I am 20-years-old and I have lived in Moruya my entire life.
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As is quite obvious, we have an over population of kangaroos at this moment in time and this has become a concern on our roads.
Not only should drivers take caution when driving, particularly at night, they need to take responsibility for the wildlife that they injure on our roads. Perhaps it is that drivers are unaware of what their responsibilities may be or that they do not know how to react in such incidents.
Also, I have struggled getting help from wildlife rescue organisations. A few nights ago I drove past a horrible scene with a kangaroo covered in blood, half sitting up but falling over itself and drooling because of the pain. The road was smeared with blood but there was no car to be seen and nobody there taking care of the mess. I am aware this is by no means
a rare sight in our area, however I think it is time locals are made aware of their responsibilities.
I called WIRES for assistance and was transferred a number of times. The people I spoke with ummed and ahhed but came to no decision. They told me they would see what they could do. I was told the call would be returned, however it was not. By this time the kangaroo had made its way to the middle of the road and there was now a risk of another accident.
I moved the car onto the road with the hazard lights on to warn other drivers. I was aware this was potentially dangerous, I had no idea what else I could do and I was receiving no assistance.
One car pulled over not to help but to abuse me for holding up the road. The man was insensitive, he told me to leave it and that it did not matter. He also said I would cause an accident while he failed to notice the kangaroo was likely to cause an accident also. The man mentioned that there was a kangaroo a bit further up in the same situation before he drove off. I then called the police hoping they could come out and shoot the kangaroo. I was transferred again and again and as with WIRES I was told they would return my call.
I do know it is not the responsibility of the police to attend to injured wildlife. After speaking with the police, I had to contact my father and ask him to get out of bed to help me. The end result was that my father was forced to knock it on the head with a metal pole to put it out of its misery. The police returned my call three hours later.
If an animal is hit, it is the driver’s responsibility to check on the animal, make sure it is dead and if not make sure the injury is dealt with rather than leaving it to suffer for hours on end before dying. Also the gender of injured wildlife needs to be determined to ensure there are no offspring left to fend for themselves. I would really appreciate a response from the media to educate people on their responsibilities.
Katherine Williams, Moruya