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9 News
06-05-2025
- General
- 9 News
'Must never happen again': Call for inquiry into culling of hundreds of koalas
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here PICTURES All the incredible looks on the Met Gala red carpet Wildlife experts are calling for an inquiry hundreds of koalas were shot from helicopters to "reduce suffering" after a bushfire. The Victorian government says the animals were "individually assessed" after the fire swept through Budj Bim National Park, 270km west of Melbourne in March. But some experts are questioning how this was possible. Victoria's Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) confirmed around 860 animals were shot from the air in the remote area, saying it was "accurate and humane". Wildlife experts are calling for an inquiry into the shooting of hundreds of koalas from helicopters a state government claims aimed to "reduce suffering" after a bushfire. (Getty) "This was the humane action to take to prevent further suffering," a statement said. "This decision to employ this method was not taken lightly." However, Claire Smith, who runs Wildlife Rescue Sunshine Coast, claims as many as 1100 koalas were killed. "Let's just take the shooting part, when they send out shooters in helicopters to shoot brumbies they can't even shoot them dead," she told 9News. "How does anyone believe that these koalas have been shot with a one shot kill. "There will be a thousand bodies laying around - not all of those koalas would have died straight away when they are shot. "How many had joeys? How many joeys are dead because of this? "They'll be digging pits to bury these koalas. "Secondly how is anybody assessing these koalas from a helicopter?" The fire started on March 10 after a lightning strike. (Facebook/Vic Emergency) She wants an independent inquiry into what happened. Smith, who has launched a petition dismissed DEECA claims the terrain was too difficult to access from the ground as "nonsense". "There needs to be open and transparent documentation about the decision that was taken to shoot koalas from the air and we want to see an independent report. "This sets a precedent now, and it must never, ever happen again." Bosses at the Humane World for Animals charity also want an inquiry. "While we're relieved that the koala shooting operation has ceased, the need to learn from this incident and ensure positive welfare outcomes for surviving koalas remains urgent," Evan Quartermain, Australian Head of Programs, said in a statement. While Victorian government says the animals were "individually assessed" after the fire swept through Budj Bim National Park, 270km west of Melbourne in March, experts are questioning how this was possible. (Facebook/Vic Emergency) "Humane World for Animals is communicating with and supporting concerned locals and koala advocates on the ground around Budj Bim as we continue to scrutinise information." Victoria's Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) told 9News it worked with "experienced vets, wildlife carers, and animal welfare experts" to '"individually assess" the creatures. "However, due to direct impacts of the fire, the poor health and low likelihood of survival of many animals due to the ongoing drought conditions and lack of food post-fire, many of the animals did require euthanising," it said in a statement. Victoria's Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) said it worked with experienced vets, wildlife carers, and animal welfare experts to '"individually assess" the creatures after the fire. (Facebook/Vic Emergency) "The options were to just leave them to deteriorate or take proactive steps to reduce suffering by using aerial assessments. "A ground-based veterinary assessment conducted by a wildlife vet during an aerial trial showed that all koalas assessed and euthanised by the aerial team during the trial were in very poor health and would have continued to suffer in a deteriorating state of welfare if they had remained alive." The fire started after a lightning strike. It burned around 22sq km of the 54sq km park according to VicEmergency. Koalas on the east coast of Australia could be extinct by 2050, the WWF says. Koala wildlife bushfires Australia national Victoria CONTACT US
The Hindu
30-04-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Australian State culls 700 starving koalas after bushfire, stoking controversy
Snipers in helicopters have shot more than 700 koalas in the Budj Bim National Park in western Victoria in recent weeks. It's believed to be the first time koalas have been culled in this way. The cull became public on Good Friday after local wildlife carers were reportedly tipped off. A fire burned about 20% of the park in mid-March. The government said the cull was urgent because koalas had been left starving or burned. Wildlife groups have expressed serious concern about how individual koalas had been chosen for culling, because the animals are assessed from a distance. It's not clear how shooting from a helicopter complies with the state government's own animal welfare and response plans for wildlife in disasters. The Victorian government must explain why it is undertaking aerial culling and why it did so without announcing it publicly. The incident points to ongoing failures in managing these iconic marsupials, which are already threatened in other states. Why did this happen? Koalas live in eucalypt forests in Australia's eastern and southern states. The species faces a double threat from habitat destruction and bushfire risk. They are considered endangered in New South Wales, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory. In Victoria, koala population levels are currently secure. But they are densely concentrated, often in fragments of bush known as 'habitat islands' in the state's southwest. Budj Bim National Park is one of these islands. Over time, this concentration becomes a problem. When the koalas are too abundant, they can strip leaves from their favourite gums, killing the trees. The koalas must then move or risk starvation. If fire or drought make these habitat islands impossible to live in, koalas in dense concentrations often have nowhere to go. In Budj Bim, Victoria's Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action and Parks Victoria have tackled koala overpopulation alongside Traditional Owners by moving koalas to new locations or sterilising them. But Budj Bim is also surrounded by commercial blue gum plantations. Koalas spread out through the plantations to graze on the leaves. Their populations grow. But when the plantations are logged, some koalas have to return to the national park, where food may be in short supply. Animal welfare groups say logging is one reason Budj Bim had so many koalas. It's hard to say definitively whether this is the case, because the state environment department hasn't shared much information. But researchers have found habitat islands lead to overabundance by preventing the natural dispersal of individuals. So why was the culling done? Department officials have described the program as 'primarily' motivated by animal welfare. After the bushfire last month, koalas have been left starving or injured. Why shooters in helicopters? Here, the justification given is that the national park is difficult to access due to rocky terrain and fire damage, ruling out other methods. Euthanising wildlife Under Victoria's plan for animal welfare during disasters, the environment department is responsible for examining and, where necessary, euthanising wildlife during an emergency. For human intervention to be justified, euthanasia must be necessary on welfare grounds. Victoria's response plan for fire-affected wildlife says culling is permitted when an animal's health is 'significantly' compromised, invasive treatment is required, or survival is unlikely. For koalas, this could mean loss of digits or hands, burns to more than 15% of the body, pneumonia from smoke inhalation, or blindness or injuries requiring surgery. Euthanised females must also be promptly examined for young in their pouches. The problem is that while aerial shooting can be accurate in some cases for larger animals, the method has questionable efficacy for smaller animals – especially in denser habitats. It's likely a number of koalas were seriously injured but not killed. But the shooters employed by the department were not able to thoroughly verify injuries or whether there were joeys in pouches, because they were in the air and reportedly 30 or more metres away from their targets. While the department cited concerns about food resources as a reason for the cull, the state's wildlife fire plan lays out another option: delivery of supplementary feed. Delivering fresh gum leaves could potentially have prevented starvation while the forest regenerates. Lessons for the government The state government should take steps to avoid tragic incidents like this from happening again. Preserving remaining habitat across the state is a vital step, as is reconnecting isolated areas with habitat corridors. This would not only reduce the concentration of koalas in small pockets but increase viable refuges and give koalas safe paths to new food sources after a fire. Future policies should be developed in consultation with Traditional Owners, who have detailed knowledge of species distributions and landscapes. We need better ways to help wildlife in disasters. One step would be bringing wildlife rescue organisations into emergency management more broadly, as emphasised in the 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission and the more recent Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements. This latter report pointed to South Australia's specialised emergency animal rescue and relief organisation – SAVEM – as an effective model. Under SA's emergency management plan, the organisation is able to rapidly access burned areas after the fire has passed through. Victoria's dense communities of koalas would be well served by a similar organisation able to work alongside existing skilled firefighting services. The goal would be to make it possible for rescuers to get to injured wildlife earlier and avoid any more mass aerial culls. Liz Hicks is Lecturer in Law, University of Melbourne. Ashleigh Best is Barrister, Victorian Bar and Honorary Fellow, Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne. This article is republished from The Conversation.
The Irish Sun
29-04-2025
- General
- The Irish Sun
Roving chopper snipers assassinating HUNDREDS of Koalas in aerial reign of terror across Oz – for ‘their own good'
SNIPERS in helicopters have shot more than 700 cuddly Koalas in a horrifying round of aerial attacks in Australia. Victoria's government defended the brutal culling which has left many joeys without mothers. 5 More than 700 koalas have been shot in the deadly attacks Credit: Getty - Contributor 5 The koalas were shot dead from helicopters Credit: Facebook / koalaalliance 5 The culling took place in Budj Bim National Park following a devastating fire Credit: Victorian Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action 5 Shocking pictures from the attacks show helicopters looming over the trees of the Budj Bim National Park. From there the koalas were assessed before being cruelly shot. The mass cull came after the national park was left in ruin following devastating fires in March. The read more on australia And the animals were also left without their beloved food source - manna gum - which was destroyed in the blaze. A wildlife vet James Todd defended the cull and said it was to prevent further suffering for those animals affected by the fire. He added that the cull was carried out by specialist staff working with experienced vets, wildlife carers and animal welfare experts. Todd said: 'Due to direct impacts of the fire, the poor health and low likelihood of survival of many animals due to the ongoing drought conditions and lack of food post-fire, many of the animals are requiring euthanising.' Most read in The Sun He added: 'The options were to just leave them to deteriorate or take proactive steps to reduce suffering by using aerial assessments.' Aerial culling is often used to control invasive species such as deer and pigs, but this is the first time it has been used on koalas. Heartbreaking images of dozens of badly burned koalas at a makeshift animal hospital, in washing baskets after their homes were destroyed by horrendous bushfires on Kangaroo Island, Australia But wildlife groups were left outraged with many expressing serious concern about how the fate of individual koalas had been chosen . Koalas live in eucalyptus forests in Australia's eastern and southern states. The cuddly creatures are considered endangered in New South Wales, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory. But in Victoria, koala population levels are currently secure . The koala population is densely concentrated in the region - with fragments of bush known as " habitat islands " . Budj Bim National Park is one of these habitat islands and was previously home to a host of happy koalas. But when fire or drought make these habitat islands impossible to live in, koalas are left with nowhere to go . 5 Koalas live in eucalypt forests in Australia's eastern and southern states Credit: Getty - Contributor
Sky News AU
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan defends mass koala cull in Victoria's Budj Bim National Park amid fierce backlash from wildlife advocates
Up to 750 koalas have been shot dead by helicopter snipers in Victoria over the past month, sparking heated debate among MPs and wildlife advocates Hundreds of koalas have been killed in Budj Bim National Park in the state's west as part of a planned culling following a wildfire there that wiped out about 2,000 hectares of bushland last month. Environment officials say the move is necessary as many of the koalas are already severely injured, dehydrated or on the brink of starvation. The use of helicopter-based snipers is believed to be the first koala cull of its kind in the state's history. Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has defended the cull, saying the koalas being targeted were 'in a lot of distress'. Ms Allan said on Friday the decision to shoot the koalas was made after 'extensive assessments'. The Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) is overseeing the operation, which has been called into question by wildlife advocates, including Koala Alliance president Jess Robertson. 'There is no way they can tell if a koala is in poor condition from a helicopter,' Ms Robertson said. Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell raised concerns for any unborn joeys caught up in the cull. 'No efforts are being made to check, when you're blasting koalas from helicopters, to see if they have pouch-young,' she told the Herald Sun.
The Independent
19-04-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Hundreds of Koala bears are being shot dead out of trees from helicopters in Australian wildlife cull
Koala bears are being shot dead by snipers from helicopters as Australian authorities look to cull the iconic mammals after a wildfire devastated their habitat. Animal activists have expressed their fury as they claim over 700 koalas have been shot dead so far and fearing more will be killed in the coming days. Aerial snipers from the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) are patrolling the Budj Bim world heritage area in south-west Victoria after a lightning strike sparked a devastating wildfire last month. The cull is being enforced amid fears the koala population will starve and die due to the loss of 2,000 hectares of the national park. But Jess Robertson, president of the Koala Alliance, said that local communities were disgusted with the methods used, adding: 'There is no way they can tell if a koala is in poor condition from a helicopter.' A Koala Alliance spokesman shared images of a helicopter circling over the devastated forest on Facebook. They added: 'These koalas came from a blue gum plantation recently harvested near the national park. DEECA are still in there shooting. The death toll is rising. 'If koalas were shot out of trees, this means many joeys would be left to suffer and die. It's despicable. It's cruel. This is exactly why DEECA never wanted the public to know.' Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan defended the policy, saying the koalas were 'severely injured and under a lot of distress'. She said: 'I'm advised the department undertook extensive assessments in the context of a bushfire that went through this local community started by lighting strike. 'After an examination of the circumstances, this approach was deemed the way to really recognise the koalas were in a lot of distress. 'That's the advice I've received, and in terms of those assessments, they are made by wildlife experts.' But koala researchers say the approach is just another example 'in a long line of mismanagement of the species and its habitat'. Rolf Schlagloth, from CQUniversity Australia, told Vox: 'We can't eliminate bushfires altogether but more continuous, healthy forests can assist in reducing the risk and severity of fires. Koala habitat needs to be extensive and connected and the management of blue gum plantations needs to consider the koala as these trees are very attractive to them.' Euthanasia should be used as a last resort when animals are severely injured, he added. But an aerial cull 'appears to be a very indiscriminate method,' Dr Schlagloth said.
