Australia to shoot 6,000 kangaroos

Australia to shoot 6,000 kangaroos

www.msnbc.msn.com

CANBERRA, Australia - Australia's army has started shooting 6,000 kangaroos to thin their population on an army training ground near the capital, an official said Friday, outraging conservationists who have vowed to protest.

The killings are intended to protect endangered plants and insects that share the grassy habitat with the kangaroos.

(visit the link for the full news article)

What is this a joke? 6,000 Kangoroos? Why can't they just move them to another habitat instead?
Why not ask other nations if anyone would like some donations to zoos?

But no, instead just shoot SIX THOUSAND OF THEM?

What did they do, have a 40 second meeting to decide what the worst possible route they could take to take control of the alleged situation?

I realize that there's a situation in Australia but to think that there's no other route to take other than a massive slaughter is crazy.

www.msnbc.msn.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

This is insane and unjust!!!!

Now just who in Aussieland decided that this was an intelligent pest control idea???
And how can this be overturned??

Hmmmm.......

Peace...

That's horrible! I'm sure they can do something less drastic like relocation (although, I admit I don't know the habits of kangaroo's) or if any zoos around the area or conservation sites would like to have them?

Outrageous!

Here's the kicker:

Kangaroos are slaughtered to control population throughout Australia, but government agencies have been reluctant to kill the beloved national symbol around Canberra in the past 20 years because of public outcry.

Kill off a couple hundred every couple of years and no one cares.

Leave them alone for 20 years you get 6,000 out of 9,000 culled and everyone is up in arms.

If you can find another habitat that won't be damaged by that amount of any animal then do it. The fact of the matter is that roo's as well as rabbits there have been a problem since they populated Australia. Even the Aboriginals there know this. They decimate growth like grass hoppers. The predators that would normally take care of this don't breed as fast as these two species so you get over population. Anywhere you would move them would have the same problem. If the government just left them alone it would only get worse! Besides. roo's taste pretty good and Aussie' rabbits make great stew!
Zindo

can anyone say wtf mate?


What is going on with Australia?

MY theory is that maybe they have a new mascot.

China or Russia perhaps.

This is ridiculous. Relocate them? Are you bonkers . Imagine running around the outback trying to safely capture 6000 kangaroos and transport them safely elsewhere. It would be a logistical nightmare. Besides this way makes the most sense. It won't have as such a bad side-effect as if they used a disease like when they tried to get rid of the rabbits in the UK, or like when also in Australia they introduced a new species of toad to get rid of a pest and created a worse problem than before. Also the army gets practice firing at something that they can't predict the movements of like they can with mechanical targets.

That said I have thought for a long time that the Australia has gone rather bonkers or at least the government. They rival China for censorship. Still on the global scale this seems rather harmless compared to other things going on in the rest of the world. Besides I find it rather funny to watch the protesters get worked up.

-Cauch1

Not many hunters in Australia? Not many predators?

Relocation, that's funny. Let's round up 6,000 animals and stick them some place. How long will that place be viable? How long before there is another unsustainable population outside of this relocation utopia that will need relocation as well?

Of course we could just let nature takes its course and allow the resources to run out and let them all starve to death.

There must be a healthy population of hunters in Australia or have all the Crocodile Dundee movies lied to me? Let them go nuts and process the carcasses for needy people or something.

I wonder if it were rats would people be so outraged. Oh nos, the government wants to kill 6,000 rats! We must stop them!!

Is there some weight or size at which a nuisance animal no longer qualifies as a nuisance and subsequently becomes "protected"?

Damn "activists" have been mucking things up in the states for decades. They freak out that anyone would actually hunt for food so the politicians to be nice to everyone limit bags. A few years go by and the same idiots start complaining that bony deer are digging through their trash and wandering into shopping malls. Well duuurrrr I aint no genius but..........

Everyone stay calm.
Kangaroo flu is about to break out and we need some preventative measures.
Trust us, you don't want Roo Flu.
This is for your safety.

Originally posted by atlasastro
Everyone stay calm.
Kangaroo flu is about to break out and we need some preventative measures.
Trust us, you don't want Roo Flu.
This is for your safety.

Hahaha thank you for making my day! Roo Flu. That's simply amazing. And slightly terrifying.

The only problem I have with this is if they let the corpses rot without making good use of the meat. Don't get me wrong... I'm an Aussie and I love Roo's but the population does get out of control and they decimate everything!

Capturing and transporting that many Roo's is simply not viable. It's a pipe dream.

IRM

Based on some articles I've read about this the bit about "protection of endangered plants and insects" isn't the full story but its the one that is being reported most often by the media. Go figure.

Estimates are some 5000 kanagroos in this area have already died - due to starvation.

Roo Starvation

The uncontrolled population has overgrazed the Majura Training Area to such an extent that a report suggests up to 5000 eastern grey kangaroos have starved to death.


The Canberra Times understands Defence Department land managers are demoralised no action was taken after they reported to Defence that it needed to manage the population.

In 2008, Defence contracted the culling of 514 kangaroos at its Belconnen Naval Transmission Station.

Defence and the ACT Government said the cull was needed to protect native grassland and threatened species on the site, and to prevent the kangaroos from starving. It took place almost a year after Defence concluded overgrazing was a problem.

ACT RSPCA chief executive officer Michael Linke said the RSPCA was disgusted that Defence had allegedly allowed animals to starve if the report proved correct.

''To think that Defence have allegedly allowed kangaroos to starve is reprehensible. It borders on mismanagement and incompetence,'' Mr Linke said.

''If Defence have allowed that, despite the advice and information that we've provided them in the past two years, it just shows a total lack of regard for animal welfare.

Apparently they have known there were too many kangaroos for the land to support for some time. Through inaction they've allowed the problem to get to its current state.

I would think that either culling or relocation of some (if possible) would be better than starvation.



[edit on 8-5-2009 by Frogs]

[edit on 8-5-2009 by Frogs]

[edit on 8-5-2009 by Frogs]

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[edit on 8-5-2009 by Frogs]

Originally posted by ModernAcademia


What is this a joke? 6,000 Kangoroos? Why can't they just move them to another habitat instead?
Why not ask other nations if anyone would like some donations to zoos?

But no, instead just shoot SIX THOUSAND OF THEM?

What did they do, have a 40 second meeting to decide what the worst possible route they could take to take control of the alleged situation?

I realize that there's a situation in Australia but to think that there's no other route to take other than a massive slaughter is crazy.

www.msnbc.msn.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Just a poor excuse to satisfy insane, sadistic appetites for blood ...

Originally posted by LyricusMagna

Just a poor excuse to satisfy insane, sadistic appetites for blood ...

Dude! You certainly have a flair for the dramatic!

It's obvious you do not come from Australia, you do not know anything about our country and you do not have a shred of understanding about how kangaroo populations decimate the environment. Educate yourself!

You're way out of your depth!

IRM

reply to post by ModernAcademia


sounds like something PETA would do

you can take that comment any way you want.

[edit on 8-5-2009 by baseball101]

It seems that some people here are doing exactly what the govt. loves to do
dumb down the population and as well as themselves and treat the fastest solution as the only one.

someone said logistical nightmare?
PULEASEEEEEEEEE

Why not say that about people who pick up your garbage of an entire city or state every monday and thursday?

Just do it, it's 2009 man, there's plenty of solutions that our brains can think of.

6,000 roos too crazy to catch and deliver? Then if I can play devil's advocate treat like it a dog pound. Whatever you catch, do something, then deal with the rest later.

The problem is too many people have been desensitized, and thinking that 6000 roos is too crazy to handle so let's just do the most impulsive thing is the best thing, despite it being mass slaughter.

People don't care anymore, because caring requires thought and work.. OH NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

Australia has 60 million kangaroos, the number has tripled since 1980, too many of one species could be a problem, sometimes.

In contrast, the fate of Canada seals is much more miserable. 80% of them vanished.

Check this article: slaughter at sunrise.
www.hsus.org...

There are also many youtube videos about the cruel seal killing.

Originally posted by InfaRedMan
It's obvious you do not come from Australia, you do not know anything about our country and you do not have a shred of understanding about how kangaroo populations decimate the environment. Educate yourself!

You're way out of your depth!

Sorry bro but your argument is void

People can't understand anything that is not in their country?
what kind of comment is that?

So nobody here should comment about Iraq, China, Israel, Iran???????
What kind of thinking is that?

What is right remains right regardless of location.
Come on man, what is this?

Another great example of military being above the law. If a civillian does this, it's poaching. But it's cool if the military does.