commercial kangaroo killing industry

Victoria's ban on processing kangaroos is robbing the state's agricultural industry of more than $13 million a year, according to the Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia. (Weekly Times, 3rd February, 2011)

It also estimated more than $2 million would be created by processing kangaroos, with savings of more than $10 million in the form of less damage to farmland.

Kangaroos caught the headlines when two appeared and forced the cancellation of the Hanging Rock Australia Day races. Now they are in “increasing” proportions, ready to be “harvested”!

A 1980s C.S.I.R.O. aerial survey of kangaroos in western Victoria (Short & Grigg, 1982, Aust. Wildl. Res. 9 : 221-27) surveyed virtually all the habitat of the red kangaroo (Macropus rufus) and the western grey kangaroo (Macropus fuliginosus) in the state.

This survey revealed a surprisingly low total number and density of kangaroos in western Victoria which the authors directly attributed to the effects of intensive land use and the marginal nature of remnant vegetation.

More importantly, however, the CSIRO. study questioned the whole basis of kangaroo management and commercialization in Victoria with its keystone principle of agricultural wildlife destruction permits issued under Section 5 of the Wildlife Act 1975. If a kangaroo killing industry was unsustainable then, it would be even less so now. They have suffered 13 years of drought, ongoing human expansions with roads and urbanisation, and Black Saturday's inferno.

How dare the KIAA put a $$ sign on our wildlife! Native animals are protected in Victoria and they MUST stay that way. Kangaroos are not "robbing" us or owe us anything. They belong to Victoria. It is cruel, un-Australian and unsustainable. Putting a dollar value on something intrinsic and indigenous is evil and reeks of filthy lucre.

We must say No to any ideas of a kangaroo meat industry in Victoria. Kangaroos are protected in Victoria and they it must stay that way. This would be a disaster for the animals. It is not sustainable, and the idea horrific. Our bush would become a shooters' target range, and the suffering will be ghastly. Already kangaroos are killed by traffic, "managed" and hated by many landholders, have suffered a prolonged drought, loss of habitat and Black Saturday. Why hate them and hound
them to the end?

We as Humans, are the ones whose population is out of control in these areas that are their native home but we won't propose controls on ourselves.

How low can John Kelly and his KIA, and the VFF sink? They've got kangaroos in their gun-sights, and when they are all obliterated they'll be pushing for the koalas and any other native species that is not fully protected from these trigger-happy buffoons.

We do not have an over-population of kangaroos and studies show kangaroos do not compete with stock for pasture except in times of drought, and crop damage, if any, is usually only within the first few meters of a paddock neighbouring bushland.

SAMPLE letter/email to send to Victoria Minister for the Environment:
Minister for Environment and Climate Change
Minister for Youth Affairs
The Hon. Ryan Smith, MP
Phone03 9637 8890
Email Address: [email protected]
Level 17
8 Nicholson Street
East Melbourne
Victoria, 3002

The Hon. Ryan Smith,
Dear Sir,

I am writing to express my concern and horror about the news that the Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia (KIAA) are considering a commercial kangaroos industry for Victoria. They say that a ban on commercial killing is “robbing” Victorian farmers of $13 each year! (Weekly Times, 3rd February). Kangaroos do not “owe” us anything and they are protected!

Victorian annual commercial kangaroo kill quotas of 30,000 provided for the 1977 CONCOM Report "Management of Kangaroo Harvesting in Australia" for 1981 and 1982 were actually based on anticipated applications for kangaroo destruction permits under Section 5 of the Wildlife Act for those years. That is, the quotas essentially anticipated the Ministers direct authorisation for wildlife destruction permits in advance.

A 1980s CSIRO. aerial survey of kangaroos in western Victoria (Short & Grigg, 1982, Aust. Wildl. Res. 9 : 221-27) surveyed virtually all the habitat of the red kangaroo (Macropus rufus) and the western grey kangaroo (Macropus fuliginosus) in the state.

This survey revealed a surprisingly low total number and density of kangaroos in western Victoria which, as discussed above the authors directly attributed to the effects of intensive land use and the marginal nature of remnant vegetation.

More importantly, however, the CSIRO. study questioned the whole basis of kangaroo management and commercialization in Victoria with its keystone principle of agricultural wildlife destruction permits issued under Section 5 of the Wildlife Act 1975.

As a result of the 1982 CSIRO survey, the Minister immediately abolished the arbitrary Victorian commercial kill quota of 30,000 kangaroos and restored the pre-1980 situation where Victoria refused to participate in the public relations exercise of setting kangaroo kill quotas.

If a kangaroo killing industry was unsustainable now, it would be even less so now. They have suffered 13 years of drought, ongoing human expansions with roads and urbanisation, and Black Saturday's inferno.

Please give the Victorian Farmers Federation and the KIAA's John Kelly a resounding and definite answer of NO to any suggestions of turning our forests and grazing lands into target ranges to hound and kill our already struggling native animals – kangaroos.

We cannot put a monetary value on our diminishing and precious wildlife. Kangaroos are perfect environmental managers and do not cause destruction. They are one of Victoria's assets. Any suggestions of a killing industry is cruel, morally wrong and unsustainable. ?

Thank you

(name and address)

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