700 Koalas Shot from Helicopters in Budj Bim National Park by Victorian Government

The issue

SHOCKING – Koalas are being shot from helicopters in Victoria’s Budj Bim National Park.

Without warning, and without public consultation, the Department of Environment (DEECA) has authorised the aerial and ground-based shooting of koalas, claiming the animals were suffering due to lack of food after recent bushfires. Yet this brutal decision was made behind closed doors — and we, the public, were never supposed to find out.

We now know that:

Approximately 600–700 koalas have already been euthanised, with more to come.
DEECA claims “extensive visual assessments” were conducted — from helicopters hovering 30 metres above.
Shooters were instructed to kill animals from the air, with no proper check to determine if they were injured, healthy, or carrying joeys.
DEECA and the Victorian Government have not publicly disclosed which experts were consulted or provided any independent documentation to justify this action.
This is not conservation. This is not science.
This is cruelty disguised as compassion.

 
❓ We demand answers:
Who assessed these koalas, and how?
Were they physically examined by wildlife veterinarians? Or judged from a distance by shooters in the air?
Why was aerial shooting deemed "best practice"?
Koalas are tree-dwelling, slow-moving marsupials — not feral deer. This method is unreliable, inhumane, and unacceptable.
Which wildlife experts approved this method?
Where is the peer-reviewed evidence or veterinary consensus that supports aerial shooting as a humane form of euthanasia for koalas?
Why wasn’t the public informed or consulted?
These decisions were made in secret. That is not leadership — that is betrayal.
 
Meanwhile, blue gum plantations — where many of these koalas came from — are still being harvested, displacing hundreds more animals. Rather than invest in long-term solutions, the government has chosen to kill.

According to DEECA, this method was "the most humane under the circumstances." But no independent animal welfare body has confirmed this. And no media was allowed to document it.

 
✊ We demand:
A full, independent inquiry into the aerial shooting of koalas at Budj Bim National Park.
An immediate moratorium on all aerial wildlife culling programs involving threatened species.
A public release of all reports, assessments, and expert advice used to justify these actions.
The creation of national wildlife rescue protocols that prioritise animal welfare, transparency, and science — not secrecy.
 
If this can happen to koalas, it can happen to any wildlife.

We are in the midst of a biodiversity crisis. Our native species are vanishing. And instead of protecting them, we are now authorising state-sanctioned cruelty — hidden from view and sold to the public as mercy.

We cannot — and will not — stay silent.

 
🖊️ Sign this petition to:
📣 Demand accountability.
📣 Protect our native wildlife.
📣 Say NO to cruelty from the skies.

avatar of the starter
Claire SmithPetition starter
Media enquiries

26,405

The issue

SHOCKING – Koalas are being shot from helicopters in Victoria’s Budj Bim National Park.

Without warning, and without public consultation, the Department of Environment (DEECA) has authorised the aerial and ground-based shooting of koalas, claiming the animals were suffering due to lack of food after recent bushfires. Yet this brutal decision was made behind closed doors — and we, the public, were never supposed to find out.

We now know that:

Approximately 600–700 koalas have already been euthanised, with more to come.
DEECA claims “extensive visual assessments” were conducted — from helicopters hovering 30 metres above.
Shooters were instructed to kill animals from the air, with no proper check to determine if they were injured, healthy, or carrying joeys.
DEECA and the Victorian Government have not publicly disclosed which experts were consulted or provided any independent documentation to justify this action.
This is not conservation. This is not science.
This is cruelty disguised as compassion.

 
❓ We demand answers:
Who assessed these koalas, and how?
Were they physically examined by wildlife veterinarians? Or judged from a distance by shooters in the air?
Why was aerial shooting deemed "best practice"?
Koalas are tree-dwelling, slow-moving marsupials — not feral deer. This method is unreliable, inhumane, and unacceptable.
Which wildlife experts approved this method?
Where is the peer-reviewed evidence or veterinary consensus that supports aerial shooting as a humane form of euthanasia for koalas?
Why wasn’t the public informed or consulted?
These decisions were made in secret. That is not leadership — that is betrayal.
 
Meanwhile, blue gum plantations — where many of these koalas came from — are still being harvested, displacing hundreds more animals. Rather than invest in long-term solutions, the government has chosen to kill.

According to DEECA, this method was "the most humane under the circumstances." But no independent animal welfare body has confirmed this. And no media was allowed to document it.

 
✊ We demand:
A full, independent inquiry into the aerial shooting of koalas at Budj Bim National Park.
An immediate moratorium on all aerial wildlife culling programs involving threatened species.
A public release of all reports, assessments, and expert advice used to justify these actions.
The creation of national wildlife rescue protocols that prioritise animal welfare, transparency, and science — not secrecy.
 
If this can happen to koalas, it can happen to any wildlife.

We are in the midst of a biodiversity crisis. Our native species are vanishing. And instead of protecting them, we are now authorising state-sanctioned cruelty — hidden from view and sold to the public as mercy.

We cannot — and will not — stay silent.

 
🖊️ Sign this petition to:
📣 Demand accountability.
📣 Protect our native wildlife.
📣 Say NO to cruelty from the skies.

avatar of the starter
Claire SmithPetition starter
Media enquiries

The Decision Makers

Georgie Purcell MP
Georgie Purcell MP
Animal Justice Party Member for Northern Victoria
Responded
“Dear supporters, I want to begin by saying an enormous thank you – over 24,000 of you have now signed the petition to protect the precious koalas near the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape. Your support means the world. Please know that there are some politicians listening. I have demanded answers directly from the government and spoken up about the suffering of these koalas in parliament. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJoHO9CJ1Kj/ But now, to really make them listen, we need to take the next step – especially if you live in Victoria. Victorian residents, please add your name to the official Victorian Parliament petition written by The Koala Alliance, and sponsored by me. This one requires at least 10,000 signatures from Victorian residents to be formally tabled and debated. You can sign it here: https://campsite.bio/georgie.purcell.ajp (its the third link down). This will take just a minute, but it could be the key to real political action. If this petition hits the target, it means the government must respond – and finally answer to all of us. On a more personal note, I wanted to share a moment that’s stayed with me. Not long ago, I had the chance to meet an orphaned koala joey at a wildlife shelter – a tiny, wide-eyed bundle of fur with impossibly soft ears and the most cautious curiosity you can imagine. She had lost her mother to habitat destruction, and it was only through the tireless work of local wildlife carers that she survived at all. As I held her, I remember thinking how fragile and innocent she was – completely dependent on human kindness after human decisions had left her without a home. I think of her often, and it breaks my heart to imagine joeys like her potentially succumbing to starvation or predation in the aftermath of the cull near Budj Bim – the result of a deeply flawed aerial shooting operation that did not use accurate or peer-reviewed welfare methodology. We should never allow such unnecessary suffering – not when alternatives exist, and not when the land in question is so ecologically and culturally significant. If you’ve already signed both petitions – thank you. We owe it to the remaining (but rapidly dwindling) koalas and their habitats to stand up and say: this is not acceptable. Let’s keep pushing – for wildlife, and for accountability. With hope and determination, Georgie Purcell MP Animal Justice Party Member for Northern Victoria”
Brad Rowswell MP
Brad Rowswell MP
Victorian Shadow Minister for Environment
Responded
“Dear Supporters, I’m writing to you in my capacity as Shadow Minister for Environment in Victoria, home to the Budj Bim National Park. More than 1,000 koalas have now been shot from helicopters under the direction of the Victorian Labor Government. Simply put, they’ve got this terribly wrong. While the Government claims this was a “humane” and “necessary” intervention, we’ve learned that nearly 90 per cent of the koalas were not examined on the ground before being killed. Instead, assessments were made from helicopters flying over 30 metres above the trees, which is an impossible distance from which to accurately judge an animal’s health. This is unacceptable. Even more concerning is the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action’s refusal to release the so-called independent guidance and advice used to justify the cull. This lack of transparency raises serious questions and gives the appearance of a cover-up rather than responsible environmental management. To make matters worse, the Government has also delayed the release of the Great Victorian Koala Survey, a critical report intended to help guide decisions on koala conservation across the state. I want to thank you all for standing up and adding your voice to this important issue. The aerial killing of koalas has attracted national and international outrage, and rightly so. I continue to call for the Victorian Labor Government to release the guidance and advice used to justify the cull. The public deserves the truth, and our koalas deserve protection. Kind Regards, Brad Rowswell MP Victorian Shadow Minister for Environment”
Jacinta Allan
Jacinta Allan
Victorian Premier
Deeca
Deeca

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Petition created on 20 April 2025