Brandi Richardson, Pat Whittle and Andrena Francey are among the Bayles residents devastated by Gus the emu’s death. 85040 Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS
By Danielle Galvin
A GENTLE and kind-natured Bayles icon has died from stress after another break-in at the town’s fauna park.
Gus the emu died after a break-in at the Bayles Fauna Park late last month and the volunteers from the park say the town is “up in arms” in disgust and sick of the break-ins. Pat Whittle, the treasurer of the Bayles Fauna Park Management Committee, said Gus “dropped dead from the stress” after the Friday night attack.
“I’m very disappointed and very upset – we’ve lost our only emu,” she said.
“I just can’t understand how people can do that kind of thing.
“They’ve cut out that part of the fence completely and it’s lucky our deer and kangaroos didn’t get out.”
Ms Whittle, who has been on the committee for 16 years, said Gus had been at the park for as long as she could remember and that he had a kind nature.
“It’s very disappointing because we all work hard and it’s all voluntary,” she said.
“Gus has been there for years and years.
“He was very quiet and just followed people around.”
Gloria O’Connor, the president of the Cardinia Ratepayers and Residents Association Inc, urged the council to consider moving the cottage from Cochrane Park in Kooweerup to Bayles.
“The very presence of the occupied building would, in my view, deter the kind of people who from time to time do damage around the fenceline and inside the park and cause these kind of willful tragedies,” she said.
“Agreement on this matter had almost been reached but for whatever reason it has now come to a standstill.”
Andrena Francey, who runs the Bayles Wildlife Shelter said Gus was “like a puppy dog” and an icon of the community.
“Unfortunately our one and only emu – who has been there since the 1990s, was killed,” she said.
Ms Francey also volunteers as a ranger at the park.
“What’s happened is that now the park has 24-hour surveillance cameras installed around the perimeters,” she said.
“The town is taking it in turns – on different nights, different residents are watching the park.
“Everyone is so passionate about the fauna park and we’ve had residents saying they would stay up all night.”
Ms Francey said the community was “disgusted” about animals being killed for no reason. She said clumps of feathers were missing from Gus, and she believes that the people who broke in might have tried to grab him.
“I don’t know if they meant to kill him – emus are my specialty and I adore them,” she said.
“He had a patch of feathers missing on his side – they were completely gone.
“This was Gus’s home for life – and to be displaced and violated in his own home and pushed to the point of stress through fear and displacement – I can’t comprehend that.”
“The cruelest and ironic thing of all is that he died metres from the fence – it breaks my heart.”
Detective Senior Constable David Mealia from Cardinia CIU said a section of the cyclone fence, 50 metres from the entrance of the park, was cut between 7pm on 27 July and 6am on 28 July.
Police are encouraging any witnesses to come forward, as well as the occupants of a white van spotted at the park on Friday night.
“A white ute was sighted at the property at approximately 6.30pm on 27 July using a spotlight,” he said.
“Police are seeking the persons in the ute to contact police as they may be able to assist with inquiries, or for members of the public to contact police to assist with information to assist with identifying the persons involved.”
