Save a joey from cruelty
- by: Tara Lewis
- recipient: The Honourable Julia Gillard MP
Please sign this petition to intervene immediately and stop the cruel and unnecessary killing of kangaroos and commence immediate investigation into the cruelty being committed on these sentient native animals.
One of the worlds most unique marsupials and treasured Australian icon is the victim of the largest and most barbaric wildlife slaughters in the world. Never before in Australian history has there been such an urgent need to protect our remnant native species. It's even more important now in 2012 to protect what we have left. Every year the kangaroo industry kills millions of kangaroos for their meat to make pet food and meat for human consumption. Their joeys are wrenched from their pouch and bashed to death, decapitated, shot or left to die as orphans from starvation, dehydration, stress or predation. Hundreds of thousands of joeys are dying this way every year in Australia due to the kangaroo industry.
The Murray Darling Report states, 'Critical minimum densities of less than two kangaroos per square kilometre would generally be considered at risk of extinction. Kangaroos breed very slowly and can only have one joey per year, around 60% of joeys will die before they reach maturity. Kangaroos are integral to the Australian environment and have been in harmony with it for 50 millions years. Kangaroos have strong family bonds and have been observed to suffer sever grief when one of their mob dies. We need your help and support!
To The Honourable Julia Gillard MP
We have grave fears for the future existence of kangaroos in New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia, and the fact that these state governments have already set commercial kill quotas at 12-20% of the population for the next four years.
According to scientific predictions, this could result in large-scale and irreversible extinctions of Red Kangaroos, Eastern and Western Grey Kangaroos, Wallaroos and Euros in the wild within a matter of a few years.
Considering this and other factors weighing against kangaroos' survival such as ongoing drought, climate change, DEVASTATING FIRES AND FLOODS along with ongoing large-scale habitat destruction, your urgent attention to the imminent extinction of our national icon is now needed.
Kangaroos should not be equated with herded production animals. They are free-living wild animals, many with young in pouch or at foot, highly susceptible to stress. As a result, current commercial kangaroo killing practice is commensurate with causing extreme cruelty to adults and infants, the outcome of which is to bring great shame on Australia as a society. It is conservatively estimated that three million joeys have died inhumanely as a result of this cruelty over the last 10 years.
We ask that you impose a moratorium on the commercial and non-commercial slaughter of Red Kangaroos, Grey Kangaroos, Wallaroos and Euros IN EVERY STATE OF AUSTRALIA.
We ask that this remain in place until such time as a full independent enquiry is carried out determining the extinction risk to kangaroo populations in light of new information that has come to the public's attention and the results of such inquiry be presented to Parliament.
Regards,
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