This study describes a survey of roadkill in a suburban area of Sydney, Australia. The study was conducted by a community activist motivated by the rejection of a roadkill mitigation proposal by state Roads and Traffic Authority on the basis of insufficient evidence of need. Roadkills were recorded in suburban bushland on two roads in the north-east of Sydney. The study was conducted over a 36-week period. Eighty four native animals were observed dead on or adjacent to the roads. The predominant species killed were swamp wallabies Wallabia bicolor, brushtail possums Trichosurus vulpecula and long nosed bandicoots Perameles nasuta. The great majority of killed swamp wallabies were male. There was a noticeable absence of small fauna.

The dissemination of this study and others led to a public forum on road kill being held. From this public forum, a “RoadKill Committee” was formed comprising local stakeholders. Strategies for mitigating roadkill were implemented and a public awareness campaign was also developed. These activities are presently being evaluated.

Roadkill surveys such as this helps provide information about the nature and extent of roadkill. They can also galvanise local community opinion and help develop and monitor local roadkill mitigation strategies.

AMBS (Australian Museum Business Services), 2001. Fauna Underpass Monitoring. Stage One - Final Report - Buladelah to Coolongolook. Report to Roads and Traffic Authority, NSW.

Anonymous, 2000. Wandering Koala killed. Manly Daily 26.7.2000.

Belessis, M. 2000. Traffic threat to wildlife. Manly Daily. p9, 25.3.2000.

Coulson, G. 1997. Male bias in road-kills of macropods. Wildlife Research 24: 21-25.

Ehmann, H. 1992 Encyclopedia of Australian Animals. Reptiles. Ed. Strahan, R. Collins Angus & Robertson, Pymble, Australia.

Griffiths, K. 1997 Frogs and Reptiles of the Sydney Region. University of New South Wales Press, Sydney, Australia.

Klöcker, U., Croft, D.B. and Ramp, D. 2006. Frequency and causes of kangaroo-vehicle collisions on an Australian outback highway. Wildlife Research 33: 5-15.

Morcombe, J. 2002. Motorists urged to slow down to halt rise in animal carnage. Manly Daily p3, 18.12.2002

Muxworthy, L. 2006. Connie's crusade. Manly Daily p1, 5.5.2006.

Ramp, D., Wilson, V.K. and Croft, D.B. 2006. Assessing the impacts of roads in peri-urban reserves: Road-based fatalities and road usage by wildlife in the Royal National Park, New South Wales, Australia. Biological Conservation 129: 348-359.

Ramp, D. and Ben-Ami, D. 2006. The effect of Road-Based Fatalities on the Viability of a Peri-Urban Swamp Wallaby Population. Journal of Wildlife Management 70: 1615-1624.

Sauter, M. 2006. Reducing the wildlife road toll on Queensland roads. Queensland Roads 2:31-34.

Slater, P., Slater, P. and Slater, R. 1989 The Slater Field Guide to Australian Birds. Lansdowne Publishing, Sydney, Australia.

Smith, P. and Smith, J. 2005 (a). Warringah Natural Area Survey. Fauna Species. Report prepared for Warringah Council.

Smith, P. and Smith, J. 2005 (b). Warringah Natural Area Survey. Vegetation History and Wildlife Corridors. Report prepared for Warringah Council.

Strahan, R. (ed.) 1992 Encyclopedia of Australian Animals. Mammals. Collins Angus & Robertson, Pymble, Australia

Taylor, B.D. and Goldingay, R.L. 2004. Wildlife road-kills on three major roads in north-eastern New South Wales. Wildlife Research 31: 83-91.

This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access.

Contents

Data & Figures

References

Other RZS NSW Publications

Too close for comfort: Contentious issues in human-wildlife encounters

Edited by

Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7882/9780980327229

ISBN electronic:

978-0-9803272-2-9

Publication date:

2008