A man has been fined $80,000 after he admitted to causing or likely causing the pain, suffering and death of 71 kangaroos, including two joeys, on his property near Nathalia.
The 65-year-old man pleaded guilty in Shepparton Magistrates’ Court to four aggravated cruelty charges under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act for his involvement in the unlawful shooting deaths of dozens of kangaroos.
The charges relate to the eastern grey kangaroos being shot between April and July 2021.
The Conservation Regulator said the man held a valid ‘Authority to control wildlife’ permit, but said he had engaged shooters to act on his behalf who used inhumane methods, such as non-fatal gunshot wounds, to lethally control kangaroos on his property.
His conviction in court follows a Conservation Regulator investigation after authorised officers responded to a public report and inspected the man’s property in 2021, finding several piles of dead kangaroos, most of which did not appear to have been killed instantly as required by law.
A qualified veterinarian found the adult kangaroos would have experienced “a high degree of pain and suffering” from non-fatal gunshot wounds prior to their death, the Conservation Regulator said.
In the case of the two joeys, both experienced “pain and suffering due to slow and lingering deaths” after their mothers were shot — one likely died from starvation, dehydration and hypothermia and the other from asphyxia in the dead mother’s pouch.
All ‘Authority to control wildlife’ permits include strict conditions to ensure animals are controlled humanely, including types of approved firearms and ammunition, responsibilities related to contractors or the authority holder’s agents, the criteria for an ‘instantaneous injury’, and how to manage joeys or animals with obvious dependent young.
These conditions are in line with the National Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos and Wallabies for Non-commercial Purposes 2008.
Conservation Regulator Hume regional manager Greg Chant said the conviction should serve as a reminder to the community that cruelty to native wildlife was always illegal and unacceptable, and authorities would pursue penalties for offenders.
“The level of animal cruelty and unlawful shooting was disturbing for our officers to find and investigate,” Mr Chant said.
Conservation Regulator chief Kate Garvens said ‘Authority to control wildlife’ permit holders were responsible for ensuring animal welfare requirements were met, and they must ensure that they or their agents complied with all licence conditions.