Quiet seaside town shocked by violent act against kangaroos after they were run down and left to die on the street

Six kangaroos have been mowed down and left to die on a quiet street in a beachside town, with residents and wildlife rescuers up in arms over the ‘disturbing’ incident.

The attack occurred on Blairs Road at Long Beach in Batemans Bay on the NSW south coast last Sunday with locals claiming they heard noises at the time and saw burnout marks on the road afterwards.

Images of the targeted animals show them on the ground with red crosses marked on them by wildlife rescue organisation WIRES to identify whether their pouches had been checked for joeys.

One of the kangaroos on the ground was pictured with a joey lying next to it.

A dead kangaroo with a pink joey was first discovered by a local just before midnight.

A wildlife rescuer then shone their headlights down the street and discovered three injured adult kangaroos laying on the grass, including one with a joey.

Images of the targeted animals show them on the ground with red crosses marked on them (pictured) by WIRES to identify whether their pouches had been checked for joeys

One of the kangaroos on the ground was pictured with a joey lying next to it (pictured)

WIRES Mid South Coast Branch chairperson Janelle Renes said the kangaroos were badly injured with snapped legs.

‘Kangaroos never scream out, they’ll just kick out, or make a quiet sound when they’re in pain,’ she told Yahoo News Australia.

‘I think that’s what makes it easier for people to harm them — that they’re so silent.’

Volunteers said they were concerned there could be more injured animals which had run off into the bush and could be dying slowly from infection.

It comes after 14 ‘roos were killed in October, 2021 in the same area, with one joey surviving the incident.

Two teens pleaded guilty to recklessly beating and killing an animal but the charges were dismissed last July.

A wildlife rescuer shone their headlights 400 metres down the street and discovered three injured adult kangaroos laying one the grass, including one with a joey (pictured, one of the 'roos) — A wildlife rescuer shone their headlights 400 metres down the street and discovered three injured adult kangaroos laying one the grass, including one with a joey (pictured, one of the ‘roos)

The attack occurred on Blairs Road at Long Beach (pictured) in Batemans Bay on the NSW south coast last Sunday

‘It’s like deja vu. It’s a sad situation when people think it’s fun to mow down kangaroos,’ Ms Renes said.

‘It’s very traumatising for the rescuers because we do everything we can to save wildlife, and then this happens.’

There is no suggestion both incidents are related.

NSW police said officers from the South Coast Police District were notified about several bodies of kangaroos found in the area.

‘Initial inquiries suggest the kangaroos were killed between 6.30pm and 10pm that night,’ a police spokesperson said.

A WIRES spokesman told Daily Mail Australia all the animals died from the incident.

‘Unfortunately none of the Bateman’s Bay adult kangaroos survived, two were found barely alive but due to their extensive injuries they sadly had to be euthanised,’ he said.

‘Neither of the joeys survived.’

This article by Jade Hobman was first published by The Daily Mail on 15 March 2023. Lead Image: A newborn joey can’t suckle or swallow, so the kangaroo mom uses her muscles to pump milk down its throat. PHOTOGRAPH BY TIM HESTER, DREAMSTIME.

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