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Up to 80 Eastern Grey Kangaroos are facing the prospect of being killed after becoming confined within Stockland’s Mt Atkinson development site in Truganina.
Wildlife rescuers, Traditional Owners and community advocates are calling for a non-lethal solution — including the safe relocation of the kangaroos by qualified wildlife rescuers — rather than allowing these animals to become another casualty of development.
At a community meeting on 16 September, residents were reportedly told that a decision had been made to cull the kangaroos on the advice of independent experts. Stockland has since stated that no formal decision has been made and that it is continuing to assess management options with the Victorian Government and independent specialists.
But the fact that a cull is even being considered raises serious questions.
The kangaroos are reportedly confined by fencing and surrounding development, with community advocates arguing that they have effectively been landlocked within the site. Rather than treating the animals as a problem to be removed, we should be asking how this situation was allowed to occur — and what can be done now to protect them.
Eastern Grey Kangaroos are protected wildlife under Victoria’s Wildlife Act 1975. While lethal control can be authorised in certain circumstances, that should not mean killing becomes the default response when non-lethal alternatives are available.
Wildlife rescuers, including Vets for Compassion, have offered to assist with the safe relocation of the animals. The Victorian Kangaroo Alliance and members of the local community have also called on the Victorian Government to intervene and ensure every viable non-lethal option is properly considered.
This is about more than one mob of kangaroos in Truganina. It is about how Victoria manages wildlife when development and native animals come into conflict.
Animals should not be trapped by expanding development and then killed because they have nowhere left to go.
The Victorian Government must ensure that all reasonable non-lethal options are genuinely investigated before lethal control is authorised. That includes properly considering the expertise of qualified wildlife rescuers and engaging meaningfully with Traditional Owners and the community.
The Animal Justice Party will continue to push for better outcomes for Victoria’s wildlife and for governments to prioritise prevention, coexistence and non-lethal solutions over killing.
