Photo shows tradies' confronting find in housing site pit: 'Such a waste'

Construction workers have made a grim discovery after digging a large pit at a housing development site close to bushland. The Gold Coast property had been home to a thriving population of koalas and kangaroos but with the nation’s human population continuing to surge they’ve been displaced for new homes.

Unsurprisingly two local kangaroos were unable to adjust to the rapid change to the landscape which has been their habitat for generations. They were discovered coated from head to toe in mud.

By the time wildlife rescuer Amy Wregg arrived it was too late to save them. The situation had been distressing enough for the animals, but unfortunately she believes the workers who attended made a series of mistakes that sealed their fate.

“They were trapped in a mud pit, and the contractors decided to dig them out with an excavator,” she said.

Kangaroos are particularly susceptible to stress, as it will trigger a fatal condition called myopathy which destroys muscles. If the changes to their habitat hadn’t been enough, then the fall and subsequent stress of being pulled out by heavy machinery likely would have compounded the problem.

“Then they hosed them down with cold water. So they were hypothermic and one had aspirated with water down its lungs,” Wregg continued.

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Rescuer 'exhausted' as development destroys Australia's wildlife

Sadly, the situation the kangaroos endured was not rare. Wregg, a professional rescuer with WIRES and volunteer with WildCare, is inundated with calls to clean up after developments are approved by the city and the state government.

• Koala habitat bulldozed by developer for new car park leaves locals 'shattered'

• Australia branded hypocrites over 'disgraceful' treatment of koala

• Queensland housing crisis versus koalas: Which is more important?

The government has a plan to fast-track a million new homes by 2046, including 53,500 new social homes. And while no one is debating whether they are needed, wildlife advocates are frustrated that some sprawling developments are being built where native animals live.

“I’m pretty exhausted after this week — there’s so much trauma. Over the last two days, all I've done is [attended to] animals displaced or killed from development, and killed on roads,” Wregg said.

“Kangaroos nearly always have to be euthanised because of myopathy. It seems like such a waste for our wildlife. We have all these “strict” laws that don’t actually protect wildlife.

“Koalas are an endangered species but we still clear hundreds of hectares of their habitat. But at least with koalas they move them from development sites, but when it comes to kangaroos, possums and reptiles it’s up to them to disperse and fend for themselves.”

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