Today's ABC. Some of you might have been urged to boycott Australian goods because of our cruelty in shooting lots of poor furry skippy kangaroos. Now you see that 4.5M of them can be culled in a very bad year for drought and still leave a thriving, growing population. These are just for animals from west of the Great Dividing Range. Imagine the depradation wrought on crops, and competition to other species by the 10s of millions of these pests (iconic but still pests).

Drought forces cut to kangaroo cull

The drought has caused the Federal Government to reduce next year's commercial kangaroo harvest by more than 30 per cent.

Federal Environment Minister Dr David Kemp says the sustainable quota has been set at 4.4 million, down over two million animals on last year.

The quota is set independent of industry demand.

Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia (KIAA) spokesman John Kelly says the number of kangaroos actually taken is usually less than the full quota.

"The kangaroo industry last year nationally harvested about three-and-a-half-million animals, so even the national quota announced for this year will be more than the industry will probably take during 2004 in any case," Mr Kelly said.

New South Wales Farmers Association senior policy manager Joe Lane says it is satisfied with the current culling regime based on the estimates of populations through scientific standards.

However, he says the association is seeking an expansion of quota numbers.

"What we do also want to see is the extension of the commercial operations into the eastern zones of New South Wales and I know the Minister for the Environment is looking at that at present," he said.

Hi Richard,
Just curious, can you eat a kangaroo? Sounds kinda dumb, but my Knowledge of Australia's creatures is quite limited. Seems to me that an animal as large as a kanagroo could have some sort of food value.

Hi Bryan, welcome to the board and Happy Christmas.
Yep, kangaroo meat is very lean and healthy. Like venison, its texture means that it needs to be cooked carefully to prevent it from being too dry. I don't know why it's not more popular than it is. Some UK supermarkets were forced to stop stocking it when an idiot American woman mounted a campaign against it. So most production goes to petfood, byproducts and leather (excellent gun leather).
If you can get it, eat it. But I guess that yr supermarkets are running scared of whoever this silly woman is, forget her & her organisation's name.
Richard

[I certainly wouldn't boycott Australia over a few 'Roos but there have been several times when I have been severely tempted over Australia's extremist antigun laws.

Richard,
If I were a betting man, I'd put my money on the "crazy American woman and her organization" being Patricia Feral and Friends of Animals. At least that is who is threatening the tourism boycott of Alaska because of our new management policies for some areas of the state to reduce the wolf population and increase moose populations.

Ms. Feral was actually quoted as saying she didn't need to visit Alaska or some of the villages where the problem existed.

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Irony at it's best? Last name Feral...and wants to protect wild animals.

I tried some 'roo when I was in Oz and it was quite nice. From what I understood, most roo meat was used to feed the dogs anyway. Make sure Mrs/Ms Feral doesn't get wind of the way they are commonly hunted, you'll have real problems on your hands. It might also cause some inconvenience for those of us that like Kangaroo skin hunting boots.

I would apologize for the bad manners of one of my countrywomen trying to impose her views on your country, but I'd likely get a chuckle out of her being consumed by wolves, so I'll just let it go at that.

I would get a chuckle out of her being consumed by a few roos
Seriously roo meat is quite nice but most of it goes to pet food.

I found this thread by accident & realise that it'sa little Old but as a Pro roo shooter I thought I'd throw my 2cents worth in .The kangaroo meat industry last year brought more than 13million dollars in to the country in export dollars as Meat for human consumption ! The cost of a Permit to shoot Roos in South Australia as a Pro is 750.00 pa ( I'm DREADING THIS YEARS RENEWAL) Your vehicle must under go a yearly inspection (250.00) & as from 2000 every Pro shooter must under go training to become a Pro ! Then we are tightly regulatd by the Gov (normally some kid who was still sh**ing green when I had been shooting for over a decade ) Yes we are attacked by the animal right's campainers on the odd occasion but they have to come out to our backyard to try & argue with us & this normally detures them for a few more years

Dave

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"ALL TIMES WASTED WOTS NOT SPENT SHOOTIN"

Is it true that Olympic high jumpers prefer the Kangaroo leather shoes because they can jump higher in them?

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As long as age and guile trump youth and vigor I'll be OK. BUT. if that EVER changes I'll be in deep trouble!

As usual, like every other area of the anti-hunting lobby, those protesting have little idea of what they on about.
I wonder if Mrs Feral (the name is very appropriate....an unwanted non-native and destructive animal) likes to benefit from other animal products like beef, lamb, etc. or simpler non-killing stuff like wool?
If so I wonder if she knows how much feed her "poor wittle kangawoos" remove from live stock?
Consider this:
Friends have a 200 acre property where they raise potty calves(under 12 months) for sale.
They have between 100 and 200 roos on their property constantly.....drought or plenty.
And when it rains and the grass grows there is a population explosion.
A female roo of any kind can have 3 joeys(babies) going at any one time; one out of the pouch but still suckling, one tiny jelly bean sized baby in the pouch and a fertilised embryo in the womb.
Further, they can freeze the development of the 2 smaller ones if conditions are bad and then start it up when there is decent food.
So even when welcome rain brings new grass there are more roos to take the extra feed.
My friend applied for tags to cull and stated 120 roos on their property, which was a conservative average.
Usually they get about 20% of the stated number, which is bad enough in itself.
This time they got 5!
It is ridiculous.
And to add insult to injury a neighbour who used to live in city and only has 30 acres of barren land next door has complained about guns so much my friend chose not to use the tags as she says he is a good neighbour otherwise.
She actually apologised to me because she was sorry that I couldn't shoot on their land.
I personally would've told him get a grip and look around him.
Guns are part of life on the land and that he'd be warned when I was shooting and should wear earplugs or go away for a couple of days!
Another friend actually fenced off a huge section of his land in perpetuity so the grass could grow back without the cattle over grazing it.
And what happened?
The local roo population came out of the neighbouring National Park and stripped it bare instead!
People need to get their facts straight.
I have no particular joy in shooting roos; it isn't exactly sport.
But at least I have the satisfaction of knowing when I do it that it will help my friends from going under.

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Cheers & God Bless

Sporting Shooters Association Of Australia - http://www.ssaa.org.au/

I Personally always point out the alturnitive to my Tree Hugging opponents ! Many Years ago in the regions around Broken hill in NSW there was a total moniturium put on the Culling of Kangaroos ! THe answer to the station owners was simple ! They would move their Sheep out of the area & then Poison every water trough in that area with Strychnine ! It wiped out thousands of Roos (not to mention other wild life) Their excuse was that (a ) it was their water &(b) it was for dog control !!!! The roo's were just a unfortunate byproduct & it could'nt be helped ! The Quota was soon reintroduced ! Me personally ? If they were to Ban me from shooting Roos for a living ! **** I'm also a licenced Baiter & I'm sure I could make a living baiting water supplies for dingos ! This makes the Greenies sit up & pay attention ! Yeah I have absolutly no scrupples when it comes to my Craft ! I'm not in it for Fun ,sport or Pleasure ! But every shooter I know are the greatest conservasionests I could ever hope to meet as we have to make sure that our product is a renewable source !!

Dave

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"ALL TIMES WASTED WOTS NOT SPENT SHOOTIN"