WITH kangaroo numbers increasing and causing an alarming number of vehicle collisions on rural roads, a push to cull the native animal is on the rise.
Amid anecdotal evidence suggesting kangaroos caused up to 40pc of vehicle collisions, Grant District Council has written to new Environment Minister David Speirs and Transport Minister Stephan Knoll highlighting the problems with kangaroo numbers and the need for a “sustainable harvest”.
Insurance companies have labelled Port Augusta and Mount Gambier as the state’s two top hotspots for animal road crashes.
The call comes amid a push for a commercial kangaroo slaughter operation to be established in Mount Gambier.
But the project remains stalled given the commercial culling of eastern grey kangaroos continues to be banned.
Statistics also show kangaroos have been linked to a number of serious injuries, including at least one fatality in the Grant district.
Grant District Mayor Richard Sage, pictured right, warned kangaroo numbers were rising, along with the size of the animals.
“Log truck drivers have told me the size of kangaroos was increasing with some now as tall as a door,” Mr Sage said.
“Some of the bucks are massive in size and are causing damage to log trucks. It costs about $10,000 to replace a bull-bar on these trucks.”
He claimed eastern grey kangaroo numbers were being “bred up” in the region because they were a protected species.
Mr Sage said the push was not about wiping out the species, but bringing them back to a “sustainable level”.
“At the moment landholders can get a permit to shoot the kangaroos, but they were being shot and left to rot in the paddock. This is a terrible waste,” Mr Sage said.
Instead, the mayor said kangaroos could be commercially harvested to underpin a cottage kangaroo meat processing industry.
Mr Sage warned the kangaroos were causing injuries on the road, increasing insurance premiums and destroying agricultural land.
He said kangaroos were dangerous on the roads and their numbers must be reduced.
“We need to work with the new Liberal State Government to find some practical solutions,” the mayor said.
The local government body will also invite the ministers to the region to canvass the issue.
In a report, council economic development adviser Mike Ryan said council recently visited all major crash repairers in Mount Gambier.
“Anecdotally, it appears that approximately 30 to 40pc of claims (a conservative estimate) are as a result of collisions with animals,” Mr Ryan said.
He said a majority of the animals involved were kangaroos.
“Some repairers were fairly guarded in their responses, with these types of collisions representing a significant percentage of their current business,” Mr Ryan said.
But he said the RAA had released statistics showing Mount Gambier was the second worst spot for animal collisions in South Australia.
Port Augusta took the top spot in the state.
