To protect endangered grasslands and wildlife, Australia will see about one million kangaroos culled this year. Animal activists are baffled and angry at the same time with how Australia treated its animals despite defending that it's for the good of the environment.
The Australian New South Wales government said the killings are okay as kangaroos are considered sustainable because of their huge numbers in the country. Meanwhile, environmentalists exclaimed that the culling does not show any supporting evidence that the kangaroos bring damage to the ecosystem.
According to The Independent, Secretary Brad Smith of the Upper Hunter Valley Wildlife Aid grieved at the thought of having kangaroos becoming extinct due to the massive culling is done each year. "If you take into account the numbers of kangaroos shot each year and the numbers hit and killed by cars, it's running into millions and millions per year," he said.
More often, hunters usually kill the mother kangaroo and save their joeys. By the time the joeys grew up and are set back to the wild, they become hunted themselves. Smith rescues about 160 joeys each summer.
Kangaroos are often tagged as pests by the government as many of the animals breached homes of hundreds of Australians. Moreover, some people say that kangaroos starve some animals inhumanely to death due to overgrazing and the likes.
The government has raised its alarm when kangaroos drove the Leadbeater's possum almost to extinction. Hence, they are even more firm in their decision to cull kangaroos.
Meats of dead kangaroos are often fed to the dogs, and some are cooked for human consumption. However, about 95 percent of the carcasses are exported over the world for whatever purpose they may hold.
The latest data showed around 1.6 million kangaroos killed in 2015. About 7.5 million are culled under a legal quota system.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
