Kangaroos on Defence land in Belconnen
ACT Greens MLA Deb Foskey has called for defence to take a long term view of land management and explore the future use of translocation and fertility control of kangaroos to avoid culls in the future.
“The ACT Greens have been calling for ACT land managers to work together on a kangaroo management plan since at least 2004” Dr Foskey said today.
“It is vital that that such plans are in place on endangered ecological communities such as our grasslands, and the habitat for endangered species such as the Grasslands Earless Dragon, the Striped Legless Lizard, the Golden Sun Moth, the Perunga Grasshopper and the Ginninderra Peppercress.”
“Defence has been aware of kangaroo population problems in a time of extended drought on its land in Belconnen and Majura for years. It has now reached the stage that urgent action is needed if the habitat and endangered species on the block in Lawson, Belconnen, are to survive.”
“The scientific advice we have to date is that it would be more humane to euthanase the excess kangaroos rather than to translocate them, given the likelihood of consequent traumatic injury.”
“If Defence was serious about exploring translocation nonetheless, it has had time to negotiate with the ACT Government to run a pilot project - when the issue blew up last year, for example. Had it done so, the process might have been implemented with a more manageable number, and we would now have a better idea how feasible that plan would be on a larger scale.”
“Given the differing views on translocation, I have suggested that a small number of kangaroos could still be translocated, and the process and its aftermath – on the animals and their new environment – monitored. That way, if this horrendous situation arose again, we would know whether translocation was a feasible and humane alternative to killing kangaroos.”
“The take home message is that the problem is the result of Commonwealth and ACT land managers' failure to ensure sustainable management of our grasslands. Animal liberationists and ecologists share an interest in good land management and that is what I am concentrating on in the Assembly” Dr Foskey said.
