Australia is one step closer to ending the cruel slaughter of kangaroos, thanks to recent media coverage and research undertaken by Voiceless Director, Dr Dror Ben-Ami.

Earlier this week, an article in the Sydney Morning Herald and a segment on ABC’s The 7:30 Report both drew attention to the dangerously unhygienic conditions in which kangaroo meat is kept. Ongoing breaches in food safety standards are why Russia recently banned the importation of kangaroo meat, and why the industry, together with the help of the Queensland government, is now scrambling to find a new export market for this ‘product’.

The article reported that the carcasses of kangaroos, who are shot in the bush amidst the dust and blowflies, often sit in trucks at temperatures of 25 degrees. Furthermore, chillers which are meant to store the carcasses at safe temperatures, regularly break down. According to the article, which was prepared with the assistance of Dr Ben-Ami , kangaroo meat meant for human consumption is routinely found to contain harmful amounts of salmonella and E.coli.

And even if kangaroo meat were safe to eat, the public is becoming increasingly aware of the inherent cruelty within the kangaroo industry. Kangaroos are not ‘produced’ on farms like other meat animals such as cows and pigs, but are shot in the bush by people ranging from recreational to professional hunters. Often, a kangaroo is not killed with a clean shot, but is left to suffer in agony from non-lethal injuries. The ‘collateral damage’ of the industry are the joeys, who are also killed or left to die when their mothers are shot.

As awareness of both the legalised cruelty and lack of safety surrounding the kangaroo meat industry grows, demand for this meat will fall. You can help raise awareness by talking to people you, writing a letter to the editor or contacting your local MP and telling them that kangaroo culling must stop.

Follow this link to read Dr Ben-Ami’s recent report, A Shot in the Dark.

For tips on how to get involved, see the taking action page on the Voiceless website. For more information about kangaroo culling, see the Voiceless kangaroo fact sheet.

Add to:

Be first to comment on this article

Write Comment

Please keep the topic of messages relevant to the subject of the article. Personal verbal attacks will be deleted. Please don't use comments to plug your web site. Such material will be removed.
Name
E-mail
Subject:
Comment:
Code:*