Australia’s faunal crisis

Senate Environment and Communications References Committee

13 August 2019

Thank you for the opportunity to provide views and ideas on faunal extinction. This submission responds to the following Term of Reference: l. Any related matters

I am very concerned that the Government urgently begin to address the true causes of escalating extinction rates. I am also very concerned that the Government adopt humane compassionate conservation and welfare strategies that respect the sentience of all , whether native fauna, animals used for agriculture, domesticated animals or feral animals. It is arguable that the humane compassionate treatment of all animals is crucial to the survival of all species.

Human intervention in the environment as the main driving force of current The main driving force in and other extinctions has recently been clearly identified as human activity. A recently released report prepared by 150 experts and relying on 15,000 references and government data, strongly points to human intervention as the driving force behind current escalating extinction rates.1 The documented causes of past extinctions include cascading environmental factors such as pastoralism, land clearing and logging of forests, use of poisons, hunting by both Indigenous peoples and Europeans, the latter particularly in the early days of colonisation and changes in fire regimes as Indigenous people were forced off their lands. The introduction of non-native species such as sheep, cattle, and rabbits caused extensive habitat destruction. Introduced rats competed with native rats and other small and brought diseases that affected native rats. Cascading environmental factors including habitat loss and disease increased vulnerability of native species to predation from both native and introduced predators. Today governments around the country allow land clearing and logging of forests to continue. Animal agricultural practices have moved from a focus on multiple smaller farms to large scale intensive facilities

1 Intergovernmental Science Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES”)““Summary for policymakers of the global assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services”, 6 May 2019, https://www.ipbes.net/sites/default/files/downloads/spm_unedited_advance_for_posting_htn.pdf. that cause significant environmental damage and pollution. Anthropogenic has also now been recognized as causing recent loss of species.

Moving away from animal agriculture to plant-based food production If the Government were to actively encourage farmers to move away from animal agriculture to plant-based food production, the amount of land need for food production would be significantly reduced and land could be re-claimed for environmental restoration and fauna re-population. If consumers were encouraged to buy plant-based foods for both health and environmental reasons this would also help drive positive change with good environmental outcomes. Funding for farmers to transition from animal to plant-based food production arguably would also have a profound positive flow-on effect on the nation’s health budget.

Addressing anthropogenic climate change It is crucial that all factors causing climate change are acknowledged and addressed and that this is reflected in strong policy initiatives with the federal Government taking the lead. There is a wealth of material from the scientific community concerning strategies to address anthropogenic climate change. Decisive action should be taken before it is too late to do so. Extinctions due to climate change have already begun. The recent extinction of the Bramble (Melomys rubicola) has been described as the first mammalian extinction recorded due to anthropogenic climate change.2

Compassionate conservation I am very concerned that the Commonwealth Government should seek to engage non-lethal compassionate conservation strategies in addressing the current extinction crisis which is global in nature. The Centre for Compassionate Conservation at the University of Technology Sydney operates as an advisory centre as well as conducting research and education on

2 Gynther, I., Waller, N. & Leung, L.K.-P. (2016) ‘Confirmation of the extinction of the melomys Melomys rubicola on Bramble Cay, : results and conclusions from a comprehensive survey in August–September 2014.’ Unpublished report to the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, Government, Brisbane. Available at https://environment.des.qld.gov.au/wildlife/threatened- species/documents/bramble-cay-melomys-survey-report.pdf . See also University of Queensland, 14 June 2016 ‘Barrier Reef is first mammal declared extinct due to climate change.’ https://www.uq.edu.au/news/article/2016/06/barrier-reef-rodent-first-mammal-declared- extinct-due-climate-change . Accessed 28 June 2019. improving the health of all wild animals while adopting a compassionate conservation approach.3

It is very disheartening to see the massive culling of both native and non-native species that occurs throughout this country. Hunting licences are also now more freely available with no apparent monitoring of how they are used and assessment of outcomes. Widescale killings of animals in the name of conservation has been described by Professor Marc Bekoff, Professor Emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, as “sickening, and even if these brutal assaults worked, they are ethically repugnant and absolutely and unquestionably unnecessary. And, they don’t work.”4

The use of 1080 – now banned in most countries due to cruelty 1080 poison should be banned, as it has been in most countries apart from and New Zealand, due to the cruelty and suffering it causes. Sometimes a poisoned animal can take up to six days to die. Although there have been allegations that this poison does not affect native species, this has been disputed in several CSIRO articles which report research showing native fauna have been detrimentally affected by 1080 and document the horrible effects of this poison.5 The use of this poison in Australia should be banned immediately.

Culling native species – inhumane and driving more extinctions Regular culling of the Eastern Grey Kangaroo in the ACT has met with strong community opposition. Removal of habitat through urban expansion has driven them into areas where they can collide with cars and die a painful death. A more compassionate approach would be to avoid new development in areas where these animals live and not force them out of their habitats. Similar approaches to the culling of native species in other Australian states have

3 See https://www.uts.edu.au/research-and-teaching/our-research/centre-compassionate-conservation. 4 Marc Bekoff, “The wars on wolves, cats and other animals. It’s time to forever close down the killing fields”. Huffpost, 15 September 2015. Available at https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-war-on-wolves-cats-and- other-animals-its-time_b_57da8814e4b0d5920b5b2582. 5 McIlroy J.C. (1982) “The Sensitivity of Australian Animals to 1080 Poison 111." Marsupial and Eutherian Herbivores” Australian Wildlife Research, 9, 487-503. Mcilroy J.C. (1984) “The Sensitivity of Australian Animals to 1080 Poison. Vii. Native and Introduced Birds” Australian Wildlife Research 11, 373-385. attracted strong community concern. It is time to stop killing native animals in the name of conservation.

Culling non-native species – a flawed and inhumane approach An ineffective and cruel strategy to kill 2 million feral cats announced in 2015 by Greg Hunt, then Minister for the Environment, resulted in escalating incidents of cruelty to domestic and stray cats in urban environments that were documented and reported to the RSPCA by the cat rescue community. The first Threatened Species Commissioner, Gregory Andrews, actively encouraged pound killing of cats by councils around the country writing letters to them asking them to kill cats. This resulted in higher kill rates of all cats, including lost pet cats, not just those who are feral. The hatred and cruelty towards cats this appalling policy has encouraged is shameful and has been condemned internationally. In a New York Times article in April 2019, a journalist failed to fully research the source of the allegations about cats and re- circulated incorrect false assumptions about the impact of cats. However, she did document the horrific and cruel cull that is taking place. 6 Culling cats is not a meaningful strategy to prevent faunal extinction. It is the cruel scapegoating of one animal to make it seem ‘something is being done’.

The moral panic over cats – distraction from the true causes of extinction The moral panic about cats is neither rational nor helpful to mammals at risk.7 The true causes of mammal extinction need to be addressed. The cruelty to cats that has accompanied their demonisation also needs to be addressed. Appalling incidents of cruelty have been reported in which cats have been targeted by self-styled environmental warriors who repeatedly breach animal cruelty laws in their misguided and heartless ‘patriotic’ quest to exterminate one introduced species. Current discourses that blame cats alone for species decline are dishonest and also encourage this cruelty. Yet land-clearing for agriculture and logging for

6 See Jessica Camille Aguirre, “Australia is deadly serious about killing millions of cats” New York Times, April 25, 2019, available at https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/25/magazine/australia-cat-killing.html. Accessed 13 August 2019. 7 See Lynn, WS, Santiago-Ávila, F, Lindenmayer, J, Hadidian, J, Wallach, A and King, BJ (2019), 'A moral panic over cats.', Conservation Biology: The Journal of the Society for Conservation Biology. 33:4. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/cobi.13346 development continues unabated while catastrophic climate change is also occurring and is beginning to be identified as a primary cause of species loss.

The article by Abbott (2008) is often used as authority for the belief that feral cat predation was significant in the decline of native mammals. However, Abbott does not accept uncritically the accounts he collected.

The extent, however, to which predation by cat impacted on populations of native birds and mammal species in south-west WA remains questionable. In my view most of the comments in early literature are inferential, exaggerated and represent unwarranted inductive generalization.8

Furthermore, Abbott describes some of the comments about cats on the mainland he found in assessing the literature as extravagant, emotive and subjective.9 Comments about cats today, whether in scientific literature, traditional media or social media often still appear to be similarly inferential, exaggerated and based on unwarranted inductive generalization. One needs only to look at the Facebook page of the current Threatened Species Commissioner to see such comments from the public and examples of the hatred and vilification towards all cats.

Reliable assessment of feral cat populations A claim that there were X number of feral cats killing X number of wildlife in Australia were made by Greg Hunt, then Minister for the Environment, in 2014. These numbers were shown to be unverifiable in an ABC Fact Check. The true numbers of feral cats and the true effects on threatened species are still unknown. Many factors can affect the distribution of both wildlife and cats. What is known is that some individuals appear to enjoy killing as many cats as they can, an activity that, to our shame, has correctly attracted much international opprobrium and makes Australia seem to be a shockingly cruel country. One Qld council has

8 Abbott, I. (2008), “Historical perspectives of the ecology of some conspicuous vertebrate species in south- west Western Australia,” Conservation Science Western Australia. 6(3): 1-214, 128. Available at https://www.dpaw.wa.gov.au/images/documents/about/science/cswa/articles/25.pdf 9 Ibid, 129. even offered bounties on cat and kitten (and fox) scalps which is frankly appalling in this day and age. Meanwhile, proven strategies to humanely manage urban and peri-urban populations of non-domesticated or community cats are ignored by governments and lack much needed funding while humane non-lethal management of foxes is banned.

Proven effective and humane strategies for controlling feral cats At the moment exaggerations and guesstimates by scientists are inciting hatred and cruelty towards all cats whether they are truly feral (situated in remote areas away from urban environments and human contact), unowned urban strays, semi owned urban strays (community cats), lost/abandoned domestic pet cats, or domestic pets in homes. Humane strategies for controlling free-roaming cats have been researched for many years.10 Yet the conservation community still relies on trapping, shooting and poisoning.

Conclusion

It is time for profound change in our treatment of all animals. Our society needs to move away from animal agriculture to plant-based food production and stop clearing land and forests. Lethal culling of fauna and introduced species needs to stop.11 Wildlife carers need government funding and support. Conservationists need to begin working with cat rescuers who understand cats. Cat rescuers also need funding and support to practice contained and monitored Trap Neuter Vaccinate Return (TNVR) in urban and peri-urban areas including rural townships.

Thank you for considering this submission

Mary Ann Gourlay

10 See Wolf, P.J., Schaffner, J. E. (2019) “The Road to TNR: Examining Trap-Neuter-Return Through the Lens of Our Evolving Ethics” Frontiers in Veterinary Science 5:341. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2018.00341 See Julie K. Levy, DVM, PhD, DACVIM; David W. Gale; Leslie A. Gale, BS, (2003) Evaluation of the effect of a long-term trap-neuter-return and adoption program on a free-roaming cat population JAVMA, Vol 222: 1. Available at https://www.avma.org/News/Journals/Collections/Documents/javma_222_1_42.pdf. See also https://www.alleycat.org/resources/trap-neuter-return-research-compendium/. 11 See Wright, G. “Feral animals; A new story” Wake up World. 20 December 2018 https://wakeup- world.com/2018/12/20/feral-animals-a-new-story/.