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Latest news with #culling

Controversial $350,000 nighttime plan for 16 Aussie parks
Controversial $350,000 nighttime plan for 16 Aussie parks

Yahoo

time13-06-2025

  • General
  • Yahoo

Controversial $350,000 nighttime plan for 16 Aussie parks

A $350,000 government splurge on shooting wild kangaroos roaming in parks surrounding an Australian city has opponents up in arms. They say it's time for the ACT government to get smarter about how it manages the native marsupials, rather than spending up big on bullets. When darkness falls and walkers and picnickers return home from 16 grassy reserves that surround Canberra, shooters will move in. They're contracted to shoot thousands of kangaroos this year to manage what it says are 'environmental, economic and social impacts' caused by 'overpopulation'. 'Leading scientists and land managers with decades of experience in ecology, land management, and kangaroo management have calculated an operational target of 2,981 kangaroos to be removed,' an ACT government spokesperson told Yahoo News. Related: 320 wallabies shot at sanctuary designed to protect wildlife Culling kangaroos so close to a city is a complex operation, meaning the government has to pay for staff overtime, contractors, planning, monitoring and equipment. Gwenda Griffiths from Save Canberra's Kangaroos thinks the money could be better spent on creating overpasses or underpasses. This would mean they aren't hit by cars when they leave the reserves and the grasslands they live on don't become denuded. Since Canberra was established as a city, the reserves where kangaroos live have become surrounded by development, so the only way in or out for animals is via roads. 'It's not rocket science and we're not reinventing the wheel, these overpasses are used successfully elsewhere around the world,' Griffiths told Yahoo News. 'Sure, they're expensive, but they could benefit humans as well.' Doing this would not only reduce the risk of conflict, it would allow kangaroos to naturally traverse the landscape so numbers don't build up in reserves. This short-term expenditure could reduce any ongoing need for yearly culls, freeing up more money in future for important issues like health and education. "We need to stop thinking the only solution is to shoot them. We need to get better at sharing the environment," Griffiths said. Secret hidden beneath Australia's 'most important' parcel of land Alarming scene at popular Aussie tourist spot sparks warning Calls to release documents behind helicopter shooting of koalas Griffiths doesn't believe there should be any need for culls in Australia, and that it's on planners to properly design cities that allow for wildlife movement. "They talk about welfare concerns that when there's a drought, they starve, and when there's a rain they overproduce. But for thousands of years, kangaroos have lived in varying conditions and have regulated their own reproduction," she said. While shooting remains the government's dominant method of control, it has also invested in fertility controls. So far this year, just 18 females have been treated with the GonaCon vaccine, but there are plans to expand its use. 'GonaCon contraceptive vaccine is currently being used at three nature reserves. To reduce population growth, we are aiming to treat between 60 per cent and 80 per cent of the adult females at these sites with GonaCon,' a government spokesperson said. Females only need to be treated once so there aren't ongoing costs with this population control method. 'Most of the GonaCon treatments required at these sites were administered in previous years, so only a low number of additional treatments were required this year to maintain the desired number of infertile females in these populations,' the government said. The government's use of the carcasses also remains controversial, because it's a rare jurisdiction where there isn't commercial harvesting of their meat and skins. While some bodies are given to Traditional Custodians for cultural use, and some are used in baits to kill native dingos and invasive foxes, the majority are disposed of. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.

B.C. ostriches won't 'necessarily' be killed, says Canada's agriculture minister
B.C. ostriches won't 'necessarily' be killed, says Canada's agriculture minister

CBC

time28-05-2025

  • Business
  • CBC

B.C. ostriches won't 'necessarily' be killed, says Canada's agriculture minister

Canada's minister of agriculture says a group of B.C. ostriches will "not necessarily" be killed, despite an order from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) that they be culled due to concerns about the avian flu. On Wednesday, reporters in Ottawa asked Heath MacDonald, the minister of agriculture and agri-food, about the fate of the ostriches, after high-ranking U.S. officials, including Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., publicly called for the herd to be spared. "We're in a process," MacDonald said. "We're taking all facts into consideration. And we'll move forward on the best possible solution for everybody involved." Asked directly if the birds would be killed, he said, "The process is in place. And not necessarily." WATCH | Dr. Oz, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. wade into B.C. ostrich debate: Dr. Oz, U.S. billionaire offer to take B.C. ostriches ordered killed 16 hours ago Duration 2:42 The fate of the birds on Universal Ostrich farm, in Edgewood, B.C., has attracted international attention since December 2024, when they were told by the CFIA that their entire herd of roughly 400 ostriches would have to be killed after two dead ostriches tested positive for avian flu. The order follows the CFIA's blanket policy of "stamping out" all domestic flocks where the disease is detected, in an effort to stem its spread and possible mutation. The disease has been responsible for the deaths of thousands of birds in Canada and the United States and can also infect mammals, and in rare cases, humans. Its spread was a primary driver of skyrocketing egg prices in the United States earlier this year as commercial flocks were infected. But Universal Ostrich farm has tried to appeal the order, arguing that while 69 birds died during the initial infection, the last death occurred in January, and since then, it says the remaining birds have shown no symptoms of the disease. They also say they don't sell their birds for food but have pivoted instead to using them for scientific research. However, the CFIA points out that the ostriches continue to be in open pens where they are exposed to wild birds and animals, which would allow avian flu to be reintroduced or, if the ostriches are still carrying the disease without showing symptoms, for it to be passed back into wild animal populations. They also said the farm did not present evidence that the ostriches were genetically unique enough to warrant an exemption on scientific grounds. And they say they have a responsibility to follow international guidelines on how to handle infections in order to preserve Canada's agricultural industry and public health. MacDonald said while he sympathizes with the farmers, it's also important to take a look at the broader context of combating avian flu. "I certainly, you know, obviously feel sorry for the farmers... but we also have the economic side to this," he said. "We have to protect other industries and sectors, as well." The farm is entitled to up to $3,000 per ostrich killed. In the meantime, Universal Ostrich has filed for an appeal, which still has to be accepted, of an earlier court ruling allowing the cull to move forward. And a group of dedicated supporters have set themselves up on the farm, publishing daily live streams and lobbying for help. It was through this network that the ostriches came to the attention of U.S. billionaire John Catsimatidis, who told CBC News he had learned about the kill order through a website called Broken Truth, which describes itself as a network aimed at "exposing fraud and corruption, particularly in medicine and beyond," and says it has its roots in pushing against public health policies stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. Catsimatidis then used his platform, which includes a radio show on a New York-based station he owns, to bring the topic up to other leaders, including Kennedy. During an April episode of his program with the health secretary, Catsimatidis claimed the ostriches were being killed because of corruption and pharmaceutical companies, with Kennedy responding that it was a "huge mistake." Kennedy then followed up with a letter posted last week to X, stating that he had met with the president of the CFIA and was requesting that Canada consider not culling the herd but rather work with the United States to research them. Additionally, former TV host Dr. Mehmet Oz, who is now the administrator for the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, has offered to take the ostriches in at his ranch. MacDonald said he has not yet had a conversation with his U.S. counterparts about the topic, but it would be better to have a conversation rather than communicating online via social media. "If we follow Twitter or that sort of thing with any major decisions that we're making here in Canada, I'm not sure that's the appropriate course of action," he said.

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