A controversial measure in Australia sparked questions around the world. The government sacrificed, at least, 750 koalas, by the hands of snipers from helicopters.
The specimens were in Budj Bim National Park, in the Victoria district. According to authorities, it was “for humanitarian reasons”.
Controversial measure in Australia with the koalas sacrifice
According to the Government of Victoria, the Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate authorized this measure with a argument related to the lives of the koalas.
What happened to the koalas.
The Prime Minister of the State of Victoria, Jacinta Allan, justified to the media Sky News Australia that the strategy was developed after a fire in March, which consumed more than 2000 hectares of vegetation.
Supposedly, this caused many specimens to be injured, sick, and without food.
In this sense, she stated that they moved forward “after rigorous assessments that demonstrated that the affected specimens could not survive“.
Furthermore, she claimed that the action was carried out in the most responsible and careful manner possible to avoid unnecessary suffering.
In this regard, they detailed that the shots were fired by “highly qualified” personnel, using technology to ensure a quick and accurate death. Additionally, they insisted that there was no other alternative that would avoid greater long-term suffering.
Harsh criticism of the measure
This decision sparked a wave of national and international indignation. The proclamation “Lest we forget“, even became a trending topic on social networks.
Animal welfare organizations and conservation specialists considered the operation set an alarming precedent in wildlife management during catastrophes.
On the other hand, many organizations stated that behind this operation lies the lack of environmental management solutions to the koala overpopulation issue, caused, according to critics, by poor planning of koala repopulation and reintroduction in some regions.
Thus, the Justice Animal party member Georgie Purcell denounced to the Australian newspaper Herald Sun that “no effort is being made to verify when shooting koalas from helicopters, if they have pouches with offspring”.
Australia’s controversial measure with koalas.
Moreover, the president of the “Koala Alliance,” Jess Robertson, stated that there is no way to determine if a koala is in poor condition “from a helicopter”.
From the State Department of Environment (DEECA), on the other hand, they reported that the decision to shoot snipers from helicopters was because the wilderness area was too difficult for their teams to safely access on foot.
The koala, a species in danger
In this context, it is worth noting that the koala is an iconic species at risk, especially in eastern Australia.
In 2022, the government declared it “Endangered” in the regions of Queensland, New South Wales, and the Australian Capital Territory, due to the drastic decrease in its population.
Likewise, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has classified this bear as “Vulnerable” on the red list since 2016.
It is estimated that there are between 100,000 and 500,000 in the wild, although other estimates suggest lower numbers (around 43,000 and 80,000).
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