Secret Koala Culling Results in 700 Deaths

Newly instated Environment Minister Lisa Neville, who was not behind the past culling decision, was still quick to defend the action in an interview with The Australian.

"If we need to move forward with culling, yes, what I will ­assure Victorians of is that this is based on expert advice," she said.

However, Neville added that her office will be more "open and transparent" about culls in the future, and expressed apparent confusion as to why the past cull was done in secret.

Deborah Tabart thinks she has the answer. Outraged at the revelation of this cull, the Australian Koala Foundation (AKF) chief executive has been talking to reporters since Tuesday, accusing officials behind the Cape Otway cull of intentionally letting the koalas starve to justify the killings.

They could have provided food or relocated some of the animals, but instead opted to let the situation grow out of hand, she argued again and again through various media outlets.

There are other more humane koala management strategies that could have been taken as well. The Natural Resources Kangaroo Island, for instance, does regular surgical sterilization campaigns of colonies in the region, even while it works to restore local natural habitats in order to support larger populations.

The AKF also recently sent a letter to Greg Hunt, the Federal Environment Minister of Australia, asking him to reconsider a 2012 decision to not make the koala a protected species - despite the fact that they are a "national symbol" (it should be noted that the red kangaroo and emu actually hold the shield of the Australian federation on its standard).

"It seems [officials] have no idea how to deal with any koala issues in this state... to simply let them starve and then use this as an excuse to kill them is irresponsible and abhorrent to me and my family," an unnamed e-mailer was quoted as saying by the AKF.

"It goes without saying that the AKF will push this year for a Koala Protection Act," Tabart added. "Our legal team is ready and 80 politicians around the country are being asked to support tabling [koala protection in Parliament."

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