Express MIDLAND
www.midlandexpress.com.au
Tuesday, June 7, 2022
Walk W allkk for alk fo r rreconciliation rec eecco eco con onci ncil cciili iillia lliiat iiaati atio at tio ion on
during Reconciliation Week about the importance of listening to and learning from our Indigenous elders, identity, kinship, connection to Country, Sorry Day, Reconciliation and celebrating Aboriginal people as change makers.
Wildlife carers left to clean up after roo culls Amy Hume
Chewton students are pictured with Nalderun CEO Aunty Kath Coff and principal Bernadette McKenna at Me Mandook Galk, the Grandmother Tree, following Friday's moving event. Photo: Julie Millowick
A kangaroo with its jaw blown off and left suffering for days to die is a wildlife rescuer's worst nightmare. Wildlife Victoria rescuer Sue Anderson said she and others faced this reality under the state's increased Kangaroo Harvesting Program. Last week Ms Anderson was called to Macedon to euthanise a mother kangaroo left severely disfigured by a bullet wound to the face. It's believed she'd been targeted under the program but escaped with injuries. "It was clear that the kangaroo had lost her joey as a result, too. It upsets us greatly to see them in this condition," she told the Express. Ms Anderson said she had attended at least five similar cases since January in Bulla, Lauriston, Romsey and Gisborne. She is not alone in her distress. "I am tired mentally and it's not just me. We're all very upset to see this is still happening," she said. "These poor kangaroos are lucky enough to be seen and called in when members of public see the horrific injuries. But it makes us wonder how many others are suffering out there from not being found." Last year, Minister for Agriculture MaryAnne Thomas increased the state's harvesting kill quota by 37,780 kangaroos on the previous year to 95,680. She announced the program would allow extra meat to be made available for human consumption – not just pet food. It would also seek opportunities to export the skins. Ms Thomas attributed the dramatic change to a 2020 kangaroo survey that she said estimated "the current kangaroo population at almost two million across Victoria – up almost 40 per cent compared to 2018". At the time, wildlife carers raised the alarm about the potential for increased 'bad kills' where kangaroos escaped with injury and could not be captured, and were left to suffer. A Victorian Government spokesperson told the Express landholders in Victoria had two options for managing kangaroos: applying for a permit to control on-farm or accessing a professional shooter through the Kangaroo Harvesting Program. Continued page 5
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Chewton Primary School led a community 'Walk for Reconciliation' along the Leanganook Walking Track at Chewton last Friday. Inspired by 'The Long Walk', students shared teachings they had learned
‘Bad kills’ need to stop