Orphans increase

Hunters warned to ‘humanely’ kill young wildlife

TASMANIAN hunters are in the spotlight as orphaned wildlife numbers skyrocket.

The Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and the Environment says there has been an increase in orphaned wallabies and possums because the adults are being shot by hunters.

Hunters have been warned they must follow strict Animal Welfare Guidelines with shot female wildlife examined for pouch young. If young animals are present, they must be killed humanely without delay.

TASMANIAN hunters struggling to control the explosion in native wildlife now find themselves under the spotlight after a spike in the number of orphaned young.

The Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and the Environment says an increase in the number of orphaned wallabies and possums taken to its Injured and Or- phaned Wildlife Program is “a result of the adults being shot by hunters”.

The department recently issued a warning to hunters and landholders granted Crop Protection Permits that they must follow strict Animal Welfare Guidelines.

Under the guidelines, shot female wildlife must be examined for pouch young and, if present, they must be killed humanely without delay ei- ther by decapitation, a heavy blow to the skull or by shooting.

The orphan spike trend mirrors an increase in overall wallaby and pademelon department-issued cull licences, which have steadily grown from 7236 to 7741 over the past five years as a way to control browsing animals on farms.

Tasmanian Conservation Trust Inc director Peter McGlone said, while the grow- ing number of permits was probably one factor in the orphan increase, he was increasingly concerned about a new generation of recreational shooters not being taught about their responsibilities regarding pouch young.

“Maybe it’s a factor of the new shooters ... not having anyone necessarily to guide them,” Mr McGlone said.

He also said he was concerned about a “lack of super- vision and lack of reporting” generally around permit recreational wallaby shooting.

Shooters Fishers and Farmers Tasmania spokesman Adrian Pickin said the surge in the numbers of browsing animals had increased the need for culling, adding fencing as the only solution was often cost prohibitive.

Mr Pickin said most registered shooters took their pouch young responsibilities very seriously and adhered to the guidelines. “The rules are we have to humanely dispatch animals and all hunters have since the beginning,” he said.

DPIPWE’s Wildlife Management Branch 2018 edition of Game Tracks recently sent to 14,000 farmers and hunters said animal welfare guidelines must be followed.

A DPIPWE spokesman said they were unable to quantify the increase in reports.