Following the slaughter of at least nine wombats in a night of carnage on the streets of Venus Bay in February, a Fish Creek man has been arrested by police in a joint operation with the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA).
Three 4WD vehicles were caught on CCTV zig zagging across the town on the night of the killings, one of which police believe was definitely involved in mowing down the wombats.
Acting inspector Jason Hullick told ABC Gippsland, “We've identified some occupants of the vehicles and one in particular that was allegedly probably the main offender. And that man has been arrested and interviewed….by police and some representatives from DEECA”
The 18-year-old male interviewed in relation to the incident has since been released pending further enquiries.
The despicable acts took place between 10pm and 11pm on February 18. The next morning Venus Bay locals found the bodies of dead wombats scattered on roads across the town. A number of the animals had been moved from where they were mown down and put into artificial positions with several displaying vehicle tyre marks.
The investigation is ongoing and police are keen to hear of any other information regarding the incident.
Please call Crimestoppers with any information on 1800 333 000 David Barrett
