Letter against killing kangaroos

An open letter to the Canberra Community concerning the killing of kangaroos

We the undersigned believe the need for a mass killing of kangaroos by the ACT Government is ill-thought-out and cannot be substantiated. The analysis in support of such a program fails the tests of good science, conservation, animal welfare, economy and humanity.

We understand that: No causal evidence of any rigorous kind has been provided that directly links kangaroo grazing on Canberra nature reserves with the demise of other small threatened species; No assessment of the subjective lives of native animals in Canberra’s nature reserves is provided as a clue to their survival; No commonly used non-lethal management tools have been advocated by those who believe in the negative impact of the current kangaroo population on the rest of the environment, despite considerable evidence over many years and in many places that they are effective.

The decision to proceed with the killing disregards the extreme brutality of the killing process. There has been no assessment of the impact of mass native animal killings on the local economy and society and our view is that these costs are substantial.

The scientifically substantiated appreciation of other animals’ cognitive, emotional and psychological capacities requires that we break the cycle of violence of conventional management methods. Abandoning such measures offers a unique opportunity to find innovative solutions which promote sustainability and reflect the desire of communities for peaceful coexistence with other creatures on the planet.

We therefore call for an immediate cessation of the mass killing of these native animals, and for a full and truly independent examination of the above-listed and other relevant matters by respected professionals.

Pam Ahern, Edgar’s Mission Farm Sanctuary, Victoria

Dr Rosemary Austen, kangaroo rehabilitation and translocation expert, medical practitioner, ACT

Dr Jonathan Balcombe, biologist, author, Animal Studies Dept (Chair), Humane Society University, Washington D.C. (USA)

Marc Bekoff, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder (USA)

Carolyn Drew, MA, regional director, Institute for Critical Animal Studies, ACT

Lara Drew, PhD Candidate, University of Canberra

Ray Drew, MA, wildlife photographer

Dr Dror Ben-Ami, co-founder and lead researcher, Centre of Compassionate Conservation, University of Technology, Sydney,

Jeffrey G Borchers, PhD, LPC, ecologist, The Kerulos Center (USA)

Dr Melissa Boyde, Australasian Animal Studies Association; Senior Research Fellow, Faculty of Law Humanities and the Arts, University of Wollongong

Gay Bradshaw, PhD (ecology), PhD (psychology), CEO, The Kerulos Center (USA)

David Brooks, author, editor, Hon. A/Prof, University of Sydney

JM Coetzee, writer

Claire Colebrook, Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of Literature, Pennsylvania State University (USA)

Dr Margo DeMello, Animals & Society Institute (USA)

Jim Everett, First Nations activist, Australia

Katrina Fox, journalist and author

Professor Steve Garlick, PhD, University of Technology, Sydney

Stephen Graham, LLB, Virtual Lawyers and Mediators Pty Ltd

Dr Jason Grossman, philosopher of science

Naomi Henry, Voiceless Council

Melanie Joy, PhD, Professor, University of Massachusetts, Boston; President, Beyond Carnism; Author

Professor Vrasidas Karalis, Modern Greek Studies, University of Sydney

John Kinsella, author, Professorial Research Fellow, UWA; Professor of Sustainability and Literature, Curtin University

Lawyers for Animals

David Malouf, writer

Clare Mann, psychologist, author, Managing Director of Communicate31

Jeffrey Masson, Ph.D., author

Alex Miller, writer

Raymond Mjadwesch, ecologist

Alison Moore, Ph.D., Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts, University of Wollongong

Nic Nassuet, singer/songwriter (USA)

Mark Pearson, member, NSW Legislative Council

Teja Brooks Pribac, The Kerulos Center; PhD Candidate, University of Sydney

Daniel Ramp, Ph.D., Director, Centre for Compassionate Conservation, University of Technology, Sydney

Tracy Ryan, author

Stephen Sewell, playwright

Lynda Stoner, Animal Liberation NSW

Bill Taylor, Ph.D., retired CSIRO plant scientist

Maria Taylor, Ph.D. science communication, author, newspaper publisher

Associate Professor Nik Taylor, School of Social and Policy Studies, Flinders University, South Australia

Marianne Thieme, Leader & Chair, Party for the Animals, The Netherlands

Dr Christine Townend, author, founder Animal Liberation NSW, co-founder Animals Australia

Dr Richard Twine, Co-Director, Centre for Human-Animal Studies, Edge Hill University (UK)

Dinesh Joseph Wadiwel, Ph.D., Socio-Legal Studies and Human Rights, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Sydney

Brenda Walker, writer, Winthrop Professor of English and Cultural Studies, University of Western Australia

Bren Weatherstone, M.Env Sci., teacher (ACT)

Elizabeth Webby, Professor Emerita, Australian Literature, University of Sydney

Dr Richard J. White, Senior Lecturer in Human Geography, Sheffield Hallam University (UK)

Professor Stuart White, Director, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology, Sydney

Phil Wollen, OAM, Founder of Winsome Constance Kindness Trust

Gypsy Wulff, Teacher, Author, Publisher, Founder of Spirit Wings Humane Education Inc.

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