Charges Laid Over Shooting Of Endangered Parrots

The Age

Tuesday May 1, 2007

Lorna Edwards

AUSTRALIA'S biggest almond grower has been charged over the shooting of threatened regent parrots near its orchards in north-west Victoria.

Select Harvests, its subsidiary Kyndalyn Park and two orchard workers were charged after more than 40 dead parrots were found hidden in fox and rabbit burrows in bush near the Robinvale almond farm in November.

The parrots are a threatened species found along the Murray River. Only an estimated 2400 still live in the wild.

Department of Sustainability and Environment wildlife officers found the dead birds at an inspection as part of the orchard's permits to shoot some common species such as ravens, eastern and yellow rosellas and western grey kangaroos.

Its permits to control wildlife have been suspended.

"This is one of the most significant cases of alleged destruction of threatened wildlife detected in this state in recent years," said DSE executive director for biodiversity and ecosystem services Ian Miles.

Select Harvests states its commitment to the region's biodiversity and the importance of wildlife corridors accompanied by photographs of the parrot in its 2005 annual report. "Over the years, changes to the landscape and native habitat as a result of human activity has seen the regent parrot's population reduced to critical levels, and it is now listed as an endangered species," the report says.

Select Harvests chief executive John Bird did not return The Age's calls yesterday.

It and its subsidiary Kyndalyn Park, of Thomastown, have been charged with taking protected wildlife, failing to comply with an authorisation to control wildlife and giving false or misleading information to an authorised officer.

A Swan Hill man and Robinvale man who worked at the company's orchards face charges of taking protected wildlife. Under the Wildlife Act, the penalty for killing a regent parrot includes fines of up to $5350 and six months' jail. Charges are due to be heard in the Robinvale Magistrates Court on May 22.