Scare-only licence labelled as 'stupidity'

THE world has officially gone hopping mad.

Controlling wildlife: a Gippsland farmer who applied for a permit to cull kangaroos on his drought-ravaged property has instead been issued with a “scare only” licence.

THE world has officially gone hopping mad.

In a case of bureaucratic stupidity at its best, a Gippsland farmer who applied to the Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning for a permit to cull kangaroos on his drought-ravaged property has instead been issued with a “scare only” licence.

A what? Yes, that was not a typo: a scare-only licence. Shoo first, ask questions later. It’s a move that defies logic, common sense and creates a potential animal-welfare situation of its own. Not to mention what it must do for neighbour relations.

Earlier this year, Robert Richards applied for an authority to control wildlife permit in an effort to protect dwindling feed supplies on his farm at Forge Creek and give them a chance to revive.

He applied only after his proactive efforts in erecting a $19,000 1.8m-high fence in an attempt to keep Skippy and his mates at bay proved fruitless.

Two months later, despite dozens of kangaroos still grazing his pastures daily, he received notification that instead of an ACTAW he had been granted “authority to scare”. He is 100 per cent right when he describes the permit as “uniquely stupid”.

It comes down to the department and government’s thinking kangaroos scarce and pose no threat to farms. Wrong.

Drive north to Echuca, Shepparton or east to Bairnsdale and, on any given day, you will see hundreds of carcasses in ditches. If one thing the current dry conditions have taught us, it’s the abundance of hungry and thirsty kangaroos.

The only things a “scare-only” licence do is shift the problem down the road and scare the hell out of the rest of us when we think about who makes such decisions.