It was just after six in the morning when it happened. The sun had barely risen above the surrounding hills, which were white from a rare overnight snowfall, and I was out walking with my dogs. We paused as a mob of kangaroos bounded through the trees. When I thought they'd all passed, we continued on our way.
But I was wrong. About 15 metres in front of us stood a straggler. She quickly ducked behind a eucalypt, melting into the landscape. Sensing her fear, I pulled the dog leads tight and turned to walk in the other direction. Seeing us turn, she bolted out from the tree, heading for the back of the mob. Eyes on us, she veered wide towards the road just as a white station wagon came speeding around the corner.
I screamed as it made impact, but the driver either didn't notice, or didn't care. He just sped on.
Scientists have estimated that at least four million native animals are killed on Australian roads every year. That is a lot of animals. A lot of lives. But, what can we do about it?
On an individual level, there are some steps we can all take, such as driving carefully, using headlights and being more aware of what is on the edge, as well as the middle, of the road. Of course, we can also create safer pathways for wildlife — over, under, or around our roads. But, more importantly, we can stop encroaching into their habitat.
Koalas, for example, are being driven into extinction through habitat clearing, which is forcing them onto our roads. If they do become extinct, they will form part of the sixth mass extinction that scientists tell us is currently unfolding. And, according to the Australian Conservation Foundation, Australia is currently leading the world in animal extinction rates.
In her recent book, The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History, Elizabeth Kolbert has explained that we have placed animals in a lethal double bind: they have to move due to the effects of climate change and habitat destruction, but their pathways are blocked by roads or occupied by humans. Some might ask why this mass extinction should matter to us, but we ignore it at our peril.
"With around four million animals dying on our roads each year, it's a disturbingly common event. We are incredibly bad at sharing this planet, and it doesn't seem to be working in our