State ‘indifferent’ to plight of trapped kangaroos

Liz Bell liz@mpnews.com.au

MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire Councill will step up its pressure on the state government to ensure the urgent release of an estimated 600 kangaroos trapped on private property at Cape Schanck.

At last Tuesday’s council meeting, Cr David Gill moved a motion that council takes “all possible actions to ensure that the cruelty toward 600 defenceless eastern grey kangaroos” be stopped immediately.

The strongly worded motion, which was passed, attacked the state government for its “indifference” to the kangaroo’s plight.

The state government has so far failed to respond to a letter from the council in August asking for more to be done to free the kangaroos.

Gill’s motion stated that the state government needs to be “taking their responsibility to wildlife seriously and releasing them back to Greens Bush National Park”.

Council’s planning and infrastructure director Mike McIntosh said that kangaroo welfare and management was primarily the responsibility of the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action.

However, he noted that council could continue to advocate in partnership with an animal welfare organisation “to draw further attention to concerns previously raised by the community and council”.

Spokesperson for kangaroo protection group SKOMP, Craig Thomson, said he was thrilled with Gill’s motion, and was pleased that the work that had been done in the community had been acknowledged.

He said part of the environmental significance overlay for the area advocates that private land next to a national park be maintained as a buffer zone for wildlife in the area.

“The best option would be for the removal of the wildlife exclusion fencing so the kangaroos can come and go freely,” he said.

The council continues to work with DELWP (now DEECA) to progress a wildlife management plan looking at how the peninsula’s wildlife population can be better managed and protected.

The state’s new environment minister Steve Dimopoulos was contacted for comment.