If you got a roo, in your neighbourhood, who you gonna call?
In Willetton – with apologies to the Ghostbusters, – it’s Canning councillor Amanda Spencer-Teo, who went into action when she was made aware a Western Grey Kangaroo was loose near Burrendah Oval.
Ms Spencer-Two was made aware of the Kangaroo at about 8am on Tuesday morning after it appeared in front of Burrendah Primary School.
“I got a message through Facebook at about 8am asking if I was aware of this, so I called WA Wildlife and our staff to get them out there as soon as possible.
“I also called Darren Hamley from Willetton Senior High School because he’s an experienced wildlife handler and kangaroo rehabilitator, he was at the high school at the time so he was able to get straight out there.”
The Kangaroo had been weaving in and out of traffic all morning before being chased by a dog, working itself into a corner of Burrendah Oval in what was a stroke of luck.
“Conveniently the dog had blocked him into a fenced area near the cricket nets, so we were able to catch him in a net, sedate him and get him to WA Wildlife.”
Whether this story has a happy ending remains to be seen, as stressed Kangaroo can suffer from myopathy, which is often fatal.
The Kangaroo had just woken up from sedation when Examiner Newspapers spoke to Ms Spencer-Two.
“He has no physical injuries which is good but there is that chance he does develop myopathy, and that could take anywhere between 24 and 48 hours to show, so it’s a waiting game at this stage.”
Ms Spencer-Teo is becoming somewhat synonymous with Kangaroos in Canning, with her efforts to push for translocation, rather than culling, of a population of Kangaroos near the Canning Vale Waste Transfer Station.
While some speculated the Kangaroo had come from Melville Golf Course, Ms Spencer-Teo wasn’t so sure.
“Unfortunately, they don’t come with a ‘if found return to’ tag, but he could have come from the golf course, or Jandakot airport, or even our waste transfer site, the fencing on all three isn’t kangaroo proof.
“I recall about three months ago an incident like this and it could be the same Kangaroo because they are creatures of habit, and that one wasn’t caught so it could be the same one.
“I think, the whole reason the kangaroos are in this situation, until we and the City of Melville and the City of Cockburn actually do something about the Western Greys on our land this will keep happening.
Read more local Canning news here.
