FLOCKS of corellas that once blanketed Toodyay’s landscape have been decimated in a coordinated cull, despite a last-ditch attempt by the Animal Justice Party to stop the mass shootings.
The cull coordinated by the Wheatbelt Natural Resource Management (WNRM) was done in partnership with the shires of Toodyay, Northam, York, Goomalling and Victoria Plains.

Cull slammed as rushed and cruel

But the program and the short notice given to the community has come under fire from Animal Justice Party WA MP Amanda Dorn who slammed the cull as cruel, rushed and ethically indefensible.
She said two out of the three species present in the region – the Western Corella and the Little Corella – were native to Western Australia.
“Both have expanded their range largely due to agricultural clearing and altered landscapes.”
“We have taken their land for farming, removed trees, altered water sources and changed landscapes, and now we plan to kill them for trying to survive in the environment we reshaped.
“Killing birds for responding to those conditions is not responsible environmental management.”
Ms Dorn said most significantly, public notice of the cull was posted on 17 February, just days before the scheduled killing.
“That is not meaningful community consultation,” she said.
“This is a major wildlife cull involving native species, yet residents have been given only days’ notice and limited information.”

Calls for more information and more options

Ms Dorn said Corellas flocked together and lethal programs risked harming many native birds indiscriminately.
“If culling is being described as a last resort, the public deserves clear evidence that alternatives were genuinely implemented and assessed.”
Ms Dorn said she acknowledged local governments had cited hefty infrastructure damage costs.
But she said if infrastructure was vulnerable, why hadn’t investment been made into infrastructure solutions?
“Modification, adaptation and habitat management are more ethical and often more sustainable than repeated lethal programs.”
The Animal Justice Party WA has called for the full public release of impact assessments and operational details and transparent reporting of proposed kill numbers as well as independent animal welfare oversight.

Cull was a necessary says Wheatbelt Natural Resource Management

WNRM chief executive officer Renata Paliskis said wildlife management decisions were complex and she understood they could evoke strong and legitimate community perspectives.
Ms Paliskis said the Corella management project had been underway for several years in response to significant and escalating impacts associated with large Corella populations across parts of the Wheatbelt.
“These impacts include serious threats to biodiversity, displacement of other species such as the critically endangered and rapidly declining population of Carnaby’s Cockatoo chicks from nesting sites, and damage to agricultural infrastructure.”
Ms Paliskis said non-lethal methods used by local shires in the past included gas-guns, bendy men, scare tactics and drones.
But these methods didn’t work as the Corellas quickly become use to them and other humane methods were being explored.
Ms Paliskis acknowledged that community expectations regarding humane treatment of wildlife was evolving and she said ongoing scrutiny and improvement of the practice was appropriate.
Ms Paliskis also acknowledged the concern regarding the timing of the public notice.
“While communication occurred through participating local governments, we recognise that community expectations around consultation are increasing,” she said.
“This is an area where we are committed to reviewing our approach and strengthening transparency for future activities.”
Ms Paliskis said WNRM’s objective was to ensure management actions were evidence-informed, proportionate to the level of impact, undertaken responsibility and subject to ongoing review.
“WNRM is working closely with other partners on driving renewed conservation objectives in the Wheatbelt to promote the restoration of the necessary habitat for our local native species to thrive.”

By Rashelle Predovnik