'Ticking time bomb' on road after Aussie billionaire's golf course closes access
Residents fear the situation could be catastrophic as kangaroos have become forced onto a busy road.
Residents of an iconic beachside town worry they’re playing “Russian roulette” with wildlife every time they drive past a luxury golf course owned by an Aussie billionaire.
They warn a decision to block access to the course via an underpass with two large gates is creating a danger by trapping eastern grey kangaroos on a major road that runs through Queensland's Sunshine Coast. Some believe it’s only a matter of time before someone dies in an accident, and they're concerned about one large animal that's almost been struck several times.
Some experts argue the situation has been caused by years of development that's displaced the animals. But many locals in the suburb of Yaroomba have focused their attention on the Palmer Coolum Resort, which is owned by mining magnate and former politician Clive Palmer.
They want the golf course to reopen gates that were locked in 2021 to allow for building works to occur at the resort. Topped with spikes, and fastened with two padlocks, they argue its impossible for kangaroos and other wildlife to safely pass through them.
The gates block a pathway which extends through an underpass. For years it served as a thoroughfare for golf cart access between courses either side of David Low Way — a stretch of road that runs through Yaroomba, and connects two Sunshine Coast townships, Maroochydore in the south and Noosa Heads in the north.
The underpass also allowed the town's local mob of kangaroos to cross without being struck by cars.
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Local councillor Taylor Bunnag describes Yaroomba as a "tight-knit community" and he thinks the refusal to open the gate has resulted in locals becoming "very frustrated".
He's hoping the golf course will work with the township to help ensure the kangaroos aren't wiped out on the roads.
"We're willing to work with all parties to try and get a solution here. It goes beyond any one individual, or any one property owner. It's part of a collective effort to try and maintain our important kangaroos," he told Yahoo News.
"This is a very small contribution in terms of opening an underpass, which had been open for many years to try and allow wildlife to cross a road safely. This is not a big ask."
Not a day goes by when Bunnag says he isn’t contacted by residents concerned about the kangaroos’ welfare or the danger to motorists, and he’s created a Change.org petition that’s been signed by more than 1700 people, calling for the gates to be opened.
He’s concerned the problem has escalated in recent months after development began at a property on the beach side of the road.
“Since that development has started occurring, there's naturally been a dispersal of some of the wildlife. But the key issue is that they don't have anywhere to go now,” he said.
“We've seen four kangaroos killed in this area in two months, which is a significant number.”
Worry big male is playing 'Russian roulette' with traffic
Locals are particularly concerned about a large male kangaroo who has narrowly escaped being hit several times.
Local wildlife rescuer Claire Smith described the roo's continued presence on the road as a “ticking time bomb”.
“Specifically, right now, we have concerns about a big male,” she said.
“We just need those gates open. The kangaroos used to live there happily and management needs to understand that we share this space with them.
“We have big concerns about the few kangaroos that are left and how long they’re going to last. They’re playing a game of Russian roulette and it’s an accident waiting to happen.”
As the founder of Wildlife Rescue Sunshine Coast, Smith has seen kangaroos across the wider region. And that’s reflected in official data from local government.
Between 2000 and 2015, Sunshine Coast Council found a 40 per cent decline in kangaroo populations. And local extinctions in 18 locations.
Expert believes kangaroo problem bigger than one golf course
Dr Elizabeth Brunton, a wildlife ecologist at the University of Sunshine Coast, explained kangaroos have inhabited the Sunshine Coast since before European settlement.
Over the last 20 years, she’s tracked the slow displacement of the local mobs as council has continued to approve developments along the popular surfing strip.
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When it comes to the Yaroomba population, Brunton believes opening the gates “would help”, but she thinks the problem is more complicated than just the conduct of one golf course. Her concerns are focused on ongoing development across the suburb.
“There’s been issues with kangaroos in the area as urban development has continued. So there’s been a lot of pieces leading to it,” she said.
“Now the only habitat left in that area is golf courses, the national park and the coastal dunes.”
Brunton wants developers on the Sunshine Coast to be forced to carry out projects “more sensitively” to the environment, allowing native animals to slowly adjust, rather than just putting up fences that suddenly lock them out of habitat.
She argues Sunshine Coast Council needs to ensure that when development projects are approved, conditions are placed on them that ensure wildlife isn’t displaced.
Yahoo has contacted Palmer Coolum Resort for comment.
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