Native animals on kill list
Tens of thousands die as farmers protect crops
NEW figures show tens of thousands of native animals are being killed each year under crop protection permits issued by a government agency.
The Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment has released figure son the number of animals killed under permits it has issued between August 2019 and September2020.
The figures are based on a survey of 15 per cent of permit holders and the total will not be known until the permits expire five years after being issued.
The figures show that the permit holders surveyed shot, trapped or poisoned 7878 Bennetts and rufous wallabies and brushtail possums in the past year, plus 4951 forester kangaroos.
Among other native animals killed were 70 black swans, 721 Cape Barren geese, 162 sulphur-crested cockatoos, 1937 silver gulls, eight native hen sand four black cockatoos.
There are permits on issue for the killing of 51 wombats.
Greens MP Rosalie Woodruff said the figures were alarming. “If all landholders with a permit to kill were required to report annually, the true number of kangaroos, wallabies and possums killed last year is likely far more than 80,000,” she said.
“On DPIPWE’s new fiveyear permit-to-kill list are some most loved Tasmanian wildlife, including wombats, silvereyes, sulphur-crested black cockatoos, native hens, black currawongs and black swan s—as well as a number of unspecified protected species .”
Ms Woodruff said the killing of wombats ran counter to efforts to protect the species.
“Despite the devastation of sarcoptic mange that continues to decimate the Tasmania n wombat population, wombat carers will be shocked to hear that permits to kill these wild animals continue to be issued ,” shesaid.
“It beggars belief that permits are handed out for the next five years to kill wildlife, when D PIP WE under takes no credible population monitoring of any of these animals.
“It’s a recipe for a wildlife crashinTasmania.”