THE BUDJ BIM MASSACRE

In a move that has shocked animal welfare experts and locals alike, the Victorian Labor Government (DEECA) secretly authorized the mass aerial shooting of koalas in Budj Bim National Park.

Under the cover of a "fire recovery" operation, government-contracted snipers in helicopters gunned down over 700 koalas (with some reports estimating over 1,000). This was not a humane euthanasia program by vets on the ground. It was a mass cull from the sky.

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The Facts They Hid From You:

• Indiscriminate Killing: Experts state it is impossible to accurately assess a koala's health from a moving helicopter. Healthy animals were likely shot alongside injured ones.

• Joeys Left to Die: Aerial shooting makes it nearly impossible to check for pouch young. Countless joeys were likely orphaned and left to starve slowly in the scrub.

• Secrecy: The operation was signed off without public consultation. They knew the public would be outraged, so they did it behind closed doors.

The Hypocrisy: The same government that restricts law-abiding hunters and shooters—claiming they are a "public safety risk"—is flying helicopters over our National Parks and firing high-powered rifles at our national icon.

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THE POISON EPIDEMIC: 1080

The cruelty doesn't stop with helicopters. Across Victoria, the government continues to carpet-bomb our forests and farmlands with Sodium Fluoroacetate (1080) poison.

They call it "pest management." We call it torture.

• A Slow, Agonizing Death: 1080 is not instant. It attacks the central nervous system, causing manic running, vomiting, screaming, and seizures that can last for hours before the animal finally dies.

• It Kills Everything: 1080 is indiscriminate. It kills native quolls, wedge-tailed eagles, and family farm dogs just as easily as it kills a fox.

• Banned Globally: This poison is so cruel it is banned in most of the world. Yet, the Victorian Government’s recent 2024 review decided to keep using it and even expand aerial baiting.

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THE AERIAL ASSAULT EXPANDS

It isn't just koalas. The Victorian Government is ramping up aerial shooting programs for deer and feral goats in the Grampians (Gariwerd) National Park, scheduled for March 2025.

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THE AURP STANCE: STOP THE CRUELTY

This is not conservation. It is lazy, state-sponsored slaughter.

The AURP Demands:

1. A Total Ban on Aerial Culling: No more shooting animals from helicopters. If numbers need managing, it must be done by "boots on the ground" who can ensure a humane kill and harvest the meat.

2. Ban 1080 Poison Immediately: Replace indiscriminate poisoning with targeted trapping and bounty programs that protect our native wildlife and working dogs.

3. Accountability: We demand the release of all veterinary advice and operational plans regarding the Budj Bim cull.

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Join AURP now to protect our native wildlife. Stop the greens that work with labor and hold the power to continue this culling of native wildlife.