Sad roadside photo prompts warning to Aussie drivers: 'A big loss'
The vulnerable native animal was found by a member of a wildlife rescue group who anticipate roadkill incidents to double over the coming summer.
The photo of a spotted-tail quoll lying motionless on an Aussie road has sparked a warning to drivers as we approach summer — a time when native wildlife becomes even more vulnerable on busy Aussie roads, one wildlife rescuer lamented to Yahoo News.
The animal was found near Cradle Mountain in Tasmania on Saturday morning by a member of Devils at Cradle wildlife group who happened to be heading to work. Although she is well versed in helping native animals in need, it's sadly a common sight for many Aussie drivers, and at this time of year it only gets worse.
"[Roadkills] at least double this time of year," another member of the Devils at Cradle wildlife group, Renee Dodd told Yahoo News. "It tends to be this time of year that we do see the road kill numbers increase, and it's largely because there's a lot of younger animals entering the population who are obviously not good at navigating the roads."
While no animal can be "expected to really understand the roads", young animals are at particular risk.
"We do see it happening a little bit more frequently," she said.
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Simple steps as a driver to protect wildlife
There are three simple things drivers can do to help protect native animals — slow down to avoid a collision, sing out if a collision occurs and, if possible, avoid driving at night.
"Slowing down when travelling at night is important," Dodd said. "If you can't avoid driving at night, which is obviously something that can't always be avoided, slowing down is good. And if you do hit something, just stop. Check if it's dead or if there's any young in the pouch... get in touch."
Every year 10 million animals die on Aussie roads, according to the University of Melbourne, and both spotted-tail and eastern quoll species are not immune to the deadly threat cars pose, with the species categorised as vulnerable and endangered respectively.
Devils at Cradle manage annual breeding to ensure the survival of the species and guide release opportunities with the Tasmanian Quoll Conservation Program founded by the wildlife group in 2008.
"Any life taken by a road collision is a big loss to the wild population of these declining carnivores, so please drive carefully," Dodd said.
"If you do find roadkill, or accidentally hit an animal yourself, if it is safe to do so please stop, pull the animal off the road and check its pouch for any young," they added. If you do find any injured or orphaned wildlife, keep it warm, dark and in a quiet place, it's advised.
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