Australia Introduces Virtual Fences to Reduce Roadkill Incidents

In Australia, Bruchal carefully feeds milk to her orphaned wombat babies. These two little wombats lost their mother to roadkill, and without immediate rescue, they would have fallen prey to foxes or birds of prey. As an animal welfare worker, Bruchal recognizes that many roadkill instances are difficult to prevent. "Animals dart in front of vehicles, startling drivers and often causing damage to their cars, leading to either injury or death of the poor animals. This is a significant problem," she stated. To mitigate the dangers posed to wildlife, the New South Wales city of Eurobodalla decided in 2023 to implement 'virtual fences.' These consist of green posts installed every 25 meters, equipped with sensors that emit lights and sounds to warn nearby animals to avoid crossing the road as vehicles approach. Authorities found that this method is most effective when vehicles travel below 80 kilometers per hour. Mayor Hatcher noted, "Data speaks for itself; we have seen a nearly 90% reduction in accidents on roads where these devices have been installed." Although the cost of setting up a virtual fence is high, at 10,000 Australian dollars per kilometer, equivalent to around 19,000 New Taiwan dollars, insurance reports indicate that there are over 7,000 claims filed each year in Australia for kangaroo roadkill incidents, with over 28 million Australian dollars spent on vehicle repairs, roughly 530 million New Taiwan dollars. Thus, animal welfare advocates believe that installing virtual fences is a cost-effective solution, with plans to expand this initiative to Canberra. Canberra animal advocate Potrill stated, "From my perspective, it is relatively inexpensive, and the benefits outweigh the costs. We need to take action to at least prevent animals from crossing the road if we can't stop drivers from speeding during high-risk times." The animal welfare organizations note that while virtual fences may not impact birds, saving any other wildlife is undoubtedly commendable. They hope for a day when intervention for orphaned wildlife caused by roadkill will no longer be necessary.