Sydney kangaroos face cull if university campus development goes ahead

A mob of more than 100 kangaroos could be killed if Western Sydney University wins approval to redevelop part of its Werrington campus, animal advocates warn.

The university and developer Stockland want to transform 99 hectares into a mixed-use community with 1,500 homes and 12,000 square metres of commercial and community space. The proposal is being assessed by the New South Wales government through its State Assessed Rezoning Proposal process.

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We’ll lose 130 kangaroos that have lived here for years and years.

The site is home to eastern grey kangaroos and sits between residential suburbs, the Great Western Highway and the Cobham juvenile detention centre. Zoe Schmidt, a neighbouring resident and animal rescue worker, has spent 25 years working with animals and has discussed relocation options with the university and Stockland. She said the development plans would mean the animals were tranquillised and euthanised.

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We’ll lose a lot of history with not just the animals, but with the green space that we have out here as well.

“We’ll lose 130 kangaroos that have lived here for years and years,” Schmidt said. “We’ll lose a lot of history with not just the animals, but with the green space that we have out here as well.” She supports moving the kangaroos to a rural property in Mulgoa, but fears they could suffer the same fate as animals pushed onto the Great Western Highway by an earlier housing development.

Stockland said it and the university were working with qualified experts and stakeholders on a Kangaroo Management Plan. New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service advice issued in 2023 said management should prioritise animal welfare, environmental impacts, public safety and the population’s long-term viability. Dharug elder Jacinta Tobin, who served on an advisory committee, said the kangaroos are a totem animal and should not be culled. Relocation would require Stockland to obtain a scientific licence from the Biodiversity and Heritage Regulator.

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Stockland and Western Sydney University continue to work closely with qualified experts and key stakeholders to prepare a Kangaroo Management Plan (KMP) for the Werrington campus.