An unpublished operation has unleashed a strong controversy in the Australian state of Victoria, where even 750 Koalas have been sacrificed from the air by snipersin what the authorities describe as a measure “for humanitarian reasons”.
Why have they sacrificed so many Koalas?
The National Park of Budj bimepicenter of this controversial intervention, was razed last month by a fire that consumed about 2,000 hectares of native vegetation. As a consequence, numerous Koalas were seriously injured, malnourished and without access to water, according to official reports.
Given this critical situation, the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate of Victoria authorized the euthanasia of hundreds of specimens that, according to their own technicians, could not survive for themselves and suffered a high degree of agony. To do this, helicopters were used from which animals were dejected with precise shots.
The Prime Minister of the State, Jacinta Allan, publicly supported the decision, arguing that it was taken after “Rigorous clinical evaluations” of the conditions of the affected animals.
Wave of criticism
The initiative has aroused a wave of criticism by animal protection organizations and political figures. Georgie Purcell, deputy of the Animal Justice Party, expressed her rejection pointing out that “There is no guarantees that it is verifying if the koalas have young in their bags before being dejected from the air.”
Along the same lines, Jess Robertson, president of the Alliance for the Koalas, described the operation of “Inhuman” and He questioned the ability of snipers to determine the real state of animals from such distance.
The debate continues on in the country, where many wonder if there were no more ethical and careful alternatives to attend to an emblematic species that already faces serious threats in their natural habitat.
