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A PERCEIVED explosion in kangaroo numbers in central Victoria has led a group of the region’s councils to lobby the state government for inclusion in a trial of the use of the native animals as pet food.
The state government introduced the two-year trial in March last year. The trial includes north west and north east local government areas but bypasses central Victoria.
Loddon-Campaspe councils chair Peter Cox said kangaroos were wreaking havoc on the region’s roads and destroying crops.
The Bendigo mayor wrote to Environment Minister Lisa Neville to seek the region’s inclusion in the trial. Cr Cox said the economic impact of high kangaroo numbers was being felt by farmers.
“They’re destroying crops and coming into farmland and taking feed,” he said.
Cr Cox said it was a waste for legally shot roos to be left to decompose in paddocks when the carcasses could be used productively.
He called for better monitoring of kangaroo populations to guide the number of permits issued to shoot the animals.
“It’s a difficult and complex matter and isn’t one to be taken lightly. Anything that is done needs to be based on the science of the data, not simply on what people think,” he said.
Australian Society for Kangaroos president and Castlemaine resident Nikki Sutterby said there had been little community consultation to gauge public support for such a move.
She said there were no checks in place in the Victorian trial areas to ensure commercial shooters were keeping to targets. Other states set quotas based on aerial surveys of kangaroo populations and issue tags to shooters which must be presented when taking carcasses for processing.
Ms Sutterby said orphaned joeys suffered enormously.
“At foot joeys are left to die and suffer from starvation and distress. Pouch young are based to death according to the code of practice. A lot of the time the shooter doesn’t even check if the joey is dead,” she said.
RSPCA Victoria chief executive officer Liz Walker said parameters of the trial needed to be reviewed.
“We have concerns around how this trial is being adequately regulated and what controls are in place to prevent an increase in kangaroo deaths given the commercial opportunities available,” Dr Walker said.
“The trial must be reviewed prior to any continuation or expansion of the program, including reviewing whether the reporting and regulation of the trail was adequate to ensure that kangaroo deaths do not increase due to commercial opportunities. We do not want more wildlife killed on the premise of environmental management, for the financial gain of individuals or businesses.
“Our focus is the humane treatment of animals. We want to at the very least have confidence that culled kangaroos will not die a slow or painful death; and that their death was for genuine wildlife management reasons and not solely for commercial benefit.
“We are aware that there are instances where culling is used to control wildlife populations, however we advocate strongly for long-term, kangaroo management plans that reduce the need for culling to occur.
“The need to cull demonstrates that there may be either no considered management in place, or that the management strategy in place may not be working effectively.”
There were 89 permits issued to destroy 2625 kangaroos in Greater Bendigo last financial year.