State officials are facing a backlash over the air culling of hundreds of koalas in Victoria, Australia.
The ull of Budgbim National Park, which has so far had around 700 koalus, has left many Joeys without a mother, says the animal rights group. Activists are now calling for an independent review of government operations.
The ull began in early April after bushfires destroyed more than 2,000 hectares of habitat and the koalus became starved, dehydrated and injured.
Authorities said euthanasia was necessary to prevent suffering, but their methods used shooters shooting koalas from helicopters to encourage immediate repulsion.
Wildlife advocacy groups argued that it is unreliable to assess koala health from the air.
They were concerned that the vet and shooter were making decisions up to 30 meters apart and accidentally killing them, increasing the risk of healthy koalas, including Joey’s mother.
“The use of air fire should be treated as a last resort,” said Friends in Melbourne, Earth.
“This is the first time a Koalus has been killed in a shooting from an Australian helicopter,” the organization said. “The Koalus aircraft is the first of Australians and sets a nasty ethical precedent.”
Australian national parks routinely shoot large brumbies and deer to manage their population. However, this is not common in koalus.
Friends of Earth Melbourne said the area where the cull was running was affected by the fire, leading to road blocking and monitoring systems being installed.
“Koala rescuers are not permitted in the area. There are concerns about Joey’s fate, which may have been shot and killed,” the advocacy group said.
The Koala Alliance, an animal welfare group, reiterated their concerns about the young starving Joey.
“If a Koalus is shot from a tree, this means that many Joeys will suffer or die. It’s mean. It’s cruel,” the group said in a Facebook statement.
The crosshair koala said it likely came from a recently harvested blue gum farm near the national park. “Budj Bim regularly culls and sterilizes calls, and they never made the population bigger.”
Wildlife campaigners have also urged the Victorian government to immediately suspend harvesting healthy eucalyptus trees on nearby private farms, claiming that the remaining koalas need access to food and shelter to survive.
The Victorian government defended the operation. Prime Minister Jacinta Alan said the Environmental Department conducted a wildlife assessment and acted on the advice of expert veterinarians.
“After investigating the situation, this approach was seen as a way to truly recognize that koalas are in a lot of pain,” she said.
However, the demand for independent reviews is growing. Advocates say third party observers, including wildlife veterinarians and scientists, should be accessible to assess both the actions and needs of ull.
This controversy draws attention to the pressures facing more widely in koala populations. Koalus is listed as at risk in Queensland, New South Wales and Australia’s capital territories, and populations are being pushed to the brink of logging, plantations expanding, and habitat losses caused by increasingly frequent bushfires.
