Millions of kangaroos could starve to death in Australia if the population explosion is not brought under control, wildlife experts and environmental organisations warned. Some are calling for the animals to be killed.
Kangaroos are a major ecological problem for the country because their reproductive cycle goes through ups and downs. Their numbers can reach tens of millions when there is enough food after a good rainy season, but they can also die en masse when food runs out.
The La Niña weather phenomenon, which caused heavy rainfall in the country, accelerated the animals’ breeding cycle in recent years, Dennis King of the Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia explained. This led to a huge growth in the population.
60 million kangaroos
King estimated there will soon be 60 million kangaroos. In the early 2000s, when the country was experiencing drought, there were less than 30 million.
“Because of the drought of late, we estimate that 80% to 90% of the kangaroos have died in some areas,” stated ecologist Katherine Moseby. “They go into public toilets and eat the toilet paper. Or they lie on the roads, starving, while their young try to feed themselves.”
She points out that killing the kangaroos would save the animals a lot of suffering. Their skin could then also be used for leather goods.
Animal rights groups call for protests
By limiting the number of animals, there would be no major problems during droughts, Moseby explains. “If we saw them as a resource and managed them that way, we would not have to deal with such catastrophic deaths.”
The Australian government protects the kangaroo, but the most common species are not threatened with extinction. This means that, with permission, it may be hunted in most of the country. Every year, up to five million kangaroos are killed for their meat or leather.
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Animal rights groups are unapologetic about the proposal. They are calling on major brands like Nike and Puma to stop using kangaroo leather in their products as a protest. Previous reporting has disclosed cruel hunting of kangaroo whose meat and skins are exported to among others EU member states.
George Wilson, a leading expert on kangaroo population management pointed out that such campaigns are misleading, even if they are well-intentioned. “They say it is not ethical to slaughter kangaroos, but it is not ethical to starve them. It is cruel not to intervene,” he said.
