Mitchell Shire residents have raised concerns over decaying and rotting carcasses left on the sides of local roads.
While the past 12 past months have seen animal collisions on Mitchell Shire roads soar, with kangaroos representing a staggering 80 per cent of all animals hit by vehicles in the last year, residents are wondering why VicRoads and Council are yet to respond to the growing number of roadkill left on the sides of roads to rot and decay.
Residents took to social media to express their frustration and disgust, with one Facebook user stating that roadkill left near a local school had upset several schoolkids.
“There’s a dead rabbit squashed into the road outside Kilmore primary school. [Several] kids got upset when they saw it today,” they said.
While volunteers from Wildlife Victoria will respond to cases of hurt and orphaned wildlife, roadkill management typically falls on council and State Government authorities such as VicRoads.
Mitchell Shire Council Chief Executive Brett Luxford said Council was aware of the prevalence of roadkill in the Mitchell Shire.
“We are responsible for removing roadkill if it poses a hazard to motorists on a Council managed road or asset within built up areas,” he said.
“Council also passes on reported incidents of roadkill to the Department of Transport if it is on a road they manage.”
However, a spokesperson for the Department of Planning and Transport stated that roadkill on nature strips was the responsibility of local councils.
“As part of our routine maintenance program, we inspect Department of Planning and Transport operated roads on a regular basis and will notify Wildlife Victoria if an injured or deceased animal is found,” they said.
“On other roads or where animals are on the nature strip, it is the responsibility of the local council.”
Though roadkill on road reserves does not pose an immediate threat to motorists, thereby excusing Council from its removal, locals argued that the eyesore and smell of the roadkill should be considered, with one user commenting that Council’s avoidance to remove roadkill was a long-term, ongoing issue.
“Mitchell Shire have always been the worst for removing rotting carcasses from alongside the roads. I don’t think they even remove them after they stop stinking!” they said.
However, a Wildlife Victoria spokesperson flagged that roadkill on road reserves posed a risk to other animals, stating that birds were often at risk of being hit by a vehicle when feeding on carcasses.
“Bird species are often attracted to deceased animals on the side of the road and others call the roadside bush home. This places those animals at greater risk of being hit by vehicles,” they said.
“Raptors are at a greater risk of being hit by vehicles when they are attracted to roadkill. It’s incredibly important that if an animal is hit by a vehicle, they are reported to Wildlife Victoria on 8400 7300.
“This allows injured wildlife to receive treatment as soon as possible, and allows for pouch checks on deceased mammals, and for the carcasses to be moved off the road to a safe distance.”
Any urgent issues or incidents should be reported to Council immediately on 5734 6200, and any non-urgent issues via Council’s online Report It Tool.
People can also check out Council’s ‘Whose road is it?’ tool, an interactive map that details the relevant authority managing each road in the Shire.
