Re: [OT ALERT] Coalition Warfare at it's finest <grin> And yes, this happens at 'home' too.

At 07:51  21/05/01 -0400, Glenn M Wilson wrote:

>		Emu 'in the line of fire'
>
>		US marines perform joint exercises all over the world
>		Australian environmentalists have called for an
>		end to joint military exercises with US troops,
>		over what they see as the indiscriminate
>		shooting of a harmless bird.
>
>		US Marines blasted an
>		emu, a large ostrich-like
>		flightless bird which
>		Australia claims as a
>		national symbol, with
>		semi-automatic
>		weapons after it
>		strayed onto a training
>		ground near Rockhampton in the state of
>		Queensland.
>
>		Australian Wildlife
>		Protection Agency
>		president Pat O'Brien
>		told ABC radio that this
>		was not the first such
>		incident, and that on
>		their last visit the
>		troops had shot and
>		skinned wallabies for
>		trophies.
>
>		"It shows that apart
>		from the inconvenience
>		to the local community,
>		that these large
>		exercises should not be undertaken in
>		Shoalwater Bay," he said.

Actually the Shoalwater bay area has benefited from Army use. It's off 
limits to the local community anyway, so there's no inconvenience by
having 
a exercise there. The fact that the army uses the land has protected the

environment in the long term, the ADF doesn't exercise repeatedly in the

same area, it moves somewhere else to allow the environment time to 
recover. Also private industry can't get in there to really screw up the

environment (there have been several attempts to sand mine the beaches,
but 
that never got off the ground. Because of the ADF's need for a training
area).

>		After the incident, the marines were reportedly
>		given a refresher course on how to operate in
>		the area.
>
>		A two-page document on how to treat the
>		local environment includes the warning: "Do
>		not chase, harass or fire at animals". The
>		document also warns against taking animals as
>		souvenirs.
>
>		Marine Corps spokesman Captain Jeffrey Pool
>		told the French news agency AFP that if the
>		shooting was found to be deliberate the
>		perpetrator would be charged under US Marine
>		regulations and Australian law.
>
>		But this was by no means certain, as the emu
>		could have wandered into the line of fire, he
>		said.
>
>		Captain Pool added that US personnel were
>		fond of Australian wildlife.

Based on what I've little I know about Emus (large, flightless, fast 
running birds) and having seen them out in the 'bush' and how wary they
are 
I don't think the shooting was accidential.

Maybe next time Australians exercise in the States they can bag a Bald
Eagle :)

Derek

Derek Fulton
12 Balaka st.
Rosny, Hobart.
Tasmania,  7018.
Australia

Phone; (03) 62459123
Mobile; 0438459123
Email; derekfulton@bigpond.com