UPDATE: A 21-year-old Dandenong man has turned himself into police in relation to a kangaroo being shot with arrows.
Endeavour Hills police are currently interviewing the man.
The injured eastern grey kangaroo was reported to be moving with arrows in its spine and leg on Sunday morning, but Wildlife Victoria volunteers did not find her until Monday near Baden Powell Reserve off Power Street in Endeavour Hills.
The kangaroo, who was believed to have “thrown” her joey from her pouch after being shot, underwent surgery on Monday afternoon to remove the arrows.
Wildlife Victoria spokeswoman Amy Amato said it was unlikely the joey, which has not been found, would have survived.
“The female had an active pouch and we think her joey was thrown from her pouch during the incident. They do this as a defence mechanism,” she said.
“Unfortunately this isn’t a rare occurrence and we’ve had this happen in the area recently.”
Endeavour Hills’ Senior Sergeant Phil Byrne said police had seen an increase in similar crimes across the state and the station was putting a large amount of resources into catching the person responsible for the local attack.
“As an organisation, we are keen to catch these sorts of people,” he said, adding that officers were today following up on a strong lead.
While this case occurred within a national park, Wildlife Victoria recently reported a sharp increase of kangaroos spilling out into urban areas.
In the 12 months to July it had recorded a 50 per cent increase in calls for kangaroo rescues in these areas.
Police are currently interviewing a 21-year-old Dandenong man in relation to an incident where a kangaroo was shot with arrows in Endeavour Hills.
The man handed himself in to police around 4pm today.
Injured wildlife can be
reported to Wildlife Victoria on 1300 094 535.
– CAMERON LUCADOU-WELLS, ALECIA PINNER, DAVID SCHOUT
