{"id":185013,"date":"2025-10-02T12:34:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-02T12:34:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/185013\/"},"modified":"2025-10-02T12:34:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-02T12:34:10","slug":"deadly-landscaping-decision-along-aussie-road-causes-more-carnage-clueless","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/185013\/","title":{"rendered":"Deadly landscaping decision along Aussie road causes more carnage: ‘Clueless’"},"content":{"rendered":"

A sad roadside scene has highlighted the \u201ccarnage\u201d that continues to occur along stretches of a busy Aussie highway, despite repeated pleas from frustrated locals and wildlife rescuers.<\/p>\n

The heartbreaking image of a Carnaby\u2019s cockatoo\u2019s<\/a> lifeless body on the bitumen near an exit on the Tonkin Highway just north of Ellenbrook, a suburb about 30 minutes from Perth<\/a>, was captured on Tuesday morning.<\/p>\n

Tragically, the endangered animal\u2019s death is not a one-off, with \u201cstarving\u201d birds frequently risking their lives to feast on banksias, \u201csporadically\u201d planted on median strips and roadsides in the area.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not uncommon,\u201d Dean Arthurell, the founder of Carnaby\u2019s Crusaders<\/a>, told Yahoo News on Thursday. \u201cThere\u2019s been three in the last three days.\u201d<\/p>\n

Arthurell first brought attention to the issue in May when he released a video of several black Carnaby\u2019s cockatoos feasting on banksia cones<\/a> \u2014 a significant food source for the species \u2014 in a fenced refuge stretching over 1km in the middle of the four-lane highway.<\/p>\n

The section in question sits in a 100km\/h zone, baiting the birds to \u201crun the gauntlet\u201d and dodge cars and large trucks in order to reach the sustenance, he told Yahoo at the time.<\/p>\n

\"Left,<\/p>\n

Dean Arthurell told Yahoo News he has received reports of three black Carnaby’s cockatoo deaths in the area this week alone. Source: Carnaby’s Crusaders<\/p>\n

In light of the footage, Main Roads WA announced it would prune back the shrubs, which were first planted in 2020 after much of the birds\u2019 primary food source, the Gnangara pine plantation, was logged. Authorities said this would be followed by their \u201ctotal removal\u201d.<\/p>\n

However, despite the trim, at least a dozen of the endangered birds have been killed in and around Ellenbrook in the months since, Arthurell claims, warning that if the \u201cclueless\u201d landscaping isn\u2019t sorted out soon, additional deaths will follow.<\/p>\n

\u201c[There will be] more carnage,\u201d he said. \u201cThe birds are migrating off the Swan Coastal Plain, back to breeding areas. We know that there are very large numbers in and around Ellenbrook, so we just expect more deaths until something is really done.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere needs to be an alternative food source that doesn\u2019t provide them the necessary risk to run the gauntlet to feed themselves. So there needs to be something planted somewhere nearby that is safe to forage for these birds.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Left,<\/p>\n

Arthurell first called attention to the issue in May when he released footage of several black Carnaby\u2019s cockatoos feasting on banksia cones planted along a 1km stretch of the four-lane highway. Source: Carnaby’s Crusaders<\/p>\n

Road authorities insist banksias will be removed from highway<\/p>\n

Speaking to Yahoo, a spokesperson for Main Roads WA confirmed \u201cfull removal\u201d of the dwarf banksias along the Tonkin Highway in Ellenbrook is \u201cscheduled to occur by the end of the year, and prior to any regrowth of the bird-attracting flowers\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cMain Roads removed the flowers at the start of June, 2025 and have continued to monitor the situation,\u201d they added. \u201cThe pruned branches were donated to Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Conservation Centre to support their critical rehabilitation work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Previously, road authorities said the presence of the trees \u201chad not been an issue\u201d until recently. \u201cThis is likely due to the plants not being old enough to flower as prolifically as they are now, as well as the lack of food availability in the local area for black cockatoos (especially given the last two very dry years we have experienced),\u201d a spokesperson told Yahoo in May.<\/p>\n

Locals urged to report black cockatoo deaths to authorities<\/p>\n

Arthurell said the ongoing saga has prompted locals to take matters into their own hands, with many residents looking to plant \u201ccockatoo food trees\u201d such as macadamias, almonds or pecans, on their own properties. Others have installed specialised bird boxes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s quite simply, been left up to the WA public to champion the recovery and conservation of black cockatoos. And the WA public are very invested,\u201d Arthurell said.<\/p>\n

While it\u2019s understood Main Roads WA works with a range of organisations such as the Perth Zoo, the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) and Murdoch University to monitor where bird strikes occur, and see if the road conditions may have contributed, Arthurell told Yahoo he believes many Carnaby\u2019s cockatoo deaths are still not being reported.<\/p>\n

He has encouraged drivers who witness an injured or deceased bird on the Tonkin Highway to report it to DBCA <\/a>to help with data collection.<\/p>\n

The state\u2019s southwest is home to three threatened black cockatoo species: the endangered Carnaby\u2019s cockatoo, the critically endangered Baudin\u2019s cockatoo and the Forest red-tailed black cockatoo, which is listed as vulnerable. Conservationists have warned that if declining numbers are not turned around, all three could be extinct within 20 years.<\/p>\n

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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