"Kangaroo fertility trial costs $612k - Your Tax contribution hard at work"
Read more at http://www.sportingshooter.com.au/latest/kangaroo-fertility-trial-costs-612k-your-tax-contribution-hard-at-work#GFz3OeWsTZDH2ayY.99

Around here they are fertile enough, every night sees more of them killed on the roads with consequent danger to travelers and damage to vehicles.

Kangaroos are always pregnant, with one in the pouch & one at heel. This has been known for at least 100 years.

Where do I pick up my $612k?

//Around here they are fertile enough, every night sees more of them killed on the roads with consequent danger to travelers and damage to vehicles.//

//Kangaroos are always pregnant, with one in the pouch & one at heel. This has been known for at least 100 years.//

Didn't read past the headline, fellas? :)

They're (were, not sure if it's to ongoing) trialling a contraceptive. As in something to make the roos infertile. Nobody is questioning the fecundity of untreated kangaroos.

More info here:

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/canberra-roo-fertility-trial-costs-612000-treats-135-kangaroos-20170123-gtwzj3.html

Although I'm not sure why they refer to it as a vaccine, doesn't make much sense to me...

And what the hell is the point of the placebos?

Toni, I'm glad you picked up on that one. I too thought it meant the opposite. Boy I was ready to let fly. As if we needed more bloody roo's. I wonder what the greens will have to say about this? HAH, finally some good news. As you say, placebo?

The placebos are there as a control agent, if the ones that got the placebo don't get pregnant it will be because they thought that they couldn't get in the family way.
This will allow those who are effecting the plan to use more placebos and thus cut costs.

Simple really; wouldn't work all over the country but the 'roos in Canberra are very intelligent and have been shewn to have more nouse than many of the people who inhabit Capital Hill.

Is there an IVF treatment for the ones that don't get pregnant? ;-)

Issy, you seem to have a thing about kangaroos and killing them.

At the behest of the NSW Shooters and Hooters Party, a very expensive trial of culling feral animals in national parks by amateur Rambo type shooters was conducted. The ridiculous trial of the effectiveness of allowing booze fueled, hot headed amateur shooters into national parks was clear. Costing the taxpayer $1.4 million, at an average of $7152 for each animal killed, 70% were rabbits, it proved to be a total disaster, and a total waste of taxpayer money

Paul1405, I'm curious, how on earth could it cost the govt $1.4m for some people to cull some animals? What was it that was so expensive? I'm imagining that these people turn up with their guns and when they come across a selected animal, they shoot it. The only expense I can see is the amo', and that at best would not come to anywhere near a hundred dollars per shooter. And even then I don't think the govt was handing out the amo'. That would have been at the expense of the shooter.

Paul,

"Issy, you seem to have a thing about kangaroos and killing them."

Haven't shot one for the last thirty years, I concentrate on foxes but I do eat a fair bit of 'roo, courtesy of a few of my farmer mates'
Also, eat some venison, have a mate who corns it, really superb meat

Issy, you know I have no problem with your hunting. Done correctly its not a problem. Foxes every one you kill is a bonus. My own son has a gun licence, my partners son loves nothing better than to get back to NZ and do some hunting.

A little story, you love my little stories Issy. When my son was on a property down Nowra way, he wanted to keep ducks and turkeys, in fox territory. Built a pen about 8 foot high, dug the wire netting well into the ground, totally fox proof, the Alcatraz of duck pens, so he thought. I seen the animals and their fox proof compound, and it did look impressive. Things went fine for a while. Got a call one morning, "Dad, all the ducks and turkeys are dead, a F'n fox got in last night and killed the lot!" How, I don't know, must have got winched in by helicopter, but get in, and out it did. End of keeping ducks and turkeys, kept a few chickens for a while.

ALTRAV, between the PS and the BS, full blown investigation with reports etc, and the general lack of shooters finding their target, the trial cost a packet, and it proved to be an inefficient failure.

Paul,

As you now know 8 foot of wire netting is a ladder for a fox, the only reasonably sure way is to roof the enclosure with wire as well.

Expensive, but 99% sure; you can never be 100% sure about a fox unless it's dead.

Yes need a roof, he even angled the fence outwards about 2 feet. Not worth it, although I got a few duck eggs (my favorite egg, big yolks).
I will support your endeavours to eradicate foxes. What were the British thinking of when the brought the buggers here.

We have a few foxes around here, they are never a problem, as I am not interested in chooks. We do have 4 geese, basically as watchdogs, rather than a food source, but they are a match for any fox. They must have a truce with one that comes up most nights around the granny flat, looking for any food my sons cat may have left.

The roos are a damn nuisance. Not now when there is plenty of feed on the large grazing properties, but when it is dry. We can have a mob of over 50 on 3 neighbouring 20 acre blocks, as we have few stock, & plenty of grass. They smash fences regularly, giving me an average of about 3 hours a week of work fixing them.

Even worse are the wood ducks. Locals say they are murder on a veggie patch, luckily I don't want one of those either. They did pull out every shoot of 3 acres of Rhodes grass I planted a couple of years back.

The most annoying thing is they didn't even eat it, when they found it had dirt on the roots, they dropped it & tried the next shoot. I reckon that if the ratbag greens want to stop us eradicating these pests, they should volunteer to spend the 3 weeks it takes for the shoots to get strong roots, acting as scarecrows in our paddocks.

Obviously doing something as useful as scarecrow duty is against their religion, but some do look perfect to impersonate one.

Paul,
Issy is right, chook pens have to be roofed with netting and well made.

I used to head shoot about 200 foxes each winter using a .17 Remington. I can tell you foxes can climb trees, especially rough barked trees.

Would not surprise if some were found not far from your place. Saw one cross the road at Gore Hill cemetary, near RNS hospital.