Macedon Ranges Wildlife Network has been busy raising awareness of how to reduce the wildlife road toll and who to contact when finding an injured animal, as part of Wildlife Awareness Month.
Network president Lynda Pope said one of the key messages the group has been pushing is to take care around animal crossing hotspots in the region.
“The Wildlife Victoria CEO has pointed out that [in the Macedon Ranges] between 2019 to June 2024, more than 4000 animals have been hit and rescuers have been called out … but how many actual deaths, we just don’t know because many wouldn’t have been reported,” Ms Pope said.
According to Wildlife Victoria data, the Macedon Ranges has a 200% higher rate of animal rescues than the second highest rescue region.
Ms Pope said the group has also been asking residents to save Wildlife Victoria’s phone number to their mobiles, so they are prepared in the event that they do hit an animal or find one injured on the road.
Ms Pope said most of the call-outs that rescuers in the group receive relate to kangaroos, with a responder often needing to rescue a joey – which can survive in a mother’s pouch for “quite some time.”
To make the rescuing process safer for rescuers on sections of road with barriers, she said that the group is fundraising for magnetic signs that alert oncoming traffic of a rescue in progress.
She said the high road toll in the region was the subject of a community forum in February, hosted by Macedon Ranges in conjunction with Wildlife Victoria and involving representatives from Hume and Bendigo councils, local residents, and wildlife rehabilitators.
“The basic message really is slow down, especially if you know it’s an animal crossing hotspot.”
Details: www.facebook.com/MacedonRangesWildlifeNetwork/
Oscar Parry
