University of Technology, Sydney

 

The Welfare of Joeys

Around 300,000 young at foot and 800,000 pouch young killed or left to die each year as a result of the commercial industry. This equates to 11,000,000 joeys over 10 years.

The Codes prescribe methods of killing joeys which would be considered clear breaches of animal welfare law if committed against a range of other animals.1 The recommended methods of killing are:

  • For furred pouch young: euthanasia by a single 'forceful blow to the base of the skull sufficient to destroy the functional capacity of the brain.' 2 (e.g. by a steel water pipe or the tow bar of a vehicle);
  • For small furless pouch young (fits within the palm of a hand): 'stunning, immediately followed by decapitation by rapidly severing the head from the body with a sharp blade' or a 'single forceful blow to the base of the skull sufficient to destroy the functional capacity of the brain.'3 

Mrwoodwardii3 David   Female Euro   Sturt Np

For young at foot the Code provides the following methods: 'Single shot to the brain or heart where it can be delivered accurately and in safety using the firearms and ammunition specified.'4

A number of studies have shown that there is doubt as to whether the current methods of killing joeys ensure a sudden and painless death.5  The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Report of the AVMA Panel on Euthanasia stated '[p]ersonnel performing physical methods of euthanasia [such as a blow to the head or decapitation] must be well trained and monitored for each type of physical technique performed.'6  However, no formal training is required for the killing of joeys and these practices are virtually unmonitored.7

The RSPCA's research on the Code revealed that shooters have difficulty catching young-at-foot and so these joeys are often left alive.8 Many of these joeys later die from exposure, starvation or predation.9 The RSPCA found that even if young-at-foot are captured by shooters, there is still difficulty in killing them.10

The NSW Young Lawyers Animal Law Committee has proposed that all of the current prescribed methods for killing joeys be replaced with the following requirement:

  • 'Shooters must administer lethal injection to pouch young and young at foot whose mothers have been killed. After administering the injection the shooter must be certain that the animal is dead.... The shooter must not dispose of the dead pouch young or young at foot in any other manner other than: incineration by fire so that the entire carcass is destroyed or burying the carcass so that the top of the carcass is at least 30cm underground.'11

The NSW Young Lawyers Animal Law Committee further proposed that it 'be mandatory that a qualified veterinarian supervise all shootings and administer the lethal injections.'12 However, it would appear that cruelty to joeys will continue unless the killing of female kangaroos ceases. The NSW Young Lawyers Animal Law Committee, the RSPCA and other groups have called for a ban on shooting female kangaroos in order to prevent the killing of and cruelty to joeys.13

In many places, killing of young wildlife is considered an unacceptable practice, as evidenced by the banning of the products from Canadian Harp Seals in many countries, including the US, Mexico, Russia and the EU.

References

1. Voiceless: the animal protection institute, Kangaroos < http://www.voiceless.org.au/The_Issues/Fact_Sheets/kangaroos.html> accessed 7 October 2010.

2. Conditions 5.1.

3. Conditions 5.1.

4. Conditions 5.1.

5. See, e.g., the material referred to in RSPCA Australia, The Kangaroo Code Compliance Report: A survey of the extent of compliance with the requirements of the Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, prepared for Environment Australia, July 2002 <http://www.deh.gov.au/biodiversity/trade-use/publications/kangaroo-report/summary.html#71> accessed 8 October 2010 at 5.2.1.

6. American Veterinary Medical Association, 'Report of the AVMA Panel on Euthanasia' (2001) 218 Journal of the AVMA 669, 681.

7. NSW Young Lawyers Animal Rights Committee, 'A submission to the NRMMC Working Group on the National Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos' (prepared by Kristen Dorman, Carolyn Wilson, Angela Radich, Katrina Sharman, Stephanie Abbott and Nigel Myers), October 2004, 15.

8. RSPCA Australia, The Kangaroo Code Compliance Report: A survey of the extent of compliance with the requirements of the Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, prepared for Environment Australia, July 2002 <http://www.deh.gov.au/biodiversity/trade-use/publications/kangaroo-report/summary.html#71> accessed 8 October 2010, 5.2.

9. RSPCA Australia, The Kangaroo Code Compliance Report: A survey of the extent of compliance with the requirements of the Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, prepared for Environment Australia, July 2002 <http://www.deh.gov.au/biodiversity/trade-use/publications/kangaroo-report/summary.html#71> accessed 8 October 2010, 5.2.

10. RSPCA Australia, The Kangaroo Code Compliance Report: A survey of the extent of compliance with the requirements of the Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, prepared for Environment Australia, July 2002 <http://www.deh.gov.au/biodiversity/trade-use/publications/kangaroo-report/summary.html#71> accessed 8 October 2010, 5.2.

11. NSW Young Lawyers Animal Law Committee, 'A submission to the NRMMC Working Group on the draft National Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos and Wallabies' (prepared by Amber Hall, John Mancy, Eve McWilliams and Angela Radich), March 2008, 13.

12. NSW Young Lawyers Animal Law Committee, 'A submission to the NRMMC Working Group on the draft National Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos and Wallabies' (prepared by Amber Hall, John Mancy, Eve McWilliams and Angela Radich), March 2008, 13.

13. The NSW Young Lawyers Animal Law Committee has proposed that 2.3 of the Code be amended to substitute ‘Shooters should avoid shooting female kangaroos where it is obvious that she has a dependant young’ with ‘Shooters must not shoot female kangaroos.’ NSW Young Lawyers Animal Law Committee, 'A submission to the NRMMC Working Group on the draft National Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos and Wallabies' (prepared by Amber Hall, John Mancy, Eve McWilliams and Angela Radich), March 2008, 11. The RSPCA has argued that it 'may be that the only solution which would totally avoid the potential of cruelty to pouch young would be not to shoot females at all'. RSPCA Australia, What happens to joeys when female kangaroos are shot? (Last updated 21 October 2009) <http://kb.rspca.org.au/What-happens-to-joeys-when-female-kangaroos-are-shot_76.html> accessed 8 November 2010.