http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2008/11/29/wombat_wideweb__470x306,0.jpgTerritorial … relocations are fraught.
-----------
HUNDREDS of wild wombats are being shot across NSW in a cull sanctioned by the State Government.
The NSW Greens have condemned the granting of 200 licences to shoot the marsupials this year.
Common wombats, which can grow to a metre in length, are considered a menace in rural areas, particularly on the South Coast and Southern Highlands, because they barge through fences and undermine buildings with their tunnels.
"We have been doing a lot of feral dog control and fox control and as a result we've seen wombat numbers go up at an extremely high rate," said National Parks and Wildlife head Sally Barnes.
"So we have seen more and more farmers coming up and seeking permission to cull."
The Department of Environment and Climate Change says it is sensitive to the issue of shooting native animals, but believes it has few options. The animals are fiercely territorial and efforts to relocate them often lead to lethal wombat combat.
"When they move they usually seem to get into horrible fights and they can die a nasty death," MsBarnes said. "Nobody likes culling them but we don't have a lotof choice."
The NSW Greens do not accept the argument, believing the answer lies in stronger fences and other non-lethal control methods.
More:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/environment/conservation/wombats-caught-in-firing-line/2008/11/29/1227491892371.html----------
Goes to show what happens when ecosystems go out of balance- and humans try to fix them.
Koyaanisqatsi.
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
