Teenager charged in Australia kangaroo hit-and-run massacre

The kangaroos -- including baby joeys -- were killed late Saturday local time in rural Tura Beach, on the state's south coast, New South Wales police said in a statement

Many of the animals were found on the front lawns of residents' homes the next morning, according to CNN affiliate 7 News.

Police said Tuesday that a teenage suspect had been arrested in connection with the killings. The individual, who was not named, was charged with torture and causing the death of an animal. He has since been granted bail.

"We take incidents such as these very seriously and anyone who engages in activities such as these will face the full brunt of the law," Chief Inspector Peter Volf said in a statement.

Janine Green, a volunteer with the wildlife rescue group WIRES, told CNN on Monday that she had never seen anything like the carnage in 20 years. She said three surviving joeys remained in her organization's care.

"Residents on the streets were just stunned, because they woke up on Sunday morning to find dead (kangaroo) bodies strewn all over their lawns," Green said.

45 dead agile wallabies found in north Queensland, Australia. The pink marks are spray paint indicating which wallabies have been checked for baby joeys.

In August, dozens of wallabies were found dead in Queensland, in northern Australia, in what was believed to be a mass poisoning.

"They died a really sudden death, and it was horrible, painful," said Shai Ager, a local conservationist, who had been with several of the wallabies as they died.

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