State ‘indifferent’ to plight of trapped kangaroos Liz Bell liz@mpnews.com.au
Following the clouds ON Wednesday 13 December Adam Richmond was tracking storm clouds from Fishermans Beach, Mornington when he shot this bolt of lightning. A picture Richmond took of mammatus clouds in November reminded another keen sky watcher, Steve Howard, of cloud he had recorded in July 2021 (Sky’s no limit to opportunities, The news 14/11/23). “I thought these few photos of ‘iridescence clouds’ may interest,”
Howard said (inset). His pictures had not been “tweaked”, although he did have use a polarising filter. A metrologist had provided an explanation of the clouds: To be found near the sun when there is only a very thin layer of water vapour or ice crystal in the cloud. The thin layer diffracts the sunlight and splits it into rainbow colours. The boffins call it “iridescence".
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire Councill will step up its pressure on the state government to ensure the urgent release of an estimated 600 kangaroos trapped on private property at Cape Schanck. At last Tuesday’s council meeting, Cr David Gill moved a motion that council takes “all possible actions to ensure that the cruelty toward 600 defenceless eastern grey kangaroos” be stopped immediately. The strongly worded motion, which was passed, attacked the state government for its “indifference” to the kangaroo’s plight. The state government has so far failed to respond to a letter from the council in August asking for more to be done to free the kangaroos. Gill’s motion stated that the state government needs to be “taking their responsibility to wildlife seriously and releasing them back to Greens Bush National Park”. Council’s planning and infrastructure director Mike McIntosh said that kangaroo welfare and management was primarily the responsibility of the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action. However, he noted that council could continue to advocate in
Picture: Gary Sissons partnership with an animal welfare organisation “to draw further attention to concerns previously raised by the community and council”. Spokesperson for kangaroo protection group SKOMP, Craig Thomson, said he was thrilled with Gill’s motion, and was pleased that the work that had been done in the community had been acknowledged. He said part of the environmental significance overlay for the area advocates that private land next to a national park be maintained as a
buffer zone for wildlife in the area. “The best option would be for the removal of the wildlife exclusion fencing so the kangaroos can come and go freely,” he said. The council continues to work with DELWP (now DEECA) to progress a wildlife management plan looking at how the peninsula’s wildlife population can be better managed and protected. The state’s new environment minister Steve Dimopoulos was contacted for comment.
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Mornington News
19 December 2023
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