THE Yanchep Kangaroo Action Group hopes to gain permission to relocate kangaroos trapped in St Andrews so the animals can be treated humanely.
A group spokeswoman said the group was meeting with the City of Wanneroo on Monday, July 24 and they hoped the city would apply for a licence to take fauna for a public purpose and name the action group as the people authorised to move the kangaroos.
The spokeswoman said the contractors who moved kangaroos from the area in 2016 had not carried out the procedure in an ethical manner.
“They did not monitor the animals properly after they were relocated and animals were left that couldn’t even stand,’’ she said.
Another concern was the contractor did not move the kangaroos far enough away.
“They need to be moved at least 20km away otherwise their homing instinct is so strong they will return.’’
She estimated that about every two days a kangaroo was being injured or killed in the area.
In the past two weeks a young kangaroo had been found injured on a front lawn.
Volunteers believe the animal may have been hit by a car or attacked by a dog.
No-one was available to euthanise the injured animal in a timely manner so eventually a resident with a gun licence shot it.
Meanwhile, a registered wildlife rehabilitator with the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, formerly the Department of Parks and Wildlife, has raised concerns about the number of kangaroos being hit by cars on Marmion Ave.
Northern Valleys Wildlife Support spokeswoman Sonia Cooke said as housing development continued in the outer northern suburbs kangaroos were getting pushed out of their traditional areas.
The City of Wanneroo spokesman said part of the city’s waste operations remit was to remove and dispose of any reported or observed animal carcasses from roads and verges before they started to decay.
A city spokesman said where infant animals such as joeys were found, they were delivered or reported to Express Wildlife Rescue (and Northern Valley Wildlife Support) so they could be taken care of.
He said while the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions was responsible for the management of native fauna, the city also was concerned about the welfare and management of kangaroos and other fauna.
The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions manages flora and fauna on its own land, but works with councils and developers by providing management advice.
The department directs the Wildcare Helpline, which is a telephone referral service operated by volunteers on behalf of the department.
The helpline provides a service for the public who find sick, injured or orphaned native wildlife and are seeking advice on where to find care for the animal.
Call the Wildcare Helpline on 9474 9055.
With Michelle Beaven
