Republic of Everyone: A joey’s eye view of the danger you bring to the road

Hundreds of thousands of lives are lost on Australian roads every year because people don’t slow down – especially in rural areas.

People are killed every year on Australian roads too.

But the job of WIRES (Wildlife Information, Rescue & Education Service) is to deal with the damage Australian drivers do to our wildlife.

Republic of Everyone took on the job – pro bono – of highlighting the importance of slowing down, being wildlife aware and reporting injured wildlife, and of underlining the work that WIRES does to minimise the collateral damage of road accidents involving wildlife.

That collateral damage is often infant wildlife, like joeys in their dead mothers’ pouches. While not every accident can be avoided, driving with more care – especially at dusk and dawn – can help save lives. Many marsupials are carrying pouch young, and the lives of these orphans can often be saved if advice from rescue groups such as WIRES is sought quickly.

ROE’s brief was for a 15 second ad that would also attract attention and build brand awareness. The ad demonstrates the danger to animals on the road through the eyes of a joey.