Latest news with #kangaroo
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.
Daily Mail
12-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Vile moment group of men TORTURE a defenceless kangaroo in shocking clip
Aussies have been left outraged after footage of a group of men laughing as they kicked and threw rocks at a defenceless kangaroo went viral online. The group of men were seen repeatedly antagonising the kangaroo in the shocking clip believed to have been recorded in the Northern Territory and shared to Instagram by @crossthecreekboys in May. At one point, one of the men lifted the kangaroo off the ground by its arms before slamming its head into the tow bar of a parked Nissan Patrol. In another distressing moment, one of the men kicked the back of the kangaroo's head while another stood on its tail. Aussies Against Animal Abuse has reported the video, which has been removed from Instagram, to the police and animal welfare authorities. 'We see a lot of heartbreaking videos and photos as part of our daily work, but watching these videos was beyond traumatising, it was hard not to be sickened to our stomachs,' the group captioned the video. Viewers were similarly troubled by the clip, with one woman describing the behaviour as 'disgusting,' adding the men 'need to be punished'. Animal cruelty is a criminal offence in the Northern Territory and can attract a maximum penalty of two years in prison or a fine of $37,000. It includes 'beating, abusing, torturing, injuring' and 'wounding' an animal. Aggravated animal cruelty, where the act results in the death or serious injury of an animal, can attract a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment or $92,500 fine. A Department of Agriculture and Fisheries spokesperson confirmed its Animal Welfare Branch was investigating the incident. The latest video follows several kangaroo cruelty incidents across Australia. NSW man Michael Holmes was charged with aggravated animal cruelty after allegedly tying a live kangaroo to the back of his car and driving some 400m in April. Holmes is expected to fight the charges when his case resumes in July after his lawyer entered not guilty pleas at Queanbeyan Local Court last month. Separately, a 64-year-old man pleaded guilty to four charges of aggravated cruelty relating to the killing of 71 kangaroos on his Victorian property in 2021. He was handed a $80,000 fine plus costs on Thursday after the judge found he had exceeded the conditions of his Authority to Control Wildlife.
ABC News
07-06-2025
- General
- ABC News
Man survives fight with stressed roo by throwing 'backward elbows'
Don James doesn't know what to make of his new nickname "Kangaroo Don-dee". But after emerging relatively unscathed from a kangaroo attack in floodwaters on the New South Wales Mid North Coast, he has become the talk of his small town. During record-breaking flooding, Port Macquarie North Shore resident Don James was surveying damage on his street and spotted a large kangaroo nearby. "He was just a big fella by himself on the side of the road, feeding, eating grass. I stopped to take a picture of him," Mr James said. The large marsupial jumped toward a nearby vehicle and started hitting itself into the car's bonnet, before it noticed Mr James standing 40 metres away. "It has its head turned and has seen me up the road and just made a beeline straight for me," he said. "There was no time to react." Mr James leapt off the side of the road into nearby floodwater to let the distressed animal pass by. "As I've hit the water and turned back around, bang, he was on me," he said. "It all happened very quickly." Mr James quickly recalled learning in his youth that kangaroos could disembowel animals like dogs when they were distressed. "Before I knew it, I was under the water. I know that's what kangaroos do to drown you or rip you open," he said. "I started throwing backwards elbows, instantly trying to get up because I was under the water. "I could push myself up and then make myself big and make a hell of a lot of noise." The animal got scared and hopped away. Ending up relatively unscathed — with just a sore back but with "no holes" — a "very lucky" Mr James was running on adrenaline and shock. "In the 10 minutes after when other people were standing around going 'whoa', like that was full on and really realising that it was a dangerous situation," he said. One of those shocked onlookers was neighbour Kristy Lees, who witnessed the ordeal through the rearview mirror of her car. "The kangaroo was on top of him Don and I could see his head trying to stick out of the water," Ms Lees said. "It's quite scary what happened." Ms Lees said the attack opened her eyes to what kangaroos were capable of. "He [Don] was just shaking. I've never seen someone shake like that before. He was super, super shocked." When record-breaking floods lashed the NSW Mid North Coast in May, Mr James's home was without power for five days and floodwaters rose into his home. He believed the kangaroo was experiencing the stress of having its habitat affected by the event. "He's trying to survive too." Eastern grey kangaroos can grow as large as 2.3 metres from head to tail and weigh up to 95 kilograms. Fewer than five people are treated for kangaroo-related injuries each year in NSW, according to the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage. Meredith Ryan, president of For Australian Wildlife Needing Aid (FAWNA), said floods could cause frightened and hungry kangaroos to behave abnormally. She said kangaroos could cause damage with their powerful hind limbs and sharp nails. "If you do come across a kangaroo in a threatening position, you don't look it in the eyes, you walk quietly away, don't run," she said. "If it does come for you, fall onto the ground in a ball and make sure to cover your head and your throat because that's where the animal will attack."
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Disgusting' sight on roadside moves Aussie driver to tears: 'No excuse'
A 'shocked and disgusted' Aussie driver is demanding action be taken after she was 'moved to tears' on Sunday morning while travelling on a busy road. Kayla Gallop, who lives on the southwest coast of Western Australia, has noticed illegally dumped items steadily piling up on Stock Road — located near an expanding housing development in Lakelands — for the past six months. The single mum frequents the area every two weeks, and has grown increasingly frustrated with the growing piles of discarded belongings, but what she witnessed last weekend left her brimming with anger. After pulling over to take photos of lawn mowers strewn across the reserve, Gallop and her two young children watched in horror as a kangaroo with a joey hopped through broken glass and over a smashed TV. 'It just absolutely killed me,' she told Yahoo News. 'It was really eye-opening and I thought I'm not going to sit back anymore — this has been annoying me for months. What are we doing to the earth? What are we showing our children? 'It was very symbolic… it was a mother kangaroo and her baby, and I'm there with my babies, and I want more for them, and I want more for the environment.' Within hours, Gallop had reported the illegal dumping — an 'all too familiar story' nationwide amid the race to solve the housing crisis — to the City of Mandurah and made a call out online for locals to 'do better'. She even created the hashtag 'Don't Take a Dump in Mandurah'. However, some people responded that the price of the tip may lure residents who are struggling with the cost of living into the 'grubby act'. At Mandurah's Waste Management Centre, tossing a boot-load of items will cost $25 for those driving a sedan, and $37 for a SUV. Those hauling a trailer measuring under a cubic metre will have to pay $51, with the price jumping up from there depending on the size. To help solve the issue, Gallop, who herself is a low-income earner, told Yahoo News the City of Mandurah should offer one day a month during which those struggling to make ends meet could take their rubbish to the tip for free. Homeowners in the area are given four tip vouchers each year, but it is often a struggle for renters to get a property manager to pass them on, the mum said. 🔧 Tradie fined $30k after photo sent to council catches him in 'grubby' act 🚘 Driver slapped with $2,580 fine after trying to save $20 🚧 Photo exposes illegal act 'surging' across Australia: 'Worst I've seen' Mayor Caroline Knight told Yahoo 'sadly, the illegal dumping of waste occurs in bushland across the city and in other local government areas on both public and private property, leading to environmental impacts, and costly clean-ups for the city and affected landowners'. An investigation into the dumping along Stock Road is underway, she confirmed. 'There is no excuse for this type of behaviour, as through the annual waste collection program, the city provides plenty of opportunities for people to correctly dispose of their waste,' Knight said. 'Anyone caught illegally dumping can be prosecuted under the Litter Act 1979, which can attract penalties of up to $10,000.' The minimum fine is $200. Earlier this year, Danny Gorog, CEO and founder of Snap Send Solve, told Yahoo the growing problem 'signals a bigger issue with waste disposal accessibility and awareness'. 'Whether it's dumped tyres in fields or household waste dumped in laneways, it shows we need better solutions to make proper disposal easier and more convenient,' he said. 'While most people do the right thing, it only takes a few to create a big mess for everyone else.' Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Daily Mail
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
See the moment a kangaroo comes within INCHES of causing a disastrous fall at horse race
A kangaroo came within inches of disaster after it bounded into the middle of the race track during Monday's meeting at Warren, New South Wales. Not many had anticipated the day to begin in such dramatic fashion, with 11 horses lining up to participate in the opening race of the meeting - the 2400m Warren Stayers Benchmark 58. But approximately 1400m into the race, some eagle-eyed patrons spotted the marsupial hopping its way through the middle of the race course and appeared to be making a beeline out of the grounds, just as the riders and their mounts were turning to come up the straight. Shannen Llewellyn, aboard Joshua, and Jake Pracey-Holmes, riding Will To Excel, may have had a fright as they battled their way around the bend before heading up the course alongside the fence. That was when the small roo ducked under the white railings a mere 10 yards in front of them. The kangaroo bounced its way into the middle of the field, missing both Joshua and Will To Excel. This is Australia - well Warren - western New South Wales Monday - 6 hrs Sydney, 1 hr Dubbo. Skippy the kangaroo is fine - stewards (head on attached) with no reports of interference! — Global Racing Society (@GlobalRacingSoc) June 2, 2025 However it wasn't out of danger just yet, as the small roo came very close to making contact with Mikayla Weir and Wolf Club, charging up on the outside line. Luckily, the animal hopped its way clear of danger and bounded off the race track, with the jockeys and their horses all remaining calm in the scary moment. James Ponsonby-trained Will To Excel would go on to claim victory in the race, while Joshua, who is trained by Connie Greig, and Instead placed second and third respectively. It is not the first time a kangaroo has entered a race track in Australia. Back in May 2017, punters were left baffled after a roo took the lead during a race meeting at Cessnock, New South Wales. The roo was seen hopping alongside the riders, before turning on the afterburners to momentarily take the lead. The roo then bounded its way off the track to safety following the bizarre moment - with riders and their jockeys going on to continue the race safely. Kangaroos are indigenous to Australia and some species of the marsuipal are able to clear 8m with one jump. WATCH: Kangaroo bounds onto track at Warren 👇 It was a sedate start to the day at Warren on Monday in a Benchmark 58 for the country stayers … until a rogue kangaroo entered the fray. 👇 — Racenet (@RacenetTweets) June 2, 2025 And over the years, several other Aussie sporting events have had to be momentarily postponed or paused because kangaroos have invaded the playing area. Back in 2018, a large kangaroo caused the postponement of a football match in Canberra after it had invaded the pitch. Capital Football Club and Belconnen United's women's teams were forced to stop play after the large marsupial hopped onto the field and laid down in front of the goal. Rather hilariously, as they waited for the roo to leave the playing area, one fan passed the Kangaroo a football, with the marsupial attempting to grab the ball and stop it from going into the net.
