Watch out for wildlife on the roads these school holidays, says local wildlife expert

With school holidays starting and temperatures warming, local wildlife expert Michelle Jones has reminded drivers to watch out for animals on the roads. Ms Jones runs GG Wildlife Rescue Inc, a rescue shelter for wild animals in the Mid West. She said drivers should be especially careful at dusk and dawn when many animals are more active, especially on warmer days. “Be aware, drop your speed a little bit in areas where you can’t see well,” she said. “We do share these roads with wildlife, they don’t understand that they shouldn’t be on the roads, and we have accidents that can also ruin a family’s holiday.” If you do hit an animal while driving, do the right thing and alert a wildlife carer, Ms Jones said. “Don’t just leave them, they suffer, they have pain, and there are people like myself that are more than happy to check out injured animals and get them the assistance they need,” she said. “Getting them to a wildlife carer as soon as possible can improve their chances of returning to a normal life in the wild.” Ms Jones also reminded the public that taking injured or orphaned animals home to care for them, instead of giving them to a trained rehabilitator, was not only a bad idea, it was illegal under laws introduced in 2019. According to Budget Direct, accidents with kangaroos and wallabies make up 90 per cent of animal collisions in Australia. Kangaroo-related car accidents are most likely to occur between 5pm and 10pm. In the Mid West, emus and echidnas also make up a big number of roadside animal victims, according to Ms Jones.