Veterinary student Mahala Panegyres, who looks after orphaned joeys, holds Buddy.
Camera IconVeterinary student Mahala Panegyres, who looks after orphaned joeys, holds Buddy. Credit: Supplied/Martin Kennealey        www.communitypix.com.au d459388

Kangaroos hit by cars and attacked after golf course fencing put up in Yanchep

Laura PondNorth Coast Times

KANGAROOS are reportedly being hit by cars and attacked by dogs as they continue to live among Yanchep homes.

Lisa Gregory, who has lived in Yanchep for 18 years, said she had seen “horrible” things happen to kangaroos since Sun City Country Club erected a fence at its perimeter along St Andrews Drive and Russley Grove in February.

“I’ve seen kangaroos get run over, chased by dogs, break their limbs and legs from the fence and just the separation from their family. It’s horrible,” she said. “It’s what you witness; it’s horrible.”

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She said the kangaroos would previously return to the golf course if chased but now had “nowhere to go”.

Two Rocks veterinary student Mahala Panegyres has become a carer for orphaned joeys through Northern Valleys Wildlife Support and attends residents’ reports of injured kangaroos.

“Every day there is something new, it has been a really stressful time,” she said.

MORE: Fence plans upset residents who don’t want barbed wire views

Mrs Panegyres believed the club regularly mustering kangaroos off the course resulted in the mob of about 30 kangaroos living at St Andrews Park and grassland across the road.

“They’re just trying to get back to where they came from,” she said. “They need to be relocated.”

She said kangaroos being hit by cars and attacked by dogs occurred often and with no party leading any action, believed the deaths would continue.

“I think it’s going to get worse before it will get better,” she said.

As reported in late June, the City of Wanneroo had mediated with the club, Yanchep Golf Estate owner Peet, Vertex Estate landowner Primewest and St Andrews Estate owner Yanchep Beach Joint Venture for them to build fencing along the perimeters of the area by the end of July, after which kangaroos could be relocated.

City acting planning and sustainability director Mark Dickson said most of the fencing had been installed.

“Areas still remaining to be fenced are not critical to the overall kangaroo management initiative at this stage.” he said.

“It is anticipated that the final fencing works will be completed over the coming weeks, subject to these land tenure issues being resolved.”Mr Dickson said the City was co-ordinating stakeholders’ agreed undertakings but not interfering or directing.

Primewest development manager Matthew Pears said the remaining area of fencing depended on other landowners and would be ineffective if installed now.

“Primewest has installed more than 1500m of fencing along the eastern boundary of our site to restrict kangaroos from moving between bushland areas to the north and west of our land and the existing St Andrews Estate,” he said.

“This fencing has been co-ordinated to connect with additional sections of fencing installed to the north and east of our land.

Peet chief executive Brendan Gore said it had engaged fauna management specialists to advise on the safest way to move kangaroos from the estate to bushland and installed fencing along the eastern side of Yanchep Golf Estate in July.

Mrs Panegyres said temporary fencing erected over a recent weekend had trapped kangaroos.

Two had died overnight, but Mr Gore said it was part of a process approved by the Department of Parks and Wildlife to relocate nearly 100 kangaroos.

“Independently, Peet has provided a written update to residents; erected signage to discourage damage to fencing, continued to liaise with council, relocated some kangaroos and worked with fauna specialists to develop a specific kangaroo management plan,” he said.

Club president Greg Mitchell said 70 per cent of the course had been fenced and fewer than 15 kangaroos remained there.

He hoped the remaining area would be fenced within eight weeks and said weekly mustering of kangaroos had stopped.

“We have no need to do that now with the amount of kangaroos we have,” he said.

“Our kangaroo problem has now basically gone away.”