The wallabies – and what to do about them – have divided the local community.

The government contends its most recent survey, completed in April, showed 1660 agile wallabies living in “a very small area in the broader Mission Beach area”, while wildlife advocates, such as Cassowary Coast Wildlife Shelter president Tanya Jones, claim there are just 400.

The Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, led by Minister Andrew Powell, has authorised the destruction of 1050 wallabies in the South Mission Beach area.

A petition, lodged in parliament last month, called for the cull to be suspended “in the absence of scientific population counts, ecological studies or the use of non lethal alternatives”.

“The remaining agile wallaby population is estimated to be just 200 along the entire Cassowary Coast, meaning these permits have the potential to drive the Cassowary Coast agile wallabies to extinction and put at risk the biodiversity of the Cassowary Coast of which the agile wallabies play an integral part,” the petition, signed by 260 people, read.

“These destruction permits are causing unnecessary cruelty as the wallabies are forcefully herded out of town and killed, their social structures and family bonds destroyed, and their joeys bashed to death, decapitated or orphaned after the mother is shot (RSPCA report, 2002). Relentless shooting of these wallabies and the clearing of their habitat for development is the direct cause of the wallabies inhabiting the South Mission Beach township as they attempt to find refuge.”

But in his reply, Mr Powell said the cull would go on.

“It has become evident that the agile wallaby population has greatly increased due to the local landscape being modified and a number of other factors, including natural weather patterns,” he said.

“The overabundance of the agile wallaby population has resulted in a number of issues for the local community. The government has received a significant number of complaints about health and safety concerns, including road hazards, aggressive behaviour and excessive wallaby excreta. There has also been significant damage to properties, crops and pastures.

“There are mechanisms under current legislation that allow the department to issue Damage Mitigation Permits to control animal numbers through lethal means when the population becomes out of balance.

“Currently, a small number of DMPs have been issued to rural landholders in the surrounding Mission Beach area to protect their crops and pasture from damage by wallabies.”

Mr Powell said the cull would “not affect the continued presence of the species in the area, nor their overall sustainability in the wild”.

“I appreciate that many of the petitioners may find the culling of any wildlife to be disturbing,” he said.

“However, the Queensland government believes the approach to wallaby management at Mission Beach is both responsible and balanced whilst ensuring the conservation of the species.”

A Change.Org petition continues.