Wellington Road is a treacherous road for our wildlife. With each passing day, our unique and beautiful wildlife are being violently struck by vehicles. Some are lucky enough to die in that instant, while others lay in agonising pain and fear until a rescuer arrives to end their suffering. Joeys and pouch young rarely survive these strikes. 

It is only a matter of time that a human fatality will occur, especially with the presence of larger bodied animals such as sambar deer and adult male kangaroos. Not only is this an isolated wildlife issue, this is very much a human safety issue. Wildlife roadstrikes have significant impacts on motorists that include vehicle damage as well as both physical and psychological trauma. 

I am a wildlife rescuer within the Dandenong Ranges. Over the past 20 months on my commute to work 3-5 days a week, I have been recording the number of wildlife that have been hit and killed by road strikes on this 21 km stretch of road.  

 The iNaturalist app has enabled me to produce solid data that locates and records roadstrike hot spots, as well as live GPS pins, dates and times, as well as specific information of the wildlife that has been killed. 

Currently, in a span of approximately 16 months, my total observations are at a number of 672 animals killed by road strikes within the Dandenong Ranges. 

98% of these cases are all on Wellington Road. These death toll numbers are increasing fast. 

Since 2025 below are the top observed species that have been impacted on Wellington Road. Remember, this is based on our visible observations and attendance ALONE.  A current total as of August, 2025 is at 329. 

• Eastern Kangaroos – 198
• Swamp Wallabies - 38
• Ringtail Possums - 29
• Bare Nosed Wombats - 16
• Brushtail Possums - 9
• Echidnas - 2
• Birds (Magpies, Kookaburras, Rosella's etc) - 20

This number is astounding and it’s a significant concern for the community. This will have consequential impacts on our local ecosystem and biodiversity. 

We are calling upon the councils of Cardina, Yarra Ranges and Knox City, alongside our local MPs, in proposing to implement the following actions to the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP), as a minimum, to help reduce the ongoing slaughter. 

There is an urgent need for the following: 

1. Speed limits to be reduced during the time from before dusk to after dawn, when wildlife is mostly active. Speeds of 60 km would provide breaking efficiency when encountered with wildlife. 
   
   
2. The installation of Virtual Fencing throughout this entire 21 km stretch of road. These virtual fences actively alerts animals prior to crossing the road as cars approach, by emitting a combination of sound and flashing light stimuli. Testing has seen a 50% reduction of vehicle collisions. 
   As there are known hotspots, in my findings, there is no safe zone for wildlife to cross.
   
   
3. The use of electronic or solar panel VMS signage – displaying vehicle speeds and can relay messages to drivers of wildlife crossing and activity. 

We are losing our beautiful wildlife at a staggering rate, which could all be avoidable. With support from the community, I believe that we can work to change the road toll to zero.

Please add your voice to our petition and send a strong message to governments and councils that the people of our community want to see our wildlife properly protected and prevented from any further harm.