University redevelopment plan could trigger cull of over 100 kangaroos at Werrington campus
A proposal to turn Western Sydney University's Werrington campus into housing and commercial space has sparked fears that more than 100 kangaroos may be culled unless they are relocated.
Western Sydney University, in partnership with developer Stockland, has lodged a State Assessed Rezoning Proposal to convert 99 hectares of its Werrington campus into a mixed-use precinct featuring about 1,500 homes and 12,000 m² of commercial and community space. The scheme threatens a mob of over 100 eastern grey kangaroos that currently occupy the campus’s open green area, leading activists to warn that the animals could be tranquilised and culled.
Animal-rights advocate Zoe Schmidt, with 25 years of rescue experience, is lobbying to relocate the kangaroos to a private farm in Mulgoa, while Dharug elder Jacinta Tobin argues the species is a totem animal and should be moved with suitable habitat. Penrith City Council mayor Todd Carney insists any development must include a kangaroo management plan, adequate employment opportunities and reinvestment of proceeds into local education.
The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service has recommended preserving green corridors and obtaining a scientific licence for any translocation. NSW Greens MP Sue Higginson denounced the proposal as an “unconscionable privatisation” of public land. Stockland says it is working with experts to draft a Kangaroo Management Plan, though the university declined to comment on specific measures.
Why it matters
The plan could eliminate a long-standing kangaroo population and green space, raising environmental, cultural and community concerns.
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