20 Kangaroos Killed in Australia in Alleged Hit and Run: It's 'Just Unbelievable'

Police are asking the public to come forward with any information surrounding a disturbing turn of events in the Australian state of New South Wales over the weekend.

According to a release from authorities, “several acts of animal cruelty” happened along the state’s South Coast, where police were called to investigate reports of dead kangaroos on the road and on locals’ front lawns.

The release states that “up to 20 kangaroos may have been run over by a vehicle between 10.30pm and 11.30pm on Saturday (28 September 2019).” Detectives are “currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident,” the report adds.

According to CNN, some of the kangaroos were baby joeys. Three surviving joeys are currently being cared for by a wildlife rescue group called WIRES, CNN reported.

Janine Green, a volunteer with WIRES, told CNN she “had never seen anything like the carnage.”

“Residents on the streets were just stunned,” she added. “The kangaroos are part of their community, they’ve lived there forever.”

According to Green’s CNN interview, residents generally “slow down” for the animals, who often roam the streets. “For someone to do a mass slaughter like that is just unbelievable.”