Since the arrival of white man to Australia, kangaroos have been persecuted. From the early 1800s kangaroos have suffered from large scale hunting, bounties and dog drives, and today are the victims of the largest ever, land based wildlife slaughter in the world.
Every year millions of kangaroos are shot for their meat and skins by the commercial kangaroo industry, and despite claims by the industry and landholders that kangaroos are in plague proportions, government data shows otherwise.
According to government data kangaroos have declined by 55% since 2001 and are at critical densities of less than five per square kilometre across most of Australia. The Murray Darling Commission published a report in 2004 that warned if kangaroos were hunted at densities of less than five per sq km that they were at significant risk of extinction. Nevertheless, the Australian government continues to support the commercial slaughter of kangaroos in their millions annually.
Government records shows that in some areas up to 50% females are being shot by the industry and kangaroos barely of breeding age killed for their meat and skins. Red kangaroos are being hunted by the industry at a rate three times faster than they can breed. (UNSW)
Contrary to popular myth kangaroos breed very slowly and can only produce one joey per year. 50% of these joeys will die before reaching maturity (Staker,2006). Most species will stop breeding in drought, effectively controlling their population according to the environment.
Contrary to propaganda kangaroos rarely compete with sheep and cattle for pasture (UNSW, CSIRO), and exert minimal grazing pressure on Australian grazing land. The State of the Environment Report 2006 found that kangaroos exert a grazing pressure of just 5% on low intensity grazing land (60% Australia) compared to sheep and cattle 95%. Sheep and cattle outnumber kangaroos in Australia by 5:1
Some scientists believe that there are less kangaroos now than before white settlement and that up to 90% of the population may have been decimated by hunting and loss of habitat. This is based on historical records and grazing capacities of the land before it was modified in the 1800s.(Auty,2004)
Many scientists believe that kangaroos are an integral part of the Australian ecology, by regenerating native grasses, keeping forest undergrowth under control to prevent wildfire, and preventing the proliferation of introduced herbivores such as rabbits.
Despite claims by the ACT government and other environmental bodies that kangaroos are a threat to other native species, this has never been proven by research. Kangaroos have been in harmony with the Australian bush for 50 million years however they continue to be used as a scapegoat for drought, poor land management and the clearing of land for development.
Kangaroos are estimated to be worth between two and five billion dollars annually in tourism revenue for Australia (Sustainable Tourism Co Operative Research Centre). The kangaroo industry however, which is decimating millions of kangaroos and their joeys annually for pet food and shoes, is worth around 200 million. How can the Australian government justify an industry that profits from the destruction of our national icon, potentially pushing it to the brink of extinction, and without ever consulting its rightful custodians- the Australian public?
For further information on the research and data reported above, please refer to the reports below.
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