URGENT ACTION NEEDED TO SAVE ENDANGERED CARNABY'S BLACK COCKATOO

Leader of Opposition Shane Love and Carnaby’s Crusaders Dean Arthurell

BY ASAD KHAN

Opposition Leader Shane Love MLA has called for immediate government intervention to prevent the mass starvation of Western Australia’s endangered Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo population.

In a passionate address to Parliament today, Mr Love highlighted that worsening dry seasonal conditions and increasing land clearing in the metropolitan area have created a critical food shortage for the species.

“Wildlife volunteers are ready and willing to assist in feeding the Carnaby’s Cockatoos and protecting this threatened species,” Mr Love said.

However, he noted that under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016, it is illegal to feed wildlife without government authorization.

Mr Love urged the Minister for Environment to act quickly to approve a supplementary feeding program.

“Allowing a threatened species to starve is not only irresponsible; it represents a complete failure in the Minister’s duty to safeguard WA’s unique environment and biodiversity,” he emphasized.

The Opposition Leader criticized the state government for its inaction, contrasting it with the federal government’s acknowledgment of the threat to the Carnaby’s Cockatoos.

He pointed out that the Federal Government does not accept that environmental decline and extinction are inevitable, urging the state to take similar decisive action.

Joining Mr Love in Parliament was Dean Arthurell, a wildlife carer from the charity Carnaby’s Crusaders, who underscored the dire situation.

“Requests for assistance from the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions have been denied, leaving the population at risk of starvation,” Mr Arthurell said, calling for an urgent feeding program as the only immediate solution.

Mr Arthurell also reported a significant increase in distressed and emaciated birds being observed by wildlife carers across the south-west and at the Perth Zoo.

“The Department claims to be morally opposed to feeding wildlife; however, we see dolphins and pelicans fed for tourism purposes in other parts of the state,” he argued.

“We are asking for a feeding program to ensure the survival of this threatened species.”

As the clock ticks on the survival of the Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo, community advocates and lawmakers alike are rallying for a swift response from the government to avert a potential crisis.