Originally published Thursday, May 22, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Australia combats rising kangaroo population
Too many kangaroos, too few Tasmanian devils. Two of the country's beloved icons are challenging Australians' thinking on wildlife management...
The Associated Press
CANBERRA, Australia — Too many kangaroos, too few Tasmanian devils. Two of the country's beloved icons are challenging Australians' thinking on wildlife management.
Researchers are trying to battle a cancer epidemic among Tasmanian devils, and on Wednesday they were listed as endangered. At the same time, an abundance of kangaroos has prompted the government to begin administering lethal injections to 400 of the animals.
Protesters have vowed to seek a court injunction to stop the slaughter of the eastern gray kangaroos, which are viewed as sacred symbols by Australia's indigenous people.
Scientists say the kangaroos' rapidly growing population threatens their survival, as well as that of some reptiles and insects that share their grassy habitat.
Police Wednesday charged eight Aboriginal activists with trespassing on the Canberra site where the kangaroos are being killed. The activists hope to persuade officials to relocate the animals; the Defense Department says that would be too costly.
Canberra's local government leader, Jon Stanhope, said he understands that the killings distress many people. But he said more than 3.5 million kangaroos are commercially shot in the Outback each year. The meat is served in restaurants and is also used in pet food.
While the kangaroo population is growing, another Australian favorite — the Tasmanian devil — is threatened by a contagious cancer that has cut its population by up to 60 percent in a decade.
The disease, which causes disfiguring facial tumors, has spread so quickly that scientists last year estimated there might be no disease-free animals in the southern island state of Tasmania within five years.
The government of Tasmania, the only place where the devils exist in the wild, on Wednesday reclassified the animal from vulnerable to endangered status. The change qualifies Tasmanian devils for greater government conservation aid and adds pressure on the federal government to revise its threatened species list.
Early European settlers named the devil for its spine-chilling screeches and reputed bad temper, and it gained fame as the Looney Tunes cartoon character Taz. Its larger cousin, the Tasmanian tiger, which like all marsupials carried its young in a pouch, was hunted to extinction in the 20th century.
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
Snow shuts down federal government, life goes on
UPDATE - 08:46 PM
Haiti parents testify they gave kids to Americans
Haiti raises earthquake's death toll to 230,000
UPDATE - 07:10 PM
Lots of Buzz over Google latest bid at social networking
Minn. bridge collapse widow adopts Haitian twins

nwautos
Associated Press Study: Fatal crashes down in Washington Last year Washington's roads were the scene of the fewest fatal crashes since 1955. According...
Post a comment
nwjobs
Post a comment
Michelle Goodman blogs about work/life balance.
Five reasons to stick with a job you hate -- for now
Post a comment
- Steve Kelley | My treatment of Bedard has been unfair
- Is Washington's tax exemption on bullion a gold mine?
- 747-8 soars smoothly on first outing
- Super Bowl ads: Betty White, Bud Light, big laughs
- Man found shot dead in pickup truck in Seattle
- Alaska Air dropping Jones Soda beverages, going back to Coca-Cola
- Sex, drug rumors swirl about N.Y. Gov. Paterson
- Lewis-McChord soldier charged with abusing 4-year-old over alphabet lesson
- Seattle is first U.S. stop for Picasso exhibit
- Husky Football Blog | Pac-10 expansion to get consideration over next year
- Republicans may be no-shows at health-plan summit
274 - Pac-10 expansion to get consideration over next year
235 - State Senate votes to clear way for tax increases
208 - Obama: GOP and Dems together can spur job growth
208 - Fort Lewis soldier charged with abusing 4-year-old, holding her head in water
193 - Lee undergoes foot surgery
159 - Rivals names Martin one of Pac-10's best recruiters
143 - Belltown boulevard could be completed by early next year
126 - Tobacco ban in Seattle parks affirms citizen right to breathe smoke-free air
81 - White House mocks Sarah Palin from podium
75
- Seattle is first U.S. stop for Picasso exhibit
- 747-8 soars smoothly on first outing
- City, Vulcan push higher South Lake Union height limits
- Commentary: Microsoft's creative destruction
- Snap out of your photo funk: How to make sense of all those piles of images
- Belltown boulevard could be completed by early next year
- Wine Adviser | Oregon's quality pinots join the bargain ranks
- All You Can Eat | Portage chef Vuong Loc takes Cremant space in Madrona
- Jerry Large | Learning not to copy China
- Rigorous college-prep classes skyrocketing in Washington state








