Kangaroos regularly seen in Melbourne suburbs as urban development takes toll

Melbourne's suburbs are being inundated by kangaroos, as urban development begins to eat into the natural habitats of Australia's most recognizable native animal.

Wildlife Victoria, a leading wildlife agency in the southeastern state of Victoria, is worried that poor planning and an ever-increasing urban fringe will only escalate the problem for Australia's native fauna.

It has been receiving record numbers of phone calls from concerned residents worried about the influx of kangaroos and wallabies in inner-city suburbs, as well as the outer fringe, in a phenomenon that is almost exclusive to Melbourne.

Media spokesperson Amy Amato told Xinhua that ongoing development was forcing kangaroos into urban areas, and they were becoming a frequent sighting in the suburbs, having got there via rivers and railway lines.

"The problem is quite unique to Melbourne. Melbourne has a lot of 'green wedges' and a lot of places that are really enticing for kangaroos, so that's sort of drawing them in," Amato said on Friday. "They find they're going in the wrong direction, they get disoriented and really stressed."

Amato said Wildlife Victoria was struggling to respond to every call for help, saying that they often get more than 30 calls about lost wildlife every day.

She said inner-city suburbs were not exempt from the problems, as kangaroos and wallabies find themselves following rivers and railways, eventually getting trapped in residential areas.

"We've had reports that have seen kangaroos as far in as Melbourne Town Hall," she said. "They just don't know where they' re going. They don't have that natural ability to think 'I came from this way, I should go back that way.'"

Amato found the marsupials often followed the Yarra River, which runs from their habitat in the hills outside of Melbourne all the way through to the CBD.

She said the trails alongside the river have proven to be a highway for kangaroos heading downstream.

With development at the urban fringes only expected to continue at a rapid pace, Amato said poor planning would inevitably lead to more kangaroo sightings in the future.

"Particularly in Melbourne we have a lot of development going on around natural habitat areas," she said.

"There has not been a lot of planning put in place to think about the wildlife in the areas being developed, so they're being pushed on to roads."

She said Wildlife Victoria has been very vocal to the state government, as well as local councils and developers, about ensuring that future projects have a policy in place that accommodates the needs of the local wildlife.

"What we're urging local and state governments to do is at least do some research and start some planning measures to be aware that there are animals there, and to work on a policy that caters to them in future developments." Endi