How Do Australians Feel About Commercial Killing Of Kangaroos?
The world’s largest commercial slaughter of land-based wild animals takes place every night in remote areas of Australia. Each year, a quota is set for 4.5–6 million wild kangaroos to be killed by the commercial kangaroo industry. Their skins are used to produce soccer shoes and motorcycle suits, while their meat is sold as dog food and exotic game meat around the world.
This trade is justified with the narrative that as native grazers, kangaroos compete with farmed animals for grass and therefore harm animal agriculture profits. While kangaroos are considered a national icon, many Australians have therefore grown up with the notion that kangaroos are also a problem that needs to be managed. Many are even unaware that this commercial slaughter takes place in their backyards and how the industry operates.
But times are changing. We’ve found that Australians are becoming more aware of the cruelty of kangaroo slaughter and its ripple effects, including the fate of countless young joeys as collateral deaths of the industry, the lack of monitoring, the risks to kangaroo populations and Australian ecosystems, the public health threats, and the substantial spiritual and cultural harm inflicted on Indigenous Australians.
While pressure on the Australian government to end this wildlife trade continues to grow, companies around the world, such as Nike, Puma, Gucci, Purina and more, are ending their use of kangaroo products. Emerging scientific evidence is increasingly being used in the U.S. and Europe to put forward proposals to ban the importation of kangaroo products. But how do Australians feel about kangaroos and their commercial slaughter?
Supported by our research advisors at Faunalytics, Kangaroos Alive recently commissioned the independent global data and insights organization Pureprofile to conduct a nationally representative survey of 2000 Australians to find out. In this blog, we outline some of the key findings.
Perceptions Of Kangaroos
When Australians are asked how they would describe kangaroos, an overwhelming 83% of people describe them as an Australian icon, compared to just 10% that describe kangaroos as a pest. When presented as a statement (“Kangaroos are a pest in Australia”), just 13% of Australians agree that kangaroos are a pest, while 62% disagree.
The people who didn’t describe kangaroos as pests were asked why, to which the most common answer was because they are native to Australia (85%), because they hold cultural significance for Indigenous communities (46%), because they fulfill an important role in our ecosystems (44%), and because they attract tourists (42%). The smaller number of participants who did describe kangaroos as pests chose that description mostly because they pose road hazards (76%) and cause crop damage (68%).
Adult And Joey Welfare
The commercial killing of kangaroos is guided by a voluntary Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos, which prescribes that kangaroos must be killed with a single shot to the braincase (the part of the skull that covers the brain). However, it has been identified that there is no monitoring of compliance to the Code of Practice at the point of kill and little to no penalties issued.
In our survey, we learned that two out of three Australians (69%) find it unacceptable that there is no monitoring at the point of kill, compared to less than 9% who find it acceptable.
Typically, kangaroos are shot at a distance at night in remote areas. A number of independent examinations, including one over a 10-year period, revealed that up to 40% of commercially killed kangaroos are mis-shot, meaning they are not shot in the brain case, likely prolonging their suffering before death.
After learning about this, 71% of Australians thought it was unacceptable that kangaroos are often mis-shot by commercial kangaroo shooters, compared to under 9% who found it acceptable. More than two-thirds of Australians think the commercial killing of kangaroos causes unnecessary animal cruelty and suffering (69%), and 63% think it is inhumane.
Around one-third of commercially killed kangaroos are female. There is no time of year when a reproductive female is likely to not have a dependent joey. The Code of Practice states that if a female kangaroo with pouch young (i.e., a joey) is killed, the orphaned joey is recommended to be killed by blunt force trauma or decapitation.
In practice, this often involves the use of a steel pipe or swinging joeys against the shooter’s vehicle. Other joeys are left to die from dehydration and starvation. While the government and the commercial kangaroo industry do not keep track of the number of joeys killed as collateral deaths, it’s estimated that 400,000 healthy joeys are killed by the industry each year.
After learning about these prescribed killing methods and the fate of joeys, three out of four Australians who completed our survey (76%) thought it was unacceptable to kill joeys as part of a commercial industry. Similarly, 75% of respondents do not support the current prescribed methods to kill joeys as a humane practice. Of those surveyed, 61% agree the commercial slaughter of kangaroos poses an animal welfare crisis and 59% agree the commercial slaughter of kangaroos should be stopped due to ethical concerns.
Conservation Issues
Kangaroos are endemic to Australia and have co-evolved with Australian ecosystems for 20 million years. As native herbivores who play a crucial role in seed dispersal, fertilization, soil turnover, and aeration, kangaroos are often referred to as “ecosystem engineers.”
Based on this information, just 1.5% of Australians do not think that protecting kangaroos is an important strategy to protect the wider Australian ecosystems, compared to 98% who think it is slightly to very important.
Kangaroo populations are estimated with aerial surveys and extrapolations, which are then used to set commercial kill quotas. A recent parliamentary inquiry into the health and wellbeing of kangaroos revealed that these methods are questionable, inaccurate, and regularly lead to biologically impossible population estimates.
Based on this information, over 70% of Australians who took our survey agree that the commercial killing of kangaroos should be stopped until reliable population estimates are obtained, of which 22% said they were against the commercial killing of kangaroos regardless. In addition, 78% of Australians agree that the methods and statistical models used to estimate kangaroo populations should be made publicly available to allow for independent scientific peer review.
An estimated three billion Australian animals were killed during the 2019–2020 bushfires. Scientists warn that climate change is expected to exacerbate the effects of drought and fires on kangaroo populations, leading to more dramatic population collapses during extreme climate events.
After reading this, two-thirds of Australians (67%) agreed that the commercial killing of kangaroos should be stopped until we know more about the effects of climate change on kangaroo populations, of which 25% were against the commercial killing of kangaroos regardless.
Public Health, Safety, And Food Hygiene
Experts warn that 75% of new emerging infectious diseases will originate from animals. Evidencs has shown that commercial shooters process multiple species such as deer, pigs, dingoes and kangaroos together with minimal hygiene procedures, allowing bodily fluids and viral loads of different species to mix.
With this in mind, 57% of Australians are concerned about commercial industries working with wild animals in the context of the potential emergence of new zoonotic diseases, compared to 8% who are not concerned.
Wild kangaroos are commercially shot in remote areas and disemboweled in the field with few hygienic measures and no supervision. The carcasses are transported in the open air for hours before reaching the field chillers, where they may be stored for up to two weeks before being transported to processors. Independent studies have shown kangaroo meat to contain high levels of bacterial accumulations, including Toxoplasma, Salmonella and the fecal bacteria E. coli. The Russian Federation has banned kangaroo meat since 2009 due to unacceptable bacterial contamination.
After learning about the hygiene aspect, two-thirds of Australians (67.5%) are unlikely to consume kangaroo meat and an overwhelming 72% think kangaroo meat is of poor hygiene. As revealed in the recent parliamentary inquiry into the health and well-being of kangaroos, commercial kangaroo shooters are increasingly shooting in residential areas. Our survey found that two-thirds of Australians think this is unacceptable (67%).
Impact On Indigenous Australians
Kangaroos continue to be a sacred totem for many Indigenous Australians. Many consider commercially killing kangaroos and shipping their body parts overseas to be culturally offensive and spiritually harmful.
The Yuin Declaration for Kangaroos states: “There exists a living ancestral relationship, uniquely bound between Indigenous Australians and kangaroos, which should be preserved historically, spiritually, culturally and environmentally for all times.”
After reading this, 44% of survey respondents said the commercial killing of kangaroos should be stopped to respect Indigenous culture, compared to 23% that disagree. Furthermore, 53% agree that the government should undertake extensive and genuine consultation with Indigenous Australians and consider their interests before continuing the commercial killing of kangaroos, compared to 17% that disagree.
The Yuin Declaration for Kangaroos, written by Indigenous elder Uncle Max, states that since kangaroos have inhabited the Australian continent for over 20 million years, they have sovereign rights above and beyond any human claims of dominion over them and should be protected from harms caused by human abuse and exploitation. We found that the majority of Australians support this statement (51%), while 19% do not support it.
Coexisting With Kangaroos
Kangaroos have been identified as one of the most recognizable animals in the world and are considered Australia’s national icon. More than 70% of overseas visitors wish to experience Australia’s unique wild animals, with kangaroos and koalas being the most popular animals.
Impressively, we found that nine out of ten Australians agree kangaroos should remain part of the Australian landscape (90%) and think we should share the land with Australia’s native wild animals, including kangaroos (88%). Meanwhile, 78% of Australians think it’s important to examine the potential economic benefits of kangaroo ecotourism versus the benefits of commercial killing them, of which 24% are against commercial killing regardless.
Kangaroos are killed with the justification of reducing grazing competition with non-native, introduced livestock. There are about 80 million sheep and 30 million cattle in Australia. A sheep consumes five times as much vegetation as a kangaroo, while a single cow consumes up to 40 times more. Non-native farmed animals account for 92–99% of total grazing pressure in Australia, while kangaroos may account for as little as 1%.
With this in mind, a striking 80% of Australians agree that kangaroos deserve a fair share of grazing on their native land.
Historically, Australia has resorted to killing kangaroos in the belief it will help prevent damage to crops, pastures, and fencing. Some farmers are successfully switching to non-lethal strategies to co-exist with kangaroos and other Australian wild animals. Examples include animal-friendly fencing, strategic crop placement to reduce damage, choosing crops unappetizing to kangaroos, and so on.
Our survey found that over two-thirds of Australians (69%) support using effective, non-lethal methods of coexisting with kangaroos.
The Wild Animal Trade
The European Union banned the import of Canadian harp seal products based on moral concerns, despite inaction from the Canadian government. According to our survey, 67% of Australians agree that other countries have a responsibility not to drive the commercial slaughter of Australian wild animals if it causes cruelty or poses ecological threats.
Importantly, 64% of respondents agree that Australia should take a stance against the commercial killing of kangaroos, just like the country has taken a stance against killing wild elephants for their ivory and hunting wild whales for their meat and other body parts. Nearly two-thirds of Australians (64%) want commercial companies to stop trading in kangaroo body parts.
Adidas continues to use kangaroo leather to produce its high-end soccer shoes. Meanwhile, Nike, PUMA, New Balance, and countless other brands worldwide have pledged to stop using kangaroo leather and instead transition to superior, more sustainable alternatives. When this scenario is described without naming the brands who have stopped using kangaroo leather, 61% of Australians agree that Adidas should also stop using kangaroo leather, compared to 14% who do not agree.
Implications And Recommendations
Our results clearly reveal that most Australians have positive attitudes about kangaroos. Despite a much-repeated narrative, it appears that the Australian public doesn’t view kangaroos as pests and wants to keep them on the landscape. When given facts about the secretive commercial industry involved in kangaroo slaughter, most Australians find it cruel, inhumane, and want it to stop.
In other words, the commercial kangaroo industry no longer has a social license to operate, which will hopefully inform worldwide kangaroo advocacy efforts.
The fact that most Australians want other countries and commercial companies to stop supporting kangaroo slaughter should send a powerful message to policymakers and businesses. Those that continue the trade and use kangaroo products will likely be met with increasing public and political pressure, a trend that’s already being observed globally.
Based on our findings, we would like to see the following changes happen to benefit kangaroos, Australians, and our shared environment:
- First and foremost, we urgently call for a moratorium on the commercial killing of kangaroos.
- We recommend that the Australian Government extensively consults with Indigenous Australians and genuinely listens to their concerns about the impact of commercially killing kangaroos.
- We call on Australian governments to set up an urgent review for the methods used to estimate kangaroo populations, making them publicly available for peer review.
- We call on Australian governments and councils to support and work with Australian farmers and landholders, and invest in the development of non-lethal methods to coexist with kangaroos.
- We call on nations worldwide to impose a ban on the importation and sale of kangaroo products.
- We strongly urge commercial companies worldwide to stop using kangaroo meat and skins and to switch to the more ethical and sustainable non-animal-based alternatives that are available.
- We ask consumers worldwide to avoid purchasing kangaroo-derived products, including but not limited to soccer shoes, pet food, exotic game meats, motorcycle suits and gear, and hats.