Kevin Morrison, previously Chief Wildlife Officer of the Department of Parks and Wildlife, spoke to us about his work and experiences there. He grew up in Kalgoorlie, where catching rabbits and chasing birds with a ‘ging’ revealed his fascination with the bush. Whilst at school he did biology, which led to an interest in wildlife. One day at a wildlife show Kevin met the Chief Fauna Officer, which motivated him to become a wildlife officer. He took a Fisheries Department job, in which he worked on prawns in Shark Bay and which revealed the north-west coastal area to him. In a subsequent transfer, he became a Fauna Officer, chasing various illegal operators who were shooting kangaroos, illegal bird suppliers and illegal duck shooters. Later in his career, whilst dealing with duck shooters, he organized the opening of the duck shooting season on a lake to begin with him letting off a flare—but as the flare went off all the ducks took flight and left dozens of shooters without a target! His work as a Fauna Officer taught Kevin about bird identification.
After service in Vietnam, Kevin returned to a Wildlife Officer post in Pingelly, managing two local reserves at Tutanning and Boyagin, where he carried out a series of surveys of local landscapes to recommend where further reserves might be established. The next six years found Kevin working in Busselton and covering a large section of the south-west, focused on kangaroos and some fisheries work. He then became a Fisheries Officer in Geraldton, going on mobile patrols which took him to the Abrolhos Islands—which he explored and found to be an eye opening delight. This experience was furthered at Lancelin, where Kevin had the chance to explore its islands whilst dealing with lobster fishing.
Kevin then returned to a metropolitan area job, looking for poachers and checking fishing and illegal operations in Mandurah. In Perth he became a Supervising Wildlife Officer and when CALM was created, he moved there. Around this time, 114 False Killer Whales were stranded at Augusta, of which 90 animals were saved due to groundbreaking new strategies being used and more humane euthanasia being introduced, which has led to the use of these methods in many subsequent incidents.
Kevin became the Manager of the Nature Protection Branch from 2013 until his recent retirement. He feels that the reduction in government spending in this area—leading to reduced staff numbers and finance—means that the department cannot now be as proactive. Bird trafficking has been reduced, but two major problems remain, i.e. increased illegal trafficking of reptiles and of sandalwood, which trades at $1800-1900 per tonne.
The amalgamation of Perth Zoo, King’s Park and the Rottnest Island Authority (all of which have a big emphasis on ecotourism) with Parks & Wildlife may bring new changes.
On reflection, Kevin has found that his work has greatly enriched his life and has enabled him to see a large number of interesting areas of our state. A good-sized audience came and really enjoyed hearing this charming guest speak.
Margot Bentley