Thousands of native animals culled by Tasmanian golf courses, new figures reveal

Animal activists have expressed anger at the huge number of native animals being shot, trapped or poisoned on Tasmanian golf courses.

• A golf club in Tasmania’s north has canned plans to cull wildlife
• Golf club backs down on animal cull after widespread public outcry

MORE than 5000 native animals have been shot, poisoned or trapped by Tasmanian golf clubs in the past five years – a revelation that has enraged animal activists.

Documents obtained under Right to Information laws by the Examiner newspaper reveal 919 birds – including galahs, native hens, wood ducks, masked lapwings (plovers), Eurasian coots and sulphur-crested cockatoos – had been killed since June 2016.

In the same period, 4112 wallabies and possums were culled, along with 153 fallow and immature deer.

Over the five-year period, 121 permits had been issued by the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and the Environment for clubs to shoot, trap and destroy, or use the poison alphachloralose.

No permits were issued to clubs during that time for the use of controversial poison 1080.

SHOCKING NUMBER OF WALLABIES, PADEMELONS KILLED

MORE THAN 12,000 PERMITS ISSUED FOR CULLING ANIMALS

A masked lapwing (plover) and chicks. Picture: Eric Woehler/BirdLife Tasmania

“When you look at the numbers, it’s just mind-boggling that we’re still having this discussion about destroying wildlife,” BirdLife Tasmania convener Eric Woehler told the Mercury.

“It’s purely about aesthetics, people don’t like having little bird turds on the greens.

“It almost seems like the quickest, the easiest, the most convenient approach is to just go out to shoot something. How can we possibly reconcile that with the clean, green image we (Tasmania) put out there?”

Native hens are among the hundreds of birds culled by golf clubs over the past five years. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Animals Tasmania co-ordinator Chris Simcox said his organisation was “very concerned” about the practice.

“With golf clubs, they’re very much about appearances, they want pristine grass – all looking very nice and not having messy bits of animal droppings,” he said.

“A lot of golf courses get put in places where they remove natural bushland, or they’re next to natural bushland. If they’re sited in those kinds of places, they should embrace the wildlife.

“Quite a lot of golf courses embrace the presence of wildlife and promote it as a drawcard for the players on the course.”

More than 4000 wallabies and possums were culled by Tasmanian golf courses since June 2016. Picture: Mark Daffey

John Parker, captain of the Richmond Golf Club, said his organisation often had problems with wood ducks – but they didn’t cull any.

“When they relieve themselves, you’ve got to putt through it. Sometimes they dig in with their beaks looking for worms,” he said.

“They come and they go – they’re a problem for a little while. They seem to right themselves.”

A DPIPWE spokesperson said the clubs had to agree to a range of conditions before a permit was granted, and that the department undertook audits to ensure the rules were adhered to.

“Crop protection permits are issued following a rigorous assessment of damage, alternative management measures, species abundance and requirements to uphold animal welfare standards and guidelines,” the spokesperson said.

“All permits specify the method applicants can use to take wildlife and also reporting obligations. No further crop protection permits are issued to an applicant unless that applicant has met all reporting obligations.”

Last month, in response to community outcry, the Greens Beach Golf Club ditched plans for a cull of wallabies and rabbits to protect its greens.

Golf Australia said it had not been aware of the numbers quoted by DPIPWE and “would never condone the needless slaughter of animals”.

“While our golf clubs are independent businesses, there is a permit system in place to deal with these matters via the Tasmanian government and we have faith that in the issuing of these permits, the government has considered the environmental impact they may have,” a spokesperson said.

“We would point out that the overwhelming majority of golfers coexist nicely with wildlife on golf courses and, in fact, most would say that it is significant part of the intrinsic beauty of the game.”

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Originally published as Thousands of native animals culled by Tasmanian golf courses, new figures reveal