AR-News: Help Stop Koala Slaughter in Australia

Wed May 12 17:52:01 EDT 2004

From:  AnimalAdvocacy at yahoogroups.com 
10th of may 2004 5:46

Help Stop Koala Slaughter in Australia

Please forward widely and write today.  State your intention to boycott 
travel to Australia and purchase of Australian products until this 
murder is stopped.  If you are a resident, tell the Prime Minister 
you intend to vote him out of office.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040430/sc_nm/australia_koa
las_dc

The Prime Minister of Australia can be contacted at:

http://www.pm.gov.au/email.cfm

SAMPLE COMMENTS:

Dear Mr. Prime Minister:

I just read about the call to kill 20,000 koalas on Kangaroo Island.

I understand the importance of keeping animal populations under control,
to avert both unwanted animal/human contact as well as to keep the
animals from litreally eating themselves out of existence.  However I
feel there must be a more humane way of dealing with this situation than
killing 20,000 of 
them.  A sterilization program along with the raising of contributions
toward the feeding of these creatures is a more appropriate way for a
civilized society to deal with situation.  Humans are, after all, not
the only living beings with a right to live on this planet.  

I appreciate that the problem is not simple and neither is the solution
likely to be.  I do hope though Australia can find a way to handle this
matter without a mass koala-killing.  Canada's image as a mass
seal-slaughterer has done serious damage to their tourist industry and
caused a major boycott of Canadian products.  The current regime may
also be voted OUT OF OFFICE as a result.  

I hope Australia can avoid this kind of damage for the well-being of
both the 
koalas and Australian tourism.

Sincerely,

--------------------------
Text of story:

Call to Shoot 20,000 Australian Koalas
Fri Apr 30, 3:36 AM ET  

SYDNEY (Reuters) - A koala population explosion on an Australian island
has prompted calls for 20,000 of the furry, native marsupials to be shot
to stop them destroying their island habitat and end a koala famine. 

Some 30,000 koalas on Kangaroo Island, off the coast of the state of
South Australia, are stripping the island of its native gum trees,
destroying the ecosystem and causing a koala famine, say
environmentalists and national parks officials. 

"We are talking thousands of starving koalas," said Sandra Kanck from
the Australian Democrats, Australia's third major political party.
"While they may be cute and cuddly we need to get beyond emotion to
reality...my suggestion is professional shooters do it quickly and
cleanly," Kanck told Reuters on Friday of the proposed cull. 

The South Australian state government has rejected calls for a cull,
preferring sterilization and relocation. The Australian Koala Foundation
also opposes a cull of the koalas, which on the Australian mainland are
struggling to survive as urban development destroys their habitat. 

Kangaroo Island tourist operators say a koala cull would severely damage
the island's tourist industry. "The koalas are so hungry they are eating
pine needles," said Kanck. "What will tourists think of a habitat of
denuded trees with desperate, starving koalas roaming the damaged
landscape?" 

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can
change the world...indeed, it is the only thing that ever has!" --
Margaret Mead 

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