Run for it Skippy!

[Gob]

More than 2000 eastern grey kangaroos will be culled from nine nature reserves in Canberra which will be closed to the public from tomorrow.



The sites to be closed are Callum Brae Nature Reserve, Crace Nature Reserve, Goorooyaroo Nature Reserve, Jerrabomberra West Nature Reserve, Kama Nature Reserve, Mt Painter Nature Reserve, Mulligans Flat Nature Reserve, The Pinnacle Nature Reserve and Wanniassa Hills Nature Reserve.

The ACT Government says the areas within the Canberra Nature Park will be closed from 6pm tomorrow to 6pm on Tuesday, June 12 to allow for the controlled culling of "over-abundant eastern grey kangaroos".

Director of Parks and Conservation Daniel Iglesias said: ''The cull of up to 2015 eastern grey kangaroos is needed to maintain populations at appropriate levels to protect the integrity of ecosystems, several of which contain endangered flora and fauna.

"The numbers to be culled have been based on kangaroo counts in each location.

"Ensuring the grasslands and woodlands are not overgrazed will protect threatened species and ecosystems, provide habitat for creatures such as ground-feeding birds, prevent excessive soil loss and maintain sustainable numbers of kangaroos."


A male Eastern Grey Kangaroo. Photo: Lorelle Mercer

Mr Iglesias says experienced marksmen will humanely culled the kangaroos, according to a strict code of practice that is endorsement by relevant authorities including the RSPCA. Rangers and security staff will patrol areas to ensure the safety of the public with warning signs also being installed at all entry points to the reserves.

"The cull is part of the Kangaroo Management Plan, released in 2010, which sets out the ACT Government's approach to managing the environmental, economic and social impacts of kangaroos to ensure their numbers are maintained at a sustainable level into the future."

Walked the dogs at the Pinnacle Nature Reserve today, best not do it tomorrow.

[BoSoxGal]

Will they leave them rot, or process the meat for the poor?

[Gob]

Buried in mass graves.

[MajGenl.Meade]

[Gob]

The Department of Territory and Municipal Services (TAMS) have announced that the kangaroo cull is now complete in the following park areas:

– Callum Brae Nature Reserve,
– Crace Nature Reserve,
– Goorooyarroo Nature Reserve,
– Jerrabomberra West Nature Reserve,
– Kama Nature Reserve,
– Mount Painter Nature Reserve,
– Mulligan’s Flat Nature Reserve, and
– unleased territory land adjacent to Kama Nature Reserve

1,839 skippies have gone to meet their maker, but at least I can take my dogs for a walk in my favourite areas.

[Lord Jim]

It's sad that this has to happen, but mass starvation would be crueler, and since there are no natural predators, I can't think of another option that would be better....

[rubato]

Kangaroo hide makes wonderful shoes.

Hope they used it.

yrs,
rubato

[Gob]

It's sad that this has to happen, but mass starvation would be crueler, and since there are no natural predators, I can't think of another option that would be better....

We should introduce wild tigers!!!

[Lord Jim]

We should introduce wild tigers!!!

That's the ticket!

And I know just the tigers that could use a new habitat...(No CP, not those Tigers...)

THE SIBERIAN TIGER

It is estimated the wild population of Siberian tigers at around 350-450 tigers.

Almost all wild Siberian tigers live the Southeast corner of Russia in the Sikhote-Alin mountain range east of the Amur River. Their former range included northeastern China and the Korean Peninsula, and as far west as Mongolia. They are the largest of the tiger species and can grow up to 13 feet in length and weigh up to 700 lbs.

The Siberian –or Amur- tiger is considered a critically endangered species with the primary threats to its' survival in the wild being poaching and habitat loss from intensive logging and development.

Of course there will be some whiners who will say:

"You can't do that.... tigers aren't native to Australia....that's just not right....boo hoo hoo...."

I see a predator that's endangered that needs a new range and food source species....

And a grazing species that's over populated and needs a predator species to reduce it's numbers....

Sounds like a perfect match....

[Scooter]

I suppose if you could figure out a way to get the tigers to eat the kangaroos and not, say, the sheep, or the people.

[Gob]

I suppose if you could figure out a way to get the tigers to eat the kangaroos and not, say, the sheep.

Fixed, (before anyone else does. )

[dales]

Jack-In-The-Box called, they are more than willing to buy all the 'roo meat available.

[The Hen]

The Department of Territory and Municipal Services (TAMS) have announced that the kangaroo cull is now complete in the following park areas:

– Callum Brae Nature Reserve,
– Crace Nature Reserve,
– Goorooyarroo Nature Reserve,
– Jerrabomberra West Nature Reserve,
– Kama Nature Reserve,
– Mount Painter Nature Reserve,
– Mulligan’s Flat Nature Reserve, and
– unleased territory land adjacent to Kama Nature Reserve

1,839 skippies have gone to meet their maker, but at least I can take my dogs for a walk in my favourite areas.

Perhaps not.

The signs and exclusion tape are still up at the base of Mount Painter.

[Gob]

Piss!!

[Gob]

The problem remains...

Altering the number of kangaroos culled each year will not avoid some young adults starving to death at the end of winter.




The ACT Parks and Conservation Service director Daniel Iglesias said sightings of higher numbers of kangaroos happened at the end of winter every year because they had to forage further for food.

After heavy frosts, what little pasture was left in nature reserves was of poor quality.

''Kangaroos are doing it tough between July and August. It is the highest time for morbidity, a lot of sub-adults [adolescents] die.''


He said this was a natural phenomenon.

Motorists have reported more kangaroos along Hindmarsh Drive at O'Malley and near nature reserves in the south and north of the city.

The Canberra Times previously reported last year's winter cull killed about 2440 kangaroos of the planned 3427 while this year, government shooters had hoped to kill more than 2000 but only about 1100 were shot.

Mr Iglesias said increasing the number wouldn't help the kangaroos maintain their numbers over winter.

The annual targeted conservation cull involved a small percentage of a particular grazing area, not a territory-wide cull.

Vicky Papas, who lives in Dalman Crescent, O'Malley, adjoining a reserve, said her family was extra careful coming home at night because kangaroos were jumping onto the road in pairs.

In summer, her mother-in-law visiting from overseas had been mesmerised at dusk by large numbers of kangaroos grazing peacefully near homes.

''They were huge, now we are seeing a lot of babies,'' she said.

''I know early in the mornings, even in the middle of night, our ensuite faces the reserve, we see them hanging about.''

She said hares and native ducks were about as well. Her husband Paul photographed 25 ducks sitting on the front lawn.

Mr Iglesias said reports of more foxes in Canberra was in line with cities the world over, including London, which had big fox populations because of their adaptability.

The best way to avoid them was a tidy backyard that did not have food scraps lying about.

Rangers could poison foxes in national parks, but could not do so in urban areas because of the danger to domestic animals.

[rubato]

Did dingos and human hunting keep the population stable before or did it just go though a cyclical population boom and crash pattern? (like the famous linked synergistic one for snowshoe hare and Lynx
. )

Other than sentimentality, should we shoot kangaroos to maintain a steady population or should we just let the population cycle as it otherwise would?

yrs,
rubato

http://www.britannica.com/blogs/2011/06 ... shoe-hare/



How many people look at that picture and identify with the hare, I wonder.

http://www.pnas.org/content/94/10/5147.full

[loCAtek]

They seem too large for dingo prey; was it the Tasmanian wolf that kept their numbers down before?

[The Hen]

We don't have wolves. We have tigers, but they are smaller than dingoes.

[loCAtek]

Well wolf or tiger, the Thylacine is too extinct to keep the roos in check.

[The Hen]

True. I meant to type 'had'.