Take Action » Protect Turtles and Dugongs from Cruelty in QLD!

If you're in Australia, you may have thought the words 'endangered animal' equal 'protected animal', right? Not always.

Species of endangered turtles and vulnerable dugongs in far north Queensland have more than dwindling population numbers threatening their survival -- they are also often the victims of a barbaric traditional hunt. Under most circumstances the cruel methods used to hunt and kill these animals would be illegal, but an exemption in Queensland's Animal Care and Protection Act permits this cruelty to continue unchecked.

Shocking footage of a turtle hunt shows in graphic detail how slow and painful her death was. Once caught, a turtle can be kept alive until meat is required. They may be piled on top of each other, or turned onto their backs for days -- cruelty that often results in death even before the animals are slaughtered. Worse still, they may be butchered while still alive, remaining conscious as their flippers are hacked off and their plastron (underside of the shell) is sliced off.

Dugongs may be harpooned in the back or even in the head if they surface for air at the wrong moment. They will then drag the boat in an effort to swim away, not unlike a whale's attempt to escape a harpoon. It can take several hours for a male adult dugong to tire from this exertion. He may then either be drowned by having his head held underwater, suffocated after having his nostrils plugged, or dragged under the keel of the boat until he dies.

We've seen Spanish cities banning bullfighting and cultures the world over are now acknowledging that tradition is no excuse for cruelty. With Queensland's Animal Care and Protection Act due for review soon, please ask the Queensland Government to show compassion to all animals in all circumstances by removing the Aboriginal tradition and Island custom exemption from the Act, and give these animals the voice they so desperately need.