Vets for Compassion volunteers respond to injured wildlife on Wellington Road regularly. What we witness is heartbreaking: kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, possums, and echidnas struck by vehicles, left injured and suffering on the roadside. Joeys left orphaned. Animals who never had a chance.
Victoria's Parliamentary Inquiry into Wildlife Roadstrike made its recommendations. Now our local decision makers need to act on them.
We are calling on Knox City Council, Yarra Ranges Council, Cardinia Shire Council, the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP), and our local Members of Parliament to urgently implement the following on Wellington Road:
→ Install virtual fencing along the full length of Wellington Road: a proven technology that uses sound and light to alert wildlife before they cross, and has been shown to reduce collisions by up to 50%. Previous trials on this very road worked. They need to be reinstated and maintained.
→ Upgrade signage with variable message signs that display vehicle speeds and warn drivers of wildlife activity in real time.
→ Reduce speed limits during dusk-to-dawn hours, when wildlife are most active.
This is not only a wildlife crisis. It is a human safety issue. Collisions with large animals like kangaroos pose a serious and potentially fatal risk to motorists and response teams.
Please add your voice to our petition and send a strong message to our councils and local decision makers that the people of our community want to see our wildlife properly protected and prevented from any further harm.
