Sign the Petition
Target: Jacinta Allen, Premier of Australia
Goal: Explore alternatives to koala culls and expand efforts to preserve habitats.
An Australian park was the site of a very controversial cull. Helicopters descended on Budj Bim National Park, and snipers inside the choppers shot over 700 koala bears. The shocking action took place after a large brushfire devastated much of the koalas’ habitat. Although officials argued they were doing what’s best for sickened and vulnerable animals, an intense backlash – and equally intense criticism – has arisen.
Immediate criticisms focused on the culls themselves, which initially took place with no public disclosure. Advocates for the koalas argued that aerial evaluations were a poor way to determine which koalas were in poor health. In addition, killing mother koalas would put young joeys at imminent risk of death. And some critics contend that efforts to provide the koalas with short-term food boosts were ignored.
Longer-term, conservationists foresee even more serious problems. Habitats and food sources for the forest-dwelling koalas continue to shrink due to logging and brushfires fueled by poor forest management and climate effects. Koalas have already reached endangered status across large swaths of Australia, and the government’s lack of transparency on issues that directly affect their populations is compounding the crisis.
Sign the petition below to demand leaders take proactive steps to save these beloved animals in both the short-term and the long-term.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Premier Allen,
The necessity and means of the recent koala cull in Victoria are a matter for debate. Was aerial evaluation suitable and reliable? Were healthy koalas caught in the crosshairs? Could more attention have been given to increasing food supplies? We may never know the answers, though these questions should be posed and analyzed in future situations.
What we can likely say with more confidence is that koala habitation is an ongoing problem. Concentrations are too high in certain areas, and not enough in others. As a consequence, genetic diversity suffers and the dangers from disasters like the national park bushfire increase. Accept the offers of Wildlife Victoria to send trained experts and medical personnel to the currently affected area.
Longer-term, devote more resources to protecting koalas’ invaluable habitats and to mitigating the damaging effects of logging, of forest mismanagement, and of the climate crisis. Habitat conservation is species conservation.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Flickr
What a poor, poor, conclusion! After all the koalas have been through that is your best thought for them?! You just don’t like animals do you? And country’s are judged by the way they treat their animals, don’t expect many tourists!! Absolutely appalling! You have no better thought than to murder them randomly from high in the air with rifles and helicopters. You are so stupid! You would have done well to have brought food in, koalas are very smart, and would have shared with the others. You thought you were doing them a favor, you only thought of yourselves and keeping the cost down, GREAT shame on you, you will be remembered for this for a long, long, time. Don’t do this again, help them, don’t hurt them!
the Australian government and powers that be have no shame when it comes to wildlife. They are killing kangaroos and destroying habitat for their own stupid reasons. If there are disproportionate numbers of koalas, it is because human centric people have destroyed and allowed destruction of their homes. Nature and wildlife do very well when people do not interfere but because of the sense of superiority so many feel, they think they know better and so try to control them which never turns out well. It is not koala populations that need managing, especially by murdering them; it is human populations. Humans are not special or the most/only important species (much less important in my opinion) but merely the one with the power-power that is too often abused.
Shame, shame shame on Australia
Is Australia trying to become a ruthless America?
WTAF, Australia???
This is appalling and inhumane! What is wrong with these officials?? These koalas deserve protection, not murder!!
Shame, shame, shame on the Australian government is the only word that comes to mind
Turning into the United States of America
Not caring for your environment shame shame, shame
As all the others have said, SHAME on Australia if this is how they treat their already endangered Koala population. Whatever braindead “official” thought this was the way to deal with the situation should be taken out in to the bush and have helicopters flying overhead with snipers taking random potshots at THEM….