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16925
From: Alan, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Koalas found dead on Australia logging plantation
URL: https://www.foe.org.au/koala_massacre_occurring_in_south_west_victoria
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Dozens of koalas have been found dead or injured at a timber plantation in the Australian state of Victoria, sparking an investigation by officials. Blue gum trees - an important koala habitat - were harvested from the plantation in December, leaving only a few isolated stands of trees. Some koalas had starved to death in the remaining trees. Others were apparently killed by bulldozers. About 80 surviving koalas have been removed and are being cared for. The deaths come after tens of thousands of koalas were killed in the bushfires that have ravaged Australia. The marsupial is listed as "vulnerable" by Australia's Environment Ministry. 'Australia should be ashamed' After the plantation was logged in December, reports of hundreds of starving koalas came in, environmental group Friends of the Earth Australia said. "People apparently witnessed the bulldozing of many dead koalas into slash piles," it said. The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning said it was prepared to prosecute over the incident. Local resident Helen Oakley, who first raised the alarm on Wednesday, posted a video to Facebook, saying she had seen dead koalas at the site. "There are koalas lying there dead," she said. "Mothers killed and their little babies. Australia should be ashamed of this. We need help." Animal protection group Animals Australia said it has sent teams to the site in order to "save as many of these precious animals as possible". It added: "We are still gathering the details as to what has occurred in this case but it would appear that there are various breaches of legislation, including the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, which we will be supporting authorities to pursue." Andrew Pritchard from the Department of the Environment said 25 koalas had been euthanised. He told ABC News the surviving koalas would be "rehabilitated at a later stage". Investigations under way The company behind the logging is currently unclear. According to the logging industry, the blue gum trees were harvested in November and the contractor followed all of the protocols in place to protect the animals. However, Animals Australia said it was investigating several apparent breaches of legislation. "By law, the companies that own these plantations must provide koala 'spotters' to identify koalas in trees before logging commences, so that animals can be safely removed and relocated. There is also a legal responsibility to ensure the welfare of koalas after logging has ceased," it said. The Australian Forest Products Association said the remaining trees were cleared after the contractors had left. It has vowed to investigate the incident. Chief Executive Ross Hampton told The Age: "It is unclear as yet who bulldozed the trees with the koalas apparently still in them, but it is absolutely certain that this was not a plantation or a forestry company. "We support all those calling for the full force of the law to be applied to the perpetrator. The incident comes after a number of koalas were killed in recent bushfires in the country. |
16929
From: sheila, [DNS_Address]
Subject: 100s of Koalas may have already died in this one incident
URL: https://nofibs.com.au/gruesome-koala-massacre-during-logging-operations-in-victoria-jansant-reports/
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it's abhorrent, criminal that they would come in there, bulldoze the whole 129 acres of Blue Gum trees knowing that these Koalas were in the trees. The photos and videos I've seen are incredibly distressing and horrid. They've saved 80 Koalas 30 of which had to be euthanized their injuries were so dire. They now know who the companies are responsible for this massacre, their names are listed below. This story has gone global now! Feb 2, 2020 Unknown numbers of koalas – possibly hundreds – have been killed during plantation logging operations south west of Portland in Victoria this week. Friends of the Earth (FOE) reported koalas were left to starve after logging operations in late December 2019. Last week, surviving koalas were bulldozed into slash piles, along with the bodies of those that had already starved. Volunteer veterinarians and animal rescuers are frantically working to save surviving koalas entangled in piles of branches. FOE also reported the plantation was operated by South West Fibre in a joint operation with Midway and Japanese company Mitsui. This is another blow for koala populations already decimated by the ongoing bushfire disaster. Volunteer animal rescuer Helen Oakley posted a video to Facebook saying "Australia should be ashamed of this, I’m tired and we need help." Clearly distressed, Oakley put out a call on Facebook for volunteers to “walk the rows” to locate koalas. She can be contacted via Facebook. No Fibs approached the Victorian Environment Minister Lily D’Ambrosio and Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews for comment. We will follow up with their responses. |
16931
From: marja, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: 100s of Koalas may have already died in this one incident
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sheila, we both love animals, big and small...it's heart breaking what's taking place in Australia, the magnitude of the animals that are dead is horrid... my niece from Helsinki and her merry friends bought a VW bus in Sydney and traveled all across Australia for six months, they did the travel THE right way... they hung out with the aborigines, they experienced the REAL Australia... and the climate is very real, this year in Finland and in Norway as well it's been unseasonably warm, no snow.. it's not normal.. growing up in Finland we had four distinct seasons, spring, summer, fall and winter, not anymore... the climate is changing and rapidly... I always thought the Nordic nations are the canary in the coal mine... |
16937
From: sheila, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: 100s of Koalas may have already died in this one incident
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it's been record breaking warm here off and on for the past month in Oregon. Nearly 60 degrees yesterday and while it usually cools down to the low 40s at night, here the nights are now as warm as the daytime temps. We did get snow in the mountains but now it's raining on that snow! Koalas are special creatures, I follow several of the rescuers on Facebook and twitter. It's gut wrenching to read their experiences trying to save these Koalas (and other creatures like Kangaroos, parrots, etc.). I can't hold back the tears reading what they go through climbing the trees to rescue starving, burnt koalas. Kailas Wild has a twitter feed that you can view his photos, stories about what's happening there. I will donate to his gofundme fund as I have to the hospital on Kangaroo island where they had to build the new one as the other hospital burned down. These areas have received some rain but it's summer down there and hotter than heck and they are yet another canary in the coal mine for climate change and it's extreme weather. I envy your friends who were able to travel there, I have a friend who got to spend 2 weeks there last year. Blessings to ya Marja! |
16938
From: marja, [DNS_Address]
Subject: I love Koalas !
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they are one of these slower moving animals,-I saw a sad video of a koala crossing the road while there were huge flames all around... much like the people escaping the recent fires all over ... luckily it has rained in cali, -I was observing a HUGE bumblebee in a field of clover yesterday, it's always SO nice to see a bee of any kind , this one was unusually large, gorgeous, it looked almost unreal lol... my niece and her friends kept a daily blog of their Australian adventures, they of course encountered all the various animals out there... they really roughed it out, ie , camped at the beaches, just a solid adventure... my favorite pic is an elder aborigine woman braiding my niece's hair... too bad there's a total climate denier in the WH, -it's all beyond stunning, -the evidence is right there in front of our very own eyes, -maybe when mar'a lago is under several feet of water the entity sees the light... anyone with a brain can see there's a serious problem... and I really don't like indivuals like trumpo, and vlad poofing the climate crusader Greta Thunberg, -she is young, -she is thinking ahead towards the future when she and all the other kids have to face the actions taken at this very time period.... best to you sheila, you have a HEART ! |
16943
From: sheila, [DNS_Address]
Subject: link to his gofundme site
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they need all the help they can get and are calling for volunteers now because the job of rescuing these Koalas gets bigger by the day as they are able to get out into the field and find those Koalas that haven't been found yet. Right now I don't give a rip about Trump, his core group or anything else connected to him. We need to save what's left of our natural world one species at a time before it's too late. What's happening on the Nat'l board sounds like a bunch of teen agers sparing with each other so I won't go there. I just donated and hope others do if they are able, even small amounts help. Hugs to you Marja! |
Responses:
[16951]
16951
From: marja, [DNS_Address]
Subject: ty sheila(NT)
| (NT) |
Responses:
None
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