Hopping into another lifesaver: Kangaroos get road escape hatches

Published 18 December 2025

• Successful trial of fauna hatches to reduce koala road fatalities leads to trial of a larger hatch to accommodate kangaroos and wallabies
• City of Moreton Bay has just rolled out the larger hatches designed for macropods on Bribie Island – a collision hotspot
• Council has also installed new fauna fencing on Bribie Island to help prevent collisions involving wildlife

City of Moreton Bay is hopping into another innovative wildlife preservation initiative, with the introduction of roadside escapes for kangaroos following a successful field trial of roadside hatches to reduce koala fatalities.

These hatches are a one-way egress device - allowing wildlife to quickly escape from road corridors to nearby bushland while ensuring they can’t re-enter.

Developed by local business Endeavour Veterinary Ecology, with support from Council following extensive scientific trials, the Fauna Escape Hatch is tailored for species that naturally push through or under barriers and allows animals of all shapes and sizes to pass through easily.

To reduce road accidents involving kangaroos, Council is working with Endeavour Veterinary Ecology (EVE) to trial their new macropod adapted hatches at three locations on Bribie Island – a collision hotspot. Council is also trialling another four internally designed macropod hatches at the coastal community.

The trial of the hatches to accommodate kangaroos and wallabies comes after Council undertook a world-first trial of EVE’s fauna escape hatch, rolling out 16 of the devices at wildlife-vehicle collision hotspots across the City for last year’s koala breeding season, a time when the endangered species is on the move and at risk of vehicle strikes.

Camera monitoring at two sites revealed koalas using the one-way hatch to get out of the road corridor and into bushland – as well as other native wildlife, including echidnas. During the 12-month trial, no koala fatalities were recorded at wildlife crossings where the fauna hatches had been installed on roadside fencing.

Mayor Peter Flannery said Council is excited about the installation of the larger hatches, which will allow macropod species to safely exit the roadway.

“Following the promising results of our world-first trial, we are not only looking at where we can install more hatches but how we can use them to protect other native species and road users,” he said.

“Kangaroos and wallabies, like the koala, have substantial populations in the City of Moreton Bay, so we are thrilled that EVE, and our council team have both designed hatches to accommodate these larger species.”

Council also recently completed erecting fauna fencing around Avon Avenue on Bribie Island where kangaroos regularly hop onto roads.

Councillor Brooke Savige (Division 1) said the fencing would prevent kangaroos and wallabies from ending up in the path of motorists.

“The new fauna fencing and large hatches will help protect both wildlife and drivers on Bribie Island,” she said.

“While this green infrastructure will prevent kangaroos and wallabies from crossing the road, we still need drivers to slow down and stay alert for wildlife.”

EVE Technology Manager, Natasha Banville, said their new hatch was an adapted version of the original, which had been put through rigorous testing to ensure it was effective and didn’t cause harm to koalas or other wildlife.

“When we designed our fauna escape hatch, we always had in the back of our minds that it was never going to be just for koalas,” she said.

“We’ve seen echidnas, bandicoots and possums interact with the hatch and now we’ve been able to alter its design to cater for macropods.

“When it's estimated that around 10 million native animals are killed on Australian roads each year due to vehicle collisions, research with trials like these are key to reduce human-wildlife conflict on our roads, which are catastrophic, not just for wildlife, but for people on the road too.

“This is really exciting to see a simple but effective device born in southeast Queensland having a real-world impact that could extend Australia-wide.”

Council also installs seasonal signs in key wildlife collision hotpots across the City’s local road network, advising drivers about the increased risk of encountering wildlife on road during peak wildlife breeding and dispersal times.