If you drive country roads at this time of year you can't help but notice the number of dead animals on the sides of the road- particularly kangaroos and wombats. Winter and the ongoing drought have reduced the amount of grass available so animals are forced to the sides of roads where road runoff helps to sustain a little grass.
Licensed local wildlife rescuer and carer, Bill Waterhouse, a member of WILDCARE is being kept busy. He reports that he has checked 62 wombats, 23 kangaroos, 4 wallabies and 4 possums in the last 10 weeks- all of them road kills. He estimates that he and his wife save perhaps one baby out of a hundred dead animals they check.
"I'm only one person and I only drive a few of the roads in the district. There are many more animals killed and injured than those I find. The NRMA reports approximately 6,000 a day across NSW. That's a staggering number."
Mr Waterhouse reminds us how easy it is to hit an animal that is virtually invisible until it "appears" in front of the car. The vibrations, noise and lights of a car confuse the animals so they either stand motionless on the road or run blindly in any or several directions. If an animal is seen, a driver should almost pull up as it is impossible to anticipate where a kangaroo or wombat may go as a car approaches it. Drive slower in the evening. If you see an animal in the distance you should slow down, dip your lights and allow it to get away. Unfortunately this is not always possible.
If you do hit an animal, Mr Waterhouse suggests you stop and check that the animal is dead and, if so, drag it off the road so that it does not endanger other motorists. This can be distressing for motorists but it is even more distressing to think of an animal dying slowly and painfully. You should check if there is a baby in the pouch or in the grass on the side of the road nearby. If the animal is alive or if there is a baby, Mr Waterhouse suggests you ring him direct if it is in the local area (0411375275) or call WILDCARE on 62991966 or NANA on 0418427214. Members of these organisations are licensed to euthanize or rescue native animals.
It is illegal for unlicensed members of the public to kill or to keep native animals. This includes intentionally hitting them with a vehicle. An inexperienced or untrained person, however well intentioned, can seriously injure a baby removing it from the pouch or can kill it with incorrect care. All native species, including kangaroos and wombats, are protected in NSW and there are heavy penalties for people who break these laws.
As well as the usual danger of cars, it seems that native animals have another enemy this year- the would-be "big game hunters". These people have recently been heard and seen firing high powered firearms from roadsides into private properties often in close proximity to houses and people. Local residents of Reidsdale, whose property has recently been registered as a Wildlife Refuge, reported to police the illegal shooting of two Eastern Greys from the road. The owners were working on their property at the time and narrowly missed being shot themselves.
At Majors Creek, local residents, many of them legitimate hunters and gun owners, are upset by the damage done to the local Community Noticeboard by a high powered firearm.
"It's not exactly high quality hunting is it: tracking and stalking and then shooting a blackboard!" one resident stated. "Not only is this sort of action insulting to the local community it is also extremely dangerous as there are houses and expensive livestock nearby."
"It's a low act by a lowlife. It's gutless." said another resident. "Perpetrators of these crimes are not just petty criminals- they bring sensible and law- abiding gun owners into disrepute. They endanger wildlife and are a danger to the entire community."
The local police would be interested to hear from anyone who may have information about these incidents.
Mr Waterhouse links the irresponsible shootings with the occasional intentional killing of animals on the road. "It is a spiteful and non-caring attitude towards the whole community. The blackboard belongs to everyone. It is not there to be shot at. Wildlife, in a sense belongs to everyone too. It is not up to certain individuals to illegally take it upon themselves to "take out as many as possible" either by shooting them from the road or driving over the top of them on purpose. Most of the animals I check are the result of accidents but there are some that have obviously been killed intentionally. I recently came across a still-warm body hung on the guard rail as some kind of sick trophy."
Help with injured wildlife is only a phone call away. Put these numbers into your phone:
WILDCARE- 6299 1966 (24 hrs 7 days)
(Local carers- Bill and Lesley Waterhouse- 0411 375275)
NANA- 0418427214 (24 hrs 7 days)
(Local Carers- Barbara and Bill Bateman- 4842 2247)
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