Parks Victoria kangaroo culling program done to improve safety of Lysterfield Park users and environment

PARKS Victoria is defending a kangaroo cull at Lysterfield Park, saying the large animals could cause traffic chaos and pose a danger to children.

n03kn378 Lysterfield Lake. Water, nature, reflection, birds.

PROFESSIONAL shooters killed 20 male adult kangaroos in Lysterfield Park this week after fears the huge roos are growing in numbers and could pose a threat to children.

Parks Victoria staff supervised the shooters in a culling program aimed at improving the safety of residents, motorists and protecting native flora.

But Australian Society for Kangaroos president Nikki Sutterby said the cull was cruel and unnecessary.

RELATED: Foxes will be humanely culled in parts of Rowville

Ms Sutterby said a “devastated” Lysterfield South resident, who looks after the kangaroos in the park, had contacted them upset about the cull.

Ms Sutterby said kangaroos were family animals with really strong family bonds and complex social structures.

“When you go in and kill the alpha male, which is apparently what they’ve done here, you destroy the integrity of the mob and end up with all sorts of problems,” Ms Sutterby said.

She said the cull was “totally unnecessary”.

“Just going out and slaughtering 20 (kangaroos) out of a mob; it doesn’t achieve anything,

it upsets people, and it’s cruel.

“And there is no rigorous evidence that kangaroos impact on the environment.”

But Chris Hardman, Parks Victoria Regional Director, said they had to reduce kangaroo numbers to restore a natural balance and protect public safety and wellbeing.

“Native animal management is only done when it’s absolutely essential and there are no other reasonable options,” Mr Hardman said.

He said the program was also important for the safety of the local community.

Mr Hardman said roos regularly got into residential properties, and many large male kangaroos had been spotted in gardens around the park, sparking complaints from residents concerned about the safety of their children.

He said there had been many accidents as a result of roos crossing busy high speed roads including Wellington Rd, Churchill Park Drive and Power Rd.

Kangaroos were also contributing to overgrazing of important native grasses in the park, which had an adverse impact on significant native flora.

He said the animals were humanely culled according to strict guidelines, and residents had been informed.

Knox Council and Parks Victoria also recently conducted fox culls in Rowville and Wantirna South.

And Knox Council and Melbourne Water have recently run programs to reduce growing rabbit numbers, mainly in Boronia and Rowville, using baited carrots and fumigating and blowing up warrens.