Decimation of an Icon

The killing of our Australian Kangaroo constitutes the biggest land wildlife massacre in this world.  Our Kangaroos are being slaughtered by the millions.  This includes our big ‘Red’  Western and Eastern Grey Kangaroos as well as our Wallaroos and Euros.  So far there are six varieties of our wallabies that are now extinct and in not the too distant future so too will be our kangaroos.

Approximately 90 million kangaroos and wallabies have been slaughtered within the last 20 years.  So far this year (2012) 6.9 million have been killed, and that is not counting the 800,000 joeys that are killed by ways of being stomped on, decapitated, bashed on the bonnet/front of a truck or left to predators, or to starve and die.

For our kangaroos to survive we need to stop the Australian Government’s approval  in regard to the ‘culling’ as well as the trade of their skins for consumables such as soccer boots, baseball mitts, soccer cleats, handbags and coast, as well as the use of their meat for human consumption and in the use of pet food. 

Whilst the experts may tell you that the numbers of kangaroos that are being ‘culled’ ‘harvested’ are kept within a certain quota so as not to endanger this species, nothing could be further from the truth.

Most of the killing is done under the cover of night with spot lights/torches.  Whilst under the Code of Practice the requirement is to shoot the kangaroo in the brain to kill instantly, non-fatal body shots are unavoidable, resulting in our kangaroos going off into the bush to die a painful and horrific death.  There are approximately over 1M miss-shots annually, however due to lack of monitoring this is a rough estimate only.  The Code of Practice is not monitored at the point of kill, but by spot checks of carcasses in refrigerated containers.

The words of a former commercial kangaroo shooter states this, ‘The mouth of a kangaroo can be blown off and the kangaroo can escape to die of shock and starvation.  Forearms can be blown off, as can ears, eyes and noses.  Stomachs can be hit expelling the contents with the kangaroo still alive.  Backbones can be pulverized to an unrecognizable state.  Hind legs can be shattered with the kangaroo desperately trying to get away on the other or without the use of either.  To deny this goes on is just an exercise in attempting to fool the public’.  (voiceless.org.au) 

However, there are those that are involved in this bloody moneymaking industry that will try to tell you otherwise.

Dispelling the myths:

Myth: Our government will tell you that the culling/harvesting of our kangaroos is undertaken due to the Australia being over run with kangaroos.

Fact:  This is unfounded, kangaroos are now fugitives in their own country, it is sheep and cattle kept at high densities that are destroying our land, these far outnumber our Kangaroos.  Our kangaroos play an integral role in regenerating native grasses and in keeping forest undergrowth under control to prevent wild fires and the proliferation of introduced herbivores such as rabbits.  They are not a threat to other Australian Wildlife and never have been.  The cruel slaughter is tolerated due to the misconception that they are a pest and a sustainable profitable resource.

Myth:  We need to kill and eat our wildlife to save it.

Fact:  It is imperative that we link wildlife corridors through Australia and Wildlife habitat.  Tourists want to see our national icon, as well as our wildlife.  Tourism is worth $85 billion annually to Australia and our native wildlife, namely our Australian Kangaroo is a huge draw card.   The Kangaroo industry (of which there is a small minority that profit from this) and the Australian government are slaughtering our tourist icon for $1 kilo for their meat and $6 for their skin.  Tourism is worth 425 times the value of this industry that is decimating one of Australia’s most significant tourist attractions.  (www.stopkangarookilling.org)

I am calling on you for your support and to take a stand on this issue and intervene for our well known and loved Aussie Icon…don’t let our Aussie Icon become iconic.  Tourist’s come from many miles to specifically see our Australian Kangaroo, with the added bonus of boosting our economy, let’s put a stop to this barbaric massacre.