A grim act of wildlife cruelty has shocked local wildlife carers and residents in the Yarra Ranges.
In Dixons Creek, a kangaroo was the subject of a huge recovery effort after it was seen with a severe gunshot injury on 2 September.
Vet and chief executive officer of Vets for Compassion, Elaine Ong, said someone in the general public initially spotted the roo around the Dixons Creek area.
“It wasn’t that easy to find the roo, it was still very mobile and quite scared of humans,” she said.
Residents and volunteer wildlife rescuers from both Vets for Compassion, Rescue, Rehabilitate, and Release and Wildlife Victoria searched the area for a couple of days.
The roo was finally spotted on the third day.
The roo was tranquillised, later euthanised, and also found to be carrying a non-viable joey within her pouch.
Sue Forrester, resident and long-term wildlife carer in Dixons Creek, said they ‘did an incredible job finding that kangaroo.’
Ms Ong said the situation was terrible.
“The poor animal would have suffered in pain for those days, not able to eat or drink,” she said.
Ms Ong said it’s not clear who would have shot the animal, as the act seemed very deliberate.
“Whoever it was, it was unacceptable,” she said.
“I don’t believe it’s the wider community, I think it’s a minority,“ Ms Forrester said.
While continuing their work, Ms Ong said that the wildlife group volunteers are all shocked and grieving after two women died after being struck by a vehicle on the Hume Freeway at Craigieburn last Thursday night.
“It has caused a lot of heartbreak for us, because it is what we volunteers all over Australia do every day,” she said.
“We are out there rescuing animals sometimes on the road, we are just grieving for these two women and their families and the poor driver of the car who hit them.”
“They were just being compassionate.”
Wildlife on roads and the increasing number of animal deaths on roads is a statewide issue, with a wildlife strike enquiry for Victoria just closing last week.
For now, Ms Ong said she urges people to slow down on the roads.
“People just have to become more conscious,“ Ms Forrester said.
On their social media, Vets for Compassion pointed to the wider issue of kangaroos being killed and said what happened to the roo is part of a much bigger story of cruelty that too often goes unseen.
Ms Ong would like the public to be more aware and remember that kangaroos can feel fear and pain.
“There’s enough killing in the world,” she said.
