Wallaby colony project on hold
CONSERVATIONISTS are yet to lodge a new application for a permit to relocate dozens of wallabies from Trinity Beach to a private sanctuary.
The Department of Environment and Science has confirmed that Cairns-based The Agile Project has not yet submitted an application for a renewed damage mitigation permit for its proposed activities at Trinity Beach.
The Agile Project, headed by ecologist Shai Ager, was initially granted permission late last year to shift a number of marsupials to a private property at an undisclosed location, well away from urban areas.
The permit, however, was suspended. The department claimed it was awarded “erroneously”.
Since then, The Agile Project has been compiling proposed translocation protocols, which have been reviewed by experienced ecologists and veterinarians.
The conservation group wrote on social media that their efforts represented the first time a large-scale wallaby relocation application had been formulated and therefore it would take time for the project to come to fruition.
The group will also require consent from Cairns Regional Council, the landholder of Trinity Beach Sporting Complex, to conduct the activities.
The council’s chief executive John Andrejic confirmed the council had received the group’s relocation proposal and it was being reviewed.
“We recognise the large amount of work Shai and her team have put into this proposal and commend her on her initiative,” he said.
“I’ve spoken to Shai personally to assure her that we are giving her proposal the attention it deserves and I intend to meet with her for further discussion in the coming days.”
Ms Ager said her group, which was expected to meet the council later this week, was just awaiting the council’s assessment of the proposal before an application was submitted to the environment department.
“It’s in the Cairns council’s hands now,” she said.
“We’ve done everything we can from our perspective.”
She said the group was committed to the project in order to protect the wallabies from vehicle strikes, dog attacks and other threats.
“We would like to do this as soon as possible, because we need to save as many as we can,” she said.
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