Latest news with #kangaroo
Daily Mail
17 hours ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Heartbreaking explanation for a kangaroo filmed acting erratically on the side of a highway
Confronting footage has emerged of a kangaroo suffering from a fatal condition after eating a certain type of weed introduced from Europe. Kangaroos across NSW, Victoria and South Australia have been dying from 'Phalaris staggers' which is a neurological condition that causes tremors and makes them lose their balance and collapse. Phalaris Aquatica is a crop grown to feed cattle and farmers can administer cobalt to their animals to protect them against the effects of Phalaris, but kangaroos are not given the preventative measure. After eating the grass, kangaroos become confused, disoriented and can be seen staggering around and shaking their heads. Leoni Sorrentino, from the volunteer group Wildlife Rescuers, told Daily Mail Australia that the problem had been around since the grass was introduced in the 19th century. She said the kangaroos affected suffer tremendously after eating the weed. 'They just get worse and end up having a horrific death,' she said. 'We're not allowed to relocate them so it makes it really hard.' Ms Sorrentino said kangaroos are most at risk of coming across the weed in times of drought, bushfires and in the cooler months from April to September. She alone had to euthanise eight kangaroos last week and said she heard of another group who had to put down six more animals. 'This year has been the worst since I've been a rescuer,' she said. 'It's quite a hardy weed. Even in bushfires, it will grow before anything else grows. The roots are sweet so they continue to keep eating them. 'There's been no tests done on how it affects them, neurologically, so we don't know if it passes to joeys through mum's milk because they're coming in sick as well.' Ms Sorrentino said the condition affected kangaroos so badly that they didn't know what was going on around them. 'It's to the point that they have no idea that anyone is standing near them and that's how we're able to grab them,' she said. 'Some are too far gone and they're just laying on the ground. They're just fox bait, unfortunately.'
Fox News
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Fox News
The Quiz #454
What is a baby Kangaroo called? Play. Share. Listen with FOX News Headlines 24/7 Anchor, CJ Papa.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Calls for new feature on Aussie roads after 'powerful' photo highlights sad crisis
A joey kangaroo left startled and injured on the side of the road while his mother lay dead metres away. It's the scene a Victorian woman, Vicki, stumbled upon this past week and one that wildlife rescuers say is becoming increasingly common in the area as drought and habitat loss push kangaroo populations into danger. While a parliamentary inquiry is currently seeking to address the matter of wildlife road strikes, those on the ground say the problem is reaching "crisis point". In this case, it's believed the driver who collided with the mother kangaroo failed to stop and alert authorities. It wasn't until Vicki arrived at the scene along Wellington Road, southeast of Melbourne, taking the above photo showing the distressed joey in the foreground, that the mother was finally euthanised. "She just happened to be driving along the road and saw it," Sue Johnston, who runs a kangaroo rescue and rehab centre in the region, told Yahoo News on Sunday. "The little baby was just sitting there, watching the traffic. "It's a powerful, haunting photo." A confluence of factors including drought and development is seeing a huge number of kangaroos struck by motorists along the busy stretch of road with rescuers urging drivers to do one simple thing – to at least make sure they stop and call for help. "It is your legal responsibility under Section 61 of the Road Safety Act — you must stop and render assistance. I'm not asking you to rescue the away from it. Just make a simple phone call," Sue, who is well known in the local community, implored on social media on Friday when the joey was found. Along with Vicki, fellow wildlife rescuer Lea Sultana routinely responds to vehicle strikes along Wellington Road, which snakes past the extensive bushland of Lysterfield Park. "It's rife at the moment, it's absolutely horrendous," she told Yahoo News. "In the last 15 months I've been tracking and recording all the data. In June alone, in a very small section – basically in that section of road where that joey was hit – 38 roos have died already just in June." Lea uses the iNaturalist app to record the strikes with photos from each scene amounting to a grim catalogue showing the extent of the problem. "This is the worst I've ever seen it. The numbers are absolutely staggering," she lamented. "No one is calling them in, they're leaving the animals half dead." While she is "fighting" for the wildlife populations, she believes the frequency of strikes is also putting drivers at serious risk. "It's only a matter of time, someone is going to get killed," she said. An ongoing state parliamentary inquiry into wildlife road strikes in Victoria has seen more than 300 submissions in recent months. The wide ranging inquiry is examining everything from the volunteer networks that respond, as well as new and emerging technologies and infrastructure used to prevent road strikes and the overall impact on motorists including trauma and vehicle damage. While public submissions have now closed, the inquiry has an online survey and today is the last day people can have their say. A final report to parliament is due by 30 November 2025. Despite the government interest, it hasn't stopped people like Lea campaigning for more funding and effort to address the issue. She has even launched a petition, with nearly 3,000 signatures, specifically drawing attention to the frequency of fatal collisions on Wellington Road. While the inquiry's remit includes technology-based prevention, rescuers on the ground say a lack of commitment to date has been the problem. At least that has been the case with virtual fencing. The 'fencing' sees roadside posts fitted with technology that is triggered by vehicle headlights, causing the posts to emit sound and light to deter animals from crossing the road at night into oncoming traffic. Such virtual fencing was previously installed by VicRoads along Wellington Road but has since fallen into disrepair, rendering it useless. Lea, who has lived in the area for some 15 years, said it was obvious how effective the fencing was. "We had noticed straight away how much that reduced it... [but] they've just not been maintained over the years." When she has pressed local MPs and state government departments on why the fencing hasn't been maintained she is invariably told it is simply too expensive. Sue is also calling for the fencing to receive greater support. "All the sensors [along Wellington Road] are now broken. I've been trying to push for the council or VicRoads to change them, but no one wants anything to do with it," she told Yahoo. When done right, it works, she said, pointing to virtual fencing established along the western and southern parts of Lysterfield Park by the City of Casey years ago. "When Casey put in the first 1km along a little stretch near me, we were rescuing 83 kangaroos a year on average along that 1km stretch of road, and when the virtual fencing went it, it dropped down to 12. "It was amazing."
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Yahoo
Road warning in Aussie state as weather sparks deadly behaviour change
Transport authorities in the country's south are warning of a potentially deadly new road trend sweeping the state. According to South Australia's RAA there have been more than 2,100 insurance claims for accidents involving a kangaroo in the last year. This stark figure marks a 44 per cent increase compared to two years earlier, with the state's recent dry weather conditions believed to be driving the animals closer to roads in search of food. Recent photos emerging online show dozens of kangaroos in country South Australia on the road, with a driver snapping the shot as they were travelling between Sedan and Swan Reach, some 130 kilometres northeast of Adelaide. RAA Senior Manager Safety and Infrastructure, Charles Mountain, warned drivers that kangaroos are notoriously unpredictable, meaning motorists should remain on high alert when travelling through their known habitat. "There is a clear trend that kangaroo collisions are increasing across the state as more animals come towards busy roads in search of food. Kangaroos in particular are unpredictable creatures that can seemingly come out of nowhere and pose a significant safety risk," he said. RAA data from the past three years has revealed several crash hotspots, with Mount Gambier topping the list at 64 claims, followed by Whyalla (57), Port Augusta (53), and Mount Compass (47). While 77 per cent of incidents occur in regional areas, a significant number also happen in outer metropolitan zones — a clear reminder that drivers across all regions need to stay alert. RAA is urging drivers to brake safely when encountering wildlife and to use their horn where possible, but warns against swerving, which can result in more serious crashes. While kangaroo collisions are typically more common during autumn and spring, recent dry conditions have seen an increase in incidents throughout other times of the year. Last month, footage showing a badly injured kangaroo, struck by a car and unable to move, sparked calls from conservationists to the public to slow down and pull over if they encounter an animal by the road in distress. Charity group Southern Koala and Echidna Rescue shared a video of a kangaroo lying motionless on the side of a SA road, its body too badly injured to move except for its head. "This video shows how stressful fast cars are for this poor roo that was hit and left badly injured. Our team took this footage while waiting for further assistance to arrive," the group wrote online. Speaking to Yahoo News, Mish from Southern Koala and Echidna Rescue urged Australians to contact wildlife groups immediately if they hit or come across an injured animal. "If your vehicle makes contact with an animal, please call local wildlife groups, even if the animal hops away or climbs a tree," she said. Confronting dashcam footage from inside a truck cab recently shared by a heavy vehicle driving school highlights the brutal reality on remote Aussie roads and why drivers shouldn't swerve. In the footage, a female truck driver is forced to make the split-second decision to "keep it straight" as kangaroos dash out in front of her vehicle. 🚘 Warning to Aussie drivers after tiny roadside find 🐦 Rare creature spotted outside Aussie workplace 🚊 Incredible discovery centimetres from train tracks The clip was shared to "spark responsible discussion and learning" of best driving practices when wildlife jump out in front of moving vehicles. The footage shows a trainee truckie and her instructor travelling along an open road when an adult kangaroo hops out in front of her, narrowly missing a collision. Two joeys following, however, were not as lucky. Michael Matta, the driving school's business director and lead trainer, told Yahoo News the reality is "heartbreaking" but this decision is best practice for road safety. "It's very bad to hit animals. Some of our drivers pull over and call wildlife services... but sometimes it's not practical or safe to stop," he said. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Controversial $350,000 nighttime plan for 16 Aussie parks
A $350,000 government splurge on shooting wild kangaroos roaming in parks surrounding an Australian city has opponents up in arms. They say it's time for the ACT government to get smarter about how it manages the native marsupials, rather than spending up big on bullets. When darkness falls and walkers and picnickers return home from 16 grassy reserves that surround Canberra, shooters will move in. They're contracted to shoot thousands of kangaroos this year to manage what it says are 'environmental, economic and social impacts' caused by 'overpopulation'. 'Leading scientists and land managers with decades of experience in ecology, land management, and kangaroo management have calculated an operational target of 2,981 kangaroos to be removed,' an ACT government spokesperson told Yahoo News. Related: 320 wallabies shot at sanctuary designed to protect wildlife Culling kangaroos so close to a city is a complex operation, meaning the government has to pay for staff overtime, contractors, planning, monitoring and equipment. Gwenda Griffiths from Save Canberra's Kangaroos thinks the money could be better spent on creating overpasses or underpasses. This would mean they aren't hit by cars when they leave the reserves and the grasslands they live on don't become denuded. Since Canberra was established as a city, the reserves where kangaroos live have become surrounded by development, so the only way in or out for animals is via roads. 'It's not rocket science and we're not reinventing the wheel, these overpasses are used successfully elsewhere around the world,' Griffiths told Yahoo News. 'Sure, they're expensive, but they could benefit humans as well.' Doing this would not only reduce the risk of conflict, it would allow kangaroos to naturally traverse the landscape so numbers don't build up in reserves. This short-term expenditure could reduce any ongoing need for yearly culls, freeing up more money in future for important issues like health and education. "We need to stop thinking the only solution is to shoot them. We need to get better at sharing the environment," Griffiths said. Secret hidden beneath Australia's 'most important' parcel of land Alarming scene at popular Aussie tourist spot sparks warning Calls to release documents behind helicopter shooting of koalas Griffiths doesn't believe there should be any need for culls in Australia, and that it's on planners to properly design cities that allow for wildlife movement. "They talk about welfare concerns that when there's a drought, they starve, and when there's a rain they overproduce. But for thousands of years, kangaroos have lived in varying conditions and have regulated their own reproduction," she said. While shooting remains the government's dominant method of control, it has also invested in fertility controls. So far this year, just 18 females have been treated with the GonaCon vaccine, but there are plans to expand its use. 'GonaCon contraceptive vaccine is currently being used at three nature reserves. To reduce population growth, we are aiming to treat between 60 per cent and 80 per cent of the adult females at these sites with GonaCon,' a government spokesperson said. Females only need to be treated once so there aren't ongoing costs with this population control method. 'Most of the GonaCon treatments required at these sites were administered in previous years, so only a low number of additional treatments were required this year to maintain the desired number of infertile females in these populations,' the government said. The government's use of the carcasses also remains controversial, because it's a rare jurisdiction where there isn't commercial harvesting of their meat and skins. While some bodies are given to Traditional Custodians for cultural use, and some are used in baits to kill native dingos and invasive foxes, the majority are disposed of. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
