The kangaroo industry represents an international model of wise
and sustainable wildlife utilisation. It also points the way
forward to a more sustainable system of producing meat in our
arid grazing rangelands.
The kangaroo industry is worth AUD$270 million
per year and directly employs 4000 people, many of these jobs
are in remote areas with
few other employment opportunities.
Kangaroo harvesting is sustainable:
Human predation is a natural part of kangaroo biology, after-all
people have been harvesting
kangaroos for over 40,000 years! The modern day commercial harvest
has been utilizing kangaroos for over 40 years. During that time
populations have fluctuated solely in response to seasonal conditions.
The graph below is taken from Australian Government data available
at http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/trade-use/wild-harvest/kangaroo/population/index.html.
The troughs in kangaroo numbers reflect drought conditions and
the peaks runs of good years. The current population is in fact
the same as the long run average, this in-spite of the recent worst
drought on record! This is simply because the quota is only set
at 10-12% of the population, and during droughts the government
authorities review it mid year, to ensure that the take is only
ever that which the population can sustain.
Throughout the past 25 years of intensive harvesting kangaroo numbers
have actually steadily increased!
Kangaroos are super-abundant.
With a population in 2007 of 24 million, kangaroos are actually amongst
the most abundant large wild land
mammal on earth.
Kangaroos are humanely harvested: The Royal Society
for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) has independently
monitored the kangaroo
harvest and reported that 99.8% of kangaroos commercially harvested
are dispatched by a high powered bullet to the head or the junction
of the head and neck, exactly where the Harvester aims. (http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/trade-use/publications/kangaroo-report/index.html).
It
is a condition of all kangaroo harvesting license that they be taken
according to strict Animal Welfare Code of Practice, this
Code is located at http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/trade-use/wild-harvest/kangaroo/practice.html.
Failure to adhere to this Code can result in significant fines
and loss of licence (and therefore income) for kangaroo harvesters.
For
more information on animal welfare outcomes in the kangaroo harvest
click HERE
The kangaroo industry is tightly controlled. Kangaroo populations
are estimated every year by Government authorities to determine
a sustainable quota which is usually between 10-12% of total population.
All harvesters must undergo training and assessment by regulatory
authorities and report monthly on what kangaroos they take and
from where.
Intensive government monitoring is directed to all
aspects of the industry to ensure compliance with the regulations.
Australian
ecologists support the kangaroo industry. A wide range of professional
conservation groups support the kangaroo, harvest
believing that it delivers important environmental benefits. Some
examples include:
The Australian public support
the kangaroo harvest. Surveys consistently indicate that less than 5% of
Australians oppose the kangaroo
industry. Sales of kangaroo product are constantly growing as many Australians
appreciate the exceptional quality of these items.
And finally,
kangaroos don’t emit methane: Cattle and sheep
do by the tonne lot and methane is 21 times worse than
carbon dioxide as a global warming gas. It’s estimated the
beef industry alone accounts for 15% of Australia’s carbon
emissions. Perhaps replacing beef with kangaroo in our diet can help
save the planet!
