Last year was a difficult time for Wildcare in coping with double the normal influx of injured and orphaned kangaroos. The increase was due to a larger number of animals coming to the roadside to find the best pick of grass and being hit by a motorist. The situation arose because of the worst drought conditions that had been experienced in many years. There may also have been a marked increase in commuter traffic, through wildlife-rich areas over time too.Often people rush to work and home again and do not fully consider the added risk of hitting an animal when driving through the countryside, particularly at night - and they come unstuck. As has been said before, there is a need to increase one's reaction time by slowing down and having a very good lookout.

If you are unfortunate in hitting a kangaroo, or come across an injured animal, please stop and check what can be done to both warn other motorists and to care for the animal. And report the matter to Wildcare. Your safety is vital and you may not be in a position to stop and check. However, do contact Wildcare on 6299 1966 (put it in your mobile) at the earliest opportunity to report the incident, so that a volunteer can attend.

As many would be aware, a kangaroo (or wombat) that has a cross on them has been checked by a wildlife volunteer. Checking whether a recently killed animal has a joey on board is very worthwhile - if it is safe to do so. A Wildcare member who commuted to Sydney on a weekly basis saw a dead wombat on the roadside near Exeter as he zoomed along at 110km/h. His conscience got the better of him and he travelled back to the spot to check for any pouched young. And guess what? He found a healthy two-kilogram baby wombat in its dead mother's pouch, at 4pm on a Friday, with the mother having been hit the previous night.

It's not too hard to check as to whether there is a joey in the pouch. Larger joeys can be seen, however smaller animals may not be so obvious. In this case, with the flat of the hand, run it over the lower belly/abdomen area of the kangaroo and feel for the slightest bump. One can also stretch the pouch opening and look inside. Extracting a joey that is suckling on a teat from a dead mother's pouch ideally needs to be done by an experienced wildlife volunteer, but if there are no other options, at the very least contact Wildcare for advice if you need to do this yourself.

As ever, call Wildcare for advice on 6299 1966 and, depending on the situation, the police may also need to be involved.