THE urban sprawl in the northern suburbs is taking a toll on native animals, according to Wildlife Victoria.
The animal rescue service’s emergency call-outs had grown steadily as the City of Whittlesea expanded, Wildlife Victoria spokeswoman Amy Amato said.
In the past year, there were an average 17 call-outs a week in the Whittlesea area, and 900 calls for help.
The animals most often found injured were eastern grey kangaroos, numbering 360. People sought help for 159 wounded birds – 82 ducks, 37 magpies, 36 cockatoos and four barn owls.
Ms Amato said 71 brushtail and ringtail possums needed help, as well as 20 bluetongue lizards and nine echidnas.
“We have a good team of volunteers in Whittlesea, but for all their work not all the animals make it,” she said. “A huge percentage die or have to be euthanased. Kangaroos are often hit in road accidents and have broken legs or head trauma.”
She said volunteer rescuers had to check the pouches of dead kangaroos and possums for young, and the ground nearby.
Ms Amato said the cause of injuries was often unknown because people called for help when they found animals injured on the ground.
Of the 900 calls received, 210 were for confirmed cases of animals being hit by vehicles on the road, and 22 were for animals attacked by cats or dogs.
Volunteer rescuer Lauren Grimes, 18, of Epping, said a recent rescue involved a raven caught in fishing line hanging from the top of a tree.
