RSPCA Victoria has given evidence in Bendigo at the Victorian Government’s Parliamentary Inquiry into wildlife roadstrike in Victoria following its submission earlier this year.
Speaking at the hearing, RSPCA Victoria’s Head of Prevention, Rebecca Cook, said the issue of wildlife roadstrike was an urgent and growing problem.
“Wildlife across Victoria deserve stronger protections and we need a coordinated response to tackle wildlife roadstrike,” Ms Cook said.
“Animals struck by vehicles experience significant fear, pain, distress, and in the majority of cases, death.
“If the animal manages to survive the impact, they instead suffer a painful and protracted period before they eventually succumb to injury, starve to death, or are killed by a predator.”
However, wildlife roadstrike isn’t just an issue for animals, but for public safety, Ms Cook continued.
“Victoria Police data shows 749 collisions with wildlife caused injury to a person in the last five years,” Ms Cook said.
“The costs of these wildlife collisions are already being borne by the Victorian public through risks to their personal safety, healthcare costs, emergency response assistance, car insurance premiums and vehicle repairs, in addition to veterinarians and volunteers working to alleviate the suffering of these animals.”
Research has found 78% of people are supportive of an app to report roadstrike incidents[1], and RSPCA Victoria would like to see a single phone number to make it easier for people know how to report incidents.
“We would also support the introduction of a $2 levy on vehicle registrations to help fund both the immediate and future financial requirements to address this complex issue,” Ms Cook said.
RSPCA Victoria’s top recommendations are:
- Implementing one phone number and one app for road users to report wildlife vehicle collisions
- Establishing a reference group with expertise from different stakeholders to guide urgent priority and preventative actions.
- Updating legislation to improve protections for animals.
Providing financial support and standardised training across the sector to help those responding RSPCA advocates for the implementation of strategies to avoid adverse welfare impacts on local populations of wild animals and/or their habitat caused by human activities.
For more information, visit the RSPCA Knowledgebase here and read the RSPCA’s submission to the inquiry here.
