KANGAROO numbers are so great in parts of Charleville the shire council is this week resorting to employing professionals to cull their numbers.
Well over 500 roos have taken over the lawn cemetery and school oval and remain entrenched despite recent rain, leading to a community call for their removal.
According to mayor Dennis Cook, the Murweh Shire Council has been looking into the matter since numbers reached extreme levels last October and November, and culling was decided upon as the only way to bring numbers down to manageable levels.
“We had hoped they would disperse when it rained but they haven’t, even though we’ve got green grass three feet high in paddocks nearby,” he said.
“They migrated in with the drought and now they’ve got it too good – they don’t want to leave.”
He said they were damaging ornaments at the cemetery and leaving ticks and droppings at the school, making the oval unusable for students.
Culling took place between midnight and 4am at both locations, each on the outskirts of town and located a reasonable distance from homes.
Cr Cook said all necessary permits had been gained and police engaged to man roadblocks, but he didn’t expect to encounter too many people at either venue at midnight.
When Queensland Country Life spoke to Cr Cook he wasn’t aware of the success or otherwise of the operation on its first night.
He said he had fielded calls from city people opposed to kangaroo culling and he had tried to explain that the aim wasn’t to exterminate every animal but to reduce numbers.
“I run a cattery for a business – I like animals.
“We don’t mind a few, or if they want to be on the golf course but the numbers are just enormous.”
Other locations in town burdened with kangaroos include the hospital and the airport.
A fence was erected around the airport perimeter some years ago, and Cr Cook said a fence at the cemetery was now being considered, after a $20,000 quote had been received.
Sally Cripps
Journalist
Journalist
