Australian plea to China: Don’t eat our kangaroos
The father of tragic “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin has urged China not to begin importing kangaroo meat amid fears the trade could drive the iconic Australian marsupial to the brink of extinction.
“We wouldn’t eat your pandas, so please don’t eat our kangaroos,” conservationist Bob Irwin said, claiming that kangaroos were of more value to Australia as a tourist attraction than as a source of exportable meat.
According to the Australia Society for Kangaroos, around 3.6 million of the creatures were killed last year to supply meat for export and pet food. Government estimates suggest there are about 25 million kangaroos living on the Australian continent.
“The Chinese are one of our biggest visitors and kangaroos are one of their favourite attractions. If they were to start eating kangaroos, we predict that within a few years there won’t be any left in the wild for them to see,” he said.
Australia’s kangaroo industry has been courting the Asian market since Russia banned imports of the meat last month because of sanitary concerns.
Nikki Sutterby, coordinator for the Australia Society for Kangaroos, said kangaroos often suffered painful deaths because they are hunted in the wild rather than farmed. Young kangaroos – joeys – are routinely beaten to death, she added.
“They’re slow breeders and the numbers are critical at the moment so we’re terrified at what happens if China opens their door to it,” said Sutterby.
“We’re trying to get the buying public and the international community to boycott it like they have done with seals and other barbaric trades.”