Cowardly act of animal cruelty
THIS little joey is the only survivor of a sickening shooting rampage at Innisfail's Johnstone River Crocodile Farm that left 16 pademelons dead and a handful of small crocodiles on the loose.
Distraught staff at the popular tourist destination found 11 dead adult pademelons, some with up to five bullet holes through them and tiny joeys in their pouches that had to be euthanased.
One wallaroo was also shot dead.
"It was horrific. One of them was hand-raised and she would have hopped right up to them," park supervisor Paul Harris said.
"We had to euthanase a mother pademelon yesterday too because she couldn't hop."
Police are investigating the rampage, which has horrified townspeople and been described as cowardly and senseless by park employees.
Mr Harris believes thugs climbed over animal-proof fences to break into a side paddock and shoot the wallabies along the park’s fences.
He said a water pressure pump was also tampered with, causing a breeding igloo with about 300 one to three-year-old crocodiles inside to overflow and release a handful of crocs into the paddock.
About eight crocodiles, measuring 40cm and under, had to be recaptured.
Heartbroken staff were relieved to find one orphaned joey still alive yesterday - two days after his mother was shot dead. But they said they were still suspicious about how it ended up in a dingo enclosure.
The cold and hungry joey was found curled up in rocks.
"He was freezing and really shaken up. Luckily he used natural instincts and hid," carer Michelle Twist said.
She has taken in the 10-month-old joey which will need to be fed every three hours and comforted in a makeshift pouch.
Vandals had targeted the park's smallest and friendliest animals, Mr Harris said .
"A lot of people come for the crocodiles but pademelons are the animals tourists love. Everyone thinks they’re as cute as buttons," he said.
"Why would you kill an animal in an enclosure?
"It's just a cowardly thing to do."
He said several tiny joeys, found curled up in their dead mother's pouches, had been reluctantly put down by staff because they were too young to survive.
Police have asked for people to come forward with information about the attack, which happened on Wednesday night or early Thursday morning.
Anyone with information can ring Innisfail Police Station on 4061 5777 or Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000.
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The only one: Michelle Twist nurses the only pademelon joey that survived Thursday's senseless slaughter.
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