Australians love to tell people from other countries that we have kangaroos bounding down the main street. The truth here is, if you live in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane or even Adelaide then the chances of seeing a kangaroo bouncing down the middle of the main street are absolutely minimal. However, if you live in Canberra, then there is a very high possibility that a person will see such an event. I swear that I saw it for myself, a kangaroo bounding down a main street in the middle of Civic and not even caring about the traffic. I admit to being shocked at spotting the kangaroo. The fact is that the kangaroos occupy the grounds of the ANU and the kangaroos do get around!!
In the past there have been culls of kangaroos from the grounds of the Governor’s mansion, as well as the grounds of The Lodge. There have been controversial culls from paddocks around Belconnen. The only controversy has come from the fart-sniffing do gooders that belong to Animal Welfare as well as PETA. The fact is that those nincompoops should mind their own business, and get out of the way. There are more than enough kangaroos in Australia, and the population of kangaroos around Canberra continues to grow.
The kangaroos have been encroaching into the surburban areas of Canberra, and this includes large numbers around the Gungahlin region. They also occupy lands that are vacant along the Cotter Road, as well as Majura Road.
The kangaroos pose a threat to motorists, especially at night, and especially on tracts of road that are not well lit such as the Cotter road. Unfortunately, something that my husband had dreaded finally happened late on Friday night when a kangaroo stepped onto the road and he could not avoid it. His car has considerable damage to the front. The Cotter Road has a speed limit of 80km. He was doing the speed limit and he tried to brake to avoid the animal. However, he could not avoid the impact.
What is the solution to this problem? First of all, the animal rights activists should just piss off and mind their own business. The culls around Canberra are necessary because of the increasing population of the kangaroos. Second, the cull itself should consist of two phases, the first being to shoot some of the animals, and the second being to capture and remove a large portion of the other animals, and that means removing the kangaroo population where it is encroaching on the urban areas. Fourth, it might be time for the government of the ACT to consider some kind of fencing along a stretch of road such as the Cotter Road that will stop the roos from coming in contact with vehicles. (I do not know if it is possible, but I do think that if there is a kangaroo proof fence then property that borders the Cotter road should have that fence!!)
No one wants to harm our native animals, but when we get to over-population of those same animals then action to reduce their numbers becomes necessary. This is especially so because it is harder to see these animals at night, and they pose a threat to the general population. It is better to have them removed to more remote locations where they still have access to food for their basic needs but they are less likely to impact upon the population as a whole.
Aussie
