Man who killed 350 kookaburras ordered to pay fine
A Tasmanian man who shot and killed 350 kookaburras because they were affecting his native wildlife has been fined $5,000 by a judge for not holding the appropriate firearms licence.
Neil Gordon Whitford, 60, from Deviot, admitted in the Supreme Court in Launceston he shot the kookaburras over a nine-month period in 2021 using a semi-automatic rifle.
The court heard Mr Whitford had held a Category A firearms licence since 1996, but he required a Category C licence for the rifle used to cull the birds.
Justice Robert Pearce said during sentencing on Monday that Mr Whitford’s 15-acre rural property had been “invaded” by a large number of kookaburras in 2021 after bushfires close by.
Justice Pearce said he could not take into account the number of kookaburras culled for sentencing.
“Kookaburras are not native to Tasmania,” Justice Pearce said.
"I'm advised that a cull is not unlawful … I'm dealing only with the firearms offences."
Kookaburras were introduced to Tasmania in the early 1900s to control snakes.
Although the birds are protected in most other parts of Australia, they are not in Tasmania, and according to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmnia, there is no permit required to manage them.
In 2020, the Greens and other bird conservationists called for a Tasmanian kookaburra cull after reports the birds’ aggressive behaviour was disrupting other native species, however, that idea was rejected by the Gutwein Liberal state government.
Justice Pearce also said the rifle Mr Whitford used was “suitable” for pest control, but he knowingly possessed it and used it without obtaining the appropriate firearms licence.
The court was told Mr Whitford had owned the gun for decades, but rather than disposing of it when gun laws changed in 1996, he disassembled it and stored it in a gun safe until he started using it again for pest control in 2021.
Police located the unregistered rifle and silencer at Mr Whitford’s property on November 3, 2021.
Justice Pearce said Mr Whitford had no relevant prior convictions, and his neighbours “attest to his skill” around pest control.
He said there was no risk to any person or other animals in this case.
Justice Pearce said the weapon could, however, be used inappropriately in the wrong hands.
Mr Whitford has been given 28 days to pay his $5,000 fine.
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