BirdLife Tasmania today expressed extreme disappointment at the leniency of
the sentence given to a convicted Little Penguin killer in northern Tasmania.
Joshua Jeffrey was convicted earlier this month in Burnie for killing 6 Little
Penguins. Today he was sentenced to 49 hours of community service, with
court costs of $82.15 awarded against him.
“This is no deterrent whatsoever” Dr Eric Woehler, Convenor of BirdLife
Tasmania said on hearing of the sentence. “This will not stop the next person
going out and doing exactly the same thing at some time in the future”.
“The sentence places minimal value on Tasmania’s precious wildlife” Dr
Woehler said, and added, “this sets an unwelcome precedent for future
attacks on our wildlife.”
“The current penalties are clearly failing to prevent the cruel and senseless
killing of wildlife in Tasmania. There is no deterrence in this sentence.”
“We need to see the maximum possible penalties for these senseless acts”
he added.
A total of 9 Little Penguins were found dead, with 6 showing head traumas.
“The colony will take years to recover, as Little Penguins can live up to more
than 20 years, and the loss of these birds will impact on the breeding success
of the colony. With so many other threats, such as gillnets and dog attacks,
the last thing any penguin colony needs is a senseless and cruel attack such
as this one was.
“Little Penguins deserve our protection and care, and I am sure the
Tasmanian community would not want to see another attack like this one.”
Dr Eric Woehler has worked on Little Penguins and other seabirds in
Tasmania and around the world for almost 40 years. He provided an impact
statement to the court with respect to the loss of these penguins.
Dr Eric Woehler, Convenor of BirdLife Tasmania
