24 August 2006

Hargreaves debates boffins on roo contraception

| johnboy
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The occasional RiotACT correspondent and local government Minister, John Hargreaves, has astounded the Assembly with his intellect over the years.

In today’s Canberra Times he is debating the University of NSW geneticist Professor Des Cooper, over the efficacy of oral contraceptives being administered to female kangaoos in an effort to deal with the large populations trapped in urban nature reserves.

While the Minister and Professor may argue at their leisure over which form of contraception is most effective I’d like to note that contraception might reduce kangaroo numbers in years to come, but does absolutely nothing in the here and now.

We can only hope the next person to die in a collision with a kangaroo doesn’t hit a contracepted one which could have been culled.

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They could make these contraceptives available to landholders around the ACT, hit the roos on a wider scale. I’ve got heaps on my place, and that stuff about them not breeding in droughts is crap. I’ve noticed the big male ones really suffering, some very boney old bags of skin around. But every small roo seems to have a joey almost as big as her.

barking toad4:39 pm 24 Aug 06

AD reminds me of a story someone told me once upon a time :

“How do you stop a girl from eating flesh?”

“Marry her!”

(sorry..)

ffflleeesshhh!!!

Delicious!

Absent Diane12:22 pm 24 Aug 06

yeah thumper I tend to agree with hate of seeing any animals killed… a few years ago they were culling something 20,000 in the vic – which upset me…
but I am also one of these pussies who gets disturbed by eating meat … I do it because it can taste alright and there are benefits…but the feeling of chewing flesh irks me a lot.

AD, couldn’t agree more. Less land degradation through farming roos too I’d imagine.

Absent Diane11:24 am 24 Aug 06

as said on an earlier post roo meat tastes bloody awesome….so why don’t we just farm the illiterate bastards… get everyone off the bovine meat..

Yes, but how many of those were fatal?

Last time I saw stats on it roos were responsible for 1/3 of motor accidents.

Only certain female human beings though, especially the kind who call their offspring Tyson or Britney.

Sounds like an argument for forcibly administering oral contraceptives to female human beings, Evil…

JB,

Q1. How many people in the ACT die from Kangaroo related motor vehicle accidents each year?

Q2. How many people in the ACT die in alcohol or reckless driving related motor vehicle accidents each year?

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