A helicopter fitted with thermal cameras will be among the aircraft keeping track of the state’s kangaroo population during the latest round of aerial surveys.

Surveys started in the state’s south-east in the first week of September, with a fixed-wing aircraft covering an area from Tailem Bend to Penola.

A separate survey will be conducted around Adelaide - from Mallala to the Fleurieu Peninsula, including the Adelaide Hills - between 25 September and 8 October.

That survey will include the use of a helicopter with thermal cameras, as well as human observers.

Department for Environment and Water Senior Kangaroo Ecologist Amanda McLean says helicopters have an advantage over fixed-wing aircraft because they can travel slower, giving observers greater opportunity to count kangaroos.

“This is the first time that a helicopter has been used for a survey in the Adelaide Hills and Fleurieu Peninsula and it will help us better understand how kangaroos are spread out across the landscape,” Dr McLean says.

“The thermal technology helps detect kangaroos that may be partially obscured by dense vegetation.

“We used a similar helicopter in the Lower South-East last year, which produced some great survey results.”

The surveys provide valuable data on kangaroo numbers across the state, which contributes to the sustainable management of the species and helps inform harvest

quotas for the commercial kangaroo industry.

A range of non-native animals, such as deer, are also counted during the surveys to help with landscape management and the control of pest species.

For more information about kangaroo management visit the Environment Department website.