One of the destroyed gates is right next to the emu enclosure. Picture: Andrew Williams

Kanyana damaged during police chase

After the car smashed into Kanyana Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre their resident big bird, Widgee the emu, was unsettled for much of the day.
January 18, 2024
Andrew Williams

A HILLS wildlife rehabilitation centre has reached its funding goal after an inter-suburb police chase resulted in property damage earlier this month.

Animals at the Kanyana wildlife rehabilitation centre in Lesmurdie were disturbed early in the morning on Friday, January 5, when a car fleeing police crashed through the security gate of its resident animal enclosure.

The incident occurred at about 7.30am, after police spotted an allegedly stolen Toyota Prado driving northbound on Albany Highway in Cannington half an hour earlier.

Officers attempted to stop the vehicle before it allegedly fled, resulting in a chase which travelled through Cannington, Beckenham, Maddington, Orange Grove and up into Lesmurdie.

Finding a dead end on Gilchrist Road, the car allegedly entered the Kanyana property, smashed through two gates, and exited into the Korung National Park before it travelled back to Maddington where the occupants were finally arrested in an industrial area near Valencia way.

Kanyana hospital manager Tasha Rea said luckily no volunteers, nor animals kept in the enclosure were injured during the incident. Among the 60 resident animals is also a breeding colony of endangered bilbies.

“So, it was in a way very lucky.

They actually missed all of our sheds and all of our resident animal enclosures. Otherwise, we would have been dealing with animal escapes as well,” she said.

But the rehabilitation centre’s resident big bird, Widgee the emu, did remain unsettled for much of the day.

The repairs to the gates and associated electric fencing was quoted at $1900, at which point Kanyana posted to its Facebook and Instagram pages seeking donations.

According to Ms Rea it took just two days for Kanyana to reach the required amount of funding.

“It’s just fantastic seeing that support with everyone jumping on board straight away with no questions asked.

“We are really thankful of our community and our followers,” Ms Rea said.

She said repairing the gates and the electric fencing was paramount for the safety of the animals in the enclosures.

“We really need to get it done as it is part of our security having those gates.

"We are on natural bushland, but we do have foxes and feral cats moving through, so what that does is actually prevents them from getting in.”

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