Vets at Werribee Open Range Zoo are urging drivers to slow down on the roads, as the wildlife hospital is experiencing a spring surge or orphaned eastern grey kangaroo joeys in the west.
According to the zoo, 79 of the 386 animals admitted this financial year have been kangaroos.
In the past two months alone, 38 joeys have come into the hospital and most have come from Werribee, Hoppers Crossing, Geelong, Truganina and Wyndham Vale.
The stretch along Ballan Road, where urban growth and wildlife collide, is one of the hotspots.
Veterinarian Sarah Panigas said it is the busy season for kangaroo collisions.
“We’re seeing multiple joeys come in a week, and because they’re so vulnerable and delicate, even the slightest knock can create life-long injuries,” Dr Panigas said.
“It’s amazing when we can help them to recover and eventually release them, but often we have to make hard decisions.”
Alongside kangaroos, ringtail possums remain the hospital’s most common patients, with grey-headed flying foxes, magpies and black swans also topping the list.
The hospital’s records show vehicle collisions, fruit-net entanglements and dog or cat attacks as the leading causes of wildlife admissions.
Dr Panigas said the vet hospital has been transformative for helping injured wildlife in Melbourne’s west, but they still need the community’s help and diligence.
“Drive carefully at dawn and dusk, keep dogs on leashes, bring cats indoors, and replace dangerous fruit netting with wildlife-safe alternatives,” she said.
“If you do see an injured kangaroo on the road, make sure to check for any joeys in her pouch.”
