Lilydale kangaroos: Kinley estate wildlife move at Cave Hill Limestone Quarry

The relocation of a mob of roos at a Lilydale housing development appears to have started, but residents are sceptical of the motives behind the project.

A relocation of the kangaroo mob at Kinley is said to have started.

Secrecy surrounding the relocation of a mob of kangaroos on a major Lilydale housing development has raised community ire.

Neighbours have reported the Lilydale Kinley kangaroo relocation has begun but neither the State Government nor developer will officially confirm the move has started.

The community and interested groups are calling for transparency on the wildlife translocation process being undertaken by Melbourne University researchers.

Last year the government stepped down from euthanising the roos, including joeys, and was close to approving a proposal to move the eastern greys to a St Andrews sanctuary when that was idea was suddenly dropped.

But the Victorian Conservation Regulator, a department that oversees wildlife, forests and public land regulation, has since approved the university research project aimed at expanding the “limited” scientific research into relocating kangaroos.

But Save the Kinley Kangaroos secretary Alyssa Wormald said there had been no communication with the community from the developer or the researcher, Associate Professor Graeme Coulson.

Ms Wormald said the group and community had the mob’s best interests at heart and were ready to support the project if the welfare of the kangaroos was being prioritised.

“We want to know what’s happening. The community is desperate to know,” she said.

“We have such little information to go on, everyone is assuming the worst.

“If they’re doing something great tell us, because at the moment it’s sounding shady and underhanded.”

“Why be so secretive?”

But Kinley developer Intrapac Property chief operating officer Maxwell Shifman said he understood and shared the community’s concerns regarding the landlocked kangaroo mob.

“We remain committed to achieving a humane solution and will release more information about our plans in due course,” Mr Shifman said.

A Conservation Regulator spokesperson said a research project to translocate the kangaroos from the former Cave Hill Limestone Quarry had been approved.

“The translocation includes strict guidelines including monitoring the translocated kangaroos for the next three years,” the spokesperson said.

“To protect the welfare of the kangaroos the destination and timing of the translocation will not be made public.”

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