Thank you sincerely to all of those who signed this petition. At the outset, it proved to be an enormously effective means of sending out an SOS on behalf of these kangaroos to an international audience. The resulting media coverage was an important factor in earning the kangaroos a 'stay of sentence' while the Government had us believe they were seriously reconsidering the kangaroos' relocation.

Sadly, however, we were deceived. After six weeks of planning behind the scenes, the Government announced an over-inflated cost estimate (at least 8 times the true cost) for a scientific relocation trial, and within three days commenced the killing. Over 11 consecutive days while horrified kangaroo supporters looked on from behind the fence, the Government's contractors systematically murdered around 450 kangaroos.

This should never ever happen again, but it is quite likely to unless public and international pressure is brought to bear on the Australian Government, at both State/Territory and Federal levels. It is not acceptable to mass-murder these wonderful animals every time they get in the way of greedy human schemes such as housing developments.

Although the ACT Government denies that this was the reason for the massacre, mark my words - with a few years time that is exactly what will become of this land that is now drenched in blood - a housing development.

This was Australia's darkest fortnight this century. Let us not allow it to happen again.