Protesters will gather to rally against the culling of kangaroos in the capital as the ACT Government remains tight-lipped about its plans for the annual operation.
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The demonstration organised by Animal Liberation ACT follows a recommendation by government ecologists to cull nearly twice as many kangaroos in 2013 as the 1100 killed last year.
The recommendation to cull about 2000 eastern grey kangaroos, outlined in an internal document obtained by Fairfax Media, has prompted outrage from local groups including political group the Animal Justice Party.
The party’s ACT Senate candidate Marcus Fillinger said the documents displayed “gross misinformation” about the number of kangaroos in the capital.
“We have a number of independent counts and [the government’s] numbers are four times that,” he said.
The party is calling on the government to relocate animals instead of engaging shooters for the cull, which has been held annually since 2008.
Mr Fillinger said relocating the animals would also be cheaper than the government’s culling program, which cost approximately $186 per kangaroo in the 2012 cull compared to around $24 per relocated animal.
“If we’re looking at penny pinching, we’re providing a logical solution,” he said.
The Territory and Municipal Services spokesman previously told Fairfax Media that the territory's kangaroo management plan had a sound scientific basis.
“The plan was underpinned by a large body of scientific evidence, referencing over 400 documents as well as being subjected to extensive community consultation … [and] independently peer-reviewed by an eminent ecologist and expert in kangaroo ecology,” he said.
An announcement on the cull is expected from the government this month.
The Animal Liberation ACT rally will be held outside the ACT Legislative Assembly on Thursday at 12.30pm.
