A video on social media showing a kangaroo being given beer is being investigated.
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The incident, which happened on Saturday evening in Halls Gap,Victoria, was published on Snapchat.
"In this particular instance, we believe feeding an animal alcohol is not only reprehensible, but also constitutes cruelty to the animal,” Northern Grampian Shire Council's environment and community safety manager Warren Groves said
“And if anybody sees this type of behaviour being exhibited, we would encourage them to contact local police or Parks Victoria”.
Parks Victoria said people feeding wildlife was an ongoing issue at Halls Gap.
“Feeding wildlife can have significant negative impacts on the health of animals and birds, and leads to aggressive behaviour of animals fighting each other and pestering people for food,” Parks Victoria Grampians team leader for visitors and community, Tammy Schoo, said.
Mr Groves also said “by feeding wildlife, people were directly impacting on these animals' ability to survive in their natural habitat. Feeding wildlife in any national park in Victoria is illegal”.
Parks Victoria will investigate the incident involving the kangaroo.
“If it occurred in the Parks Victoria-managed Grampians National Park, appropriate action will be taken,” Ms Schoo said.
In response to the ongoing issue of people feeding wildlife in Halls Gap, a multi-partnered Wildlife Action Group has been established.
Parks Victoria, the Department of Land, Environment, Water and Planning, Northern Grampians Shire Council, Victoria Police, local residents and business groups are part of the group to tackle issues such as feeding wildlife.
The action group is attempting to modify people’s behaviour by educating visitors, tourism operators and local residents about why it is important not to feed wildlife, including kangaroos.
They have installed signs around Halls Gap asking people not to feed wildlife.
Local Facebook pages are also used to spread this message.
Ms Schoo said the action group would be working with holiday home and business owners to encourage them not to promote feeding of wildlife on private land as it impacted animal health and led to aggressive wildlife behaviour.
Mr Groves said: “This is a region renowned for its natural beauty and abundance of native wildlife, and we want to ensure those animals continue to survive well into the future.”
