- SYDNEY, Australia (UPI) -
Almost 7 million of Australia's kangaroos are due to be killed this year,
after the Australian government gave the green light to the annual cull
of them this week.
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- The announcement has led to a storm of controversy
involving
wildlife groups, farmers and the wildlife harvesting industry. Even
celebrities
like Paul McCartney and soccer star David Beckham have been drawn into
the furor.
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- It is the largest quota ever, representing 15 percent
to 20 percent of Australia's total kangaroo population of between 20
million
and 30 million. The quota is based on recommendations from
scientists.
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- Under the strictly regulated system, each region of
Australia
is given the number of kangaroos that can be killed by licensed
"harvesters"
(as the hunters are called). Ninety-five percent of those killed are the
Eastern Grey, the Western Grey and the Red Kangaroo. Harvesting is
restricted
to land used for primary production and does not take place in national
parks or state forests.
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- Once thought only good enough for pet food, kangaroo
meat is now considered a delicacy. Low in fat and high in interest value,
30 percent of the meat goes overseas for human consumption, with the rest
ending up on Australian plates or as dog food. The soft kangaroo hides
are also highly valued by overseas tanneries.
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- But why kill kangaroos in the first place? According
to Environment Australia, the government's environment agency, controlling
kangaroo numbers is part of the process of managing "total grazing
pressure," that is, keeping a sustainable balance of wildlife and
domesticated animals.
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- The problem is that since colonization two centuries
ago, Europeans have built dams and replaced much of the native vegetation
with pasture grasses, creating perfect conditions for kangaroos to thrive.
At times, kangaroo numbers can reach plague proportions, threatening crops
and competing with livestock for food and water.
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- Supporters of the cull say it is as "humane"
as possible, and point to a 1985 report by the Royal Society for the
Prevention
of Cruelty to Animals, which noted that: "The curtailment of a
controlled
and supervised system of kangaroo culling would not reduce the number of
kangaroos killed but would force landholders to use methods considered
inhumane (such as traps and poisons)."
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- But killing the kangaroo for profit is an emotional
issue.
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- Twelve Australian environmental groups are joining forces
to mount a legal challenge to the quota. Local groups are joined in their
fight by British animal campaign group VIVA! (Vegetarians International
Voice for Animals), whose highly charged "Save the Kangaroo"
campaign has received global coverage, with support from famous vegetarians
like ex-Beatle McCartney.
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- Accusing Australia of "turning its outback into
a slaughterhouse," Viva! has persuaded major U.K. supermarket chains
to dump kangaroo meat and is also targeting the commercial use of kangaroo
skins. It criticized two of the world's leading soccer stars, Michael Owen
and Beckham, for wearing kangaroo-hide soccer boots.
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- Charlie Sherwin, biodiversity coordinator for the
Australian
Conservation Foundation, says ACF is opposed to the culling of wildlife
for commercial objectives, but not necessarily for ecological ones.
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- "If kangaroos are having an adverse effect on the
ecology of an area, then a cull is potentially OK," says Sherwin.
"But species can go from great abundance to terminal decline
relatively
quickly. You just can't afford to have a few species targeted so
aggressively
for commercial reasons."
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- But one of Australia's foremost kangaroo experts
disagrees.
"The quota represents a sustainable level of take," says Tony
Pople. "It is frustrating when groups make allegations about the
harvest
not being sustainable when there's no evidence for that. It is, in fact,
one of the better managed harvests. We know a lot more about kangaroos
than about fisheries, for example."
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- Meanwhile, commercial shooters like Ray Cross can't
understand
the fuss. He says the kangaroo population has never been larger, and that
culling is needed to keep the numbers down. "There's more 'roos out
there than I've seen in 12 years," says Cross.
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- Copyright © 2002 United Press International. All
rights reserved.
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