Residents of a Townsville retirement village are concerned about the wallabies roaming the grounds following a series of attacks.
UnitingCare’s Carlyle Gardens village in Condon has seen a number of residents have run-ins with the wallabies, including an 85-year-old man who fought one off with a thong days after injuring his head in a fall from an earlier attack, and a 73-year-old woman who suffered scratches and a broken shoulder in two attacks last year.
A UnitingCare spokesperson told the Townsville Bulletin that while wallaby populations in the area have halved from 500 to 250 over three years after staff began “walking them out” through the gates, the provider has been seeking a new strategy.
“We have submitted applications to the Department of Environment and Science, to obtain permits and advice regarding long-term solutions, which to date have not been successful.
“Our residents are fully informed and engaged in our ongoing efforts of controlling and managing the wallabies through regular town hall meetings and updates through our newsletter,” she said.
The wallabies may not be entirely to blame, however, with one anonymous resident telling the Bulletin that people have been mistreating the animals, including spitting at them, chasing them, and throwing objects such as rocks and rakes.
This is not the first time a horde of marsupials has made an Australian village home, with a mob of 300 kangaroos descending upon Gunnedah’s Mackellar Care Village in 2016.
