Hundreds of wild goats are being slaughtered in the bush country of Australia where they are competing for survival with native animals and over-grazing precious pasture land.
1.
GV Mountains
0.05
2.
GV Mountains with landrover bringing hunters along road
0.10
3.
CU Hunters in truck
0.24
4.
GV AND LV Goat herd grazing (4 shots)
0.34
5.
SV Hunters take up firing positions (2 shots) (Music ends)
0.40
6.
CU AND SV Hunters fire rifles (3 shots)
0.43
7.
GVs Parrots, wallaby and emus fleeing (3 shots)
0.48
8.
CU Rifle loaded
0.50
9.
LV Coats being shot and running
0.59
10.
CU Hunters firing and goats dying (5 shots)
1.12
11.
CU Goat shot twice and falling
1.20
12.
SV Hunter kills off wounded goat with pistol using 10 shots
1.41
13.
SV Hunters return to truck talking
1.50
14.
CU Dead goat
1.54
15.
SV Hunters into truck
1.55
Initials CL/2149 CL/2211
Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
Background: Hundreds of wild goats are being slaughtered in the bush country of Australia where they are competing for survival with native animals and over-grazing precious pasture land.
The eradication of the goats as a conservation measure is going on mainly in the northern areas of South Australia, such as the dry Flinders Ranges.
Several good seasons have brought on unusually favourable growth in the area. But grazers are worried that the fast-breeding goats will eventually reduce the land to semi-desert.
More than 100,000 goats roam the hills of South Australia and Victoria. The Flinders Ranges alone -- part of which is a wild-life sanctuary -- support over 20,000.
The Government is concerned that, unless the numbers are drastically reduced, the voracious goats will leave insufficient feed for the native kangaroos, wallabies and emus. There is also a threat of the local sheep industry.
The goats were introduced into the country during the early mining days as a source of fresh meat, but have now become a pest.
Bands of marksmen from an Adelaide gun club have been allowed onto the badly-infested sanctuary to kill the goats. It is difficult country for shooting and many animals are not killed outright. They have to be finished off using a pistol -- which sometimes proves painfully inaccurate.
The dead goats are not taken away for their skins or meat as in other countries with large wild herds, such as Turkey. They are left to rot.
We always welcome comments and more information about our films.
All posts are reactively checked. Libellous and abusive comments are forbidden.