Red kangaroos have died from massive hemorrhaging and internal bleeding (stock image)
In NSW, wildlife researchers have found the red and grey varieties of kangaroos have died as a result of massive hemorrhaging and internal bleeding around the joints.
'You would see a whole family sitting there but they were all dead,' veterinarian Greg Curran told The Australian.
'It's a disease, it's not a genetic problem. We haven't been able to find a bacteria, we haven't been able to find a virus.
'Parasites, they aren't part of it. Given the huge area and different kinds of country and feed, its very unlikely to be a plant poisoning. You've ruled out all the known causes of diseases.
"The drop is so great it can't simply be due to culling rates. The number of animals that have been harvested for the meat market is low. It can't possibly be starvation or malnutrition,' Dr Curren added.
Steve McLeod, a NSW Department of Primary Industries senior research scientist told the publication there had been a 'substantial drop in the number of kangaroos from 2016 to 2017, especially on the Western Plains.
Greys in the state dropped to 3.85 million from 6.33 million, while reds dropped by 1.2 million to 5.13 million.
Dr Curran, a former NSW Department of Primary Industry veterinarian, has been studying the decline for years.
"To have something like this where the best people have worked on it for decades and haven't gotten to the bottom of it... any disease that can claim 40 per cent is worth understanding,' he said.
Reader Comments
A few points:
-red and grey varieties of kangaroos have died
-We haven't been able to find a bacteria, we haven't been able to find a virus.
-The kangaroo population in NSW reached 17.4 million last year - more than double the population in 2010.
Then suddenly the drop as they are 'killed' off. It may not be plant poisoning but rather a chemical put out by the plants that are killing the Roos. A natural culling by the plants to ensure they survive.[Link]