Australia to shoot 6,000 kangaroos

MMMMMMM that's a lot of Kangaroo jerky! Just like rabbits, kangaroos are overpopulated. It's siimilar to white tail deer here in the USA but much worse. The herds over graze, and spread disease with no natural predators. Stop your feel good whining out there. Should we allow them to decimate an area leaving no food for other animals and spread disease to animals and humans? Culling the population will allow the rest to become stronger and healthier.

I wonder if they'll ship me some kangaroo jerky in the states? I haven't had some since my last visit down under in 97.

[edit on 8-5-2009 by on_yur_6]

Kill them and feed the poor the meat.

A state in the US,somewhere up north I forget, does the same thing with the deer population every year or so. Except that it gives hunters the go ahead to do the killing.

We can send them to an inhabitated island like one poster suggested. Then what? Just because there aren't any humans there doesn't meant that they won't destroy the habitat of the animal population that was there before.

Kill them and feed the poor the meat.


edit to add- every country that issues a hunting or fishing liscense is doing the same thing. Just on a smaller scale.

Every year the amount of deer tags available can flucuate because of the deer population. The more deer there are the more deer allowed to be killed. The less there are the less can be killed.

King Crab fishermen are allowed to catch a certain amount depending on the estimated king crab population.

Its all about population control.

[edit on 8-5-2009 by jd140]

reply to post by jd140

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Michigan does what you are talking about. Well at least a group affiliated with Ted Nugent.

Instead of just shooting them, why not make a deal with a meat packing plant and have a new export.
Discount kangaroo meat and sell it to who ever would buy it.
I have friends in sidney and melbourn and both say its some of the best meat ever. I'd love to have a few pounds and try some Roo Steak.

But the roo population has been a problem for quite a while, and is getting worse every year, they are like the pigs in texas, keep breeding and multiplying and they will end up with diseases if not controled.
It may sound mean, but i dont think there is anywhere else they could move them to unless another country, the rest is said to be over run as well.

reply to post by severdsoul

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I'm sorry, but this is the most realistic solution. There has to come a time where you have to choose, us or them, this is nature. The kangaroos don't give a damn about preserving anything for other animals, or humans. No animal does. I have a deep respect for nature and could never hunt for game. I would hunt for survival but that is it. But even I know that populations have to be controlled or you have got a problem that effects everyone. I just hope they don't leave the corpses to rot, that is where I would have a problem. The animal can be used completely. Someone else had posted that it could be used to feed the hungry. Perfect. It does barbaric to shoot them, but the way I see it, it's better than letting them starve to death.

Ok and how would you propose going about moving them then? How about you go down there yourself, maybe grab some other like minded individuals and you can grab all 6000 of them and you can figure out what to do with them. Have fun.

reply to post by ModernAcademia

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Seems to me there's a little contradiction going on here- conservationists are up in arms over a plan to save endagered plants and wildlife. Something's not right there.

But in the end (I won't be popular for this but Oh well) they are just Roos, Oz has millons of them, and even though they are big they are still pests, vermin. You wouldn't be up in arms over 6,000 rats.

They will only suffer if left to starve, and relocating them is truly pointless, there are MILLIONS of them. C'mon people get some perspective here!

In case you wonder where I'm getting my perspective, I'm from NZ and we have problems with rabbits, possums and Pommes(English people) Lol!

Hey my Aussie brethren. Welcome to the club. Club. We get bitch slapped ever year for culling seals. Why do we do it? To preserve cod stocks for other predators which include humans and SEALS!!! Some people think that culling is inhumane but it is to preserve the habitat for living beings, INCLUDING the Roo's. A little more "head" and a little less "heart" and anyone can see that this is logical.

As for exporting Roo meat, I don't think that would play. Roo's are wild, not raised in captivity. I'd wager few countries would allow that meat to be imported.

Everytime this is announced it receives the same back lash.
I hate to see animals treated with disrespect but we have created this situation in australia over a couple of hundred years and i don't see these short term drastic actions to be a solution. Albeit when the population of kangaroos gets to the point where they cannot survive, what else can we do?

since we invaded, we have altered the natural balance of things here.

The aboriginal people used to hunt kangaroos regularly, we do not.

we have cleared vast tracts of land of its trees making huge perfect environments for the the kangaroos to breed. Kangaroos multiply best in grasslands and we have made them for the sheep and cattle, not to mention increasing the availability of water with dams and troughs.

so we have artificially created a super environment for the Kangaroo but we do not hunt them often enough to keep the balance that was once here( for thousands of years)
people don't want to eat kangaroos because they are cute and on our coat of arms.

so we have a problem of culture change, that requires more than 10 seconds of debate.

where do we start? we missed our biggest opportunity 200 years ago by not learning of the custodians of this land before we quashed them.

i dont know the answer for the short term solution.

(the female kangaroo by the way be pregnant everyday of her mature life, she can 'freeze' her embryo in times of drought and when the conditions are right restart her pregnancy. they are amazing beings.)

[edit on 8-5-2009 by 2theC]

Roo meat is exported, it does play but it is mainly farmed the same as cattle, i know that in Europe wiht all of the disease and mad cow that was going about they were looking for a good substitute and they found one in Kangaroo. I have recently moved from Australia but i was absolutely delighted to find roo meat in Holland, and just a few weeks ago i found my local supermarket in Brussels stocked roo meat, right there next to the duck and horse(i havnt tried horse yet though). It is a very common meat now days it is very lean on fat almost none, and very tasty. I dont think however shooting the 6000 for commercial sale would meet any food standards, yet it makes perfect dog and cat food, there is a use if it is willing to be found.



[edit on 8-5-2009 by pazcat]

I'm starting to get the impression that Aussies really are backward
All that space and they can't share it - miserable mothers

ps Obviously not all Aussies - just the ones I've come across, and I have relatives there!

No doubt there'll be BBQ's going afterward.

And just wait and see how many protest at what I've said. Which will confirm my backward evolution theory.

well we probably are backwards
we are upside down
and a little inside out too.
but we are born out of British intention!

reply to post by matsplat

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Well, the Mother country's arrogance shows up. Do a little research into ecology. You may learn that the Roo's were better off being culled as opposed to dying slowly, en masse, of starvation due to their prolific nature.

reply to post by 2theC

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British criminal intention though

reply to post by pazcat

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aha! it wasn't their choice!
but i cant join in the fun, i have to go to play soccer(football) a british invention apparently, here in, Tasmania,another British invention and i will have to dodge kangaroos and wallabies to get to the highway.
I really hope i don't hit any, its traumatic, really, but thats life in the antipodes.
you can wash your hands of it, its our dilemma but thats ok, freshest air on the planet, cleanest water and its nearly winter and i have a t-shirt on!
thankyou!!!

culling of kangaroos is pretty common. 6000 is nothing. at least its official this time.
i've heard stories of the army just blowing them up because they are there. makes for realistic training.

as for rounding them up and moving them to existing habitats....
......you try and catch the bastards.

they are just a hopping land cows. the meat is good, so is the leather.

they are a lot like people. the root and root till there is no room left. then they all die through starvation and disease.

[edit on 8/5/09 by spearhead]

reply to post by 2theC

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Dude i was being sarcastic(i know the net isnt the place), i was actually agreeing with you, i have been there and done all that and will do again.
I hope you didnt think i was having a go at ya im as Aussie as you are.

reply to post by pazcat

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sorry cobber!
i thought you were english!!!
i'm the one who should apologise,
and to any english, well you know all is fair...( you guys can take a joke!)

by the way roo meat is very nutritious
and we would do better here if we raised less sheep

apologies again!

Why can't they just open a KFK?

Imagine how big the boxes and buckets would have to be.

Killing (culling) these kangaroos is the only way to deal with this imo. How many could you live with hopping around your town, eating your garden and boxing your kids.

Rabbits are bad enough, but BIG Rabbits! ...."run away"....

reply to post by 2theC

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Dont worry about it mate
Its late here and im a few beers down, im can be hard to get at the best of times.
But you are right it is good for you, this article is a little old and some of the numbers have increased but its all good for you basically.
www.csiro.au...