Community & Business
22 April, 2021
Eye in the sky for at risk tree kangaroos
INJURED tree kangaroos will now be more easily identified and located thanks to the Tree Roo Rescue Conservation Centre’s new donated drone.
INJURED tree kangaroos will now be more easily identified and located thanks to the Tree Roo Rescue Conservation Centre’s new donated drone.
The drone was donated by Inner Wheel Club of FNQ Tablelands through a Tablelands Regional Council Community Grant to help the conservation centre track, find and then rehabilitate injured tree kangaroos.
The Tree Roo Rescue Conservation Centre, located in Malanda, the only centre of its kind in Australia and is indispensable to the rehabilitation of native Lumholtz Tree Kangaroos on the Tablelands.
These Lumholtz Tree Kangaroos can be injured or in distress for several reasons including dog attacks, being hit by cars, or being found in unusual places on the Tablelands away from their natural habitats.
Dr Karen Coombes from the Tree Roo Rescue Conservation Centre said that she is exceptionally happy to have received the drone and the support of local groups and council.
“This is an immense donation it will help us find animals that we would not normally be able to find,” she said.
“If they are injured and we cannot find them it essentially becomes a death sentence, so this drone is a huge benefit.
“We don’t get any government funding we rely entirely on donations so this means a great deal to us.”
The number of injured tree kangaroos has grown over the last 12 months making purchasing the drone that much more important to the protection and care for at risk tree kangaroos quickly and efficiently.
