Did you know in the ACT wildlife carers are not permitted to rescue, rehabilitate or even euthanise injured kangaroos and their joeys? 

No other jurisdiction has such a policy as this because the “justifications” for this policy position are pretty baseless. Why the ACT continues to be an outlier on this issue is baffling, particularly when it is the ACT who was a leader in recognising animal sentience into law. Every animal should be given a chance at life.

The only option for injured kangaroos in the ACT is for a ranger to come and euthanise them, no matter the severity of their injuries. The time it takes for a ranger to attend can sometimes take hours. This is because outside of business hours, during the peak time for collisions, there is only one ranger on call for the whole of Canberra. This leads to immense suffering for kangaroos, with some that die waiting, but also significant distress for the person who is waiting with the injured kangaroo. If the ACT Government allowed for wildlife carers to be permitted to euthanise injured kangaroos, this would lead to faster response times, less suffering and less distress.

When it comes to joeys – only 35 joeys per financial year can be transferred across to care in Queanbeyan with WildCare. All joeys above this limit are euthanised. They don’t even give them a chance. Even though there are wildlife carers who are capable and willing to care for Eastern Grey joeys, the ACT Government won’t let them. This is despite ACT wildlife carers being allowed to rescue and rehabilitate wallaby and wallaroo joeys. This goes to show just how much the ACT Government hates our Eastern Grey Kangaroos.