Help shine a much-needed light on the dark practice of kangaroo killing in SA.

Every night across South Australia, families of kangaroos are killed by shooters while their helpless joeys are either decapitated, bludgeoned, or escape, only to die without the protection of their mothers.  Perhaps even more alarming is the fact that there are plans underway to intensify this brutal slaughter.

Despite being native Australian animals, the legal protections that usually apply to native wildlife are stripped in South Australia (SA) so that kangaroos can be shot as part of the commercial trade or at the request of land managers under non-commercial killing permits.

While the industry and government tout the existing ‘National Codes of Practice’ in relation to animal welfare, these Codes fail dismally to prevent the broad-scale suffering that shooting causes.

Each time the commercial and non-commercial Codes are reviewed, advocates raise gaping holes, like the fact that they don’t prevent females carrying dependent young from being targeted and killed. Shockingly, they even require shooters to swing young joeys by the legs and bludgeon them to death. It also allows for shooters to decapitate or shoot joeys. 

With habitat destruction and climate change already posing significant threats to native wildlife, the SA Government has increased the ‘kill quotas’ of kangaroos and wallabies, and is proposing an expansion of permitted shooting areas into the state’s national parks and reserves – some of the last refuges for wildlife from the commercial killing trade.

In response to growing community concern about the many issues inherent to kangaroo shooting, the Greens SA have put forward a motion calling for an Inquiry into the killing of kangaroos and wallabies in the state – will you help get this over the line?

The commercial killing of kangaroos is the largest slaughter of land-based wildlife globally, but its carnage is well hidden. Kangaroos are targeted and shot at nighttime often in remote locations, far from the eyes of the caring public – and far from the eyes of any independent regulators, meaning there is no effective oversight of the slaughter.

Of the hundreds of thousands of native kangaroos targeted and killed across the state, it’s unknown how many more escape wounded. Wildlife rescuers across the country, including in South Australia, consistently report finding kangaroos with bullets to the face, neck and body, and are faced with the task of euthanising those surviving in agony, yet to succumb to their injuries.

The SA State Government and commercial kangaroo killing industry use misconceptions about kangaroo populations to defend their treatment of this unique species. The truth is that kangaroos are being slaughtered for both ‘convenience’ by land managers (who have a commercial interest in removing kangaroos from the landscape), and the industry (which profits from the sale of kangaroo body parts domestically and internationally).

Ignoring growing concerns from expert ecologists around the country,  the SA Government has continued to increase the commercial “quota” of kangaroos it’s permitting to be slaughtered – this year’s commercial killing quota is 577,000, up tens of thousands from last year and over one hundred thousand more than 2022.

The SA Government’s continued support for the commercial kangaroo killing industry comes at a time when international demand for kangaroo products is sharply declining, with global brands removing kangaroos from their supply chains due to animal cruelty concerns. This trend away from the global trade wildlife is being reflected in Australia too, with a recent survey revealing that the vast majority (88%) of  Australians believe we should share the landscape with kangaroos, and two-thirds (67%) want to see the commercial trade end.

The Hon. Tammy Franks from the Greens SA has put forward a motion calling for a ‘Kangaroo Harvesting Inquiry’, to highlight:

• The cruelty to kangaroos and joey, such as wounding rates and the brutal methods used to kill joeys
• The immense lack of effective oversight from the department
• Whether the ‘National Code’ is applied and whether it’s still fit for purpose
• Global trends away from the industry, such as major sporting brands shifting away from using kangaroo skins
• That the voices of the community, wildlife carers and other voices should be heard at a time when the department is looking at kangaroo killing in the state.

Certain practices require a level of secrecy to continue, because when the reality of these practices is revealed, the public rightfully demands change. Kangaroo shooting is no different – these native animals are killed far from the view of caring South Australians who want to see wildlife properly protected, not shot for profit or ‘convenience’.

It’s time to shine a light on the sad reality for kangaroos and wallabies in SA. An inquiry is long overdue.