November 04, 2019
A Call to Lobby the QLD govt to end DMPs
An open letter to address the issue of the permit based shooting of 8780 flying foxes in QLD
by Lawrence Pope:
Leah Coutts
Queensland Animal Justice Party QLD State Director
Dear Leah,
The Queensland state government says that it is “reviewing” the current system of DMPs. These permits licence fruit growers to shoot flying foxes that come onto their orchards. See below Labor’s 2008 position that bans the shooting of flying foxes and the current, appalling, situation. Please send me any questions.
Overview:
1. Cruelty is central to the issue of shooting flying foxes. They are shot coming onto orchards when it is dark or nearly dark so mum’s with a pup on board easily shot as are endangered Spectacled flying foxes even though they are not part of the “lethal quota” .
2. All flying fox species are under pressure and in decline. Land-clearing has starved millions over the past century and relentless persecution – shooting, cutting down roost trees, poisoning, and in the past even explosive and flame throwers have been used against flying foxes in sleeping in their roost trees in camps.
3. They are keystone pollinators of forest and rainforest. 100 species of native trees (and all the wildlife that live in them) rely in part of wholly on flying foxes pollinating and seed dispersing work. They are killing species protecting our forests!
4. They are getting hammered by climate change. A starvation event is currently underway in QLD and NSW with abortions and starvation being commonly encountered by ff rescuers. A failure of native trees to flower and fruit on time and the absence of enough intact forest is largely to blame.
If you supply a mailing address I can send some ff DL’s pamphlets to you as FYI.
There are good bat-people in QLD I can connect you to also.
What I am asking QLD AJP to Help With :
Please Lobby the QLD govt to end DMPs – Damage Mitigation Permits – as they apply to all flying fox species. This will mean the end of permit based shooting of flying foxes. Labor did this in 2008. They can do it again. Any media would help.
The Hon. Leeanne Enoch
Minister for Environment
GPO Box 5078
Brisbane QLD 4001
And
Hon. Annastasia Palaszczuk
Premier of Queensland
GPO Box 5078
Brisbane QLD 4001
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The Labor Party’s position in 2008:
http://statements.qld.gov.au/Statement/Id/58067
The current situation below:
The maximum permit numbers are specified in Table 1: Annual Queensland quotas for the
lethal take of flying foxes.
Table 1: Annual Queensland quotas for the lethal take of flying-foxes
Species Annual Queensland quotas (numbers of animals per financial
year)
P. scapulatus (little red flying-fox) 4000
P. alecto (black flying-fox) 3500
P. poliocephalus (grey-headed flying-fox) 1280
Damage mitigation permits for crop protection
· Damage mitigation permits for crop protection review
· Obtaining a damage mitigation permit for crop protection
Each of Queensland’s flying-fox species is protected under the Nature Conservation Act 1992 (the Act) administered by the the department.
It is an offence to kill or otherwise harm a flying-fox in contravention of the Act and there are substantial penalties for those who do. However, Queensland’s nature conservation laws do recognise that there are circumstances where it is necessary to remove limited numbers of wildlife in order to protect human health and well-being or to protect property.
Each year, the department issues a limited number of damage mitigation permits (DMPs) under the Act allowing the ‘lethal take’ of flying-foxes by shooting in order to protect commercial fruit crops.
The department grants a lethal take DMP only after non-harmful control measures have been used and found to be ineffective. Each lethal take DMP application is considered on a case-by-case basis and the number of flying-foxes allowed to be taken is tightly constrained by quotas based on wild population numbers and the conservation status of each species.
A lethal take DMP cannot be issued for the spectacled flying-fox which is listed as ‘vulnerable’ under the Act.
Damage mitigation permits for crop protection review
The Queensland Government is reviewing its flying-fox management arrangements for crop protection and will introduce changes as necessary that will be effective, scientifically-sound and will not put flying-fox populations at risk. This is consistent with commitments made at the last election.
Obtaining a damage mitigation permit for crop protection
Shooting of flying-foxes
Lethal control of flying-foxes is intended to provide fruit growers with an additional form of crop protection only where non-harmful measures have been attempted. It is a requirement that fruit growers use lethal measures in conjunction with two other non-harmful practises, such as netting, as part of an effective integrated crop protection strategy.
For information about DMPs for the lethal control of flying-foxes for crop protection, refer to:
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Thanks Leah. I hope AJP is able to assist.
Best
Lawrence Pope
Coordinator : Victorian Advocates for Animals
President : FOBB – Friends of Bats and Bushcare Inc.
