Greens MP Cassy O’Connor expresses anger over Tassie’s black swan cull

UPDATED: It is legal to cull black swans in Tasmania and the number that have been killed since 2015 has been revealed in parliament.

Black Swans at Granton. Picture: KELVIN BALL

IMAGES of a wounded swan have been brandished in state parliament as debate intensifies about the culling of thousands of native black swans in Tasmania.

Greens MP Rosalie Woodruff on Wednesday held up pictures of a swan with a missing wing, taken by a concerned local resident watching the injured bird struggling to take flight at the Tamar Island Wetlands.

The images follow DPIPWE data showing more than 8000 black swans were culled across Tasmania between 2015 and 2018.

Greens MP Rosalie Woodruff holds up a photograph of a swan in state parliament. Picture: DAVID KILLICK

The Greens are angry farmers are being allowed to legally cull the native species after securing crop protection permits.

“Native swans are protected birds, and mate for life. They are gentle, elegant creatures that most Tasmanians would be horrified to see harmed,” Dr Woodruff said.

“[Primary Industries] Minister [Guy] Barnett must cancel all current swan slaughter permits and investigate the impacts on local population dynamics, as well as the welfare issues surrounding the wide-scale shooting of native wildlife.”

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Greens Leader Cassy O’Connor said many of the thousands of birds being culled would be dying a “slow and painful death”.

“Some of the swans being shot will die quickly, but we have reports of swans being winged, maimed and terribly injured — left to suffer a slow and painful death,” she said.

Primary Industries and Water Minister Guy Barnett said sustainable wildlife management was important to the Government, but so too were the needs of farmers.

“Access to crop protection permits with relevant terms and conditions are provided to farmers and other land owners and they are very important – just ask a farmer how important it is,” Mr Barnett said.

“Of course wildlife management at sustainable levels is important and a priority for our Government.”

While killing wildlife is illegal in Tasmania, the practice is lawful with crop-protection permits.

Revelations of the culling practice has outraged many across the state, with calls for the swans to be left in peace.

Claremont resident and amateur photographer Kelvin Ball said the birds should be left alone.

“I didn’t know that they culled these birds,” he said.

“They are beautiful bird and they harm nobody.”

He said the birds mates for life, so the chance of one of a pair being culled was particularly cruel.

“What if they culled one and his mate got away?”

According to a DPIPWE spokeswoman, total “take” quotas are determined to ensure the long-term sustainability of local populations.

So far this year, 36 crop protection permits have been issued across the state for black swans.

Statewide, 2172 black swans were culled in 2015, 1677 in 2016, 2451 in 2017 and 1748 in 2018.

“Annual monitoring of black swans confirms the population to be widespread and abundant in Tasmania with no evidence of any long-term decline in numbers at either a state-wide or regional level,” the spokeswoman said.