No rampant slaughter of kangaroos in Australia

US animal activists are grabbing attention with their “kangaroos are not shoes” campaign. But their arguments are simplistic and wrong, writes Ed Gannon.

Kangaroo culling is controlled and only conducted when there is a real need to do so.

OH THE irony

Two United States politicians are pushing to have kangaroo products banned in their country, because the animals are being mercilessly killed in Australia.

Yet, at the same time, another futile effort is being made to implement the softest of gun control measures in the US – to stop the merciless killing of humans in that country.

Californian Democrat Salud Carbajal and Pennsylvania Republican Brian Fitzpatrick have introduced a “Kangaroo Protection Act” to the US House of Representatives.

The Bill would stop the sale of kangaroo leather in the US, cutting supply to major manufacturers such as Nike and Adidas, who use the leather in boots.

It is the culmination of US animal rights groups who are running a “kangaroos are not shoes” campaign.

They argue the estimated culling of two million kangaroos annually in Australia is inhumane, cruel and, of course, unnecessary.

It is a simplistic argument, and is actually wrong.

There is no rampant slaughter of kangaroos in Australia. Their culling is controlled and only conducted when there is a real need to do so.

When overpopulation leads them to struggle to find feed, leading to starvation, damage to fences and infrastructure and endangering lives as they collide with cars.

The US activists point to the estimated one billion animals lost in last summers’ Australian bushfires.

But the evidence is that the effect on kangaroos was significantly lower than other animals, mainly due to their mobility in the face of danger.

The Weekly Times reported earlier this year the Victorian kangaroo population had actually risen 40 per cent in the past two years, to about two million. The Victorian Government has increased the cull quota to 200,000 a year.

And every one of those roos culled is accounted for under an Authority to Control Wildlife permit. Those shot by professional shooters can be processed for meat.

It makes sense, then, that the skins be used for products. Failure to do so would be wasteful and unsustainable.

And I thought we were all about sustainability.

The irony is this debate is happening in the shadows of the 25th anniversary of the senseless murders of 35 people at Port Arthur; the incident that made Prime Minister John Howard, when he stood up and implemented real gun control that has made Australia a safer country – and hasn’t impeded the access to firearms for those who need them.

It was a defining moment, where we chose to take a different path to America. Thankfully.

So while gun violence is now rampant in the US, it appears common sense isn’t.

And that is why you will find two ill-informed politicians trying to appease activists pushing an equally ill-informed cause.

Could I respectfully suggest the representatives focus on trying to prevent their fellow countrymen shooting each other rather than the humane and controlled culling of kangaroos in a far-off country.

• Ed Gannon is Editor of The Weekly Times

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