A WILDLIFE safety sign installed to reduce animal-vehicle collisions on the Mornington Peninsula has been vandalised, drawing criticism from local wildlife advocates.
The solar-powered variable message sign (VMS) on Browns Rd in Boneo near the intersection of Jetty Rd was recently fixed by Mornington Peninsula Shire after being damaged.
Save Kangaroos on Mornington Peninsula (SKOMP) president Craig Thomson said the vandalism was frustrating given the work being done by several wildlife groups to reduce wildlife road trauma across the region.
“Our group has been working alongside Mornington Peninsula Koala Conservation group and Mornington Peninsula Wildlife Action group to reduce wildlife vehicle collisions on the peninsula,” he said.
“One of our main actions has been sharing data of wildlife vehicle collision hotspots across the peninsula with the shire’s traffic management and natural systems teams to install traffic management solutions to save lives and reduce road trauma, not only to motorists who are affected by wildlife vehicle collisions but also our members from our collective groups who attend rescues of wildlife injured or killed by vehicle strike,” he said.
Thomson said the damage to the sign appeared deliberate.
“From what I witnessed when I first saw the VMS sign damaged all the rivets/screws had been removed along the top of the sign and the metal part of the sign that reads wildlife zone was pulled over the digital visual that reads peoples speed and displays wildlife images.”
The incident comes amid increasing attention to the impact of wildlife vehicle strikes across Victoria.
“It is an important issue that has seen more needed attention provided around this issue with the Victorian state government running an inquiry into the impact vehicle wildlife strike has on Victorians with a report tabled by the Victorian parliament last year from board of the inquiry led by Georgie Purcell from the Animal Justice Party,” Thomson said.
While the motive behind the vandalism is unclear, Thomson said the area where the sign was located had a reputation for reckless driving.
“As a community we can only make assumptions as to why the VMS sign was vandalised and most likely the area is a known hotspot for hoons who leave black tyre marks all over the road,” he said.
“As such it would not be a far stretch that people who drive recklessly in the area would take the next step and vandalise road safety infrastructure.
“It is also quite possible a motorist might think it is a speed camera, or it could be one of the individuals who deliberately run down wildlife.”
Thomson added, “regardless of the reason it is unacceptable and we would call on the government to increase penalties for those who damage any traffic safety infrastructure”.
A shire spokesperson said the sign was fixed on 3 March and was now operational again.
First published in the Mornington News – 10 March 2026
