Hopping Mad: Kangaroo Cull Before Big Auto Race Causes Outrage
140 eastern grey kangaroos have been shot days before race car drivers take off during Australia’s famous motorcar race. The annual V8 Supercar Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 race takes place October 8 through 11, 2009, at the Mount Panorama race track.
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According to reports, the Bathurst Regional Council approved the kangaroo cull in order to ensure the safety of the drivers and spectators. The unpublicized cull was carried out under license from the New South Wales (NSW) National Parks and Wildlife Service.
Animal rights activists and environmentalists are outraged. Many of the culled kangaroos may have had joeys in their pouches at the time. The New South Wales Greens MP Lee Rhiannon said in a statement, “’The slaughter of 140 kangaroos and their joeys… for the sake of a motorcar race is a knee-jerk response that is not justified.”
Environmentalist Ray Mjadwesch said, “’It is ironic that Australia’s iconic wildlife has been shot and its young disposed of in preparation for an iconic international car race,’ he said, adding that fencing could have been erected to keep the animals out.”
But according to Mayor Paul Toole, other methods could not have been used due to the growth of the kangaroo population.
Several years ago, a kangaroo hopped onto the track and was filmed weaving in and out of the cars before escaping. Three years ago, a kangaroo was struck and killed in the race.
Eastern Grey Kangaroos
Eastern grey kangaroos, Macropus giganteus, are the heaviest marsupial in the world. Joey’s normally stay in its mama’s pouch for up to 11 months. The average lifespan of an eastern grey in captivity is 25 years while the average lifespan of the kangaroo in the wild is eight years. Eastern grey kangaroos are quite social and tend to live in small groups.
Eastern grey kangaroo photo Fir0002/Flagstaffotos
I have lived all of my life in the back blocks. I dont need these pseudo macho truck drivers or so called farmers telling everyone how appropriate it is to cull Roos. Lets get it straight. The so called professional drivers are only interested in personal gain as are the so called professional cullers boasting how they kill thousands of roos… They mainly do it for money…to place the dead roos in refrigerated containers scattered throughout the backblocks…to be picked up later and paid for the carcasses by petfood producers…SO CUT OUT THE CRAP.
These creatures were here before mankind. The Farmers wrough havoc ‘Post 1945′ by literally decimating the land by excessive clearance ( hence the present dust storms) … The biggest problem in this world is world population and capitalistic greed…THINK BEFORE YOU WRITE. Think about your true motives and cut out the bullsh..
Hahaha, this is hilarious. This article is so biased I could cry, do you have any idea how much of a pest kangaroos are here? They are culled quite regularly, and there is NO guarantee that a fence could keep them out. And they’re not going to drug them and move them elsewhere, this isn’t even their natural habitat. They’ve just moved into the area and multiplied.
Boo Hoo is on the spot.
Im sick of listening to the crap being spewed out by people who aren’t even here in Bathurst to know whats going on. The cull is totally justified!!!! These roos have become so large in numbers they pose a traffic threat to people driving around the Mount and behind it to go to the local Tip. Justify a driver or spectator deing killed by a stray Roo?????? I believe they should be there, sure! But not in the numbers they are now representing. You cant move them because the neighbouring property owners would shoot them anyway!!! Its not about money or any other bullshit other than public safety and the sustainability of the mob for the future!! END OF STORY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmGEvRFQcqU