Kangaroo roadkill: Wildlife expert urges community to pouch-check roos on road during breeding season

A wildlife expert has reminded the Mid West community to check kangaroo pouches if the animals have been hit on rural roads as grey kangaroos hop into breeding season. As travel on regional roads continues to surge, GG Wildlife Rescue carer Michelle Jones urged drivers to stop and check the pouches of kangaroos lying dead on the side of the road. Western grey kangaroos are seasonal breeders, with their breeding peaks between September and March, while red kangaroos and wallaroos breed year-round. Ms Jones said she was caring for 15 joeys, most of which were rescued from the side of the road from inside their dead mums’ pouches. She raises and rehabilitates the roos at her property, and said she had had more than 35 joeys come into her care. “I think I worked out I had a call about one joey a day on average,” she said. Ms Jones said if the person was too squeamish to remove the joey, they should contact a wildlife expert or vet so the animal could be euthanised, rather than leaving it to die in the pouch. “Most of the time if they hit a car at large impact there’s going to be broken bones,” she said. Ms Jones’ advice on how to respectfully discard a carcass is to drag the kangaroo by its tail far from the road. Other predators such as goannas will feed off the carcass. Once it’s safe, Ms Jones said to check the pouch with care. “If you check the pouch, I suggest putting your hands in the pouch and pull it out gently,” she said. “Once you have the joey, wrap it in your shirt or a jumper that makes it feel contained and keep it warm and close to your body. “Turn down the radio and keep the noise at a minimum while holding the joey.” Ms Jones said if the joey was latched to the mothers teat, not to tear them from it as it could damage the joey’s mouth. “Cut the teat off and he will drop it out of their mouth,” she said. Kangaroos survive in mobs, and Ms Jones said it was important kangaroos were released with a group. “They need mob mates to survive — it’s important the mob is raised and released together,” she said. Ms Jones said to be a wildlife animal carer, people could sign up for a wildlife group and get the right advice. “If you really want to rescue an animal, hand it in to a professional, otherwise you haven’t rescued it, you’ve just prolonged its suffering,” she said. Wildcare Helpline 9474 9055