Watch for wildlife

By Tania Martin
HILLS motorists are being urged to slow down and watch out for wildlife following an increase in injured kangaroos and wombats.
Francine Davy, of Bimbimbie Wildlife Park, has called for drivers to take more care when driving home from work.
She said as winter set in more animals were being injured or killed because it was dark when most people were driving home from work.
“We understand that accidents happen but we are just asking drivers to take a little more care,” she said.
Tina Hudson-Davies, of Shangri-La Wildlife Shelter in Macclesfield, has also urged drivers to slow down because too many animals are being injured, killed or maimed.
Mrs Hudson-Davies said Wellington Rd from Clematis to Lysterfield was one of the black spots for kangaroos and other wildlife to be hit.
One of the most recent victims of Wellington Rd is eight-month-old Charlie, who was found standing on the side of the road beside his dead mother.
Mrs Hudson-Davies said Charlie had an injured leg and had been orphaned after a car killed his mother.
Both she and Mrs Davy have urged drivers to stop and call for help if they see an injured animal on the side of the road.
Mrs Davy said Patrick, an eight-month-old wombat, recently survived an accident because someone stopped to help.
He was found on the side of a road near Monbulk after a car hit and killed his mother.
Mrs Davy said Patrick was not only lucky to survive the accident but miraculously wasn’t injured.
But she said if someone hadn’t stopped to help he wouldn’t have survived, because young animals can barely survive a day without their mother.
Mrs Hudson-Davies has also urged people to stop and call for help if they see an injured kangaroo or wombat on the road.
“It’s hard to tell people what to do if they see an animal lying on the side of the road because a lot of people are afraid and don’t know what to do,” she said.
But Mrs Hudson-Davies said in many cases there would be a baby in an injured kangaroo’s pouch and it was vital for their survival for people to stop and check.
She said the best thing that people could do if they saw an injured kangaroo or wombat was to call Wildlife Victoria on 055 540 000 for help.