A MORNINGTON Peninsula kangaroo welfare group is sounding the alarm after a recent bushfire came dangerously close to hundreds of kangaroos trapped on a private property in Cape Schanck.
According to Save the Kangaroos on Mornington Peninsula Inc. (SKOMP), more than 600 kangaroos have been trapped on the Rogers Rd property since September 2021 after the land manager erected gates and closed off all exits.
SKOMP’s spokesperson Jo Hansen said they had unsuccessfully appealed to authorities including the Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Action (DEECA) to secure the release of the kangaroos, noting of particular concern was a bushfire came dangerously close to the property after a blaze broke out on 6 February near Long Point Rd that spread to two hectares. “The recent fire on Long Point Rd, Cape Schanck, has further highlighted the precarious existence of the 600 plus kangaroos trapped behind wildlife exclusion fencing,” she said.
“The ongoing issues concerning us even more so now are that there is minimal cover to shelter the kangaroos in this heat; we are unsure of the state of the water supply and the introduced grass is severely degraded, especially due to the lack of rain.”
Hansen said she and other members of SKOMP visited the property last November, with the land manager informing them that the fence had previously been cut open by unknown people to allow the kangaroos access to the feed on the property during the drought. But Hansen said there was no drought at that time and feed at the nearby Greens Bush, the kangaroos’ home, was abundant and “we do not know of anyone who would damage private property”. “We noted at that time the very poor state of the grasses and the land manager told us that all joeys had died and no more were being born, a sign that the kangaroos were under stress,” she said.
SKOMP has called on the help of Eastern Victoria MP Tom McIntosh who organised the meeting last November with a DEECA representative and the land manager. According to Hansen, a permit is required to open the gates within the property to release the kangaroos back into Greens Bush, which was approved by Parks Victoria. However, she said, DEECA furthermore required a release management plan which the land manager had provided but did not meet DEECA’s satisfaction and therefore was rejected.
Three one-way gates were installed on the property in early 2022 with the consent of the owner and the help of the Mornington Peninsula Shire to release the kangaroos back into their habitat in Greens Bush, but this proved ineffective with hundreds of kangaroos having remained on the property. “We have tried all channels open to us to secure the release of these kangaroos including pleas to the conservation regulator who is responsible for the protection of wildlife and prevention of cruelty under the Wildlife Act 1975,” Hansen said. This was “all to no avail and over four years later they are still trapped and in a potentially dangerous place”.
In a statement, a Conservation Regulator spokesperson said, “We understand there is community interest about kangaroos on the Mornington Peninsula”. “Wildlife management activities on private property are the responsibility of the land manager and it is their responsibility to ensure they comply with the relevant legislation and regulations.” The Conservation Regulator said it was unable to comment on whether a land manager had applied for an authority to control wildlife.
As reported by The News last year, DEECA was yet to approve a “soft herding” plan to remove the kangaroos trapped from the property (The News, Agencies refusing to move on trapped kangaroos, 16/07/24). A 9000-signature petition supporting the soft-herding proposal was submitted to the state government with the backing of various groups and political parties.
First published in the Mornington News – 25 February 2025
