Geoff Gooch, Sale
LETTER TO THE EDITOR:
RECENT reports on the problem of kangaroos on the Loch Sport road have elicited many solutions to the problem but no-one has thought to ask, why is there a problem?
The solutions of speed limits and fencing only shift the problem somewhere else.
Speed limits have shown to not be satisfactory, as reports of drivers hitting roos at low speed have already arisen.
Reduced speed will lead to fewer deaths and less damage to cars, but increase the possibility of injured wildlife and increased suffering.
The theory of fencing off the roadside will only shift the problem to the end of the fence, and produce two pressure points instead of one.
A solution I have observed in parts of Canada is for the state to fence the entire length of the roadway and install overpasses for wildlife.
In this case, an underpass for the roos may suffice.
A more efficient and effective approach to this problem is to answer the question I raised earlier, why?
The answer to this question is that the kangaroos are travelling looking for food.
This is because the population has exceeded its food resource and is struggling to maintain its viability.
Population numbers have risen because of the advantage of better food and water sources provided by farmers and the removal from the system of apex predators.
In short, there are too many kangaroos for the resources they have available.
To overcome this problem there are two approaches.
One is to enclose the population to limit the resources.
This would allow nature to take its course and a large proportion of the population would die a slow death from starvation and malnutrition, but eventually leave a population that could be supported by the resources available.
This is survival of the fittest at its natural best.
It would also prevent this population crossing paths with motor vehicles.
Another solution would be to accept the fact that the kangaroo population is something we have to live with, and manage it as such.
Judicious harvesting of the kangaroo population and utilising the meat and skins in a commercial manner would ensure the population was maintained at a level that is sustainable.
It would also help to maintain the health of the population by assisting in the prevention of over-populating the area.
The economic spin-off would provide employment within the industry and possibly give a royalty to land owners who were feeding the residual population.
By maintaining the dynamics of the population it would lessen the need for the animals to migrate looking for food, and thus take the pressure of the roadside.
Now is the time for the state government to take a lead and introduce an effective wildlife and feral animal management plan to utilise a resource we have and solve a problem at the same time.
We need to forget the Band-Aids and get to the source of the pain.
Would you put a Band-Aid on little Johnny’s finger without removing the splinter first?
