Animal Welfare
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--Nichole Hoskin 16:04, 28 June 2008 (EST)
*any reference to 'kangaroos' in this section is a reference to the commercially harvested species, including Red Kangaroos, Western Grey Kangaroos and Eastern Grey Kangaroos, and Common Wallaroos, unless otherwise specified*
Contents |
The Code of Practice for the humane shooting of Kangaroos
The second edition of the Code of Practice for the Humane Killing of Kangaroos, which can into force in 1990, establishes a “set of achievable standards of humane conduct and is the minimum required of persons shooting kangaroos.”[1] According to the Preface, “the Code is intended to be implemented through education and State and Territory legislation as appropriate.”[2] The preface to the second edition acknowledges that the Council of Nature Conservation Ministers (CONCOM) endorsed revisions to the original Code of Practice in light of comments made by RSPCA and the National Advisory Committee on Kangaroos.[3]
The introduction of the Code of Practice states that the “Code of Practice has been produced to ensure all persons intending to shoot a free-living kangaroo are aware of the welfare aspects pertinent to that activity.”[4] The introduction defines the term ‘kangaroo’ as meaning, “All species of the family of Macropodidae within the superfamily Macropodoidea and so applies to kangaroos, wallaroos or euros, wallabies and pademelons.”[5]
The introduction makes clear that the shooting of kangaroos is subject to law, irrespective of whether it occurs on private or public land, while acknowledging that the specific provisions of the law will differ depending on the State or Territory in which the shooting takes place.[6] The introduction of the Code of Practice requires States and Territories, except where specifically exempted by law, to require shooters to have a licence or permit issued by the Government Wildlife Authority, which can specify any conditions or restrictions on the licence.[7]
The introduction specifies the primary objective for shooters, which “must be to achieve instantaneous loss of consciousness and rapid death without regaining consciousness. For the purposes of this Code, this is regarded as a sudden and painless death.”[8] The requirement that shooters achieve the instantaneously loss consciousness and rapid death of the animal, without regaining consciousness, adopts similar language to what RSPCA Australia describes as the “general international agreement of the criteria by which a method of killing an animal can be declared humane.”[9]
The introduction also states that shooters must uses “commonsense” when assessing the “prevailing conditions”, which acknowledges that the ability of the shooter to achieve sudden and painless killing of kangaroos depends on the prevailing conditions at the time of shooting. The introduction requires, “where the conditions are such as to raise doubts about achieving a sudden and painless kill, shooting must not be attempted.”[10] This effectively requires shooters to assess whether they can achieve a sudden and painless kill, in the prevailing conditions, with a prohibition on attempting shots in conditions sufficient to raise doubts about achieving a sudden and painless death.
Conditions on the Method of Shooting:
In relation to the regulation of Method of Shooting in the Code of Practice, the Code of Practice imposes conditions on firearms and ammunitions, the shooting platform, target animals and the point of aim. Conditions imposed on firearms and ammunition includes the specification of firearms and ammunition considered adequate to ensure a sudden and painless death.[11] In addition to the specification of minimum standards for firearms and ammunition, the introduction to this section also specifies, “it is the shooter’s responsibility to ensure a sudden and painless death for target animals, and under unusual conditions firearms and ammunition that exceed the minimum requirements may have to be used.”[12]
Conditions imposed on the shooting platform includes the condition that, “Kangaroos must not be shot from a moving vehicle or other moving platform.”[13]
In relation to conditions imposed on the target animal, the Code of Practice requires the target animal to be clearly visible, stationary, within a permissible range for accurate placement of the shot at the head, neck or chest.[14]
Conditions imposed on the point of aim includes the requirement that the shooter must aim to hit the target kangaroo in the brain, except when this would be impractical, such as shooting an injured animal.[15] In addition to this requirement, there are specific requirements for shooters using shotguns. This condition requires the shooter to aim so that the centre of the pattern hits in the head, neck or chest.[16]
Conditions on Injured Kangaroos:
The introduction for the section on injured kangaroos specifies that in circumstances when a head shot is impractical, due to factors such as the need to catch and restrain an injured animal, “a heart shot may be the most humane means of dispatch. In addition to this condition, there is also a condition for circumstances when it is impractical to shoot the injured kangaroo, with the specification of a heavy blow to the skull to destroy the brain.[17]
The introduction to this section also specifies that it is acceptable for shooters to shoot more than one kangaroo in a group before driving to retrieve the carcass.[18] However, the shooter is not to shoot any other kangaroos until every ‘reasonable’ effort are made to dispatch a wounded animal.[19] This requirement is also present in the conditions imposed on shooters, with the condition that “shooters must be certain that each animal is shot dead before another is targeted.”[20] An additional condition requires, “If a kangaroo is thought to be alive after being shot, every reasonable effort shall be made immediately to locate and kill it before any attempt is made to shoot another animal.”[21] While it is a positive step to impose a condition for shooters to locate and kill injured kangaroos, there is ambiguity in relation to the interpretation of what is “reasonable”. It is possible to overcome this ambiguity by providing shooters with examples of what is reasonable in a range of circumstances, to equip shooters with information to assess what is reasonable, for the purposes of the Code of Practice, in the circumstances.
In relation to conditions on methods of killing injured animals, shooters are required to use a method of killing injured kangaroos “that will achieve a rapid and humane death, where practical by a shot to the brain.”[22] In circumstances when a head shot is impractical, “a shot to the heart is permissible.”[23] When a shot to the head or heart is impractical, “a very heavy blow to the rear of the skull to destroy the brain is permissible. To ensure a humane kill, a suitably hard and heavy blunt instrument must be used (eg. Metal pipes, billet wood etc, carried for this purpose).”[24]
Conditions for killing orphaned dependent young:
The introduction to this section and conditions requires shooters to search the pouch of shot female kangaroos for pouch young, with the requirement to kill any pouch young present.[25] The specified method of killing pouch young is “decapitation with a sharp instrument for very small hairless young or a properly executed heavy blow to destroy the brain in larger young are effective means of causing sudden and painless death.”[26] For larger young, the introduction specifies that a shooter can use a shot to the brain can humanely dispatch larger young, when it is possible to shoot accurately and safely.[27]
For information on whether the Code of Practice specifies humane methods of killing pouch young and young at foot, see Animal Welfare Areas of Concern
RSPCA Australia and the Code of Practice
RSPCA Australia has been actively involved in the development of laws and regulations to ensure that the humane killing of kangaroos, through being involved in development of the Code of Practice for the humane killing of kangaroos. In 1985, RSPCA Australia contributed to the development of the Code of Practice by providing an overview of State’s approaches to killing, developing criteria for assessing the incidence of cruelty to kangaroos, estimates on levels of cruelty involved, recommendations aimed to reduce the level of cruelty in kangaroo killing, and establishing a standard for humane killing of kangaroos.[28] The second edition of the Code of Practice adopted all of RSPCA Australia’s 1985 recommendations, except one.[29]
In 1985, RSPCA Australia concluded, “'if achieved correctly, kangaroo culling is considered one of the most humane forms of animal slaughter. An animal killed instantly within its own environment is under less stress than domestic stock that have been herded, penned etc.”[30] This study also concluded, “There was no evidence of any intentional cruelty from these shooters.”[31]
In addition to these positive findings of RSPCA Australia’s 1985 study, RSPCA Australia’s identified areas for improvement including, improvements for non-commercial killing, improvements in numbers of head shot kangaroos for commercial purposes and concerns about the fact that 90% of shooters in the industry were part-time, with some shooters unskilled in shooting technique.[32]
In 1999, Environment Australia commissioned RSPCA Australia to conduct a survey of the extent of compliance with the requirements of the Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, with the report released in 2002.[33] (See, Compliance with the Code of Practice below)
Compliance with the Code of Practice
In 1999, Environment Australia commissioned RSPCA Australia to conduct a survey of the extent of compliance with the requirements of the Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, with the report released in 2002.[34] RSPCA Australia’s 1985 report, prior to the implementation of the Code of Practice, found that 86% of kangaroos killed for commercial purposes were head shot, with 14% being body shot.[35] RSPCA Australia’s 2002 report found that, “in 2000/2002, the proportion was 95.9%.”[36] (See Table 1) While RSPCA Australia found that the use of head shots to humanely kill kangaroos had increased since 1985, factors such as the State in which the kangaroo is shot effects the rates of compliance. According to RSPCA Australia, “Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia have all improved considerably in the percentage of head-shot kangaroos since 1985. In 1985, New South Wales had the highest rate of head-shot kangaroos at 95%, and it remained the highest in the present survey at 97.3%.”[37] (See Table 1) While the reasons for the differences between states is unclear, for RSPCA Australia, “the differences between the States, especially the lower head-shot rate of Queensland compared to other States, suggest that there may be lessons to be learnt by examining the management practices of other States.”[38]
RSPCA Australia also found difference rates of compliance depending on the whether the kangaroos is utilised for human consumption or pet food. The rate of compliance for kangaroos shot for human consumption was 94.3% compared to a compliance rate of 96% for kangaroos shot for pet food.[39] RSPCA Australia also found that the highest rate of compliance, 97.8%, occurred for kangaroos shot for their skins.[40] (See Table 2)
Table 1 Comparison of Compliance Rates in 1985-2002, p 16.
• Queensland figures for 2000 distinguished between kangaroos shot for human consumption/pet food and kangaroos shot for skins only
Table 2 Compliant Head-Shot Kangaroos by use in each State Table, p 11.
Regulations requiring compliance with the Code of Practice:
To ensure that the commercial harvesting of kangaroos complies with the Code of Practice for the humane killing of kangaroos, Australian Governments have used a variety of legal measures, including requirements for States to have approved Kangaroo Management Programmes (KMPs) and regulations relating to where harvesting can occur, who can legally engage in harvesting and requiring formal training shooters.
The Federal law requirement for an approved KMP ensures compliance with the Code of Practice because the National guidelines for KMPs include the requirement that “shooting is carried out in accordance with the Code of Practice for Humane Shooting of Kangaroos”.[41] Since compliance with the Code of Practice is a condition of Federal approval of KMPs, by implication, evidence of non-compliance could result in rescinding or refusal of approval for the KMP.
While compliance with the Code of Practice is a condition for approval of KMPs, RSPCA Australia found that there is no explicit requirement for non-commercial shooters of kangaroos to comply with the Code of Practice in the KMPs of New South Wales, Western Australia and Queensland.[42] Despite this failure, RSPCA Australia found that in practice, non-commercial shooters of kangaroos are also required to comply with the Code of Practice.
RSPCA Australia also found that New South Wales went further than other states by using a legal condition on commercial shooters that prohibits the possession or offering for sale of any kangaroo carcass containing a bullet wound, with the effect that only head shot kangaroos are acceptable to processors.[43] Although RSPCA Australia acknowledged that this ‘zero tolerance’ approach was potentially problematic since it gave shooters an incentive not to follow wounded kangaroos, it found, “On balance, it seems that a policy of only accepting head-shot kangaroos is more likely than not to result in a more humane industry. Such a policy forces shooters to be very careful when shooting and to avoid those kangaroos where there is a possibility of injury instead of a quick death.”[44] While New South Wales is the only state to adopt a zero tolerance policy for non-compliance with the Code of Practice, RSPCA Australia found that “not only have the kangaroo management agencies adopted the criteria of head-shot only, but the industry also uses a similar standard. Part of the reason for this standard is that the product can be fully utilised, ie there is no damage to the meat or skin.”[45]
Monitoring of Commercial Harvesting
RSPCA Australia’s 2002 report, in considering methodology for collecting accurate data, found that “accurate surveying of shooters is extremely difficult because of observer influence affecting the results.”[46] During the course of collecting data for its 2002 report, RSPCA Australia discovered that inspections of skins were 2.7 times more likely to detect a body-shot than if inspectors examine the carcass.[47] This finding led RSPCA Australia to recommend, “A formal independent auditing process, preferably involving the inspection of skins rather than carcasses, should be introduced as the best means of assessing the humaneness of the industry. Such an auditing process should be set into place within all States involved in commercial shooting of kangaroos.”[48]
The inspection of skins is an effective method of monitoring compliance with the Code of Practice because commercial shooters licenses contain conditions requiring shooters to tag every carcass/skin, which enables processors to identify the shooter responsible for the carcass. The use of tags in New South Wales means, “it is therefore possible to locate the shooter of a carcass or skin that has been taken from a kangaroo that has not been shot as required by the Code of Practice (or by conditions of the licence).”[49]
References
--Nichole Hoskin 16:49, 28 June 2008 (EST)
1. Environment Australia (prepared by the CONCOM Special Working Group on Cruelty Aspects of the Taking and Holding of Native Fauna), Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, preface, p 1.
2. Environment Australia (prepared by the CONCOM Special Working Group on Cruelty Aspects of the Taking and Holding of Native Fauna), Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, preface, p 1.
3. Environment Australia (prepared by the CONCOM Special Working Group on Cruelty Aspects of the Taking and Holding of Native Fauna), Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, preface, p 1.
4. Environment Australia (prepared by the CONCOM Special Working Group on Cruelty Aspects of the Taking and Holding of Native Fauna), Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, preface, p 1.
5. Environment Australia (prepared by the CONCOM Special Working Group on Cruelty Aspects of the Taking and Holding of Native Fauna), Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, preface, p 1.
6. Environment Australia (prepared by the CONCOM Special Working Group on Cruelty Aspects of the Taking and Holding of Native Fauna), Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, preface, p 1.
7. Environment Australia (prepared by the CONCOM Special Working Group on Cruelty Aspects of the Taking and Holding of Native Fauna), Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, preface, p 1.
8. Environment Australia (prepared by the CONCOM Special Working Group on Cruelty Aspects of the Taking and Holding of Native Fauna), Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, preface, p 1.
9. RSPCA Australia, Kangaroo Shooting Code Compliance: A survey of the Extent of Compliance with the Requirements of the Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, ‘Field Inspections of commercially harvested kangaroos’, p 23.
10. Environment Australia (prepared by the CONCOM Special Working Group on Cruelty Aspects of the Taking and Holding of Native Fauna), Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, preface, p 1.
11. Environment Australia (prepared by the CONCOM Special Working Group on Cruelty Aspects of the Taking and Holding of Native Fauna), Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, Introduction, p 2.
12. Environment Australia (prepared by the CONCOM Special Working Group on Cruelty Aspects of the Taking and Holding of Native Fauna), Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, Method of Shooting, p 2.
13. Environment Australia (prepared by the CONCOM Special Working Group on Cruelty Aspects of the Taking and Holding of Native Fauna), Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, Method of Shooting, p 2, per Condition (i).
14. Environment Australia (prepared by the CONCOM Special Working Group on Cruelty Aspects of the Taking and Holding of Native Fauna), Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, Method of Shooting, p 2, per Condition (i), (ii) and (iii).
15. Environment Australia (prepared by the CONCOM Special Working Group on Cruelty Aspects of the Taking and Holding of Native Fauna), Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, Method of Shooting, p 2, per Condition (i).
16. Environment Australia (prepared by the CONCOM Special Working Group on Cruelty Aspects of the Taking and Holding of Native Fauna), Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, Method of Shooting, p 2, per Condition (ii).
17. Environment Australia (prepared by the CONCOM Special Working Group on Cruelty Aspects of the Taking and Holding of Native Fauna), Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, Method of Shooting, p 2.
18. Environment Australia (prepared by the CONCOM Special Working Group on Cruelty Aspects of the Taking and Holding of Native Fauna), Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, Method of Shooting, p 3.
19. Environment Australia (prepared by the CONCOM Special Working Group on Cruelty Aspects of the Taking and Holding of Native Fauna), Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, Method of Shooting, p 3.
20. Environment Australia (prepared by the CONCOM Special Working Group on Cruelty Aspects of the Taking and Holding of Native Fauna), Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, Method of Shooting, p 3, per Condition (i).
21. Environment Australia (prepared by the CONCOM Special Working Group on Cruelty Aspects of the Taking and Holding of Native Fauna), Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, Method of Shooting, p 3, per Condition (ii).
22. Environment Australia (prepared by the CONCOM Special Working Group on Cruelty Aspects of the Taking and Holding of Native Fauna), Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, Method of Shooting, p 3, per Condition (iii).
23. Environment Australia (prepared by the CONCOM Special Working Group on Cruelty Aspects of the Taking and Holding of Native Fauna), Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, Method of Shooting,p 3, per Condition (iv).
24. Environment Australia (prepared by the CONCOM Special Working Group on Cruelty Aspects of the Taking and Holding of Native Fauna), Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, Method of Shooting,p 3, per Condition (v).
25. Environment Australia (prepared by the CONCOM Special Working Group on Cruelty Aspects of the Taking and Holding of Native Fauna), Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, Method of Shooting,p 3, per Condition (vi).
26. Environment Australia (prepared by the CONCOM Special Working Group on Cruelty Aspects of the Taking and Holding of Native Fauna), Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, Method of Shooting,p 3, per Condition (vii).
27. Environment Australia (prepared by the CONCOM Special Working Group on Cruelty Aspects of the Taking and Holding of Native Fauna), Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, Method of Shooting,p 3, per Condition (vii).
28. RSPCA Australia, Kangaroo Shooting Code Compliance: A survey of the Extent of Compliance with the Requirements of the Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, ‘Introduction’, p 1.
29. RSPCA Australia, Kangaroo Shooting Code Compliance: A survey of the Extent of Compliance with the Requirements of the Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, ‘Introduction’, p 2.
30. Tony Pople and Gordon Grigg, Commercial Harvesting of Kangaroos in Australia, Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Chapter 9, p 1.
31. Tony Pople and Gordon Grigg, Commercial Harvesting of Kangaroos in Australia, Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Chapter 9, p 1.
32. Tony Pople and Gordon Grigg, Commercial Harvesting of Kangaroos in Australia, Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Chapter 9, p 1.
33. Tony Pople and Gordon Grigg, Commercial Harvesting of Kangaroos in Australia, Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Chapter 9, p 2.
34. RSPCA Australia, Kangaroo Shooting Code Compliance: A survey of the Extent of Compliance with the Requirements of the Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, ‘Introduction’, p 1.
35. RSPCA Australia, Kangaroo Shooting Code Compliance: A survey of the Extent of Compliance with the Requirements of the Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, ‘Field Inspections of commercially harvested kangaroos’, p 1.
36. RSPCA Australia, Kangaroo Shooting Code Compliance: A survey of the Extent of Compliance with the Requirements of the Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, ‘Field Inspections of commercially harvested kangaroos’, p 24.
37. RSPCA Australia, Kangaroo Shooting Code Compliance: A survey of the Extent of Compliance with the Requirements of the Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, ‘Field Inspections of commercially harvested kangaroos’, p 15.
38. RSPCA Australia, Kangaroo Shooting Code Compliance: A survey of the Extent of Compliance with the Requirements of the Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, ‘Field Inspections of commercially harvested kangaroos’, p 20.
39. RSPCA Australia, Kangaroo Shooting Code Compliance: A survey of the Extent of Compliance with the Requirements of the Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, ‘Field Inspections of commercially harvested kangaroos’, p 20.
40. RSPCA Australia, Kangaroo Shooting Code Compliance: A survey of the Extent of Compliance with the Requirements of the Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, ‘Field Inspections of commercially harvested kangaroos’, p 12.
41. RSPCA Australia, Kangaroo Shooting Code Compliance: A survey of the Extent of Compliance with the Requirements of the Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, ‘Introduction’, p 10.
42. RSPCA Australia, Kangaroo Shooting Code Compliance: A survey of the Extent of Compliance with the Requirements of the Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, ‘Introduction’, p 10.
43. PCA Australia, Kangaroo Shooting Code Compliance: A survey of the Extent of Compliance with the Requirements of the Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, ‘Field Inspections of commercially harvested kangaroos’, p 20.
44. RSPCA Australia, Kangaroo Shooting Code Compliance: A survey of the Extent of Compliance with the Requirements of the Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, ‘Field Inspections of commercially harvested kangaroos’, p 21.
45. RSPCA Australia, Kangaroo Shooting Code Compliance: A survey of the Extent of Compliance with the Requirements of the Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, ‘Views of Individuals and Non-Government Bodies’, p 4.
46. RSPCA Australia, Kangaroo Shooting Code Compliance: A survey of the Extent of Compliance with the Requirements of the Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, ‘Field Inspections of commercially harvested kangaroos’, p 5.
47. RSPCA Australia, Kangaroo Shooting Code Compliance: A survey of the Extent of Compliance with the Requirements of the Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, ‘Field Inspections of commercially harvested kangaroos’, p 5.
48. RSPCA Australia, Kangaroo Shooting Code Compliance: A survey of the Extent of Compliance with the Requirements of the Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, ‘Field Inspections of commercially harvested kangaroos’, p 25.
49. RSPCA Australia, Kangaroo Shooting Code Compliance: A survey of the Extent of Compliance with the Requirements of the Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, ‘Examination of the Regulatory Framework’, ‘Examination of the Regulatory Framework’, p 4.
Related Links
Regulation of Commercial Harvesting
