Activists may stand between guns and hundreds of Epping kangaroos as Supreme Court gives cull go ahead

A GROUP of wildlife activists could put their safety at risk as they vow to do “whatever it takes” to save a mob of kangaroos in Epping that the Supreme Court has ruled can be culled.

Hundreds of kangaroos trapped on land in Epping look likely to be culled. Picture: Hamish Blair

A GROUP of wildlife activists could stand between guns and kangaroos in Epping after the Supreme Court decided not to stop a state cull.

The Supreme Court threw out the case on July 27, which tried to stop the cull of about 200 kangaroos next to the Epping wholesale market.

Australian Society for Kangaroos president Nikki Sutterby said she did not want to tip-off the government about how her group planned to stop the cull, but said members would do “whatever it takes”.

She did not rule out standing between guns and the kangaroos, as they did at the same site last August.

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Ms Sutterby said the July 27 ruling, which would allow the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources to resume a mass cull, was “very, very disappointing”.

Immediately after the ruling, the society created a roster of volunteers to monitor the site around the clock and take action if required, Ms Sutterby said.

“People are so committed, people will go above and beyond and do whatever it takes to save them (the mob),” she said.

The society’s lawyer Anastasia Smietanka said if proper planning had been in place, the dire situation faced by the mob “probably wouldn’t have happened”.

A Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources spokeswoman, who refused to be named, said the department welcomed the ruling.

“(The department) sought expert advice on options for the management of the landlocked kangaroos. Lethal action was deemed the most appropriate method to resolve the situation in the best interest of the kangaroos.”

The trapped mob had been monitored for years and many were sick from starvation and disease, including lumpy jaw and parasites, the spokeswoman said.

The department’s Kangaroo Management Plan had been supported by a panel of experts from RSPCA Victoria, Ecology Australia, scientists and veterinarians.