Australia: Council seeks cash for kangaroo-proofing

The drought has left many kangaroos without their usual sources of water, so they're heading into populated areas

A drought-affected district in eastern Australia is asking for government help to protect its villages against a "plague" of thirsty kangaroos, it's reported.

The mayor of sparsely populated Barcoo Shire, in the state of Queensland, says hordes of kangaroos are causing concern among local people because they're coming into residential areas looking for food and water, the Brisbane Times reports. "The sheer numbers, you can drive around and you'll see a mob of kangaroos and you lose count after 120 or 130, they are in plague proportions," says Mayor Julie Groves. Some of the animals are "taller than most men" and can be aggressive, she says. "We appreciate they are starving but you have to keep the little kids and the older people in the town safe."

The council has now applied for federal government funding to pay for about 55km (34 miles) of fencing to keep the animals out of villages, sports parks, cemeteries, and off the local air strip used by the flying doctor. While there has been an organised cull in the area, it only applied to male animals, and the kangaroo population is still growing, the mayor says. Parts of Queensland have been suffering from drought conditions since 2013, and about 80% of the state is now affected, according to ABC News.

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