Hi,
After yet another platypus death due to the use of an illegal yabby trap (last Saturday's paper, page 3), Bill Phillips from RiverSmart Australia, (see Bill’s details below) has decided to make a noise about it and launch a campaign to try to have something done!
His first step was to write a Letter to the Editor (see below), but as expected they have seen fit not to publish it (as yet). Word has already spread about the campaign and he has now been asked to do a radio ABC interview next Monday at 1.00pm.
Bill is proposing an on-line petition to be submitted to Simon Corbell. As an interim measure, if any of you felt so inclined and would also put pen to paper, let's try to force the Canberra Times to publish some letters expressing concern at this ludicrous situation. At the very least we need to make it mandatory that retailers give those purchasing these a flyer explaining the risks to air-breathing wildlife and that these cannot be used in the waterways of this region.
Dr Bill Phillips, CEO
RiverSmart Australia
02 62817470 or 04 38817470
www.riversmart.org.au
"Reduce your river footprint"
Bill’s letter to the Canberra Times:
Saturday's CT carried the sad story and disturbing photo of a drowned platypus in a yabby trap. This does raise the question as to why such traps, and especially the super cheap 'Opera-house' style version, continue to be sold in the ACT if their use is banned in our waterways and also those of surrounding NSW. At the very least the retailers should be required to provide information at the point of sale that these cannot be used in the ACT and surrounding waterways and also about the dangers they pose for wildlife such as platypus, water rats, turtles and even diving birds sometimes get caught in them. Suspecting that our legislators will move with their typical glacial pace on this seemingly easy-to-fix problem perhaps the major retailers of these death traps could do the right thing and voluntarily take them off the shelf.
Chris
