First world kangaroo day calls for national australian moratorium on the commercial killing of kangaroos Saturday 24 october 2020
One Voice supports the first world kangaroo day and calls for the protection of kangaroos from commercial hunting (meat and fur).
New South Wales (NSW) poll shows overwhelming support for protection of kangaroos from commercial hunting. One Voice supports the first World kangaroo day and joins its partners’ call to stop the killing of kangaroos for commercial purposes (meat and fur).
Crédit photos: Kangaroos Alive
One of Australia’s most recognisable and renowned icons in the world, the kangaroo, will get its own international day of celebration this Saturday 24 October, with the first ever World Kangaroo Day. One Voice joins forces with its partners.
In Australia, kangaroos are considered a pest…
Mick McIntyre, the investigative filmmaker behind award-winning 2019 controversial documentary ‘Kangaroo: A love-hate story’ (which the Premiere in France in 2018 in Paris and Strasbourg was launched by One Voice) and co-founder of Kangaroos Alive who have helped create World Kangaroo Day, said,
«Saturday 24 October marks the first ever World Kangaroo Day, to elevate the status of a much-loved Australian icon with a call for its protection by law. Unfortunately, the kangaroo is often more loved outside our country than in it, with a long-held view by many as a ‘pest’ to farmers.»«It’s fantastic that we’re starting to see this perception shift, reflected in the latest statistics from the Animal Justice Party. Kangaroos don’t belong on our feet as soccer boots or as the meat in our sausages or pet food. This is a defining moment for our national icon. Will we STAND UP and join the growing international movement against the cruel and barbaric practice of commercial hunting, or will we STAND BY and let this cruelty continue?»
Renowned supporters
Legendary cricketer and animal advocate Jason ‘Dizzy’ Gillespie will join Kangaroos Alive, a not-for-profit dedicated to the ethical treatment of kangaroos and the Animal Justice Party, rallying support from around the world for a moratorium on the commercial killing of kangaroos – which continues to operate despite the unknown impact to kangaroo populations in the wake of the Black Summer bushfires, regarded as one of the worst wildlife disasters in modern history. Thanks to the public support we were able to help the injured animals through local charities.
Gillespie said:
«The world watched in horror this summer as our beautiful country burnt, with an outpouring of love for all our precious wildlife, including the kangaroo. The devastation was on a scale never seen by this generation. The kangaroo is a native species, it belongs to our land. How can we continue to allow the commercial hunting of the kangaroo, with the true impact of this catastrophe still unknown? This is an animal we consider a national icon, and needs our protection by law, just as we would all native birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals.»«The mistreatment of wildlife on our national coat of arms, is a national disgrace. It’s time to stand up and show the world Australians care about the protection of the kangaroo. Join me to call on the Federal Government to stop the killing and demand a scientific assessment of the impact of the fires to our national icon at worldkangarooday.org,»
said Gillespie.
A new survey shows a clear majority against the slaughter of kangaroos
The move to protect kangaroos from commercial hunting is supported by the majority of NSW residents, a new survey by the NSW Animal Justice Party has found, with NSW the primary state for the commercial killing of kangaroos.
The study of 1000+ NSW residents confirmed the majority (74%) believed the NSW Government should do a population count of kangaroos as well as a scientific assessment of the impact of the fires on kangaroos and other wildlife, while just 15% agreed kangaroo killing should continue.
Despite the Black Summer bushfires the NSW kangaroo kill quota for 2020 is even higher than 2019.
The Hon Mark Pearson MLC, Animal Justice Party, said,
«A new study of 1000+ NSW residents confirmed the majority (74%) believed the NSW Government should do a population count of kangaroos as well as a scientific assessment of the impact of the fires on kangaroos and other wildlife, while 69% believed the NSW Government should follow Victoria’s lead by implementing a moratorium on kangaroo killing in response to the recent bushfires. Just 15% agreed kangaroo killing should continue, with a further 17% of respondents saying they were ‘unsure’.»
Mr Pearson said a national moratorium on the commercial killing of kangaroos to protect the kangaroo by law, is what’s needed to ensure populations can properly recover.
The belief that kangaroos exist in plague proportions and therefore should be culled is baseless, given there’s no recent study of population size.
«I invite those who hold onto that claim as an excuse to kill: Show me. Take me to the places where kangaroos apparently exist in plague proportions, because I’ve not seen it – not before these bushfires, let alone since,»
said Pearson.
Everyone can sign the petition (and post a selfie with kangaroo ears) for a moratorium on the commercial killing of kangaroos at: https://www.worldkangarooday.org/