THE Redlands will be home to Queensland’s first virtual fence designed to reduce the number of wildlife hit by cars.
Redland City Mayor Karen Williams said the technology would be trialled from this month along a two kilometre stretch of Heinemann Road, Redland Bay, a place where many wallabies were killed.
“This Queensland-first trial will involve installing guide posts along Heinemann Road that trigger a sound and light barrier when a car approaches, creating a virtual fence designed to stop wallabies going onto the road,” she said.
“Cars are one of the recognised threats to our wildlife and this trial shows we are committed to looking at innovative ways to protect our city’s fauna.
“If this virtual fence is successful in reducing the number of wallaby strikes, we will consider rolling it out in other areas of the city and also look at how it can protect other animals such as koalas and bandicoots.
“The potential is endless not only for us but also our neighbouring cities and with wildlife deaths being an issue across south-east Queensland I know our neighbouring councils will be watching with keen interest.”
Different roadside and car-mounted sound and light systems have been tested on animals ranging from deer in Europe and the US to wallabies in north Queensland.
Wildlife Safety Solutions spokeswoman Sallie Gourlay said the solar-powered devices gave off a sound when triggered by approaching car lights.
The devices were set up at staggered intervals and sounds varied so the animals would not get conditioned to them and lose fear.
The staggered arrangement was meant to encourage them away from the road, rather than have them scampering in front of traffic.
They had been used with some success with Tasmanian devils and the best operating conditions were yet to be determined for wallabies.
“It’s pretty good of Redland council to be trying this,” she said. “No one wants to see animals killed.”
Ms Gourlay said the technology came from Austria and was being refined for local conditions.
Cr Julie Talty said the virtual fence was not only more cost effective than physical fences but it also had added benefits for wildlife beyond reducing the number of animals that were killed or injured.
“Wildlife naturally traverses bushland and we know physical fences can prevent them from getting to food or breeding partners, potentially interrupting their natural habits,” Cr Talty said.
“This virtual fence is the perfect solution because it discourages them away from the road when a car is approaching, while also allowing them to traverse bushland when it is safe, enabling them to get to where they need to go.
“A virtual fence trialled in Tasmania showed a 60 to 70 per cent reduction in road kill events, prompting us to initiate our own trial in the Redlands.”
Last year council partnered with the University of the Sunshine Coast to trial a chlamydia vaccine to combat the disease that ravages koala populations.