This single surviving joey, Hope, was taken into care by WIRES. Photo: WIRES Facebook.
Two teenagers have admitted they deliberately killed 14 kangaroos near Batemans Bay in October in a massacre that left behind a single survivor.
The 17-year-olds appeared in the Batemans Bay Children’s Court on Wednesday (24 November), where they both pleaded guilty to their charges of recklessly beating and killing an animal.
Originally, NSW Police said officers were called to the Long Beach area on 9 October after reports a number of kangaroos had been killed.
Police and WIRES found five kangaroos and one joey dead on Blairs Road and Sandy Place, then shortly afterwards were told seven more kangaroos and one joey had been found dead in the Maloneys Beach area.
One surviving, injured joey was found, which was taken into the care of WIRES.
Janelle Renes and Caroline Roberts, chair and secretary of WIRES Mid South Coast respectively, were first on the scene that morning in October and both said they had never seen anything like it before.
“It was extremely confronting and confusing,” Ms Renes said.
“On a day-to-day basis, we deal with injured kangaroos, but to see so many in one area, basically it took us both back to the bushfires.”
She and Ms Roberts spoke to About Regional on their way to visit Hope, who was now going very well even though she had anxiety, which was understandable considering what she had been through.
“When Hope arrived, she was hardly breathing and fairly lifeless, so for her to survive is absolutely wonderful,” Ms Renes said.
She and Ms Roberts thanked the police, community and everyone who reached out to help that day.
In court, Magistrate David Williams accepted the boys’ guilty pleas and referred them to a young offenders conference.
These conferences bring young offenders, their families and supporters face-to-face with victims, their supporters and police to discuss the crime and how people have been affected.
The case was adjourned to 25 January 2022. The boys cannot be named as they are aged under 18.
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