Ending commercial kangaroo killing in Victoria
In Victoria, kangaroos are permitted to be killed for commercial purposes under the Kangaroo Harvesting Program. The Victorian Government incentivises the killing of kangaroos for pet meat, human consumption and leather. Under the program, landowners can arrange for a commercial harvester to attend their property and to kill the kangaroos living there.
The facts:
Each year hundreds of thousands of kangaroos are being killed under the cover of darkness to the benefit of commercial interests.
Shooting takes place at night, on private properties with no pre or post registration requirement in place for when or where shooter activities are occurring. This results in limited opportunity for Victorian Government compliance checks and has considerable and concerning implications for community safety.
Wildlife Victoria has recorded a 55% increase in gunshot wounding-related kangaroo cases since the inception of the Kangaroo Harvesting Program in 2019. Increase in the number of people shooting kangaroos, and a lack of clarity around shooter accuracy has resulted in more kangaroos being shot and wounded, often in the leg, abdomen or jaw, and left to suffer prolonged and painful deaths.
In the wild, it is usual for female kangaroos to have either a pouch joey or an at-foot joey. As such, shooters regularly come in contact with joeys as they are shooting adult kangaroos. The National Code of Conduct for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos for Commercial Purposes stipulates that shooters are to kill in-pouch and at-foot joeys by use of blunt force trauma to their heads. The code recommends swinging at-foot joeys, so their head hits against the tailgate of a vehicle.
Wildlife Victoria continues to advocate for the end of commercial and non-commercial killing of kangaroos in Victoria.
