300 kangaroos facing slaughter may be saved by new $250,000 plan
A plan to cull 300 kangaroos to make way for a development has been sidelined with $250,000 now earmarked for their welfare.
The move follows a report last month by Yahoo News Australia which revealed a Perth council received advice to slaughter a population of western greys.
In a draft environmental assessment prepared for the City of Canning's administration, it was recommended kangaroos facing pressure from development not be relocated.
It advised culling the mob on the 67-hectare Canning Vale site would be more cost effective at $30 per head, compared to up to $1600 to move them.
Until moments before the story broke, several councillors said they had been unaware of the recommendation.
Prepared for the council's administration, the draft plan suggested an integrated approach combining culling with exclusion fencing and the removal of food and water sources.
Council did not respond to specific questions posed by Yahoo News Australia at the time, but issued a response saying it was "considering options to manage the increasing population of kangaroos".
One councillor confirmed they received the same one-line statement in an email from administration, along with a series of generalised talking points about how to respond to questions about the issue.
The councillor said they were "bombarded" by calls and emails from outraged residents calling for the kangaroos to be spared.
Wildlife advocates and community members subsequently formed an action group and lobbied councillors to protect the kangaroos.
Funds had been slated for building and infrastructure
After hearing about the draft plan, City of Canning councillor Amanda Spencer-Teo became determined to find an alternative to the proposed cull.
She moved the funding quarantine motion on December 14, and it passed unanimously 11 to 0.
The $250,000 will be used for relocation or protection of the kangaroos, with a further $1 million transferred to the council's urban forest reserve account.
These funds cannot be used for kangaroo slaughter.
“I am determined to explore any option to help this kangaroo population, and it is my hope that by setting aside $250,000, we have ensured that funding should not be a prohibitive issue,” Ms Spencer-Teo said.
The funds would be drawn from a multi-million dollar compensation claim council is seeking from the Western Australian Government.
It involves two parcels of land totalling 5.9 hectares in size which were compulsorily acquired by the state, then cleared and fenced off to make way for expansion of its MetroNet rail project.
While this project contributed to the pressure on Canning Vale's kangaroos, all funds had previously been entirely allocated by council towards building and infrastructure.
Councillor to request new kangaroo management plan
Ms Spencer-Teo told Yahoo News Australia she will now be requesting management commission a new plan to provide a second opinion on kangaroo management at the site.
Together with Deputy Mayor Ben Kunze, she has been meeting with animal rescue group Wildlife WA about the viability of translocating the animals.
Mr Kunze told Yahoo News Australia it's important "reasonable steps" are taken to project wildlife at the site.
“We as human beings need to be very cognisant of the impact we have had, as we've been encroaching on this area for many years,” he said.
“We need to do all that we can to mitigate the impact we have on wildlife there.”
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