The Apology: An Apology to the Wildlife of Australia

For the British who invaded this land and did not recognise the spirits of all nature which had been understood by the First Nation Peoples for thousands of years… We apologise.

For our ancestors who did not know or understand you and who culled you ruthlessly and mercilessly… We apologise.

For our whalers who used your flesh for soaps, oils, lubricants and candles… We apologise.

For our invading hunters who only saw you as sport and who enjoyed your fear as they pursued you… We apologise.

For our past government decisions to import species not native to this land which have decimated your populations and homes… We apologise.

For our inability to see your sentient natures and intrinsic spirits and only see you as property or a commercial commodity… We apologise.

For those with cruel hearts and ill intent towards you… We apologise.

For those who have been taught to tease, chase, hurt and kill for amusement… We apologise.

For those with a voice who consciously choose not to use it for those who are more vulnerable and cannot speak for themselves… We apologise.

For the ignorant who choose not to be educated about you… We apologise.

For those who injure you with their vehicles and do not stop to check on your welfare… We apologise.

For those who could voice objections to public decisions which detrimentally affect your lives… We apologise.

For self-interested governments which seek power, control and huge financial rewards over preservation, conservation and inter-species recognition and respect… We apologise.

For local councils which cull, ‘disperse’ and destroy your food sources and ignore education about your territorial natures… We apologise.

For those who listen to the uneducated about your nature, your needs and your integral role in ecosystems… We apologise.

For the builders of this nation who construct roads, houses and huge edifices across your homes and food sources… We apologise.

For those who feel that money is more important than life… We apologise.

For tourists who want to cuddle and hold you whilst not understanding that this can be traumatic and distressing… We apologise.

For governments which continue to waste valuable opportunities to make positive changes which would affect your lives… We apologise.

For wildlife rescuers and organisations, which can seek to pursue accumulating funds and pursue personal agendas rather than prioritise your welfare… We apologise.

For those who will never change their attitudes towards you and will never look into your eyes and see your souls… We pity.

For our future generations who look upon your lifeless bodies and glass eyes in a museum fully aware that we, the present generation allowed this to happen… They say, we will never forgive.