29-05-2025
Sad scene in the middle of a busy Aussie highway prompts 1km backflip
A grim video has emerged of what some locals have deemed a 'death trap' in the middle of a busy Aussie highway, prompting a surprise response from road authorities.
Dean Arthurell was recently travelling on the Tonkin Highway near Ellenbrook, a suburb about 30 minutes north of Perth, when he saw several endangered black Carnaby's cockatoos feasting on banksias planted in the fenced centre refuge.
While he first spotted the greenery when it was added about five years ago as part of a multi-million dollar upgrade, the founder of Carnaby's Crusaders told Yahoo News it wasn't until recently he noticed cockatoos were risking their lives to reach the now mature plants.
'They're producing banksia cones so that's why they've obviously come to my attention, and obviously the birds' attention, because they're producing food,' Arthurell said, adding he believes the shrubs are banksia prionotes, which are a significant food source for the species.
'In a time where there is really lean food sources, to have an abundance of a key food source that stretches over 1km down the middle of a four-lane highway is a bit criminal.'
Arthurell said the section in question sits in a 100km/h zone, baiting birds to 'run the gauntlet' and dodge cars and large trucks in order to reach the sustenance.
Remarkably, in light of the video, Main Roads told Yahoo News it has agreed to prune back the plants immediately and ensure their "total removal" soon after.
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In an effort to draw attention to the 'clueless' landscaping, the bird advocate posted footage of two Carnaby's cockatoos precariously perched in between vehicles whizzing past in both directions. The clip quickly angered thousands of locals, with many calling for the 'dangerous' plants to be removed.
And it seems, Main Roads WA is paying attention.
Arthurell told Yahoo he received a call from authorities on Wednesday confirming contractors had been hired to remove the banksia cones that are attracting the birds. The work is expected to take place over the next few days, and the cuttings will be transported to a black cockatoo rehabilitation centre, he claimed.
"Main Roads was alerted, via a Facebook post, regarding Black Cockatoos foraging along Tonkin Highway in Ellenbrook," a spokesperson told Yahoo, explaining that the presence of the trees "had not been an issue" until recently.
"This is likely due to the plants not being old enough to flower as prolifically as they are now, as well as the lack of food availability in the local area for Black Cockatoos (especially given the last two very dry years we have experienced).
"As the flowering Dwarf Banksias at this location are attracting these important birds to fly across Tonkin Highway, Main Roads has arranged for the Dwarf Banksias to be heavily pruned back immediately, followed by the total removal of all foraging species from the median and the edges of the verge.
Main Roads said it will be donating the pruned branches to the Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Conservation Centre to support their rehabilitation work.
Arthurell said, "It's great" that Main Roads listened to public outcry about the banksias.
The state's southwest is home to three threatened black cockatoo species: the endangered Carnaby's cockatoo, the critically endangered Baudin's cockatoo and the Forest Red-tailed black cockatoo, which is listed as vulnerable.
Conservationists have warned that if declining numbers are not turned around, all three could be extinct within 20 years.
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