A virtual fence trial has greatly reduced the number of roadkill incidents along a Long Beach road.abc.net.au/news/eurobodalla-virtual-fence-trial-reducing-roadkill-incidents/102880624Every time headlights flash over a green fence post on a one-kilometre strip of road on the NSW South Coast, it makes a high-pitched sound and prompts a blue light to flash.
The virtual fence is designed to warn wildlife about oncoming traffic and make animals pause before they step out and become startled by the blinding headlights of an oncoming car.Prior to the installation, Eurobodalla Shire Council would be called out to incidents on the road up to five times per week during peak summer periods.Since the October 2022 installation of the fence, there have been only five roadkills at the site.
The technology has previously been trialled by the Tasmanian government, councils in other states, and by wildlife conservation groups across the country. This was because wildlife may need to cross roads to reach water sources or, when other food sources ran dry, macropods such as kangaroos and wallabies were attracted to the green ditches beside roads for food."Unfortunately wildlife has no road sense," he said.