1.0 - Introduction:
Eco Logical Australia has been hired by the ACT government to produce a report that provides a series of management options regarding kangaroo-vehicle collisions. This report aims to outline what is involved in meeting the goal of the consultancy, which is identifying low-cost, high-impact solutions for reducing the number of kangaroo-vehicle collisions (KVCs) in the urban/suburban parts of the ACT and their intervening areas of natural/semi-natural land.
1.1 - Costs to society:
Kangaroo vehicle collisions (KVCs) have a number of significant costs to society. The first this report will discuss is personal harm to humans involved in KVCs. Vehicle collisions with Kangaroo’s, or other large animals, create a great danger for the driver and passengers of a motor vehicle. These collisions often result in mild to serious injuries, and potentially death. A study completed by Dr Ramp from UNSW backs up the above claim as it concluded that of the 5,000 KVCs recorded in NSW between 1996 and 2005, more than 1700 …show more content…
A study completed in Canberra, found that 498 Kangaroos were killed during collisions with vehicles from 2007 to 2013 in known hotspots (Raggatt, 2014). The actual number of Kangaroos killed is predicted to be significantly larger as the study relied on reported incidents. Therefore, it is extremely evident that kangaroo vehicle collisions raise a number of kangaroo welfare issues. Klocker argues that one welfare issue is the potential impacts on population viability (Klocker, 2006, p1), however, the ACT government argues that even though the rate of KVCs is increasing significantly annually, kangaroo populations are not reducing (ACT Government, 2017). It is evident through the increasing number of KVCs, that the ACT government must implement a high impact, low cost strategy in order to decrease the number of kangaroo casualties which in turn, will improve their
Eco Logical Australia has been hired by the ACT government to produce a report that provides a series of management options regarding kangaroo-vehicle collisions. This report aims to outline what is involved in meeting the goal of the consultancy, which is identifying low-cost, high-impact solutions for reducing the number of kangaroo-vehicle collisions (KVCs) in the urban/suburban parts of the ACT and their intervening areas of natural/semi-natural land.
1.1 - Costs to society:
Kangaroo vehicle collisions (KVCs) have a number of significant costs to society. The first this report will discuss is personal harm to humans involved in KVCs. Vehicle collisions with Kangaroo’s, or other large animals, create a great danger for the driver and passengers of a motor vehicle. These collisions often result in mild to serious injuries, and potentially death. A study completed by Dr Ramp from UNSW backs up the above claim as it concluded that of the 5,000 KVCs recorded in NSW between 1996 and 2005, more than 1700 …show more content…
A study completed in Canberra, found that 498 Kangaroos were killed during collisions with vehicles from 2007 to 2013 in known hotspots (Raggatt, 2014). The actual number of Kangaroos killed is predicted to be significantly larger as the study relied on reported incidents. Therefore, it is extremely evident that kangaroo vehicle collisions raise a number of kangaroo welfare issues. Klocker argues that one welfare issue is the potential impacts on population viability (Klocker, 2006, p1), however, the ACT government argues that even though the rate of KVCs is increasing significantly annually, kangaroo populations are not reducing (ACT Government, 2017). It is evident through the increasing number of KVCs, that the ACT government must implement a high impact, low cost strategy in order to decrease the number of kangaroo casualties which in turn, will improve their