Man charged over ‘senseless’ mass slaughter of wombats

A man could face a lengthy jail stint after being charged with 20 offences for the mass slaughter of nine wombats in Victoria’s south-east earlier this year.

The charges have provided the South Gippsland community with a sense of relief after outraged locals feared whoever was responsible for deliberately mowing down the animals in Venus Bay would avoid justice.

A man has been charged over the deaths of nine wombats, including joey Hope’s mother.

“The charges follow an extensive investigation by the Conservation Regulator and Victoria Police into the deaths ... in what we allege represents a senseless and deliberate act of animal cruelty,” the Conservation Regulator said in a statement on Wednesday.

Chief conservation regulator Kate Gavens said: “Wildlife cruelty is unacceptable. The Conservation Regulator will investigate and seek prosecution for serious cases of wildlife cruelty.”

Common wombats are protected in Victoria. People caught destroying protected wildlife face 50 penalty units or six months’ prison – or both – for every animal.

The morning after the attack, on February 18, Venus Bay local Mark Radley inspected the bodies of the wombats, which he said were covered in tyre marks and arranged in artificial positions on the side of the road.

South Gippsland Shire councillor Sarah Gilligan says locals are overjoyed by the progress.

Upon hearing news of the charges, Radley told The Age: “The general feeling in Venus Bay, of which the majority of residents are nature lovers, is one of relief and also hope that justice will be served.”

Radley added that many members of the community had worked hard assisting in the investigation by combing over CCTV footage and finding witnesses.

South Gippsland Deputy Mayor and Venus Bay local Sarah Gilligan said the charges provided hope to the close-knit Venus Bay community, which had begun to worry those responsible would evade justice.

“I think that there was a sense in the community of ‘they’re going to get away with it,’” Gilligan said.

“[People felt that] nothing’s going to happen. It’s all just going to be swept over. Wombats don’t matter, our community doesn’t count.”

After the charges were announced on Wednesday, Gilligan said she has been fielding calls from locals jubilant about the news.

She said the wombat killings, which took place on a major thoroughfare in Venus Bay, had been traumatic for the community.

“There’s only one road in, one road out, so it was impossible to avoid seeing the horror,” she said.

“The Venusians are waking up today and feeling overjoyed and also exhausted because we’ve been hanging on and hanging on.”

The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here.