Magnetic Island Wildlife Under Threat
Anyone including SybelleFoxcroft, who sees the picture on the right of a booted foot stepping on a snake, would call it for what it is, an animal abuse that is causing unnecessary stress, pain, suffering and quite possibly injuries to the snake.
This booted foot belongs to none other than “animal activist”, Sybelle Foxcroft.
Foxcroft lives in MagneticIsland, Queensland where she operates a rescue, rehabilitation and release organisation Magnetic Island Wildlife Care (MIWC) with a local woman.
According to local licensed wildlife rescuers and rehabilitators, Foxcroft is unlicensed and untrained. Foxcroft however claims that she is licensed, but thus far, has not been able to produce her license for authentication.
On April 13th 2020, Foxcroft was called out to relocate a snake.
Locals said that Foxcroft used an oven mitt to protect herself and unpadded kitchen tongs to grab the snake whilst she restrained the snake by stepping on it.
Foxcroft who frequently boasts that she is an “academic” and a “conservationist” failed to assess the risk situation. She failed to identify the snake. It was a harmless non venomous snake, commonly known as a tree snake ( Dendrelaphis punctulatus). If left alone, the snake would have slithered away.
For an “educated” person who studied Earth and Environmental Sciences, Environmental Management and Wildlife Conservation and Biology at University of Queensland, Foxcroft is reckless, ignorant and cruel. She is a danger to herself and to wildlife. She broke many of the Queensland Code of Practice for the care of sick, Injured or Orphaned Protected Animals, Nature Conservation Act 1992.
In relation to her snake “relocation”, she violated the following Codes of Practice:-
8.1.1 states that one shall “eliminate additional stress and further injury to wildlife during rescue “.
8.2.2 states that “wildlife rehabilitators should ensure that they utilize correct personal protective equipment (PPE) relevant to the species that they are rescuing”.
8.2.5 states that “the rescue and handling of wildlife should avoid causing unnecessary pain, suffering or exacerbation of injuries”.
8.2.7 states that “only the appropriate equipment and techniques for the species and size of the animal concerned should be used”.
8.2.12 states that “the use of padded snake tongs should be limited to situations in which there is no other alternative, and in which there is significant risk to human life. Snake tongs, even when padded, may cause significant internal injury, particularly to gravid (pregnant) snakes. Such injuries may not be immediately apparent and may result in the death of the snake weeks or months later”.
Foxcroft also has a tendency to posts publicly in facebook that she lives in Magnetic Island, Queensland and shares pictures/videos of her rescues. She would then set them to private and claims that she is being stalked and her pictures “stolen and manipulated”.
A. Tiger
