Defence's cost of relocating culled kangeroos 'rubbish'

KANGAROOS that have been culled in Canberra could have been spared for less than $400,000 - nine times less than the Defence Department claimed it would cost.

The Daily Telegraph has learned Wildlife Warriors - established by the late Steve Irwin _ offered late last year to relocate 400 kangaroos from Defence land in Canberra's north to private land, initially at a cost of $690,000.

But after Defence claimed their offer was too expensive, it came back with an offer in the high $300,000s.

General manager of the Australian Wildlife Hospital at Wildlife Warriors, Gail Gipp, said that in 2007 the group responded to Defence's request for applications to relocate the kangaroos from the Belconnen site.

Ms Gipp said she believed Wildlife Warriors' offer provided a "good outcome" for the kangaroos, but after submitting its revised offer, the group "never heard from Defence again".

Eight days ago, when Defence said there was "no option" but for the cull to go ahead, the department said it would cost $3.5 million to relocate the kangaroos.

"That's rubbish, absolute rubbish," Ms Gibb said.

The cost equates to $8750 per animal.

The Daily Telegraph gave Defence two days to answer three questions - including how much Defence paid Cumberland Ecology to conduct the cull - but as of last night Defence still had no answers.

The cull was still continuing yesterday with one man arrested afte allegedly damaging Commonwealth property at the site.