After investigating the state government data pertaining to kangaroo densities across the Kangaroo Management Zones, it has been found that kangaroos are now ‘quasi extinct’ across most of NSW, South Australia and Queensland.

‘Quasi extinction’ refers to population densities of less than five kangaroos per square kilometre and has been defined by the Murray Darling Report as ‘the nominal value of kangaroo densities taken to be the effective loss of the species’.

I was a professional kangaroo shooter 38 years ago. Now I spend an inordinate amount of time in the defence of animals that are doing poorly at the hands of humans.

You may ask as to what has led me to do a complete turnabout in my thinking, and expect some profound answer explaining that at such and such a moment in time the sky opened up and all of a sudden I saw the light. Sorry to disappoint, but it did not happen this way.

If there is any profundity in my “conversion”, it is that I have come to the realization that we are all led down differing paths in life by our genetic make-up and the circumstance that we find ourselves in.

In my case, 38 years ago, the whole social, political and animal concern scene was vastly different to today’s. There was a predominate attitude of human matters being at the fore of thought and a mish-mash of ideas when dealing with the other animals on the planet.

On the one hand, personal pets were gaining in the welfare stakes, as were wild creatures that had “fluffy” appeal. On the other, domestic stock conditions were degrading rapidly into the factory farm situation that is still rampant to now. This some decades of time saw European cities and other population centres around the Western World explode into greater awareness of the suffering of our “food”.

Unfortunately, socio/economic pressures, had rural climes, to a large extent, excluded from this expansion of a new way in thinking about the rest of nature. In this distant past, the kangaroo was erroneously thought of as a pest that was diminishing the financial returns of those who depended on their income in outback areas.

This excuse was reasoning enough for kangaroos to be killed without compassion, for they were the enemy. Even so, I, and I would suggest, many other kangaroo shooters, were and are, very uneasy with the practice of having to kill Joey’s on a never ending basis. It was not understood then, that the Joey-at-foot would also die in a state of terror by psychological deprivation, predation or starvation.

Many kangaroo shooters now convince themselves that this joey escapes and lives happily ever after. Delusions of this sort are not uncommon in the industry and in governments and their acting agents. Self-delusion played a big part in my experience as a kangaroo shooter but let me state here in the most unequivocal manner that is possible, to be able to self deceive is part and parcel of being human.

There will be those that read this in a most judgmental way, comforting themselves with the thought that they could never had done such a thing as kangaroo shooting. Be very careful of that kind of thinking because it does not accord with the facts about the capacity of humanity to be inhumane to people and animals, given the right set of circumstance.

Be very careful that you are not self-deluding yourself on this point, for if you are, you are just the person who could be a kangaroo shooter if the situation dictated it so. I do come across this kind of condemnation but it so insignificant when compared to the mental anguish I put myself through on a daily basis as to be non-existent. This will be carried till the day I die.

Thoughts of the terrible woundings and as stated, the slaughter of the innocents and now with greater knowledge, thoughts of the at-foot-Joey’s left to fend for themselves in their thousands. Thoughts of taking the lives of countless numbers of kangaroos for convenient reasons. Thoughts of being a part of the juggernaut that was and is altering the genetic make up of a marvellous animal. Thoughts of my part in vilifying the kangaroo with the end result of it not having the awed respect, as it should, of the Australian people. Every time there is a wanton act of cruelty to kangaroos, I must bear some of the blame.

I stopped being a kangaroo shooter for many reason, with the cruelty only one of the many. The kangaroo is not a pest and it is only the greedy and the foolhardy who believe it is a resource to be used at whim. Australia must re-define its stubbornly inadequate definition of what is compassion and in doing so reap the rewards of not only doing the right thing, but the very tangible benefits of the eco-tourist dollar.

No doubt, other kangaroo shooters will read this, so it seems appropriate to leave a message for them. If you can see past the self-delusion of what you are doing to other sentient and suffering capable creatures, for the sake of your future mind, do not wait for kangaroo shooting to be discarded as a remnant of our brutish past, as it will, but choose to get out now. The rest of your life will thank you for this very wise action. This I guarantee.

David Nicholls
ExKangarooShooter@hotmail.com

Please sign these petitions

Stop the unlawful violent killing of protected native kangaroos
www.gopetition.com/petitions/kangaroo-extinction.html

Stop Australia’s wildlife slaughter
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/stop-australias-wildlife-slaughter.html

Save the kangaroos
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/save-all-the-kangaroos.html

Stop the unlawful violent killing of protected native kangaroos
http://www.change.org/petitions/chief-tams-minister-stop-the-unlawful-violent-killing-of-protected-native-kangaroos

Demand an end to the barbaric slaughter of kangaroos for meat
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/249/352/069/demand-an-end-to-barbaric-slaughter-of-kangaroos-for-vile-meat-industry/?

Stop eating kangaroo meat in Australia

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/770/032/361/stop-to-eat-the-kangaroo-meat-in-australia/

Stop cruel kangaroo massacre by pet food company Purina
https://www.change.org/p/stop-cruel-kangaroo-massacre-implicated-by-pet-food-company-purina

Stop the slaughter of kangaroos in Canberra
http://www.change.org/petitions/stop-the-slaughter-of-kangaroos-in-canberra

End the cruel slaughter of kangaroos on public reserves
https://www.change.org/p/shane-rattenbury-end-the-cruel-slaughter-of-kangaroos-on-public-reserves

Stop proposed cull of kangaroos at Majura
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/stop-proposed-cull-of-kangaroos-at-majura-act.html

Stop kangaroo meatworks
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/stop-kangaroo-meatworks.html

Stop kangaroo killings
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/stop-kangaroo-killings.html

Adidas stop using kangaroo leather
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/adidas-stop-using-kangaroo-leather/

Stop the slaughter of kangaroos to make soccer shoes
https://www.change.org/p/nike-stop-the-slaughter-of-kangaroos-to-make-your-soccer-shoes

Help save the kangaroos from being killed for Chinese meat market
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/628/254/903/help-save-the-kangaroos-of-australia-from-being-killed-to-start-a-meat-market-for-china/?TAP=1319

Stop turning 500,000 hectares of Australia’s woodland into farmland
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/254/102/737/help-save-the-largest-temperate-woodland-in-the-world-and-the-animals-and-birds-that-live-there/

A

The following is from the website of the Australian Kangaroo Society
http://www.australiansocietyforkangaroos.com

YOU can HELP SAVE thousands of kangaroos and their joeys. Here is a list of immediate actions you can take to help save the lives of thousands of joeys from a cruel death….

Boycott
Refuse to buy products made from kangaroo meat or skins, or from companies who sell them. Please see list of pet food and footwear companies who do/don’t use kangaroo products below.

Shoe companies who use kangaroo skins
Adidas, Gideon, Hi-Tec, Nike.

Shoe companies who didn’t deny the use of kangaroo skins
Puma, Reebok, Diadora, Converse.

Shoe companies who don’t use kangaroo skins
Dunlop, Kswiss, ASICS, Brooks, Saucery, Rivers, Fila, Diana Ferrari.

Hall of shame petfood companies
Please do not purchase pet food from any company that sells kangaroo meat. If you have time write to them and tell them why you are not buying their products.
http://www.farmina.com/
http://www.vetsallnatural.com.au/
http://www.woolworths.com.au
http://www.eukanuba.co.uk/about-us
https://www.purina.com/
http://www.naturesgift.com.au
http://www.vippetfoods.com.au/about/v-i-p-petfoods/
https://www.addictionfoods.com/
http://www.exoticmeatsales.com
http://www.sydneypetfoods.com.au

Pet Food companies who DON’T use kangaroo products
[Please note this list is ever changing – always check labels.]
Cobber
Dine
Fancy Feast
Four Legs
Friskies
Lucky Dog
My Dog
Nutridog
Optimum Advantage
Pedigree
Pal
Scotty’s
Snappy Tom
Whiskas

Spread the word
Refer this website to your friends so that they can learn the truth and take action too!

Become a member
Become a member of the Australian Society for Kangaroos and help us in our work to save millions of kangaroos and their joeys. Go to the JOIN US page for details.

Donate
Make a donation to the Save a Joey campaign so that the Australian Society Kangaroos can continue its work to save millions of kangaroos and their joeys from a cruel and unnecessary death. Go to the DONATE page for details.

Write
Write to the Prime Minister and your local state Minister and tell them that you oppose the killing of kangaroos and their joeys for profit. Please see contact details below.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott
Email: http://www.pm.gov.au/contact-your-pm

Federal Minister for Environment- Greg Hunt
http://www.greghunt.com.au/ContactGreg.aspx

Australian State and Territory Greens
http://greens.org.au/our-story/contact

NSW Minister Environment & Climate Change, The Hon Robyn Parker MP Tel: (02) 9995 5000
Email: info@environment.nsw.gov.au

SA Minister Environment & Conservation Hon Ian Hunter MLC Tel: 08 8204 1910
Email: dewnr.CustomerServiceCentre@sa.gov.au

WA Minister Environment- Hon Albert Jacob
http://www.premier.wa.gov.au/Ministers/Albert-Jacob/Pages/Contact-The-Minister.aspx

QLD Minister for Natural Resources & Mining, Hon Andrew Powell MP
Tel: 13 74 68
Email: info@ehp.qld.gov.au

Tasmanian Minister for Environment Parks and Heritage
The Hon Brian Wightman MHA Tel: 1300 368 550
Email: information@dpipwe.tas.gov.au

[Victoria, NT and the ACT do not currently allow the commercial slaughter of kangaroos.]

 Articles

Can Australia save the dingo which is now close to extinction
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2010/07/26/can-australia-save-the-dingo-from-extinction/