years.

Campaign Director, Laurie Levy, said: Waterbirds have only just begun to recover in response to the rain in Victoria and east coast Australia. However, five years of heavy, replenishing rain must fall to allow bird numbers to build up.

Levy maintains that allowing 20,000 duck shooters to each bag up to 10 birds per day for three months could result in over 15 million shot, when there are still only a few thousand birds in Victoria.

Please could everyone send a complaint through to the RSPCA to [email protected] (a plea from Fiona).

We have urban sprawl threatening our native grasslands and biodiversity, cattle permitted in the Alpine National park, besides the evidence contrary to fire prevention, a record duck shooting season with more permitted to be killed than numbers of birds, and kangaroos under attack for no apparent reason!

Tim Baillieu, when elected as our new premier, promised a transparent and honest government without hidden agendas. He also promised a common-sense and stable approach to running this state. Where is the transparency and “common sense” with the brutal treatment of native animals being hounded and slaughtered in our suburbs and wetlands?