Canberra Roos Saved, But lost the Wallabies!
The other week I posted on Canberra’s Defence Department’s plans to cull 500 or so Kangaroos….
What is a cull? it is the destruction of a group of animals either partly or in full..
A cull is usually carried out when the numbers of a species reach a point where they are suffering from lack of feed or disease…. However this was a matter of convenience rather than egology….
I wish to thank all those who signed the petition, and have been proactive about stopping this… the Kangaroos will be relocated to NSW. One small problem In NSW you can go shoot a roo…. thats right … so rather than relocate them to an area outside the city of Canberra, they will be moved to NSW…
At least I guess they will have a chance… no fences…
While all the worlds attention was focused so deligently on Canberra’s wishes to kill our National Icon in our Nations Capital, up in the Northern Territory… at Tindall Air force Base.. approximately 700 wallabies where shot dead….
So we saved the Roos and lost the Wallabies…this is what they shot
In the township of Katherine reports of an explosion in Wallaby numbers has lead to as many as 50 a day being hit on the road…
On the ABC questions where asked on “What was reason behind the Cull?”, “why these animals where not relocated?”
Efforts where made to herd the wallabies out of the Fence, all but 50, didnt want to leave…. so instead they shot the reamining 690…. sighting safety concerned for aircraft landing and taking off… the Air Force had cancelled night Flight for several months as it had become dangerous with the numbers of animals…
Australia’s has to date lost over1/3 of all its mammels since we came here 200 years ago… the Aboriginals where here for 50,000 years before that and not much damage was done….
So why are loosing our unique creatures, it is in part due to the natural cycle, but a growing number of scientist believe we are entering the 6th mass extinction event… the only difference between this time and the 5 previous is this is cause by just one species….US!
There are several reasons for humans being blamed,
land clearing,
urbanisation,
pollution,
yes our old friend global warming,
the introduction of species,
farming,
cars,
cargo ships,
ballast water,
the list goes on….
Now we think we can kill a hundreds of animals of the same species and have little or no effect on their population….
Are we really so stupid to think we know better than Nature…
she has been a dam fine job without our help until now…. after all when times are hard the numbers fall when times are good they increase… this increases the gene pool and allows the stronger animals to breed and gives the next generation a healthy start…
Perhaps it is time we let nature take care of it self… and start taking responsibility for the Great blood y mess we have created and help her along a bit..
What do you think?
The following is an inclomplete list of all Australian Animals listed as extinct since Europeans first came to Australia, pretty shameful isnt it, but whats worse is all the creatures we dont where here and have also gone…. This list is taken from Wiki please visit the site to read more
Birds
| Species | Common Name | Location(s) | Comments |
| Aplonis fusca | Norfolk Starling | Norfolk Island, NSW | 1923. Competition from introduced European starling, song thrush and common blackbird, clearance for agriculture. |
| Columba vitiensis godmanae | White-throated Pigeon (Lord Howe Island), Lord Howe Pigeon | Lord Howe Island | |
| Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae erythrotis | Red-crowned Parakeet (Macquarie Island), Macquarie Island Parakeet | Macquarie Island | |
| Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae subflavescens | Red-crowned Parakeet (Lord Howe Island), Lord Howe Parakeet | Lord Howe Island | |
| Dasyornis broadbenti litoralis | Rufous Bristlebird (western), South-western Rufous Bristlebird | WA | |
| Dromaius ater | Dwarf Emu, King Island Emu | TAS | 1827 |
| Dromaius baudinianus | Kangaroo Island Emu | Kangaroo Island | 1805 |
| Dromaius novaehollandiae diemenensis | Emu (Tasmanian) | TAS | 1850 |
| Drymodes superciliaris colcloughi | Roper River Scrub-robin | NT | |
| Gerygone insularis | Lord Howe Gerygone, Lord Howe Warbler | Lord Howe Island | |
| Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae spadicea | New Zealand Pigeon (Norfolk Island race) | Norfolk Island | |
| Lalage leucopyga leucopyga | Norfolk Island Long-tailed Triller | Norfolk Island | |
| Nestor productus | Norfolk Island Kaka | Norfolk Island | |
| Ninox novaeseelandiae albaria | Southern Boobook (Lord Howe Island), Lord Howe Boobook Owl | Lord Howe Island | |
| Porphyrios alba | White Gallinule | Lord Howe Island | |
| Psephotus pulcherrimus | Paradise Parrot | NSW, QLD | Date uncertain around 1927; more recent sightings are sometimes claimed but have never been confirmed. Cause uncertain, most hypotheses centre on starvation from lack of grass seed after drought, overgrazing, more frequent fires, and introduction of prickly pear. |
| Rallus pectoralis clelandi | Lewin’s Water Rail (western) | WA | |
| Rallus philippensis maquariensis | Macquarie Island Rail | Macquarie Island | |
| Rhipidura cervina | Lord Howe Fantail | Lord Howe Island | |
| Turdus poliocephalus poliocephalus | Grey-headed Blackbird, Norfolk Island Thrush | Norfolk Island | |
| Turdus xanthopus vinitinctus | Lord Howe Vinous-tinted Thrush | Lord Howe Island | |
| Zosterops albogularis | White-chested White-eye, Norfolk Island Silvereye | Norfolk Island | The IUCN considers this species endangered; it is listed as extinct under the EPBC act since it has not been officially documented for over 20 years. |
| Zosterops strenuus | Lord Howe Island | Early 1920s. Predation by Rattus rattus |
Amphibians
The reason for the decline and extinction of these frog species is unclear, decline in frog populations is an international phenomenon.
| Species | Common Name | Location(s) | Comments |
| Rheobatrachus silus | Gastric-brooding Frog | QLD | Last wild specimen recorded in 1981 |
| Rheobatrachus vitellinus | Eungella Gastric-brooding Frog | QLD | Last wild specimen recorded in 1985 |
| Taudactylus acutirostris | Sharp-snouted Day Frog, Sharp-snouted Torrent Frog | QLD | Last wild specimen recorded in 1997 |
| Taudactylus diurnus | Southern Day Frog, Mt Glorious Torrent Frog | QLD | Last wild specimen recorded in 1979 |
Mammals and Marsupials
| Species | Common Name | Location(s) | Comments |
| Bettongia gaimardi gaimardi | Eastern Bettong (mainland) | NSW, QLD, SA, VIC | |
| Bettongia lesueur graii | Boodie, Burrowing Bettong (inland) | WA | |
| Bettongia penicillata penicillata | Brush-tailed Bettong (south-east mainland) | NSW, NT, SA, VIC, WA | |
| Caloprymnus campestris | Desert Rat-kangaroo | QLD, SA | |
| Chaeropus ecaudatus | Pig-footed Bandicoot | NSW, NT, SA, VIC, WA | 1950s |
| Conilurus albipes | White-footed Rabbit-rat | NSW, QLD, SA, VIC | |
| Lagorchestes asomatus | Central Hare-wallaby | NT | 1935 |
| Lagorchestes hirsutus hirsutus | Rufous Hare-wallaby (south-west mainland) | NT, SA, WA | |
| Lagorchestes leporides | Eastern Hare-wallaby | NSW, QLD, SA, VIC | 1890 |
| Lagostrophus fasciatus albipilis | Banded Hare-wallaby (mainland) | WA | |
| Leporillus apicalis | Lesser Stick-nest Rat | NSW, NT, SA, VIC, WA | 1933 |
| Macropus eugenii eugenii | Tammar Wallaby (South Australia) | SA | |
| Macropus greyi | Toolache Wallaby | SA, VIC | 1932 |
| Macrotis leucura | Lesser Bilby | NT, QLD, SA | 1931 |
| Notomys amplus | Short-tailed Hopping-mouse | NT, SA | 1896 |
| Notomys longicaudatus | Long-tailed Hopping-mouse | NT, SA, WA | |
| Notomys macrotis | Big-eared Hopping-mouse | WA | 1843 |
| Notomys mordax | Darling Downs Hopping-mouse | NSW, QLD | 1846 |
| Nyctophilus howensis | Lord Howe Long-eared Bat | Lord Howe Island | |
| Onychogalea lunata | Crescent Nail-tail Wallaby | SA, WA | |
| Perameles bougainville fasciata | Western Barred Bandicoot (mainland) | NSW, VIC | |
| Perameles eremiana | Desert Bandicoot | NT, SA, WA | |
| Potorous platyops | Broad-faced Potoroo | WA | 1865 |
| Pseudomys gouldii | Gould’s Mouse | NSW, QLD, SA, VIC, WA | |
| Rattus macleari | Maclear’s Rat | Christmas Island | 1908 |
| Rattus nativitatis | Bulldog Rat | Christmas Island | |
| Thylacinus cynocephalus | Thylacine, Tasmanian Tiger | TAS | 1936 |
Several Australian Invertebrates have been listed by the World Conservation Union as having become extinct. However they are not listed as extinct under Australian legislation.
| Species | Common Name | Location(s) | Comments |
| Hypolimnus pedderensis | Lake Pedder Earthworm | TAS | Probably extinct in 1972, confirmed in 1996 |
| Romankenkius pedderensis | Lake Pedder Planarian | TAS | Probably extinct in 1972, confirmed in 1986 [1] |
| Tornelasmias capricorni | [2] | ||
| Austrogammarus australis | 1994? [3] | ||
| Beddomeia tumida | 1996 [4] | ||
| Angrobia dulvertonensis | 1996 [5] | ||
| Placostylus bivaricosus etheridgei | [6] |
You state that all was well when the continent was supervised by the Aborigines. I agree with that, but wouldn’t kangaroo populations have been constantly controlled by the Aborigines, given that the roo was a prime food source? Aren’t the roos out of control now because kangaroo meat is not on many Australian dinner tables these days? Is there any ecological difference between eating kangaroos and burying them? Hey, I live in Canberra and I love bushwalking and talking to the kangaroos, which are always waiting for me to come by, but let’s be real: it’s most unlikely that shooting a few hundred of the dear things in Canberra is going to terminate the species!
Hey Warwick
And Welcome….
the kangaroo has a rare ability to contain a feotus within the mothers body for quite some time… it remains in frozen in time until a more favourable time ei drought, low feed, high population numbers etc… has passed
their Numbers arent actually out of control… infact the numbers of roos has been in decline for the past ten years or more… dropping by around 40% so far…
I am in Tassie…. with the problems of the Devils looming… They just found One which is immune to the Facial Tumours… imagine if that one creature had been killed in a trap we could still have no hope of saving the species..
It is more to do with the genetic diversity of a species…
Do we have the right to kill a creature because it is in our way…. not living in a convenient area, or simple makes irritating noises… no we do not…
Aboriginals did hunt and eat Kangaroos and many others, but it was for food and survival, not out of some miss guided thought of we know best or we are superior and have the right….. because we really dont…
The Egology issue was what was used to justify the slaughter, and it just didnt wash … all that needed to be down was the fence remove for a few days, or the animals relocated… the Defence Force was not worried about the little grasshoper living there when they used the land….
So I cant see why they were so concerned when the roos were using it..
It does appear to have been a smokescreen … everyone saving the roos in canberra… which on the same they announced the relocation program they go and kill all the wallabies in the Northern Territory air base….
seems very convenient …
Wow. We deal with the same issues here. Truly we do, and it IS a global process.
There’s no easy answer. I’m sickened by the loss of so many of this planets wonderful creatures.
Awareness, education and outreach are the only solutions at this point.
We can’t do anything except try to pull our childrens heads out of their video games long enough to teach them that they are responsible for the next wave of life here on this third rock from the sun.
I’m worried too ..