South Morang

The Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE)
“humanely” put down a group of kangaroos that had been isolated on land at South Morang.

DSE wildlife manager Ron Waters responsible for the “difficult” decision. The health and safety of these kangaroos was at risk. They were facing dehydration and starvation because of the progressive loss of habitat at the site. He killed them to avoid them being killed on the roads!

Magnanimously, he claimed that the The welfare and safety issues associated with the capture and relocation of kangaroos were significant.

Suitable places for the translocation were found, but still the official version is that finding suitable habitat to relocate kangaroos to is also a challenge.” Donors, including Westfield, offered to pay the costs!

The area was earmarked for development, not surprising, and if there is no suitable habitat left in Victoria, considering the Black Saturday holocaust, then it is a damning statement of the condition of Victoria, the most cleared and damaged State in Australia.

Whittlesea Council sustainability planning manager John Rawlings said the project had been wound up after four months, but kangaroos remained in the area. A recent effort to try and relocate kangaroos from the Plenty Valley Town Centre area of Mill Park was 'not entirely successful,' Mr Rawlings said. Some of (the kangaroos) kept returning or were being replaced by others coming into the area.' The eastern grey kangaroos had been getting caught in back yards and fences as well as creating traffic hazards.

Translocation attempts

An attempt to relocate the kangaroos was made in early 2007. This relocation attempt was undertaken by a paid consultant in consultation with DSE as part of the Planning permit issued to Westfield. The consultant was able to capture and relocate a number of kangaroos over a few weeks.

They were tranquilised and moved to Quarry Hills, north of South Morang, by State Government authorities as requested by the council.

Initially 2 large males were captured & tagged and moved to the relocation site approximately 3km away. These male kangaroos were moved on their own, 1 at a time, and returned back to the Westfield site. One returned within 24 hours and another took 2 weeks to return. It is only normal that they will want to come back to their mob and protect their females & joeys, they are animals that live in mobs not on their own.

The translocation obviously did not cause injury or too much stress as they managed to safely return to their mob!

A further 3 kangaroos were captured, dye marked and moved to another relocation site approximately 13km away. These animals were not identified back at the Westfield site after they were moved but no one really knows what happened to them at the recipient site either.

The objective to move the kangaroos from the Mill Park/South Morang area was thus deemed a failure.

Ms Fiona Rowley, a Mill Park wildlife rescuer, organised an online petition to save the kangaroos, stranded on land near Westfield Plenty Valley.
According to Fiona :
There is very little research on relocating kangaroos. There has been one study which is still an unpublished paper from a relocation attempt undertaken in Queensland. 3 kangaroos died in the capture process - what injuries were sustained I don't know and after the remaining 10 or so roos were relocated about 4 others died within a six month period, 1 hit by a car and 3 attacked by dogs but none died of stress.

So did the relocation kill them or was it because of predators etc which can happen in any area? Hard to use or quote any of this information as it is an unpublished study.

Animals may be “in the way” of expansion of human settlement or of human activities such as agriculture or mining or may be in conflict with humans. There is an increasing move to attempt to shift animals from such habitat prior to its loss or to shift animals away from the conflict zone.

When DSE refer to studies that show poor survival rates for translocated wildlife what they are referring to are studies that have been undertaken involving brushtail possums, tiger snakes plus there are a number of studies where smaller macropods e.g rock wallabies have been released in areas and have a high mortality rate because of feral cats.

Is it reasonable to keep comparing studies on possums, tiger snakes, rock wallabies to eastern grey kangaroos? A proper scientific relocation project needs to be undertaken with eastern grey kangaroos and the results published so it can be referred to in the future.

The principal reason for translocating Common Brushtail Possums from urban environments to rural locations is to reduce human-possum conflicts without killing the possums. According to a study (R. S. Pietsch, 1992): The reality is that translocation may result in the deaths of more than 70 per cent of possums during the first week after release. There fore, the conclusion was that translocation is hardly a satisfactory means of dealing with nuisance urban possums, particularly considering the possible impacts and costs in term so time and resources involved in the process.

Translocated tiger snakes (H Butler, B Malone, N Clemann, 2005) have much larger home ranges, and make larger movements than do resident snakes. Thus, translocated snakes frequently breached management boundaries of the release site and entered residential properties. Whether this also occurs with other species and other release sites requires investigation.

Over the last several years, Parks Victoria relocated more than 6000 koalas from these parks to ensure that the overall survival and health of both forest and koala populations are maintained. Relocated koalas have been surgically sterilised to minimise the risk of over-abundance occurring at the release sites. Relocation programs over the last century have ensured that koalas are once again found throughout all suitable habitat for them in Victoria. According toAustralian Koala Foundation , while relocation programs over the last century may have ensured that koalas are once again found throughout all suitable habitat for them in Victoria, there is no mention of the limited genetic stock from which they were derived, the effects the introduced animals had on local gene pools, subsequent rates of habitat decline and koala population decline and so on. The AKF does not support the view that koalas now occur in all suitable habitat throughout Victoria.

Risks with larger mammals

The capture of large mammals such as kangaroos can be difficult. Where animals are simply chased and caught, skeletal damage (broken bones, joint damage) and muscular injuries such as capture myopathy may occur, but in practice rarely does. Capture using chemical darting is usually satisfactory and relatively risk free but adverse drug reactions and even deaths can occur. Overall translocations are being used to manage more and more ‘at risk’ species.

Although several post-release field studies have been undertaken to determine the survival of translocated animals, (Scott Craven, Thomas Barnes, and Gary Kania, 1998) little research attention has focused on the impacts of translocated animals at the point of release. Survival of released animals has been compared to survival of established, wild populations. In such comparisons, the released animals usually suffered higher mortality rates.

Decisions on translocations should be species-specific. The population status of animals to be translocated should be considered. Most people appreciate and enjoy the animals that make up the urban wildlife community. "Overabundant" implies a value judgement and should be justified with supporting information on habitat carrying capacity, habitat degradation, historical population trends, and reported levels of damage.

Translocation denied for kangaroos in Canberra

According to
Living with Eastern Grey Kangaroos in the A.C.T. - RURAL LANDS
FIRST REPORT TO THE MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, LAND AND PLANNING
A.C.T. KANGAROO ADVISORY COMMITTEE FEBRUARY 1996
Translocation of free ranging animals is a deceptively attractive option for dealing with excess animals because it appears to remove the problem. However, it is not a real solution and can create problems elsewhere. While it is possible to move small numbers from one area to another, it is not practicable for large numbers of free ranging animals.

Translocation is expensive because it requires large numbers of skilled staff and
specialised equipment. In the Committee's view, it is not an effective management tool
for large numbers of free ranging kangaroos.

The kangaroo survey conducted in the ACT has demonstrated that there was “no room available for translocation of even small numbers of free ranging animals. Obviously they didn't value them very much!

Further, translocation of animals to another State is not appropriate because the species is common in eastern Australia and other wildlife authorities do not support importation. No other State wanted them!

There are also significant animal welfare reasons for not translocating animals:
1. the stress associated with capture, transport and release;
2. the possibility of introducing animals to an inappropriate site;
3. the likely stress associated with introduction to a new social environment; and
4. the likely stress on resident social groups.

They concluded that translocation is not an appropriate management strategy for free ranging kangaroos in the ACT (refer to page 15 of the report). Were they really interested in the welfare of the animals or lethally "managing" them?

Defence in April 2008 said the trial would "deliver scientific evidence relating to translocation, assist the protection of endangered ecological communities and threatened species, and inform debate on humane management of eastern grey kangaroos."

It said the cooperation of the ACT Government and key experts in developing a proposal to support a pilot program would help identify a sustainable and responsible approach to land management.

Why then was Chief Minister Stanhope and his local government so keen on kangaroo slaughter when translocation is the preferred option in other Australian states?
Where is RSPCA (ACT)’s evidence that slaughtering a large number of kangaroos with a rifle over three days is humane? Why were they opposed to the use of proven methods of translocation?

Mr Stanhope and RSPCA ACT director Michael Linke claimed moving the kangaroos would be inhumane, citing a report stating large numbers of kangaroos could be expected to die as a result . They preferred bullets instead of the risk to a few?
(photo: Canberra's final solution to kangaroos "management". Courtesy of Bernie)
The director of the University of NSW arid zone research station, David Croft, dismissed this claim as ill-informed.

Dr Croft conducted a two-year study in central NSW on the impacts of translocation which showed no kangaroos died after being released into new habitat, and animals quickly integrated with wild kangaroos. Dr Croft, who has published numerous scientific papers on kangaroo management, said Wildcare's plan to move the kangaroos could potentially deliver breakthrough science. The Wildlife Protection Association of Australia and other Wildlife/Wildcare Organisations, Animal Liberation has been assured that the translocation would be successful if handled correctly. A group called Wildcare Queanbeyan has offered to transport the kangaroos at $3600 a head, but pressure is building on Defence to go ahead with the cull instead.
 
Former Queanbeyan Wildcare president Professor Steve Garlick said moving kangaroos was now commonplace.

As someone who has translocated up to 15 kangaroos including large ones in one day with simply the right medication and right destination facilities, its easy to see that a team of people would have little difficulty in moving greater numbers over a period of time. Dr Croft said the translocation program would have allowed scientists to test methods to be applied to moving threatened species.

Site quality - rather than the number and timing of translocations - primarily determines the long-term persistence of populations.

The characteristics and success of vertebrate translocations within Australia:
A final report to Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry by Dr Jeff Short compiles 380 translocations of 102 species. Of these, 195 translocations (51% of total translocations) are of 50 threatened species (roughly half of all species translocated). The two species (Brush-tailed Bettong and Tammar Wallaby) that have the most translocations were delisted as threatened species in the late 1990s, in part, because of the success of translocations.

A frequent criticism of translocations is that they often fail (Griffith et al. 1989; Short et al. 1992; Fischer and Lindenmayer 2000) and that there has been little improvement in the success rate over time (Fischer and Lindenmayer 2000). Lack of adequate monitoring and reporting is a theme common to most reviews of translocations (Short et al. 1992, Fischer and Lindenmayer 2000), and appears equally true today.

The major factor affecting the success of translocations of mammals was predation, typically by an exotic predator. Predation was given as the key cause in 80% of failed translocations. Typically introductions and restocking of mammals were far more successful than were reintroductions. The success rate for mammal translocation (62% of those with a recorded outcome) was substantially higher than for birds (38%), reptiles (33%) and amphibians (10%).

Seventy seven of 107 (72%) translocations of mammals were to unfenced sites that had active programmes of fox control. Successful translocations included those of Koala (4), Brushtail Possum (3), Eastern Grey Kangaroo, Common Wombat, Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby, Sugar Glider and Rothschild’s Rock-wallaby. Hence, successes at unfenced site in the apparent absence of fox control were largely from species either outside the critical weight range, arboreal, or beyond the northern boundary of the range of foxes.

Fischer and Lindenmayer (2000) found that most translocations that addressed human-animal conflicts (typically restocking) were unsuccessful. Contributing factors were homing behaviour and the poor adaptation to a shift from an urban to a non-urban environment. However, this conclusion was not based on macropod species.

Island populations of some translocated native species (Western Grey Kangaroos from Granite Island in South Australia) have subsequently been removed due to their environmental impact. These animals are victims of their translocation success!

Therefore, on what scientific basis, or body of experience, do our official “experts” conclude that a mass slaughter of kangaroos is more humane than translocation?

According to the Invasive Animal Cooperative Research Centre,
contraception methods are considered an ethically more acceptable alternative to culling or translocation when dealing with population control of large mammals, particularly for native species such as kangaroos.  Recent studies in eastern grey kangaroos using implants of a synthetic progestagen  have shown they provide a safe, effective, and long-term (at least 27 months) method of contraception for eastern grey kangaroos.  However, infertility by surgery is prohibitively expensive and improbable, given the numbers of animals involved. 

(photo: courtesy of Wildlife Victoria)
Wildlife Protestors
gathered at Parliament House on Wednesday 31st March to bring the government the messages of grief and anger written on the Spirit Kangaroos at the Memorial Protest on the previous Sunday.

The group then walked to the offices of The Department of Sustainability and Environment and called for Mr Ron Waters to explain why these kangaroos were killed when he was aware that Wildlife Victoria had indicated this mob for scientific research into feasibility of translocation of landlocked kangaroos - a research project based on specs Mr Water's had recommended at a meeting of the South Morang Kangaroo Working Group.

Roos at McDonalds Rd weren’t starving or dehydrated, just a convenient excuse to undertake a kill to avoid setting a precedent of successful relocation!

Griffith, B., Scott, J.M., Carpenter, J.W., and Reed, C. (1989). Translocation as a species conservation
tool: status and strategy. Science 245, 477-480.

Short, J., Bradshaw, S.D., Giles, J.R., Prince, R.I.T., andWilson, G.R. (1992). Reintroduction of
macropods (Marsupialia: Macropodoidea) in Australia - a review. Biological Conservation 62, 189-
204.

Fischer, J. and Lindenmayer, D.B. (2000). An assessment of the published results of animal
relocations. Biological Conservation 96, 1-11.

R. S. Pietsch, 1992. “The fate of urban Common Brushtail Possums translocated to sclerophyll forest”.

H Butler, B Malone, N Clemann, (2005). “The effects of translocation on the spatial ecology of tiger snakes Notechis scutatus) in a suburban landscape” Wildlife Research, 32, 165-171, CSIRO Publishing

Scott Craven, Thomas Barnes, and Gary Kania, (1998)Toward a professional position on the ranslocation of problem wildlife.

Late 2008 a school teacher helped worried children in Epping write to the Minister for the Environment, Mr Jennings, asking him to help kangaroos marooned by development and battered by traffic. Why did DSE allow Wildlife Victoria to spend time and money on a plan to relocate the 21 remaining kangaroos to safe territory, but then secretly kill the kangaroos in a unilateral decision in January this year? Why did DSE, which is also responsible for planning, allow development to trap the kangaroos? A memorial protest will be held for these kangaroos on Sunday 28 March at 2pm at Oleander Drive off McDonalds Rd in South Morang.We the People can do more about this - see inside! See also "Children in Epping tread where politicians fear to go" and "Our State government appears to be on a campaign to eradicate native wildlife from Victoria, especially kangaroos"

Mill Park/South Morang kangaroos

In late 2008 a school teacher helped worried children in Epping write to the Minister for the Environment, Mr Jennings, pleading for his department to look after kangaroos in the area,[1] which were landlocked by Government policy to artificially stimulate human population growth and the associated commercial and housing development.[2]

The children were especially distressed by the frequent sight of injured kangaroos on roads which they tried to cross in efforts to find food and water.

To our knowledge, the Minister never answered the children's emails, but the schoolteacher and children were silenced. Obviously one would write more about this except that it would not be in the interests of the children and their teacher. Why this should be so in Victoria in 2010, I leave to the reader's imagination.

Wildlife Victoria searched for kangaroos which DSE has shot without telling them

McDonalds Rd., South Morang and Bunnings, Mill Park, Feb 13, 2006 (Google Earth) with Inset of local kangaroos caught in further commercial development (Photo Fiona Corke).

Note that this area has changed enormously since the latest google-view of Feb 13 2006, such is the forced pace of change in Australian cities. South of McDonalds Road is where the mob was, and that is now quite heavily built on, with commercial development, including Bunnings. North of McDonalds Rd is largely overtaken by residential development, but there are also kangaroos over there, particularly near the two water tanks that can be seen on the top right hand edge of the area. There are not as many as there used to be. Wildlife rescuers are trying to ascertain with regular monitoring how many may have disappeared from there as well, and if any of these may have been killed. The kangaroos can get some passage through up into the northern area and beyond. Alas that takes them into farming areas where they are likely to also be shot with permits issued by the DSE to farmers.

The Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) dissolved the South Morang Kangaroo Working Group Committee last year, but DSE told Wildlife Victoria that they could submit a relocation plan, although it clearly stated that the plan would have to meet all recommendations. So far these recommendations have all been met and the plan is currently under review with an Ethics Committee that is chaired by a DSE employee.

On Friday 19th March 2010, however, after being questioned by Wildlife Victoria about the disappearance of kangaroos under focus, the Department put out a media release, stating that the kangaroos had been shot in January. The DSE employee who was left continuing to chair the ethics committee had not been informed either.

The grounds given for killing the kangaroos were that development was reducing them to starvation, but Wildlife Victoria says that recipient sites were available for them. Yes, there is land available, because of the depletion of populations due to last year's bushfires in other areas. This relocation option was to be presented before the ethics committee for approval next week.

Why did DSE, which is also responsible for planning, allow the situation which preceded this final tragedy to arise in the first place? Why did they also allow Wildlife Victoria to spend considerable time and money on a plan to relocate these animals to safe territory, then secretly kill the kangaroos in a unilateral decision?

Substantial Wildlife Corridors are still possible and must be created

It would still be possible to create corridors to safeguard Victoria's kangaroo population if it were not for the attitude of the commercially obsessed and development-mad Victorian Government, which seems to intend to get rid of every kangaroo in the State without letting anyone know what it is doing. Since similar attitudes prevail in other States, it seems possible that Australian governments could have plans which will make the kangaroo extinct, for all the public knows.
See also "Children in Epping tread where politicians fear to go" and "Our State government appears to be on a campaign to eradicate native wildlife from Victoria, especially kangaroos"

Secretive elimination of wild kangaroos in South Morang and Mill Park

The Sth Morang kangaroos that people have fought so long to save have been secretly killed by commercial shooters contracted by the Department of Sustainability and Environment.

The kill happened in January, although their relocation was and theoretically still is under review by an Ethics Committee. The chair of that Ethics Committee is a Senior DSE Wildlife employee who was not informed that the kangaroos had been killed.

21 remaining members of the original mob of 30 (depleted by road accidents), which rescuers had been focusing on, had been missing for weeks. Wildlife Victoria Members, Fiona Rowley, Narelle Smith and their northern network, Wildlife Rescuers, had been searching the area. All the while they suspected that the kangaroos had secretly been killed.

After Freedom of Information (FOI) notification and recent questions from Wildlife Victoria, the DSE issued a media release dated 19 March 2010.

The DSE media release [cited below] uses the fact that property development in the area was eliminating these animals' habitat and that they would starve to death to excuse the unilateral kill and implies that relocation was too unsure and costly an option to consider.

Kangaroo defenders say, however, that Wildlife Victoria’s submission to relocate the kangaroos was panning out well. Fiona Rowley had been an effective advocate for a rescue plan and both she and Narelle Smith had been involved in key aspects of the relocation plan and submission, and were keeping up monitoring of the area. The City of Whittlesea and Westfield Shopping Centre were prepared to cover the costs of the relocation, according to Fiona Rowley.

DSE "Out of touch" on wildlife issues

In response to the DSE press release, a distressed Fiona Rowley said:

“No proper study of the effects of relocating kangaroos has ever been undertaken, so how do they know it’s not possible. We were prepared to undertake one and the relocation project was pending approval via an expert panel.

"Money has been spent on statistical consultants, having site assessments done on recipient sites and it was determined by these consultants that the sites were suitable and could accommodate this mob of kangaroos with little to no environmental impact.

"Furthermore the City of Whittlesea and Westfield Shopping Centre were also supportive in relocating the kangaroos and were prepared to cover the costs of this project. The DSE are out of touch with wildlife issues and don’t consider what the community wants or expects in these situations.”

Ms Rowley added:

"In the South Morang Kangaroo Working Group Committee that many of us were involved in over the past few years the DSE admitted to being afraid of public backlash and noted the media attention when hundreds of kangaroos were killed at the Belconnen Naval Transmission site in Canberra 2 years ago. They also admitted on a number of occasions during the working group meetings that they were opposed to relocating these kangaroos as they did not want to set a precedent of relocating kangaroos in Victoria. DSE finally agreed that a relocation plan could be submitted and that it would have to go through an animal ethics committee for approval.

Why is the Department of Sustainability and Environment so cruel, callous, devious and incompetent?

The Department of Sustainability and Environment may have perceived an interest in defeating Wildlife Victoria's attempt to relocate kangaroos because, had this attempt succeeded, it could have been the first of many. The Department would then have been forced to admit that their duty of care towards these indigenous animals involves finding them alternative habitat or ceasing to grant new building permits in affected areas.

There are many groups of kangaroos in similar man-made predicaments - more every day. Kangaroos are high visibility animals (unlike some solitary, smaller creatures which often die unnoticed). Relocating kangaroos requires very noticeable efforts and organisation, drawing even more attention to their plight and government responsibility, cruelty, and over-release of building permits.

The public get very upset when they are confronted with the merciless impact of population growth and development on wildlife and the last thing that DSE wants the public to realise is the extent of the suffering of kangaroos and other wildlife through its already unpopular and unnecessary population growth and development objectives. The public really need to know about this, however.

DSE Victoria is already in trouble for failing to collect and maintain competent wildlife statistics, which means that it has failed to identify threatened and endangered species, let alone fulfill its international obligations to draw up plans. A recent auditor general's report on the matter estimated that it would take the Department nearly 30 years to catch up with its obligations if it continued to allocate so few resources to the task.

The Department of Sustainability and Environment is in charge of all the planning in Victoria and responsible for releasing too many building permits and inviting too many people to come and live in Victoria. To allow the DSE to be responsible for the welfare of kangaroos is like putting the fox in charge of the welfare of hens, a maniac in charge of a child, or a drunk in charge of a bar.

DSE should reimburse Wildlife Victoria and Volunteers involved in relocation efforts for their time

Is DSE going to reimburse the many weeks and months which volunteers have spent doing the department's work for them in researching relocation options and plans? In my view, the volunteers deserve the same hourly compensation as DSE managers would expect for undertaking similar responsibilities. If DSE is prepared to pay shooters rates to kill the kangaroos, it can pay volunteers for their time that it has wasted.

Reimburse Stress and suffering for Wildlife volunteers as well

Some also speak of compensation for pain and suffering - the awful stress of putting yourself out - literally for years - to find a solution for wildlife to a problem caused by incompetent planning - only to be assaulted with the information that the department was apparently not even attending to your input. Those months and years of forgone income, time with children, time maintaining home and fitness, in order to put in time for kangaroos with the Department of Sustainability deserve full compensation, including holidays and penalty rates and medical expenses for stress.

There is a lot we can do about all these wrongs!

Complain

Write a supportive comment under this article.

Email Ron.Waters[AT]dse.vic.gov.au to voice your protest
Email Gavin Jennings, the Minister for the Environment gavin.jennings[AT]parliament.vic.gov.au to let him know how disgusted you are. His phone number is (03) 9888 1910.

Send us copies of emails you send to politicians.

Change your vote!

Join the Animal Justice Party, which is a new political party in Australia that is seeking members in order to become an effective voice for all creatures great and small in every state of Australia.

Alternatively, join one and or vote for both (using preferences) of the two parties which intend to reverse government policy for rapid population growth in Australia. After all, population growth and development are the greatest cause of suffering for our native fauna. The parties are The Stable Population Party of Australia and the New Australia Party. Support Federal ALP member, Kelvin Thomson's population reform plan and vote for him if you are in Thomson's Federal electorate (Wills), which borders on the areas discussed here. You can contact him at (03) 9350 5777 or email him at Kelvin.Thomson.MP[AT]aph.gov.au Tell other MPs that they should get behind Kelvin's plan.

Get the relevant State and Federal Members of Parliament to put pressure on the relevant ministers

The area in question falls under two different State electorates - Yan Yean (administered by Danielle Green MP - danielle.green[AT]parliament.vic.gov.au Phone: (03) 9432 9782) and Mill Park (administered by Lily d'Ambrosio MP - lily.d'ambrosio[AT]parliament.vic.gov.au Phone: (03) 9465 9033 . These members need to tell the Minister for Planning to refuse any new building or clearing permits for the area and to provide safe crossings for animals in extant roads and to stop inviting immigrants to Victoria because there is no room.

The Federal member responsible for this particular area - Scullin electorate - is ALP member, Harry Jenkins: Harry.Jenkins.MP[AT]aph.gov.au Phone: (03) 94678055. He needs to tell the Prime Minister to cut down Australia's immigration because it is causing kangaroos to suffer by driving housing and infrastructure development on indigenous habitat.

Memorial Protest for these victims of DSE and Victoria's overdevelopment and lack of fauna management

A memorial protest will be held in honour of these kangaroos, who became the innocent victims of development and lack of native fauna management by the government department responsible for their wellbeing. It will be held next Sunday 28 March at 2pm at Oleander Drive off McDonalds Rd in South Morang.

Please – tell everyone you can, it’s really important that as many people attend as possible.

Enough is enough; this war against our wildlife has got to stop!

Kangaroo and Wildlife activists and carers hope to see many Victorians there from city and country areas.

The Department's media release in March about the shootings in January

The Department of Sustainability and Environment Media Release re the
"South Morang Kangaroosof 19 March 2010, [3] (reproduced in the "Notes" section of this article), was two months after the event.

It said that DSE had

'humanely put down a group of kangaroos that had been isolated on land at South Morang.' It said that "The welfare and safety issues associated with the capture and relocation of kangaroos were significant” and that “Finding suitable habitat to relocate kangaroos to is also a challenge.”

The choice of the words 'significant' and 'challenge' is interesting. 'Significant' is a useful term for avoiding quantification, comparison or documentation. Why wasn't the decision on the kangaroos scientifically and ethically informed by the relocation study concurrently being carried out? 'Challenge' is a political word that covers a multitude of omissions, including the fact that there was a choice. DSE chose to kill the kangaroos. It chose to deprive them of life and people working on this problem of the opportunity to attempt to save their lives. Victorian observers could be forgiven for seeing this as expedient or cowardly or callous.

One long-time wildlife campaigner wrote:

"I may be wrong/out of line but as I've said before, probably the only way to save some kangaroos is to dart and move them illegally, at night. Government departments that are supposed to protect wildlife almost never help when we ask them to protect animals and seem to take every opportunity to kill them. I cannot help but wonder if there is a criminally corrupt aspect. Someone's brother may be a 'roo shooter. Wildlife carers get nothing for the work they do, but shooters get paid. What is the going price for shooting 20 kangaroos, I wonder, after you split it with someone in a department meant to help the roos?

Of course there must be people in departments that are supposed to protect wildlife who actually do care about animals, but they have to follow orders and the directions from the top seem to be universally callous."

Notes

[1] "in the area": This particular tragedy came to the attention of the public through a mob of about 30 kangaroos which became trapped behind Bunnings/Westfield in Mill Park. This mob was split as the roads became busier with increasing development and population growth. As the other side of McDonalds road is South Morang, they are known as the Sth Morang kangaroos as they were once the same mob. The mob over on the other side has farmland on the other side of the large residential development, but many have become increasingly locked in there as well under a transmission station and Melb Water land.

There are also other isolated and landlocked mobs in Somerton Rd, known as the Somerton mob, (see video) also pockets in Lalor and Bundoora, which are all in trouble.

[2] Most citizens are not aware of the Victorian government policy to invite immigrants from other states and from overseas to live in Victoria - hence the population growth, which drives undemocratic development throughout Victoria.

[3]

Department of Sustainability and Environment Media Release re the
"South Morang Kangaroos

19 March 2010

The Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) has humanely put down a group of kangaroos that had been isolated on land at South Morang.

DSE Wildlife manager Ron Waters said this was a difficult decision for everyone involved but the welfare of the kangaroos had to come first.

“The health and safety of these kangaroos was at risk. They were facing dehydration and starvation because of the progressive loss of habitat at the site,” Mr Waters said.

“The site is largely private land and there’s no long term future for kangaroos on this site that has effectively become enclosed by roads and commercial development.”

“DSE had been monitoring the group of about 30 kangaroos closely for a number of years and had hoped that they might naturally disperse from the area as development proceeded.”

“It became clear that despite significant and increasing disturbance at the site, animals were reluctant to disperse naturally and DSE took the tough decision to use professional shooters to humanely destroy them before they starved or were pushed onto adjoining roads.

“The welfare and safety issues associated with the capture and relocation of kangaroos were significant.”

“Finding suitable habitat to relocate kangaroos to is also a challenge.”

Minister Environment and Climate Change Honourable Gavin Jennings MP Dear Mr Jennings, I am concerned about the high rate of land clearing and developments in our northern growth corridor. NO provision has been made for wildlife, especially kangaroos. Plenty Gorge could have been extended to join into a wildlife corridor, but this was not done. Previously I wrote to Mr Alan Webster and he reassured me at the time that something would be done. However it was never put in writing. Plenty Gorge is surrounded by housing estates, and the growth continues. Surely this is the reason we are losing so many indigenous species in Australia - because they are not provided for. Surely growth could have been planned to include non-humans? There is a wonderful opportunity to save a large piece of land in Mill Park, next to Bunnings. There are mature gum trees, shrubs and wildlife. More than ever we have to recognise that we need green wedges, conservation corridors as buffers against further biodiversity losses and climate change. We can't just keep developing and clearing land and wonder why we have drought, heat and climate change! I have campaigned some of the public in Mill Park and a great majority do not want to see the kangaroos killed. They are being squeezed out of existence. These animals and others are the victims of planning failures. These gentle animals are stranded between busy roads and shopping centres and every day they are in danger of having little food and being killed by traffic. Kangaroos and wildlife are part of Victoria. The "management" so far has been killings! I refuse to accept this form of "management"! It is killing and a failure to address the needs of animals that have a right to exist in our State. We can't just kill off anything that moves to put in more people and more sterility. The are part of our environment, our ecosystem, and we are morally and ethically obliged to protect them from constant economic decisions that say "kill them". There are reports that kangaroos may become extinct with increases in temperatures. Koalas are also on the way out! I implore you to do something to PROTECT the habitat and the kangaroos and other remnant wildlife in Mill Park and South Morang. Please make sure they provided with a right -of-way corridor (over roads) to connect with National and State parks. Our wonderful kangaroos are vilified as worth nothing until dead and out of sight! Everything wonderful about Australia is disappearing because we don't value our heritage. Our governments now are only interested in the economy! Please do something to save the land and kangaroos in Mill Park and South Morang. Thank you Vivienne Ortega(Australian Wildlife Protection Council - vice president)