THE Corindi community is in mourning after the death of George on Monday, 27 July.
George was well-known to locals and could often be seen resting and sunning himself by the side of the road.
However, in what appears to be a tragic case of miscommunication, the elderly kangaroo was euthanised by police officers who encountered him on a roadside.
It appears that George didn’t move when approached, which led the officers to suspect he may have been struck by a car.
The officers contacted the Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service (WIRES), who requested that police euthanise the kangaroo.
They then moved George’s body from the side of the road.
While the police officers acted in good faith, George’s postmortem showed that, internally and externally, there was no evidence of any trauma, injury or illness – he was simply old and slow, and possibly a bit too used to humans.
According to a local wildlife volunteer, the request never reached the local macropod coordinator or appeared on the WIRES rescue system, preventing assessment from an experienced local rescuer.
This same volunteer had earlier in the month voiced concerns about the possibility of something happening to George because of his age and placid behaviour.
George has since been buried at the Yarrawarra Aboriginal Cultural Centre, where he received a Gumbaynggirr burial blessing.
WIRES did not respond to a request from News Of The Area but, in a media statement, confirmed that police acted appropriately, promised to review protocols, and apologised to the community for its loss.
While this might prevent future such incidents, locals are questioning how it could possibly have happened in the first place.
By Andrew VIVIAN
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