Australian Society for Kangaroos
mother kangaroo and joey fall victim to bow and arrow attack
2nd March 2015:
A mother kangaroo with a joey in her pouch has survived being speared by a bow and arrow in another vicious attack in Castlemaine over the weekend. The female kangaroo was discovered by a distraught resident during a fierce storm that hit the Central Victorian town on Saturday night.
Wildlife Victoria received the distress call and contracted experienced rescuer and trained dartsman Manfred Zabinskas from Five Freedom Animal Rescue who carried out the harrowing rescue in the middle of the dangerous storm. While dodging powerful winds, rain and lightening, Manfred captured and sedated the injured kangaroo only to be confronted with falling trees and blocked roads while transporting her for emergency care at Hepburn Wildlife Shelter.
The bow and arrow attack has outraged the Australian Society for Kangaroos based in Central Victoria, and follows multiple bow and attacks on kangaroos across Victoria and NSW in recent weeks. In Warrandyte just last month, another mother kangaroo and joey had to be euthanased after being speared in the neck with a bow and arrow. A second kangaroo is still at large in Warrandyte with a bow and arrow lodged in its head. Nikki Sutterby, President of the Australian Society for Kangaroos is urging those in power to take action:
“The pain and stress these kangaroos endure as a result of these attacks is heart breaking, especially when they’re carrying a joey. Once infection takes hold, the pain escalates and they eventually succumb to septicemia and organ failure. They are also vulnerable to dog and fox attacks after these attacks, with the joey eventually perishing in it’s mother pouch from stress, dehydration and hypothermia” .
“What makes these attacks even more disturbing, is that bows and arrows are freely available to the public, even children, putting animals, wildlife and even the public at risk. There are no controls in place to restrict their purchase. Anyone can buy them yet they cause horrific injuries, with the perpetrator usually getting off scott free, with no means of tracing the arrow to the perpetrator.”
“We are calling on government leaders to come together and enforce simple restrictions on these lethal weapons. This could be as easy as barcoding the arrows with non removable identification so the perpetrators could be traced. This would significantly reduce the incidence of these cruel attacks, allow police to trace the perpetrators immediately, and reduce the workload of our already overloaded wildlife volunteers”, said Ms Sutterby.
The mother kangaroo and her joey rescued at the weekend are now recovering at the Hepburn Wildlife Shelter in the kangaroo hospital, alongside another mum and joey who sustained a broken jaw in a collision with a bicycle. They are reportedly sharing their harrowing stories as they comfort each other and their babies. The arrow is being delivered to the Castlemaine Police Station today after the delicate removal by Hepburn Wildlife Shelter over the weekend.
“This is a serious offence under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and the Wildlife Act, and if anyone has any information about this attack, or any other attack, we urge them to contact Crime Stoppers on 1300 333000. People can remain anonymous if they wish but we plead with people to please help us find these perpetrators so we can put an end to this unnecessary suffering”, said Nikki Sutterby.