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Would you brake for a cane toad? A kangaroo? A cat?

Tory Shepherd

by Tory Shepherd

07 Feb 02:00pm

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Filed under: Cane Toads, Cats, Driving, Native Animals, Roadkill, Safety

114 comments

Roadkill is a reality of Australian life.

Pic: AP

Drivers should slow down, be aware, and avoid killing native animals without putting their own lives in danger. Other animals, though, may not deserve so much care.

You shouldn’t run down kangaroos, for example - but cats could be another matter.

Wicked Campers - providers of psychedelic patchouli and body odour-scented vans to cash-strapped backpackers dependent on two-minute noodles and goonbags - are in strife.

They had stickers on 1000 of their hire vans that read: ``Kangaroo’s: run the f(*&kers down’’ (in some instances it was `run the buggers down’).

Once you quell the red-raw rage that comes from the inappropriate use of apostrophes, you’ll realise it’s also a fairly abhorrent idea.

Boss John Webb defended the stickers.

He said his kangaroo-loving clients risked rolling the campers when they swerved to save the life of our emblematic animal. So he advised them to mow them down instead.

That excuse was never going to stop the righteous animal activists of the world from having a crack. OK, they’re right that it was stupid, inappropriate and probably encouraged our backpacking brethren to target poor roos. Not to mention a roo is likely to leave you in a bad, bad way if you hit it. So, overall, stupid.

But they don’t have to be so earnest about it.

I digress.

There may be a place for a `run the f***ers down’ campaign, perhaps with a little less outright aggression. But it’d have to be far more strategic.

Certainly any pegless clothesline, Leatherman and Teva-toting visitor to our shores - or any grey nomad or Britz van driver for that matter - should learn it is acceptable - nay, desirable - to mow down cane toads. Make that one a national sport.

Cats? Ah, cats. Ferals are not worth slowing down for - but the problem is the difficulty telling whether the slinking creature in front of you is a wild beast that will single handedly eat every last surviving purple-crested bandiroo, or if it’s Auntie May’s sole, toothless companion.

But hypothetically speaking, if you can see that it’s the former rather than the latter, the world is a better place without it.

Hares aren’t killers, but they are pests, so don’t feel too guilty if one of them goes under the wheels.

Foxes you should never feel too bad about - although baby foxes are bloody cute, the sight of a chicken that’s met one of the deadly ginger bastards is most decidedly not.

The main problem is you just don’t generally have time (especially on country roads) to work out whether the moving thing up ahead is friend or foe.

And I’m not sure how many people would, even once they’ve identified that the potential roadkill is something that should be eradicated, have the intestinal fortitude to deliberately run it over.

Roadkill. It’s a fact of life. But all drivers should be trained - maybe using one of those movie-style shooting practice ranges where different silhouettes pop up - what is worth even attempting to avoid.

And judging by the amount of decomposing roos I’ve seen on the side of the road lately, plenty of drivers could use a refresh. But no one should feel they need to jam on the brakes, putting their own life at risk, to avoid hitting one of our many deadly and destructive pests.

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114 comments

Show oldest | newest first

    • MarK says:

      01:58pm | 07/02/11

      “If it bleeds we can kill it”

      MarK

      (stolen by that Cali governator for the epic movie Predator)

      I always stop and run over snakes very carefully - twice.

      Reply

    • john says:

      02:31pm | 07/02/11

      @MarK

      “I always stop and run over snakes very carefully - twice. “

      We can still see the tyre tread marks on the ones you only ran over once- slithering around inside parliament house.

    • Erick says:

      02:41pm | 07/02/11

      I suppose you’ve heard the stories about the snakes you run over, which then wrap themselves around the axle of your car, and then slither out at night after you get home?

    • fairsfair says:

      03:36pm | 07/02/11

      MarK my fave is “run for the chopper”.

      You’d be surprised how many opportunities arise where that can be used, accent and all…

    • MarK says:

      06:44pm | 07/02/11

      fairsfair I think I am the only person in Australia to like Predators.

      it has some classic lines in it too. I am hooked on it.

      Your thoughts raspberry

    • Aussie Bilby says:

      06:15am | 08/02/11

      Hey Mark, don’t run over them , you have to hit the brakes on them. Otherwise you will end up with a very much alive one ‘wrapped around your axel’.

    • bully says:

      08:46am | 08/02/11

      Love it. It aint an arnie quote, but I like this one too. “Your hurt, your bleedin man”, “I aint got time to bleed”!!!!

    • SuziHB says:

      10:54am | 08/02/11

      Are you guys for real? Why would you run over a snake intent on killing it?
      The snake is not known to you and certainly hasn’t harmed you in any way!
      As someone who was born and raised in the NSW central west, I know you don’t swerve to avoid Kangaroos, emus, wallabies and such and they do make a hell of a dent in your car but better sometimes to collide with the animal than to dodge. Seeing a dead porcupine, wombat, koala, possum, snake and the like, always makes me sad. Snakes are a protected species and if you deliberately kill one then you are breaking the law. Most snakes will avoid humans. I have had close calls with brown snakes, red bellied blacks and a tiger snake but all have lived to tell the tale, including myself. The small aggressive copper head however was killed with my bicycle pump because it kept attacking me.
      On the subject of Wicked Camper’s slogan, it is understandable that the campers most likely have bull-bars at the front of the campers and to hit a kangaroo or the like is better than the alternative of a smashed vehicle and injured travellers.
      Human beings have much to answer for in the way they think they can destroy whatever they like and it is their right to do so.

    • maybe says:

      12:13pm | 08/02/11

      MarK,

      ‘Liked’ Predators might be too strong, but I enjoyed it.  I laughed so hard when Adrian Brody smeared himslef in cold mud, I nearly shat.

    • doglover says:

      01:59pm | 07/02/11

      Best cat’s a dead cat.

      Reply

    • Paul says:

      12:09am | 08/02/11

      Dead cat, dead cat three times.
      Dead cat!
      You said that, Said cat three times
      Dead cat!

    • Jimmydeviljames says:

      02:00pm | 08/02/11

      Can you give me your address so I can come and Kill your dog?  I dont like them.  You understand right?

    • Erick says:

      01:59pm | 07/02/11

      I would stop for any animal, provided I could do it safely. Swerving might be safe in some cases, but not in others. I’d use my judgement - but the safety of my car and its occupants would be top priority. That said, I wouldn’t deliberately hit any animal.

      Protip: Never drive south from Broken Hill after dusk. It’s Kangaroo Suicide Alley.

      Reply

    • James1 says:

      02:41pm | 07/02/11

      Would you stop for a feminist?

    • Jade says:

      02:44pm | 07/02/11

      Yeah that is the kind of rule I follow as well.  I couldn’t kill anything for shits and giggles.

    • Erick says:

      03:11pm | 07/02/11

      James1, first I would have to stop, and interrogate the suspect to find out if it was a feminist.

      So, logically, the answer is yes.

    • James1 says:

      03:19pm | 07/02/11

      Nicely done Erick.  The giggle that gave me was much needed, and very much appreciated.

    • Jugg says:

      03:30pm | 07/02/11

      Erick,

      Having determined that it was a feminist, would you then get back in the car and proceed with the due consideration a feminist deserves?

    • Erick says:

      04:25pm | 07/02/11

      Heh, good question Jugg.

      To be honest, I would not want to kill or injure any living creature unless it was in self defence or the defence of others. While feminists do need to be defended against, education is a far more efficient weapon than killing at this time. So I would not willingly run over a feminist in current circumstances.

    • Gregg says:

      10:44pm | 07/02/11

      I have had a few interesting drives down the Silver City Highway at night, one time in a Nissan Patrol towing a small van and the verges may have recently been mowed for that’s what Kangaroos like and it was like for mile after mile, they just stood as in a farewell salute, not a one doing a bound out onto the bitumen.
      Other times there have been eagles as tall as the car bonnet that were so slow to take off when feasting on roadkill that I barely cleared them and then there was the 3 am trip to go yabbying with neighbour in passengers seat and a horse all of a sudden appeared from the darkness, so close to the car it could have stuck its head in, neighbour non the wiser, he must have been napping.

    • Quinn says:

      03:50pm | 08/02/11

      Be carefull with the interrogation - the feminist might find a way to construe this a a ‘relationship’.  After the court case you’ll be left standing on the side of the road while she drives off in ‘her’ new car with your house keys and bank card in her pocket.

    • The Badger says:

      02:07pm | 07/02/11

      Having spent years travelling in the outback, these were my rules for hitting or avoiding animals in the outback. Mind you I had a seriously outfitted 4WD.

      Kangaroos - camels - goats - horses and wild pigs
      Try to avoid them but if there is the slightest chance you think you will go off the road and roll by swerving, better to hit them. Be aware, particularly at dawn and dusk and do try to slow down. A good quality bullbar will generally protect your vehicle from serious damage, although your windscreen may not be so lucky.

      Cats - Always try to run the cat over.

      Rabbits - Try to line up the rabbit so it is passed directly under the middle of the vehicle. Just as you go over the rabbit, honk the horn. The rabbit will stand up and be taken out be the diff case as you pass over it.

      Reply

    • The Badger says:

      03:16pm | 07/02/11

      One more piece of advice.
      Kangaroos will often travel in pairs (don’t know if they mate for life).
      If you see one go flashing by in front of you, there is usually another following on behind it.

    • Freeman says:

      08:00pm | 07/02/11

      You don’t ever want to hit a camel or a horse. the bullbar will not save you from an animal who’s centre of gravity is higher than the bullbar. (i’m not saying swerving is a great option) Roo’s usually are in great numbers and at night often run along parralel with the car because they can only see what’s in the beam of the headlights. they will even run into the side of the car once you’ve almost past them. best to slow down and turn the lights off for a moment.

    • The Badger says:

      08:25pm | 07/02/11

      Freeman
      I appreciate what you are saying, but you have no idea how serious this 4wd was.
      I’d rather hit the camel or horse than go rolling into the desert on a track at night.
      ALL of the kangaroos that hit my vehicle, hit it in the back quarter panel.

    • alex the gay commie says:

      10:01pm | 07/02/11

      Horses can go right thru your windscreen and if you hit a big kangaroo mid jump it will crush you.

    • The Badger says:

      11:17pm | 07/02/11

      Ya pays your money and you takes you chances

      throw out the anchors and hope the air bags do the job.

    • Ben81 says:

      02:09pm | 07/02/11

      I’ve run over birds a couple times that have swooped in front of the car and felt guilty about it for the rest of the day.  Still felt guilty while cooking a steak for dinner, maybe it’s the waste i’m hung up about.
      Life’s not easy when you’re a soft city slicker.

      Reply

    • Stephy says:

      05:29pm | 07/02/11

      I hit a sparrow today :( Definitely dead after I’d gone through, but the crunch as it gets caught in your tyre is really not good…

    • Gladys says:

      02:10pm | 07/02/11

      Sometimes during mice plagues out west, it’s unavoidable to squash a few of them.

      Rabbits, cute, but not native. If you run them down, don’t feel too bad.

      A domestic cat: stop and see if it’s still alive. If it is and it’s got a collar take it to a vet and get them to phone the owner to contact you. When they do, yell at them that they should lock their cats up at night because it’s the right thing to do and you might sue because you’re scarred for life.

      Dog: why is it off the leash? If it’s on the leash, surely you saw the owner at the end of the leash and avoided the owner at least?

      Kangaroos: who the hell is stupid enough to drive at dusk anyway?

      Wombats, koalas, echidnas - slow down and avoid them. They move at a snail’s pace anyway.

      Snakes and lizards: they tend to get out of the way. If you run over a snake, just let the crows get it. You’d hate to try and rescue a black or king brown snake.

      Toads should be run over even if you risk your life and the lives of your passengers trying to do so. They are evil pestulance and should die.

      Reply

    • Freeman says:

      08:06pm | 07/02/11

      Wombats move at snail pace? they can run faster than you, Gladys, and usually run directly for their whole. if that happens to be on the opposite side of the road then bad luck for you and the wombat. I agree about driving at dusk or dawn to avoid roos, I reckon it’s only safe to go 40km on dirt roads in the dark hours although if feels too slow.

    • Bob says:

      09:29pm | 07/02/11

      I’m surprised noone has mentioned the challenge of the emu! Heading down the road you see a flock of emus run across. Ah! you breathe a sigh of relief, speed up and there is the obligitary Johnny-come-lately: “Hey, wait for me, wait for me!” and bingo crumpled vehicle, and even more crumpled emu! Happens 80% of the time when emus are around.

    • Gregg says:

      10:48pm | 07/02/11

      I’ve had a snake rear up half of its length when about to cross a road in front of me, perhaps sensing the vibrations and taking evasive action but quite a sight.

    • Tator says:

      01:26pm | 08/02/11

      Careful with the wombats too, they are solid enough to take out the sump of a car if you are unlucky, plus if you don’t kill them, they have a nasty enough attitude to take you on even when they haven’t been run over, let alone after you have hurt them.  But one of the funniest sights was seeing an emu being run over by an oversized load carrying a Cat 797 dumptruck body, comment from the driver, “got him with all 106 wheels”

    • fairsfair says:

      02:11pm | 07/02/11

      I think Wicked are right in their advice but WTF is the manner in which they are doing it? Is it supposed to be funny like their “Jim’s Brazillians” van, because it is not.

      Unfortunately for what runs out in front of you on the roads, it is not always practical to swerve or slow. An inexperienced driver’s instinct is to swerve and break. Disaster. I (touch wood) have only hit a Bandicoot. It was a sweeping corner and I could go nowhere. I am sorry Bandi, but it was you or me. I have witnessed a road train go through a herd of cattle. It was horrific, but that driver had the choice of plowing his truck into an embankment or kill some cows. It was unfortunate, but it was the right decision.

      Ideally, you never want to find yourself in that situation and driving to conditions reduces but in no way eliminates the risk - but I would swerve for nothing (dependent on conditions), irrespective of cuddleability or nativitity. 

      Sorry Skip.

      Reply

    • Interested observer says:

      02:19pm | 07/02/11

      As a long term resident of Kangaroo Island who drives on the ironstone gravel roads at night for business not pleasure, there is only one rule to observe: DO NOT SWERVE.  When room permits we will stop for the meditating koala and avoid the family gatherings of kangaroos, wallabies,possums and the occasional sheep.  However it must be noted that the Australian fauna have an unnerving habit of ambushing the passing car by reversing direction at the fatal moment.  The fall back rule therefore is - make sure it was a clean kill.  Never leave a wounded survivor.

      Reply

    • Nosepeg says:

      02:20pm | 07/02/11

      Never never run over a decomposing bloated Kangaroo !!!!!

      Reply

    • fairsfair says:

      03:22pm | 07/02/11

      eww, that would literally be all up in your grill.

    • LC says:

      11:43pm | 16/07/11

      There’s that, and there’s also the possibility that you’ll lose control of your car from such a sudden sharp bump, especially at speeds of 100+.

    • Dani says:

      02:21pm | 07/02/11

      And avoid the wombats. Those things are freaking huge, and they’re not going to move for you.

      Reply

    • Engo says:

      02:28pm | 07/02/11

      You should not attempt to swerve around an animal, especially on a freeway or gravel road, unless you have seen it a long, long way off and slowed down to anticipate.

      My brother attempted to swerve around a kangaroo whilst driving on a gravel road in the middle of nowhere. He overcorrected, hit a log and rolled 3 times. He was very fortunate to walk away with no injuries, but the car was a write off.

      Just hit the bloody thing, whatever it is. Better a dead animal than a funeral.

      Reply

    • Laura says:

      12:52pm | 08/02/11

      Learning how to drive properly on dirt roads at night would be a lot more helpful than mowing down native animals.

    • Wynston Cruso says:

      02:37pm | 07/02/11

      How many advanced driving courses have you done? I have been through a number of them and can assure you that breaking hard and not swerving is the safest option possible. If you can stop in time, great, but often you’ll still clean up whatever animal you’re trying to avoid hitting. Trying to miss the animal by swerving is plain stupid.

      Reply

    • ibast says:

      02:40pm | 07/02/11

      I think you don’t drive much in the country Tory?  Kangaroos, if given a choice, will jump in front of you.  I’ve seen it time and time again.  You do your best to give them and escape route and instead of taking it, they will jump in front of the car.  It must be some inbreed defense mechanism that doesn’t work very well with cars.  Telling people to miss them is beside the point, when it is usually the roos that run into you.  John Webb may have the best approach.  Aiming for them might actually result in less impacts, because trying to miss them doesn’t work very well.

      Reply

    • potatoes says:

      10:49pm | 07/02/11

      They are more scared of their shadow than the headlights.

    • JC says:

      02:42pm | 07/02/11

      First time I had to make a decision to whether to swirve or run down an animal was when I was 18, this dog ran out infront of my car. It happened so fast that I had a compulsive instinct to swirve out of the way.

      Thing is I pretty much lost control of the car for a few seconds and ended up doing a 180 and the car had stopped outside the dog owners house. The dog was fine and ran off but the owner came out and started yelling at me (without knowing her dog had just escaped) for being a hoon or something. Next time i’m not hesitating…

      Reply

    • Eno The Wonderdog says:

      02:42pm | 07/02/11

      It comes down to cost benefit but if it’s the roo or human life.. sorry roo - you’re roadkill!

      Reply

    • Erick says:

      02:45pm | 07/02/11

      If you’re driving in a flood, is it okay to run over a fish?

      Or do you have to check if it’s a native species first?

      Heck, if we’re going to run over any non-native pests we see, then we ought to run over humans. They’re the most damaging ones.

      Reply

    • Bob Brown says:

      02:48pm | 07/02/11

      I believe that Australia’s outback roads should have a 15km/h limit enforced. A trip from Broken Hill to Sydney could be knocked over in a very respectable three days consecutively driving. Also, every non-human animal killed on our roads should be added to the road toll, including moths and other flying kimakaze insects. In the unspeakably tragic event of a sentinent locust falling victim to our insensitive fossil-fuel-guzzling monstrosities, I believe a full pagan funeral should be held for the locust. Oil companies should foot the bill for the funeral.

      Reply

    • Syl says:

      02:06pm | 08/02/11

      HAHAHAHAHAHA Had a nice laugh at work over this one!

    • Jugg says:

      02:52pm | 07/02/11

      Never run over an Echidna, he get’s revenge.  You get new tyres.

      Reply

    • Ian says:

      04:37pm | 07/02/11

      Sorry, got one once, couldn’t miss it.  Then I did the right thing and attempted to despatch it cleanly.  A real bitch when it curls up into a tight ball with the spines sticking out.  Not a happy day.

    • Imalleeringneck says:

      02:52pm | 07/02/11

      Avoid wombats.
      Running over a wombat can take out your differential.
      Result dead wombat and severely broken car.

      Reply

    • Tony of Poorakistan says:

      02:55pm | 07/02/11

      What about a bunch of ALP voters staggering down the road from the pub after blowing their dole cheques?

      Reply

    • AJ says:

      03:15pm | 07/02/11

      Would rather see a bunch of dole bludging greenie Gillard lovers run over than cane toads.

    • john says:

      03:23pm | 07/02/11

      I suppose TWU {transport workers union} ALP voter DUI drivers will run them over with their B doubles- just a normal Saturday night out.

    • Seano says:

      03:42pm | 07/02/11

      Yeah but I wouldn’t break for a bunch of conservatives pickpocketing a granny for her pension cheque.

    • Wallaby says:

      07:18pm | 07/02/11

      AJ says.

      You mean there’s a difference?

    • Freeman says:

      08:06am | 08/02/11

      Nosthow really missed an opportunity here to make a stupid joke about running over a “Rabbot”

    • Razor says:

      03:15pm | 07/02/11

      Cats - double bonus points.

      All introduced animals - bonus points (except cats - see above)

      Natives - avoid only if safe to do so.

      Reply

    • Steve says:

      03:52pm | 07/02/11

      We’re an introduced animal!

    • centurion48 says:

      03:19pm | 07/02/11

      If your car hits an animal you must go back and check to see if it is dead or badly injured. You should hope it is the former because killing animals at close quarters is no fun when the animal is thrashing around and all you have as a weapon is whatever you can find in the car or close around. Try killing a kangaroo with a tyre lever and you will know what I mean.
      John Webb can make light of it if he wants but it is a very unpleasant, and potentially dangerous, task. Perhaps he should try to educate the people who hire his vans because they are more likely to get into trouble trying to second-guess a large kangaroo’s flight path before it demolishes the front of the van and the engine ends up in the cabin.
      I understand Tory wrote this as a topic to provoke a bit of humour but it does have a serious side that is not fun or funny.

      Reply

    • Wallaby says:

      03:36pm | 07/02/11

      I remember driving between Blanchtown and Morgan on a realy hot summer’s night. There were critters everywhere. I stopped to let a group of wombats cross in front of me and a bloody big roo ploughed into the side of my car! He did $2500 damage while he just shook his head and hopped away.

      As for cane toads you should always try to hit them head on. They make a loud pop as their arsehole valve blows out.

      Reply

    • fairsfair says:

      04:44pm | 07/02/11

      yep I don’t go out of my way to miss toads, but unfortunately if you become complacent you can accidently get a green tree frog. Generally the toads turn away from your lights, so you run them over from back to front. They usually cough up some horror and your morning walk on a warm summer’s day has a definative aroma. That said I don’t go out of my way to actually hit them. My home town is the site where the toads were initially relased. What a claim to fame. Check this out

      http://www.pawseyprowse.com/la_cane_toad_world.html

      whoever thought this was a good idea must have submitted the plans after the licked the back of a few toads. As a community it took as approximately 2.5 years to realise that the sign is a cane knife and not some dodgily constructed wall. Ah, home… what a fantastic place wink

    • Wallaby says:

      07:05pm | 07/02/11

      fairsfair, I know the odour you refer to and the sight of dried toad skins that have a car wheel shaped curve to them, blowing around the countryside.

    • Gregg says:

      10:59pm | 07/02/11

      Bob Brown will really be getting concerned about Bruny Island if the Toads make it down to Morgan but who knows with the Queensland flood waters heading south.
      There’s a shop in Noosa that has the best collection of stuffed toads as little figurines you could likely find anywhere.
      It was a few years back but I’ve never seen such a collection elsewhere.

      Local Bundaberg Newspaper ran April 01 edition a few years back saying how the council was funding $1.5M for a giant toad statue at a roundabout in the main street.
      It probably got a few people in for you know how councils are renowned for doing weird things like Big Gum Boots and wonder how the Tully or was it Babinda one faired, and then there’s all the beef cattle in Rockhampton and the Big Dunny that never was at Dunedoo along with plenty more here and there.

    • Tator says:

      01:38pm | 08/02/11

      If you miss a toad, break out the 5 iron and get it off of the road, reminds me of a four year old or so News.com.au article on the RSPCA criticising cane toad golf as being inhumane, the comments section quickly deteriorated into a Cane toad Golf FAQ with the best club selection etc

    • Super D says:

      03:42pm | 07/02/11

      I will brake for an animal but accelerate for a hippie in an animal suit.

      Reply

    • Serious! says:

      05:01pm | 07/02/11

      If you don’t try to avoid running over an animal you are quite possibly a psychopath. Seek help before you kill somebody.

      Reply

    • DH says:

      07:22pm | 07/02/11

      Amen to that. Even if it might be safer not to, surely most of us would swerve by instinct?

    • Laura says:

      12:57pm | 08/02/11

      Exactly! I used to work with a guy who would come in gloating about how he ‘Hit four (roos) on the way in this morning’ - He used to do it every day, run them down & leave them, sometimes still alive with broken legs and the like, on the side of the road.

      Needless to say he was not right in the head.

      Anyway, one day he swerved onto the wrong side of the road to hit a roo and had a head on with a bus.

      Lived. Unfortunately the driver of the bus called an ambulance instead of leaving him on the side of the road, broken legs and all.

    • michael j says:

      05:20pm | 07/02/11

      in the car it can be fun, but on the m/cycle it can be dangerous unless of course you have the steel caps on then a well placed kick to the head can bring about a perverse sense of enjoyment.
      gee sometimes ole memories can make ya smile,,,,

      Reply

    • PatC says:

      10:39am | 08/02/11

      Two lessons…
      1. Don’t try this in thongs - Footwear not underwear (or perhaps both)
      2. Can result in twisted ankle if target is a 2m high male, dull red in colour, and not happy.

      Gee old memories can be painful. grin

    • Laura says:

      01:05pm | 08/02/11

      You’re a bit messed up in the head aren’t you Michael…. there’s something wrong with people who injure animals for no reason apart from a ‘perverse sense of enjoyment’...
      To tell you the truth, I hope that one day you hit a roo & it subsequently goes through your windscreen causing you to put your car into a tree…

      You might even say I’d get a ‘perverse sense of enjoyment’ out of it.

    • mary monica roche says:

      06:17pm | 07/02/11

      As Australians rapidly approach the Chinese Year Of the Rabbit, we are asked to worry about road kill.
      Roadkill is yet another Tory story..

      Reply

    • Mary Monica Roche says:

      06:41pm | 07/02/11

      The Liberal Party has always treated voters as roadkill

      Reply

    • Zed says:

      07:49pm | 07/02/11

      On one hand, you won’t have a choice.  The critter what ever make and model it is will just pop up at the last minute and go *thud-spat/crunch*.

      However, on the suggestion that you can pick and choose a target, this is extremely ill advised.
      No driver, especially in built up areas, (But country roads with lonely school bus stops would also be included) should make the conscious choice to run down an animal.  You will not know if its seen out of there corner of your eye if its a medium roo or a person, a dog or a toddler crawling onto the road. 
      Imagine, just for a moment living with that choice.
      (How’s your Liability cover looking now Mr John Webb?)
      If you have that much time to think, you should try avoid it.

      Cheers,

      Reply

    • Freeman says:

      08:14pm | 07/02/11

      “hit a cow once…........................ F@#$kin thing exploded!”

      quote from the movie ‘the craic’ Female truck driver, might have been a cameo by Dawn Fraser?

      Reply

    • Carz says:

      08:22pm | 07/02/11

      I once hit a beautiful white owl (pre-Harry Potter so I know it wasn’t Hedwig) on the road between Quambatook and Bendigo, driving an F100, on the way home after a tractor pull. It was just sitting in the middle of the road. I stopped afterwards and it was dead (no surprise there) but not messy. I tried to do the right thing and take it off the road but it was crawling with bugs or lice or something. Not pleasant and not my finest driving moment.

      Reply

    • Chris Corliss says:

      10:35pm | 07/02/11

      I ran over an Echidna in the Noosa hinterland a few years back ( couldn’t avoid it).. Two weeks later on a road trip to Sydney whilst crossing the Sydney Harbour Bridge with an almighty hangover that eeirly scary sound of a flat tyre in morning peak hour.. The quill must have been embedded inside and worked it’s way to puncture at the most inappropriate time possible, you wouldn’t believe how many guys were honking with amusement as my sober wife changed the tyre!

      Reply

    • Gregg says:

      11:09pm | 07/02/11

      Most Roos aren’t usually standing on the road to be mowed down but will be on their way across a road at a good rate of knots, some smarter ones actually going for a bound along the edge of the road before they decide to cross.

      Not sure how well they work but at the price of less than $10/pair , you can buy these little stick on whistler devices, they just a funnel with a tiny hole at rear and wind pressure apparently emitts a high pitched whistle that is supposed to be one that Kangas do not respond to.
      Couple of night drivers on country roads in our family have not come close to a Roo since having them fitted.

      A black cow on a dark night, even from a distance on high beam is a scary sight because first of all you think you’re seeing things and then you’re on it in no time and they are good to avoid, secret to swerving being good suspension and doing it not so sharply.

      Reply

    • Laura says:

      12:44pm | 08/02/11

      They’re called Shoo Roos… & they work like a charm.

    • PatC says:

      02:01pm | 08/02/11

      @ Laura “They’re called Shoo Roos… & they work like a charm.”

      If the roo is straight on they sure do… but not if the roo is coming in flat out from the side at daybreak half way between Windorah and Jundah.

    • Syl says:

      02:14pm | 08/02/11

      Except when I used them on a hunting trip near Wilkenya and ended up being slammed into, side on, by a big red.  Never been convinced they do a thing.

    • Gregg says:

      11:11pm | 07/02/11

      BTW, must be near a record for no blame on Tony for the Kangaroos!

      Reply

    • LB says:

      12:15am | 08/02/11

      Yes, I would brake for an animal on the road - all animals deserve the right to live. To the cat hater, you have no idea how much joy a cat can bring. Like all animals, they give unconditional love to their owners.

      Reply

    • Joel B1 says:

      07:51am | 08/02/11

      Sure, the two cats the older lady has next door, un-belled (despite my wife asking for bells to be put on) and un-collared unconditionally love to kill (but not eat) our free-range Guinea Pigs and lots of native birds and lizards.

      Guinea Pigs are pure goodness and reduce CO2 emissions by saving us mowing our lawn. (Their poo is swept up and used in the vegie garden).

      Cats are pure evil. Breed to hunt and kill small animals was good many years ago (ie mice and rats) but it’s not needed now. Cat lovers should have breed out this “kill” instinct years ago.

    • Ben says:

      12:24am | 08/02/11

      Dad always tell the story of the time he hitched from brissy to perth and got a lift in a road train.  A large flock of emus had congregated by the roadside and this truck driver suddenly swerved off the road into the flock.  The bullbar was at such a height that it took off all their heads and left a flock of headless emus by the side of the road.  Apparently they were in plague proportions and he was just trying to do his bit!

      Reply

    • steen says:

      01:09am | 08/02/11

      what makes the killing of another living thing ok, under any circumstances a life is a life and we have no right to end it, or make it suffer needlessly, humanity is sadly lacking in the human race. some of these comments sicken me, we breed animals for our use and kill them humanely, thats part of life but to kill something for the joke or out of a sense of supiriority is just brutal. lets hunt toddlers it would be fun guys, or how about we take delight in starving children coz hey there are plenty of people, who would miss them, a life is a life. not yours to take for no good reason.

      Reply

    • Syl says:

      02:20pm | 08/02/11

      If you can’t tell the difference between actively hunting small children and making the split second decision to hit an animal rather than swerve and possibly be involved in a major car wreck I’m more worried about your humanity than many of those here.

    • Terry Wood says:

      06:31am | 08/02/11

      What we should be telling tourists is that ‘pulet au michelin = roadkill, fricase via dunlop = roadkill and of course that old standbye at the end of the week ‘camel out of camry!’

      Reply

    • Joel B1 says:

      07:19am | 08/02/11

      What about bees?
      Motorcycling I’ve hit two swarms, they just look like a big dust cloud until the honey starts smearing your visor. Yet another reason to always wear gloves, and ride with your visor down. Especially when it’s hot and windy, prime swarm time.
      Heading out to the coast on a dirt road near Temma some got stuck up under my helmet and got their revenge. I had lumpy jaw for a few days.
      In both cases I was picking dead bees out of the engine and fairing for weeks.

      Reply

    • Scotchy says:

      08:05am | 08/02/11

      Yeah I can identify with that. When I stopped off in Port Augusta last December my car was covered in locusts from the swarm outside Yunta, the guy in the next hotel unit was a biker, and we chatted about the swarm as he hit it too, his bike was covered, but the worst thing he said the visor was blacked out with squished locusts by the time he stopped.
      Hitting bug swarms like bees , locusts at speed on a bike is no laughing matter, your visor can be covered very quickly before slowing or stoping.

    • HeatherG says:

      08:24pm | 08/02/11

      You can buy (or used to be able to, a few years back) stick on plastic visor covers for this sort of thing. They’re adhesive on one side with a tab at one end so you can whip it off (at speed, if need be) if your vision is impaired.

      The ones my ex husband used were biodegradable so if you dropped it instead of (ahem) pocketing it or sticking to your fuel tank it’d do no harm.

    • Scotchy says:

      07:39am | 08/02/11

      Well, to be honest I’d run the buggers down! let me explain, I drove to Perth last December (pre-xmas) had a week in the heat and drove home to Brisbane.
      All the driving was in daylight and I saw only 1 Kangaroo on the whole 2 way trip that was near the road (and alive), so maybe Wicked had got in ahead of me.
      Anyway, what I collected on the car (Pajero) were birds, lots of birds, pigeons mostly, 1 hawk and a few minor birds, even found a finch in the engine bay!
      So, basically the big rodents tend to stay indoors in daylight hours (as its so damned hot) and come out to play and feed at night, so most drivers should be chugging back a few beers in their hotel at the end of the days driving.
      The only life I nearly took as I hurtled my 4WD around a wide bend was some crazy guy deliberately walking out into on coming traffic just east of Mundrabilla, according to Eucla garage staff he was a snag short of a bbq and the police were heading off to get him out of the area.
      So, moral of story, mostly its safe on our remote roads (by my experience) if you avoid night driving.

      Reply

    • Jo from Melbourne says:

      09:47am | 08/02/11

      It depends on whether you are in the suburbs or not.  I am still haunted by the image of our blind neighbor who stood outside calling for her cat, not knowing that he was lying dead on the rood to her front.  She was only 16 but her life revolved around her cat.  She was never the same.  In that split second when you choose to break or swerve or accelerate, remember that your definition of vermin may be another person’s everything.  And long after you drive off they will still be grieving.

      Reply

    • Em says:

      04:46pm | 08/02/11

      Oh God, that’s so horrible

    • Ross says:

      10:25am | 08/02/11

      Only good cat is a flat cat as they say if its off the veranda its ferral. had a farmer tell me if you see an emu nest run over the eggs, His idea of conservation. Bushies live in the real world.

      Reply

    • OchreBunyip says:

      10:32am | 08/02/11

      Considering the damage even medium-sized wildlife can cause to a vehicle, and the potential for human injury or death, I suggest attempting to avoid any animal with your vehicle is a wise philosophy, within the bounds of safe driving according to the conditions. Then again, there are some people who enjoy killing weaker creatures and will formulate any excuse.

      Reply

    • Jess says:

      11:39am | 08/02/11

      Gosh I love Southerners.

      Having lived in the Territory for 15 years I can assure you that Kangaroos are car missiles. No matter how observant and careful you are the little bastards will pop out of no where.  They are a pest and I agree with Wicked and their stickers.

      Reply

    • Laura says:

      12:39pm | 08/02/11

      Southerners? Like we don’t get roos down here?

      I’ve lived in country NSW my entire life, we have hundreds upon hundreds of roos around the town, and sure they jump onto the road occassionally, but I have never ever hit one in all the years driving those roads. It’s all about paying attention Jess, they aren’t ninjas.

      And by the way, they are not a pest, they are native animals. I am sure by your comments that you are probably one of those idiots that hits a roo & doesn’t stop to see if its dead or if it has a joey in it’s pouch.

    • Cat says:

      01:41pm | 08/02/11

      It’s not about paying attention, Laura. It’s about good luck.

      My dad hit a roo last year. He’d driven the stretch of road thousands upon thousands of times over the past 40 years. Had kangaroos jump out in front of him many times but never hit one. Knowing the road and the problem with roos he always paid attention and drove to the conditions. This particular morning one came out of nowhere just in front of the car. Bad luck for the roo and bad luck for dad whose car was written off.

      Moral of the story is it doesn’t matter how much attention you are paying, kangaroos sometimes bound out in front of you. It’s not about lining the bloody things up and taking them out. It’s that sometimes bad luck will see a roo come out of nowhere and you have a split second to decide what to do.

      My advice. Don’t swerve. Never, ever swerve. You risk of losing control or rolling your car or worse, you have a head on with a vehicle travelling in the other direction. While killing the animal is unfortunate, I would rather a dead roo than dead people.

    • Laura says:

      02:18pm | 08/02/11

      Cat, to some people it IS about lining them up & taking them out. Some people have no regard for them, and like Jess, think they are ‘pests’..

      I know people the same as your dad, my mum is the same, only ever hit one in 37 years driving the same road, and that one pretty much jumped into the door.
      However, she had the sense of mind to actually stop the car & put it out of it’s misery, and check if it had a joey or not.

      A lot of people won’t do that.

    • Jess says:

      02:22pm | 08/02/11

      I am well aware that southern states have roo Laura but you see comments on here from places like melboure. Think they have roos there?

      I have hit 3 in my life. Driving roads I have driven hundreds of times and always below the speed limit because I know that kangaroos are there. Maybe your roads are better then ours but we have massive ditches so the roos hide in them and you can’t see them until it is too late.

      Like I said, they are car missiles.

    • Jess says:

      04:06pm | 08/02/11

      Laura it is not like I intentionally go to hit them. I get that they are native and people love how cute they look but when I say pest I mean they are a pain and cause many accidents on the road because people don’t know how to react. Half the time they will go in the opposite direction but you can’t always bet on that.

      As for stopping to see if there is a Joey in the pouch, that is quite hard when the most common places to hit them where I’m from is areas with poor lighting and no chance of moving off to the side of the road unless you would like to end up upside down in a ditch.

      Don’t make me out to be a sadistic, animal hating cow. I’m just stating the facts as to what it is like to live in a country town in the NT.

    • Laura says:

      01:54pm | 08/02/11

      Haha, I stand corrected! You just googled ‘kangaroo’ and ‘ninja’ didn’t you?

      “My initial thought when I was half awake was: it’s a lunatic ninja coming through the window,”

      ... Yes, that’s a completely reasonable thing to think…

    • Anthony Sharwood

      Anthony Sharwood says:

      02:56pm | 08/02/11

      No need to google. I laughed my arse off the day that story happened and have never forgotten it!

    • Laura says:

      02:18pm | 09/02/11

      I just had this bizarre mental image of a roo in a ninja suit skulking outside the house until the people went to sleep & then cartwheeling through the window in a blaze of nunchucks and swords….

    • Ray says:

      01:39pm | 08/02/11

      We follow the same basic rules when we go out shooting,
      Rabbits, Foxes, Cats, Pigs, pests of any kind = fair game.
      Native animals = Let them be
      Dangerous animals (snakes, spiders, scorpions, etc.) = only if they pose an immediate threat to you or your camp.

      As for driving, steer clear of anything native or that you can’t kick without breaking your bloody foot. Anything bigger will risk killing you.
      A good set of spotlights (pencil beam and spread) will always help driving at dusk, and always having your wits about you. If there’s too many cars to use the spotties, this generally means less wildlife (I stress generally here!). Also, many animals can get “dazed” when in the path of headlights, so don’t expect them to see you and move out of the way.
      I’ve travelled many times throughout QLD, NSW, & Vic. country areas, be it with my family when I was a kid, or now with my young family. The trick (much like surviving any car trip) is not to out drive the safe operating capabilties of your self or your car. If you don’t know them, get to know them - book a driver training session.
      Anyway, it just so happens that safely aiming a wheel at the odd pest is within my capability, not that the kids know wink
      Nice article though, maybe we should put sitckers on our cars “backpackers, runs the !@#$% over!”. No I don’t mean that and I’m not from Wolf Creek.

      Reply

    • Vegtard says:

      05:11pm | 08/02/11

      You people disgust me. A life is a life is a life. Whether a cat, a kangaroo or a human… a life is a life… I’m not saying i’d kill myself to save an animal… But i would definitely risk harm if i knew it saved their lives. And yes, i am a vegetarian.

      Reply

    • Smokey says:

      07:04pm | 08/02/11

      I speed up for Lib pollies.

      Reply

    • Robert Diamond says:

      07:13am | 09/02/11

      Untamed native animals don’t give a continental about you, Tory.

      Interesting to see what human horrors your writing brought into the light, though.

      Reply
 
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