Finally, it’s illegal to hunt wombats in the state of Victoria. On Thursday, the Victorian Government overturned a decades-old legal loophole which allowed people to hunt the native animal for fun.
Victoria is the last state in Australia to outlaw it.
Victoria has finally banned wombat hunting, making it the last Australian state to officially protect the furry native animal.
The new amendment to the Wildlife Act 1975 overturned an outdated law which declared wombats “unprotected” in some parts of the state. The law enabled wombats to be killed at the discretion of landowners, including for purposes of sport and fun.
Recently, it came to light that tourists were hunting the animals on a farm in Northern Victoria owned by a wealthy Chinese casino owner. The revelations triggered a government inquiry into the wombat protection laws, revealing the loophole.
A number of politicians raised the issue in Parliament including Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young and Victorian MP Andy Meddick. More than 200,000 people also signed a petition calling the Victoria government to protect the animals.
Recently, an estimated half a billion animals were killed in the Australian bushfire crisis.
This week a series of guerrilla artworks popped up in bus stops across the country, protesting government inaction towards the fires.
