Officers at the Department for Environment and Water (DEW) are taking part in an aerial survey of some of the State’s kangaroo populations.
Data collected during the survey will be used to estimate the kangaroo populations in the northern agricultural areas.
Senior Kangaroo Ecologist at the Department, Amanda McLean said the survey plane was flying in east-west transects roughly 75 metres above the Southern Flinders, Murray Mallee, Mid North and Yorke Peninsula regions.
“This is the third stage of the annual State-wide kangaroo survey,” Dr McLean said, “and follows similar surveys over the south-east and pastoral regions of South Australia.”
“The data will support the release of sustainable harvest quotas for the commercial kangaroo industry,” she said.
She said DEW supplemented the aerial survey with predictive population models to determine kangaroo harvest quotas for the five harvest regions across the State.
“Surveying indicates that kangaroo populations largely respond to climatic conditions, with populations generally decreasing during droughts and recovering in good conditions,” Dr McLean said.
“This year, we also used thermal imaging cameras in the lower south-east where vegetation is particularly dense, so we can get a more accurate detection of animals that may be partially obscured by vegetation.”
Further information about kangaroo management in South Australia can be accessed at this PS News link.
