Victorian army base kangaroos clubbed to death

Sick and injured kangaroos are being clubbed at an army base in Victoria because wildlife volunteers have been banned from entering with dart guns, they claim.

The Puckapunyal base, which is commonly used for weapons training, has a vast population of fenced-in kangaroos.

But Wild about Wildlife rescue centre founder Lisa Milligan told News Corp she cannot respond to the regular calls she receives to attend to injured kangaroos on the base.

She said the groundskeeper had been clubbing the animals instead. "Why must these kangaroos die so brutally?" she was quoted as saying.

Australian Society for Kangaroos president Nikki Sutterby also claimed that defence staff had no concern for the welfare of the animals.

But a Defence spokesman said the army base hires "qualified Defence contractors who deal with sick and injured kangaroos in accordance with relevant industry and code of practice standards."