Wildlife slaughter investigation
By Rachel Williams
Disturbing and disgusting is how witnesses have described a dead wildlife dumping act near Bridport’s Jarvis Link Rd this week.
Young boys riding their bikes on school holidays were confronted with the scene on Monday, with a large amount of rubbish strewn across the area among slaughtered wildlife.
Wallaby carcasses, some partly skinned, were dumped at the end of a fire trail in the Bridport Wildflower Reserve in an act reported to both Dorset Council and Police.
“My kids love wildlife, the environment and being active outdoors. They are pretty robust but finding this scene was disturbing and impossible for me to explain to them,” the father of the affected children said.
The North-Eastern Advertiser has witnessed the scene and chosen not to print photos, due to their graphic nature.
Police have confirmed they are investigating and discussing the matter with Parks and Wildlife, given the unhygienic manner in which the animals have been disposed of.
Bridport Lions Club secretary Leonie Johnston said it was a horrible discovery for young children to make.
“I was contacted by the parents of the children who discovered it so that we could use our networks to warn other children not to go near it,” Mrs Johnston said.
“The amount of rubbish looked as though there had been a few people involved. There were drink containers and KFC rubbish strewn everywhere and the dead bodies from a shooting spree with fur, blood and gore everywhere. It was absolutely revolting.
“It is so disappointing that someone would do that. You can only hope they are not locals.”
It’s the latest act of disrespectful behaviour in the community, with Dorset Council facing thousands of dollars in damage bills from senseless graffiti at public toilet facilities.
Council was forced to shut the female toilet at Scottsdale Children’s Reserve public toilets on April 24 with the male toilet converted to unisex to ensure it was still available for public use.
The public restroom and disabled toilet at the Alfred Street public toilet block have also been closed for repairs.
Damage has also been caused at the Scottsdale Recreation Ground and public toilets in Bridport.
CCTV footage in the area was provided to Tasmania Police for investigation and two youths were identified as being responsible for all of the graffiti and will be proceeded against under the Youth Justice Act.
“Reopening timeframes depend on the extent of damage, contractor availability, replacement parts, cleaning, and final safety checks,” Council said.
“The need to repair avoidable damage unfortunately diverts limited Council resources away from other services provided to residents and visitors.”
Mayor Rhys Beattie said he was very disappointed at the ongoing vandalism of our community facilities.
“As Dorset residents we are all so proud of our open spaces and the facilities that we provide, and I think I speak for all of us when I state that we are very disappointed in what is happening and the perpetrators should be ashamed of their actions.”
If any member of the public has information about either incident they are urged to contact Police on 131 444 or they can report information to Crimestoppers anonymously on 1800 333 000.