Controversy grows over ‘kangaroo slaughter’ in Australia
According to the CNN report, the debate over the fact that the kangaroo, which is used in Australia’s official coat of arms and the logo of the national airline Qantas, is killed every year by hunters licensed in the country, it has been revived due to the “selective quota” of 5 million announced this year.
Government officials and wildlife experts argue that in a drought-stricken country where some kangaroo species are outnumbered, it is necessary to regularly cull kangaroos to protect native species and prevent the animals from starving.
According to the latest official figures, kangaroos, which have a population of more than 36 million, are said to make up 20 percent of the culling quota, although there are different rates between states.
It was announced that close to 5 million kangaroos have been allowed to be culled in Australia this year. According to data from the Australian Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water Authority, the number of culls in recent years has been well below the established quota.
Most of the government-set quota is taken by licensed hunters, often shining a light into their eyes at night, causing temporary blindness.
The shot kangaroos are collected to be sent to special processing centers for use in the meat and leather trade.
Dennis King, chief executive of the Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia (KIAA), which advocates for culling control of the kangaroo population, said: “They are wonderful animals. They are a national icon. However, these government population regulation programs exist to better protect the welfare and health of kangaroos.” saying.
KIAA director King added that stopping the culling policy would hurt the kangaroo industry, which has an annual trade volume of around A$200 million.
THE REASON FOR POPULATION MANAGEMENT ECOLOGICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL DEFINITIONS
Rebecca Vassarotti, Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Minister for the Environment, said controlling the kangaroo population is necessary to protect other species: “The only reason we manage the kangaroo population is for ecological and environmental imperatives. “. she used the phrase.
“We have moths without mouths, dragons without ears, and lizards without legs,” Vassarotti said. They are very important to this ecosystem. That is why we must take charge of the management of these systems and, in particular, make sure that we maintain a sustainable kangaroo population, “he said.
“CULTURES ARE BRUTAL”
On the other hand, activists who argue that kangaroos are killed for the meat and leather trade argue that the killing is “cruel” and endangers the existence of some kangaroo species.
Mark Pearson, a member of the Animal Justice Party, who campaigned against the government’s “benchmark” policy and was once represented in the Australian parliament, said the kangaroo population could be regulated by leaving them in their natural state, and the method adopted by the government was “very ugly and cruel”.
Pearson argued that many baby kangaroos whose mothers were killed starved to death or were killed helplessly by predators.
The activists, who say the decision by two world-famous sneaker manufacturers not to use kangaroo leather was made because of their own work, say they are lobbying American, European and Asian countries to ban the trade. kangaroo leather
The Australian government, on the other hand, announced that it continues to negotiate with some Asian countries to expand the reach of kangaroo products, which are already part of the Euro-Australian free trade agreement, while sending envoys to some US state legislatures. Ban the trade in kangaroo skin. (AA)