Kangaroos Heading for Quasi Extinction in Canberra Nature Reserves
Calculations based on the current kangaroo killing programme of the ACT Government in its six Nature Reserves suggest that the kangaroo is headed for complete eradication, says kangaroo behaviourist Professor Steve Garlick.
Professor Garlick has carried out more than 1500 kangaroo rescues, successfully rehabilitated more than 600 injured kangaroos and translocated them back to the wild, all on a voluntary basis. “Through his day-to-day hands-on experience he probably knows more about the behaviour of the kangaroo than just about anyone”, said Animal Liberation ACT President Bernie Brennan.
“Using the ACT Government’s own data, and applying our intelligence about kangaroo fertility, development and morbidity, as well as the likely myopathy impact of the shooting, accidents, fence entanglement and attacks by dogs and humans, the residual 0.534 kangaroos per hectare the Government is aiming for in its current programme of killing will mean kangaroo numbers in the six reserves will never recover and will dwindle away to nothing over a surprisingly short time”, said Professor Garlick. “In ten years I estimate there will be barely a few hundred in total remaining, assuming no more killing programmes. As numbers continue to fall, other kangaroos will not migrate to the reserves from elsewhere, as poor planning has meant these reserves are fenced in, or bounded by major roads and suburbs,” he added.
“This loss of the kangaroo numbers will, based on the ACT Government evidence to the Civil and Administrative Appeals Tribunal several years ago, cause a ‘cascade of extinctions of threatened species’”, Professor Garlick stated.
“Judging on what we have observed on each of the six nature reserves we believe this post-killing figure of 0.534 kangaroos per hectare is exaggerated and we can expect a much lower kangaroo density than this”, said Animal Liberation ACT President Bernie Brennan. “The original kangaroo population estimates undertaken by the ACT Government in these six reserves were clearly overstated and implementing this latest killing programme makes it obvious that the ACT Government does not want kangaroos to exist in Canberra’s nature reserves,” he added.
Mr Brennan is concerned that,: “The ACT Government’s reckless actions towards the kangaroo not only raise the spectre of significant acts of violence being perpetrated on a gentle native animal and its infant young, but the extreme nature of the killing programme threatens the kangaroo’s ultimate survival in the ‘bush capital’s’ nature reserves and represents disinvestment in an internationally recognised iconic asset to this community.”.