Council worker reported to have chased, caused injury to kangaroo at Caloundra Aerodrome

A witness at a small Sunshine Coast airfield says a council worker allegedly chased a kangaroo in his ute, causing the animal to injure itself and cause “thousands of dollars” of damage to a plane.

Blood and kangaroo fur can be seen on a photo taken after a council worker allegedly chased a kangaroo at the Caloundra Aerodrome. Photo: contributed

A man has shared how he witnessed a council worker allegedly chasing a kangaroo at speed around a Sunshine Coast airfield, causing distress and injury to the animal and posing a greater safety risk to surrounding individuals.

The man, who wished to remain anonymous and was one of several witnesses, said he did not think much of it when he saw a large male kangaroo inside the tall fencing at the Caloundra Aerodrome, noting it does tend to happen, but not often.

Not long after, he allegedly witnessed a Sunshine Coast Council worker drive past in his work ute, with orange flashing lights on, in pursuit of the kangaroo.

He said the council worker allegedly raced past, yelling at other staff to close their hangar doors as he continued to chase the animal.

The kangaroo became “very distressed and spooked” as it was chased, the witness had observed.

Blood, kangaroo fur and damage to the plane can be seen on a photo taken after a council worker allegedly chased a kangaroo at the Caloundra Aerodrome. Photo: contributed

The council worker had allegedly led the animal between two hangars and then managed to corner it, causing the kangaroo to try jump the fence.

Being unsuccessful, the kangaroo instead jumped away and ran into an aeroplane, causing injury to itself and damage to the plane.

The witness had seen the injury from a distance, but later took pictures of the damaged plane showing a few strands of kangaroo fur clinging to a bloodstain.

Owners of the aircraft had told the witness the elevator piece suffered a few thousand dollars in damage.

Damage caused to a plane after a council worker allegedly chased a kangaroo at the Caloundra Aerodrome, causing it to crash into the aircraft. Photo: contributed

Damage caused to a plane after a council worker allegedly chased a kangaroo at the Caloundra Aerodrome, causing it to crash into the aircraft. Photo: contributed

The man said the council worker had allegedly continued the chase along the airfield boundary, but had not observed what became of the animal after.

He noted, in his view, the incident was entirely caused by the actions of the worker, which were “unnecessary and out of his skill set”.

A Sunshine Coast Council spokesman said council could confirm a kangaroo was seen at the Caloundra Aerodrome and is aware it bumped an aircraft.

The spokesman said a council worker was beside his stationary vehicle at the time about 100m from the incident, and no complaints had been made.

The witness noted the council worker could have instead opened the gate to let the kangaroo find its way out or contact a person qualified to remove the animal without distress or injury.

Originally published as Council worker reported to have chased, caused injury to kangaroo at Caloundra Aerodrome