STOP THE KOALA KILLING
APRIL 28th 2025
The Victorian Government are culling large numbers of Koalas at the Budg Bim National Park in South West Victoria.
Many wildlife groups are calling for a halt to the cull.
We went to Budg Bim National Park last week with Koala rescue experts to see for ourselves and evaluate the Victorian Government actions. This is what we found.
See footage HERE. Koala Cull at Budg Bim National Park.
There are serious falsifications in the statements coming from The Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, Deeca about the reason they are carrying out a mass euthanasia program at Budg Bim National Park.
They say they must euthanase koalas by shooting them from helicopters as the only humane response to the effects of a fire that occurred a number of weeks ago. They claim the animals are either starving or burnt or covered in fire retardant.
Myself and several Koala experts and carers have now been to Budg Bim National Park in South West Victoria and after observing the conditions can refute the major claims of Decca.
-The terrain is not difficult or inaccessible- it is mostly flat and very easy to travers.
-It is not possible to properly and individually assess the condition of the koalas from a helicopter. We also want to know who beside the pilot and the shooter is in the helicopter to make assessments.
-Injured or sick koalas are very unlikely to climb to the top of trees – they are more likely to be in low branches or on the ground.
-The condition of the burnt trees – which have brown and sometimes even green leaves in there branches point to a cool burning fire, not the intense fire reported by Decca.
-The burnt parts of the park are surrounded by a majority of unburnt forest of koala food trees, for koalas to move to and therefore it is unlikely they are starving or even hungry.
-The fire retardant – reportable on these animals - used these days is not toxic to humans and animals.
In fact every reason the department has given for the euthanasia program is in the large a fabrication.
We believe that instead of humane euthanasia of animals they are carrying out a cull of healthy koalas because Budg Bim has a large population and there is concern that they will damage the trees. The population in Budg Bim has probably been growing because of koalas escaping from the Blue Gum plantations that surround the park.
We want Deeca to stop the cull immediately so independent assessors can go into the area and report on the conditions. Decca and the state government have made the critical parts of the park off limits under threat of heavy fines of thousands of dollars.
Further we are calling for an inquiry into how the decisions were made to proceed with the cull (which has killer over 700 koalas so far according to DEECA’s figures) and into the protocols for the treatment of Koalas in the Blue Gum plantation industry. The current codes of practise and self-regulation is not protecting Koalas.
APRIL 28th 2025
The Victorian Government are culling large numbers of Koalas at the Budg Bim National Park in South West Victoria.
Many wildlife groups are calling for a halt to the cull.
We went to Budg Bim National Park last week with Koala rescue experts to see for ourselves and evaluate the Victorian Government actions. This is what we found.
See footage HERE. Koala Cull at Budg Bim National Park.
There are serious falsifications in the statements coming from The Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, Deeca about the reason they are carrying out a mass euthanasia program at Budg Bim National Park.
They say they must euthanase koalas by shooting them from helicopters as the only humane response to the effects of a fire that occurred a number of weeks ago. They claim the animals are either starving or burnt or covered in fire retardant.
Myself and several Koala experts and carers have now been to Budg Bim National Park in South West Victoria and after observing the conditions can refute the major claims of Decca.
-The terrain is not difficult or inaccessible- it is mostly flat and very easy to travers.
-It is not possible to properly and individually assess the condition of the koalas from a helicopter. We also want to know who beside the pilot and the shooter is in the helicopter to make assessments.
-Injured or sick koalas are very unlikely to climb to the top of trees – they are more likely to be in low branches or on the ground.
-The condition of the burnt trees – which have brown and sometimes even green leaves in there branches point to a cool burning fire, not the intense fire reported by Decca.
-The burnt parts of the park are surrounded by a majority of unburnt forest of koala food trees, for koalas to move to and therefore it is unlikely they are starving or even hungry.
-The fire retardant – reportable on these animals - used these days is not toxic to humans and animals.
In fact every reason the department has given for the euthanasia program is in the large a fabrication.
We believe that instead of humane euthanasia of animals they are carrying out a cull of healthy koalas because Budg Bim has a large population and there is concern that they will damage the trees. The population in Budg Bim has probably been growing because of koalas escaping from the Blue Gum plantations that surround the park.
We want Deeca to stop the cull immediately so independent assessors can go into the area and report on the conditions. Decca and the state government have made the critical parts of the park off limits under threat of heavy fines of thousands of dollars.
Further we are calling for an inquiry into how the decisions were made to proceed with the cull (which has killer over 700 koalas so far according to DEECA’s figures) and into the protocols for the treatment of Koalas in the Blue Gum plantation industry. The current codes of practise and self-regulation is not protecting Koalas.
