Threeyears into the kangaroo fertility trial, the ACT government has spentover$600,000 to deliver a contraceptive to 135 kangaroos, and a placebo to 10 more.
This trial is in place due to a minority that object to the the culls that were taking place by contact shooters. The shooting cullsaredelivering results at a fraction of the effort and cost.
But the government has struggled to find a way to vaccinate and mark the kangaroos at the same time. In February last year, the senior ecologist in charge of fertility program, Claire Wimpenny,said the dart was too heavy when vaccine and dye were in one shot.With the contraceptive in one chamber and the marker dye in another, the vaccine had to be shot either at close range or at speed, and when shot at speed it hit with too much force.
A local friend has noticed that the numbers are building again. As food becomes scarce in the winter months the impact to locals could be huge where the culling has not taken place.
Animals Australia have fought hard to see that non-lethal measures taken to control the roos but have offered no solutions for future control.
The minority groups make no comment about thepublic safetyimplications of overpopulation with kangaroos involved in 90 per cent of animal-car collisions on ACT roads with most accidents occurring in July and August. Collisions with other objects occur either as secondary collisions following a collision with a kangaroo, or as a result of drivers attempting to avoid a kangaroo.
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