The Effect of Drought on Road Mortality of Macropods

Abstract

Road-kills of eastern grey kangaroos, Macropus giganteus, and swamp wallabies, Wallabia bicolor, were monitored during and after the severe 1981-83 drought in central Victoria, Australia. These were compared with a survey of the same area prior to the drought. The frequency of road-kills of both species during the drought was higher than pre-drought and post-drought levels, and over 9 years the seasonal frequency of kangaroo road-kills was inversely related to the rainfall of the previous season. Road-kills of kangaroos were predominantly males, and almost half were juveniles.