Police seize pair of joeys in Hunter Valley crime blitz

BY DAKOTA TAIT

Hunter Valley police have seized a number of items, including firearms and a pair of joeys, during a four-day rural crime blitz.

Operation Devil Ark was established to target illegal hunting, trespassing, and stock movements across a range of rural areas.

Officers conducted 27 livestock carrier inspections and 26 hunting vehicle stops over the weekend. 

At 4:30pm on June 4, officers stopped a 27-year-old man at Gundy, north of Muswellbrook, after he was allegedly located with two young kangaroo joeys unlawfully obtained.

Police searched the man’s vehicle and located ammunition and firearms, which were seized for forensic examination. 

The joeys were taken to a wildlife care centre, where they are receiving treatment. 

The man was arrested, and his firearm licence was suspended. 

He was released a short time later pending further inquiries. 

The following evening, at 8:15pm on June 5, officers stopped a car in Murrurundi.

Police spoke to the driver before searching the vehicle when they located a machete and knuckle dusters, which were seized for forensic examination. 

A 19-year-old man from Westdale is set to appear at Scone Local Court in July.

Kangaroos Deliberately Injured At Muswellbrook

BY IAN CROUCH

Police are appealing for help to find those responsible for deliberately injuring three kangaroos at Muswellbrook.

Officers were called to Wollombi Park around 8.00am on Sunday where a bushwalker found the roos seriously injured in scrubland.

Police say initial inquiries suggest two of the roos may have been deliberately run over a by a vehicle while a third kangaroo, which was found deceased, had suffered a wound to the chest.

It's believed the other two roos have since died.

Investigators are appealing for anyone with dashcam footage in the area at the time to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Hunter New England Health Moves To Protect Kangaroos At Morisset Hospital

BY IAN CROUCH

Hunter New England Health has responded to the latest concerns about the welfare of the kangaroo population in the grounds of Morisset Hospital.

As we reported yesterday, animal welfare campaigners reported seeing a tourist feed soap to a roo at the site.

Bus loads of tourists have been treking to the hospital grounds, with visitors touching and feeding the animals contrary to recent signage erected around the site.

There have been several reports in recent years of kangaroos being shot with arrows and roos attacking visitors in the area.

Hunter New England Health has decided to permanently lock the existing gates into the hospital site, allowing only restricted access to emergency services, authorised visitors and staff.

New boom gates with card access, intercom and video cameras will be installed by April next year.

It's hoped the new measures will prevent unauthorised access to the site by tourists. 

Kangaroos Grazing In The Grounds Of Morisset Hospital

Kangaroo Fed Soap By Tourist Near Morisset Hospital

BY ISABEL EVERETT

Animal advocates are angry after a tourist was spotted feeding soap to a kangaroo near Morisset  Psychiatric hospital.

It comes after a string of incidents involving tourists feeding the kangaroos which gather on the private property, with another animal reportedly found with a plastic bread bag stuck on its head.

There have been reports in recent years of tourists being attacked by roos in the grounds of the hospital.

Jayne Cvetanoski from the Better Protection for Morisset Kangaroos group says tourists are ignoring bi-lingual signage at the facility warning people to not feed or touch the animals.

"This has been going on for a long, long time, however since the site has been promoted as a tourist attraction by Trip Advisor and various other social media outlets, we're seeing more tourists coming in by the busload and they are bringing in the food, so it's an ongoing long-term issue that's just getting worse,. The foodstuffs will ferment in their stomachs and cause them to vomit and things like that,"  she said.

Tourists Continue to Flock To Morisset Hospital Grounds To Feed Kangaroos. Picture: Lakes Mail

Signs Erected In Wake Of Attacks By Kangaroos At Morisset Hospital

BY IAN CROUCH

The NSW Health Department has moved to protect international tourists following a spate of attacks by kangaroos in the grounds of Morisset Hospital.

Photos and footage emerged in recent weeks of people being scratched and clawed after getting too close to the animals.

The area has been advertised online as an easy and affordable day trip for overseas visitors wishing to see kangaroos up close.

In recent years there have been several reports of kangaroos being shot with bows and arrows around the grounds of the hospital, which may have made the local mob of roos especially wary of people.

The recent attacks on tourists has prompted Lake Macquarie MP, Greg Piper to call for action.

The Health Department has responded by erecting 12 signs in 8 languages around the grounds of the hospital warning tourists against the dangers of feeding the roos and getting too close to them.

Greg Piper has also requested the department organise a panel comprising representatives from National Parks and Wildlife, NSW Health and the local community to review how the situation can be better managed so staff, patients, the public and the local kangaroo population can be safeguarded.

One of 12 new signs erected around Morisset Hospital