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TOWNSVILLE BULLETIN (Australia) 16 March 06 Turtle kill furore (Daniel Bateman)
Animal welfare groups have called on the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) and traditional owners to bring to account those responsible for killing a large number of freshwater turtles and leaving them in a shopping trolley this week.
About 40 dead freshwater turtles were discovered on Tuesday night in a shopping trolley outside a home in Mundingburra.
The turtles were cut up and prepared for barbecuing.
Police and the QPWS yesterday confirmed the incident was a traditional hunting matter, and it would not be pursued further by police.
North Queensland Conservation Council co-ordinator James McLellan said the number of turtles taken was not a sustainable amount.
"I would call on the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service to further investigate this incident," Mr McLellan said.
"If they found that it was a traditional take, I would hope that the traditional owners would take some action on the issue.
"I would think they would be most appalled by the wastefulness."
RSPCA Queensland spokesman Michael Beatty said the organisation would not be able to prove whether the turtles had been killed humanely.
"Any endangered species should not be slaughtered in that way," Mr Beatty said.
"I would certainly hope the QPWS looks into it."
A spokeswoman for the QPWS said traditional owners could exercise their traditional hunting rights under the Commonwealth Native Title Act 1993, and the State was unable to impose restrictions on traditional hunting.
She said a number of indigenous communities already had their own restrictions and laws regarding traditional hunting, however the QPWS was working with traditional owners throughout Queensland to put in place community management regimes of traditionally hunted wildlife to ensure stocks were sustainable.
The North Queensland Land Council was not available for comment this week.
http://townsvillebulletin.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,7034,18483520%255E14787,00.html