Bathurst Regional Council came under fire in 2009 for culling 140 kangaroos in the interest of track safety ahead of that year’s Bathurst 1000, although it was later cleared of any wrongdoing.

Now the council has a policy of zero cullings and has turned to other methods of controlling the large kangaroo population on the mountain during race meetings.

That’s good news for the dozens of roos that have been seen on the Mount just weeks out from the Bath-urst 12 Hour from February 24 to 26.

Acting general manager Bob Roach yesterday said council would put in place a number of procedures to ensure the safety of drivers during the 12 Hour, including additional fencing and deploying extra staff to appropriate areas of the track to control the movement of kangaroos away from the circuit.

“These staff stay in place for the duration of the race,” Mr Roach said.

“That’s how we control them now.”

Meanwhile, council’s fauna management strategy should be released for public comment in the next couple of months.

Dr Anne Kerle, who has been studying kangaroo behaviour on Mount Panorama, said the strategy aimed to ensure the survival of native species and allow for the continuation of human activities.

She said she doesn’t believe the full range of strategies have been explored yet.

Australian Society for Kangaroos president Nikki Sutterby yesterday said the organisation had been assured by council there would not be any more killing.

“It’s good to see,” she said.

“They said they will not use terminal means and we are hoping they stick to that commitment.

“The local, national and international community were outraged by what happened.

“The international community values these animals.

“We hope the race organisers will work with the local council to ensure everyone is protected.”

Ms Sutterby said Bathurst Regional Council’s policy of herding the kangaroos away from the track during races had certainly proved effective.