Locals have been warned of increasing numbers of kangaroos and other wildlife on the region's roads, as the drought forces starving animals to find food.
Macropod coordinator for Hawkesbury WIRES, Desley Prophet, said the last couple of months had been “shocking” for local wildlife, as a lack of food drove them out of bushland and into suburbia.
“The poor animals are seeking food sources from elsewhere. They don’t want to come near roads or road verges, but they are forced to go and find feed,” she told the Gazette. “One day we had five Eastern Grey roos hit along Londonderry Road.”
While some people thought increased sightings of kangaroos around the local area meant numbers were increasing, Ms Prophet said it was simply because the animals were seeking food wherever they could.
“A lot of people see these animals and think they are becoming overpopulated but it’s not the case, they are actually starving,” she said. ”They are just trying to survive as best they can. Their numbers would be dramatically declining at the moment, there has been absolute carnage with the drought.
“A lot of these animals are also getting locked into little parcels [of land] because of our progression, they don’t have the big roaming available to them that they used to.”
Sick animals were also increasingly being reported to WIRES volunteers, she said.
“The problem with this, too, is that in drought times, they don’t have enough food and start eating other things that they wouldn’t normally eat,” Ms Prophet said.
“They can then build up toxins in their systems which then cause them to be ill and can become paralysed in some ways and die a slow death. We have had lots of reports of these types of animals in, people see them and they are really wobbly on their feet and can’t get up.”
One Kurmond resident, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Gazette she had a mob of about 55 Eastern Grey kangaroos near her property. The drought has led to them getting out onto busy Slopes Road to find food – even clearing a fence she previously thought was kangaroo-proof - posing a danger to both themselves and local motorists.
“They are now so desperate that all the adults are jumping over the fences and in the middle of the day and the middle of the night they are out feeding on the verge of Slopes Road. Quite a few have now been hit by cars,” she said.
Being involved in transporting firefighters during a bushfire emergency, she noticed the National Parks and Wildlife (NPWS) had set up feed stations following a fire and believes these could help reduce the danger by enticing the animals away from roads.
“It gave the native animals a few weeks of feed while something grew back so they didn’t starve to death,” she said.
“There have been so many of them hit now, we are finding them injured, we are finding them run over. People aren’t seeing them … and I am worried that someone is going to get killed running off the road at high speed after hitting a kangaroo.
“There doesn’t seem to be a system in place to feed the kangaroos on private land to stop them going on the road to prevent what could be a catastrophic car accident.”
If a motorist does hit a kangaroo, Ms Prophet said they should first ensure their own safety before attending to the animal.
“If the roo is obviously dead, they can pull it by the tail off the roads so it is not causing a hazard for anybody,” she said. “If they can check to see if it’s a female and check the pouch to see if there’s a baby on board. If they don’t have the nerve to do anything like that, just contact a wildlife service like WIRES and they will put a call out for somebody to go and check it.”
If a kangaroo needed euthanising, it needed to be by firearm and Ms Prophet said residents could also call police.
Kangaroos are also being sighted in increasing numbers in areas such as golf courses and private gardens, and Ms Prophet said caution should be exercised if the animals are close.
A man was recently attacked by a kangaroo at Riverside Oaks Golf Resort in Cattai, suffering lacerations to his face and legs and requiring hospital treatment.
WIRES volunteers had also received calls recently about a number of Eastern Greys living between the RAAF base and train line, which Ms Prophet said “wasn’t ideal” for the kangaroos.
“We are also seeing them coming into residential areas like Windsor and Bligh Park,” she said. “Don’t approach them, they are not pets.
“If they are cornered they will do whatever they need to do to protect themselves, like we would if we were threatened. Those back legs are so powerful, they can pack a punch.
“On the safety side of things, lock dogs away, keep away from them and call WIRES.”
Ms Prophet warned people to be aware of the animals particularly at dawn and dusk.
“Please slow down at those times and be quite alert. It’s for drivers’ safety as well,” she said.
The work done by WIRES to care for sick and injured kangaroos and other native animals is expensive, and is done by a group of dedicated local volunteers. To donate to help them keep up their vital work, visit https://www.wires.org.au/donate/now.
To enquire about becoming a wildlife carer, contact 8977 3396.