Animal rights campaigners have celebrated the end of the ACT government's controversial kangaroo cull for another year, after 1689 adult eastern greys were killed on territory nature reserves.
In a surprise move on Tuesday, the Territories and Municipal Services Directorate announced shooting has ended three weeks before the current licence period expired.
Since April 30, an additional 701 pouch young have been killed. Licence provisions allowed for 2466 kangaroos to be shot in 2015.
The latest numbers bring the toll of culling since 2009 to nearly 11,000 dead.
The reopened reserves and grasslands could see culling again in 2016 when another 2500 kangaroos can be killed as part of environmental protection efforts.
Parks and Conservation director Daniel Iglesias said more than 480 animals were shot at Gungaderra Grasslands, as well as 400 at The Pinnacle and 284 at Callum Brae nature reserve.
Of a planned 782 animals at Wanniassa Hills, just 202 were shot.
Mr Iglesias said the shooting had been completed "without incident" and government auditing results showed 100 per cent compliance with a code of practice for trained shooters..
"The cull will now play its part in protecting the environment at these locations," Mr Iglesias said.
"What the licence does is gives us the absolute upper limit to what the conservator would agree too. What you will find if you look back over the years is we rarely get to the full number and that's due to the fact that there are a number of operational conditions … such as budget, the number of nights we can cull, [and] the dynamics and geography of the reserves."
The government's chief veterinary officer visited cull sites on two nights and a separate independent vet audited 10 per cent of shot animals to ensure culling was undertaken appropriately. About 8 per cent of culled kangaroos have been used for baiting of wild dogs and foxes.
2015 ACT government kangaroo cull – passionately opposed by animal rights activists – by the numbers. pic.twitter.com/HEqKev9uGw— Tom McIlroy (@TomMcIlroy)
July 7, 2015
Last week, a 70-year-old Macarthur man was arrested protesting the shooting after he was approached by police officers near the Rose Cottage horse paddocks in Wanniassa. The man is expected to face the ACT Magistrates Court on Thursday charged with obstructing or resisting a territory public official.
Some acts of vandalism were reported, including damage to temporary and permanent signage and padlocks and fences. Activists have repeatedly denied engaging in vandalism.
Unlike previous cull efforts, no legal challenge was launched in 2015. Campaigners, including from Animal Liberation ACT and the Australian Society for Kangaroos, have derided the administrative appeals process as costly and ineffective.
In 2014, more than 1500 kangaroos and 514 joeys were shot as part of the culling. Government data shows cull numbers peaked in 2011 at 2439 kangaroos.
Shooting has taken place at nature reserves including Callum Brae on Mugga Lane; Crace, Goorooyarroo, Gungaderra and Mulanggari in Gungahlin; Kama and the Pinnacle near Hawker; Mount Painter near Cook; and Wanniassa Hills.
Animal Liberation ACT spokeswoman Carolyn Drew said she was "dancing around the bushes" at the news of the end of the cull.
"They've had perfect weather from April, and plenty of time to kill that many kangaroos," she said. "I think the other factor we won't know about but we can assume is maybe there weren't the numbers in the reserves they thought there were."
Ms Drew said activists had been at four cull sites around the ACT every night since the licence period began. She said the government did not know exactly how many kangaroos were present in each area.
Ms Drew predicted strong opposition would continue next year and every time shooting was launched in the ACT.
"We'll take heart that our efforts and our determination did play a part in them calling it off early," she said.
