[Mishmash] FYI: Fwd: ACT/ Protest Australia's Mass Kangaroo Kill

Tue Feb 12 16:30:32 CST 2008

Hi Susan.

Killing kangaroos is very emotive.  My daughter is horrified that people eat
the national symbol. I am a little more pragmatic.  

Around here the eastern grey kangaroo is very common.  I see them from my
front yard from time to time.  I see dead ones on the road every time I go
riding.  They can be a pest.  There is a lot of debate about how to reduce
the numbers.  Some favour shooting, others sterilisation.  Of course many
would prefer they were left alone.  The problem is over population and even
the RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) is
concerned that over population will cause them die slow painful deaths and
is in favour of humane population measures.

The iconic kangaroo is the red.  It is a big fellow which mostly inhabits
central Australia.  I don't know much about their population levels but I
imagine the drought has affected them badly.  They are the ones you see in
films like Wake in Fright where nutters go on shooting sprees.  Thankfully I
think that sort of thing is more regulated these days and is fairly
uncommon.

In the last decade or so an industry has developed to farm them.  Health
authorities are not keen on wild meat being sold to the public.  I think
this also where the bulk of the leather comes from.  In the same way as we
use cows, I don't have a problem with this.

On the eating side, kangaroo meat is lovely to eat.  It is very tender and
low fat.  It is bloody though.

Cheers

David

-----Original Message-----
From: mishmash-bounces at mishmash.net [mailto:mishmash-bounces at mishmash.net]
On Behalf Of Susan Flewelling
Sent: Tuesday, 12 February 2008 12:47 PM
To: mishmash at mishmash.net
Subject: [Mishmash] FYI: Fwd: ACT/ Protest Australia's Mass Kangaroo Kill

>
>Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2008 17:31:34 -0600
>Subject: ACT/ Protest Australia's Mass Kangaroo Kill
>From: Kinship Circle <kinshipcircle at accessus.net>
>To: "9) KINSHIP CIRCLE PRIMARY" <kinshipcircle at accessus.net>
>Thread-Topic: ACT/ Protest Australia's Mass Kangaroo Kill
>Thread-Index: Achs9pGQz/m7n9jpEdydrgARJDFl1gAAOV4mAAOxe0k=
>
>KINSHIP CIRCLE PRIMARY - PERMISSION TO CROSS-POST AS WRITTEN
>
>2/11/08: Protest Australia's Mass Kangaroo Kill 
><http://www.KinshipCircle.org>http://www.KinshipCircle.org
>
>[]
>
>"The commercial kangaroo kill quota for 2007 is just over 3.6 million 
>kangaroos. Some skins and meat products are used domestically (60 to 
>70% of kangaroo meat goes into the Australian pet food market), and the 
>rest is exported to 55 countries as leather or meat for human 
>consumption. Kangaroo leather is widely used in the manufacture of 
>sporting shoes and gloves as well as in dress shoes and accessory
manufacture."
>SOURCE: 
><http://www.animalsaustralia.org/issues/kangaroo_shooting.php>http://ww
>w.animalsaustralia.org/issues/kangaroo_shooting.php
>
>EMAIL kinshipcircle at accessus.net FOR WORD DOC OF A FORMATTED LETTER.
>Easily modify letter and copy/paste it into an email or print out to fax or
mail.
>
>===========================================================
>FULL CONTACT INFORMATION. Sample letter follows.
>===========================================================
>
>AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS
>   The Hon. Kevin Rudd MP, Prime Minister
>   Parliament House, CANBERRA ACT 2600
>    web mail: 
><http://www.pm.gov.au/contact/index.cfm>http://www.pm.gov.au/contact/in
>dex.cfm
>
>   The Hon. Peter Garrett AM MP
>    Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts
>   PO Box 6022, Parliament House, Canberra ACT 2600
>    ph: 02-6277-7640; fax: 02-6273 6101
>    email: Peter.Garrett.MP at aph.gov.au
>    general web mail: 
> <http://www.environment.gov.au/about/comments.html>http://www.environm
> ent.gov.au/about/comments.html
>
>   Mr. Peter Cochrane, Director of National Parks
>   GPO Box 787, Canberra ACT 2601
>    ph: 02-6274 2221; fax 02-6274 2349
>    email: peter.cochrane at environment.gov.au
>
>   Ms. Kerry Smith, Assistant Secretary, Wildlife Division
>   Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts 
>    GPO Box 787, Canberra ACT 2601
>    ph: 02-6274 1224; fax: 02-6274 1600
>    email: Kerry.Smith at deh.gov.au
>
>    Department of Environment and Climate Change NSW
>   PO Box A290, Sydney South NSW 1232, Australia
>    ph: 02-9995-5000; fax: 02-9995 5999
>    email: info at environment.nsw.gov.au
>    
>   NSW National Parks And Wildlife Services
>   NPWS Kangaroo Management Unit
>    PO Box 2111, Dubbo NSW 2830
>    ph: 02-6883-5343, 02-6883-5375; fax: 02-6884-8675
>    email: kangaroo.management at environment.nsw.gov.au
>
>    Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia
>   email: info at kangaroo-industry.asn.au
> 
>    Australian Embassy, United States of America
>   Mr. Dennis J Richardson AO, Ambassador to United States of America
>    1601 Massachusetts Ave., Washington DC NW 20036-2273
>    ph: +1-202-797-3000; fax: +1-202-797-3168, +1-202-797-3331
>    email: public.affairsus at dfat.gov.au
>
>    LOOK UP AUSTRALIAN EMBASSIES IN OTHER COUNTRIES: 
>   <http://www.dfat.gov.au/missions/>http://www.dfat.gov.au/missions/
>
>===========================================================
>EMAIL BLOCK: All emails found for this alert.
>===========================================================
>
>Peter.Garrett.MP at aph.gov.au, peter.cochrane at environment.gov.au,
>Kerry.Smith at deh.gov.au, info at environment.nsw.gov.au, 
>kangaroo.management at environment.nsw.gov.au, 
>info at kangaroo-industry.asn.au, public.affairsus at dfat.gov.au
>
>*Kinship Circle cannot guarantee validity of email addresses. During 
>campaigns, recipients may change or disable their email addresses. 
>Emails from government or corporate websites may be incorrect.
>
>===========================================================
>SAMPLE LETTER --  This letter is prepared to inform you about the issue. 
>Try to shorten and personalize your letter before sending.
>===========================================================
>
>Honorable Officials of Australia:
>
>The commercial slaughter of kangaroos for meat, fur and leather demeans 
>Australia's global image. I call upon politicians to phase out kangaroo 
>shooting altogether. In the meantime, please rein in mass kill quotas 
>that endanger future populations.
>
>The killing methods sanctioned in the National Code of Practice for the 
>Humane Shooting of Kangaroos and Wallabies sicken me. Kangaroos are 
>Australia's national icon and beloved worldwide. They deserve 
>enforceable protections. Instead, animal welfare oversight is virtually
nonexistent.
>
>Hunters spotlight kangaroos in the outback at night. Though they aim 
>for the head, they often miss the brain -- leaving kangaroos with 
>gaping head and mouth wounds. An estimated hundreds of thousands of 
>maimed animals suffer prolonged death every year.
>
>Orphaned joeys, considered worthless, are yanked from their slain 
>mother's pouch for a grisly death. The Code recommends they be 
>decapitated with a sharp blade; shot at point blank range; clubbed with 
>a metal pipe; or slammed against a tow bar or other firm object.
>
>Older joeys (who live in and out of the pouch) succumb to exposure, 
>starvation or predation. Some 300,000 "at foot" joeys die each year.
>
>I oppose the mass slaughter of Australian wildlife for both ethical and 
>ecological reasons. A two-year investigation shows kangaroo numbers in 
>shooting ranges -- areas also imperiled by drought -- have dropped 
>about 59%, from over 57 million in 2001, to roughly 23.6 million in 2006.
>
>The government claims some of the annual cull is "damage mitigation" 
>because kangaroos degrade grazing grounds. But there is not enough 
>impartial scientific data to justify slaughter. Destructive 
>agricultural practices, on the other hand, are proving unsustainable.
>
>Australia's kangaroo kill is the largest known slaughter of land 
>wildlife. I respectfully ask the government to work toward the 
>non-consumptive "use" of kangaroos for tourism. Please maximize eco-tourism
instead of killing.
>
>Thank you,
>
>===========================================================
>SOURCE OF INFORMATION FOR THIS LETTER CAMPAIGN 
>===========================================================
>
>*   Kangaroo Shooting
>
<http://www.animalsaustralia.org/issues/kangaroo_shooting.php>http://www.ani
malsaustralia.org/issues/kangaroo_shooting.php
>*   Kangaroo Protection Coalition
>
<http://www.kangaroo-protection-coalition.com/kangaroos-in-europe.html>http:
//www.kangaroo-protection-coalition.com/kangaroos-in-europe.html
>*   New Kangaroo Code Sanctions Animal Cruelty
>
<http://www.animalsaustralia.org/features/kangaroo_code_sanctions_cruelty.ph
p>http://www.animalsaustralia.org/features/kangaroo_code_sanctions_cruelty.p
hp
>*   NSW Kangaroo Management Plan 2007 - 2011
>   
><http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/npws.nsf/Content/kmp_2007_2011_dra
>ft>http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/npws.nsf/Content/kmp_2007_2011_d
>raft
>
>[]
>
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