Concern for kangaroos around Australian election time
One Voice leads a nonviolent fight to defend animal rights and respect all life forms. The organization operates independently and is thus free to speak and act freely.
Considered as pests, kangaroos are victims of mass killings in Australia, as the preview of the French documentary “Kangaroo, a love-hate story” it was denounced last June during our screening. The food and luxury industries have not stopped trading in kangaroos within Europe, as our continent is still the largest consumer of kangaroos in the world. Let us write to the European Parliament to ban this!
Kangaroos, victims of massive killings
Australia
has an ambivalent relationship with its favourite animal, the
kangaroo. This national emblem has been associated for centuries as a
“nuisance”. The Australian government even offers bonuses
to get rid of those they associate as a “scourge”. The
massacres are perpetuated in the wild, preferably at night, during
the most intense period of activity for the kangaroos. The little
ones, when they are not killed with their mothers in the pouch, end
up dying of thirst or hunger. Thus, the kangaroos are extinguished in
total indifference.
Even
more worrying, if it is the case, is the mass extermination in view
of protecting livestock herds or land, in addition to the purely
economic argument for hunters. Kangaroo meat is used in food boxes
for our pets, often without mentioning it, but is also sold in some
restaurants and supermarkets for human consumption. France is one of
the main importers of these meat products. This also raises, beyond
the ordeal experienced by kangaroos, real questions about health
risks. The meat hunted in the desert is then transported for hours
without sufficient control or hygiene precautions. The skins, on the
other hand, are sold to end up in clothing and sporting goods.
That’s
what Kate and Mick McIntyre’s shocking documentary KANGAROO A Love-Hate Story
denounces, revealing the hidden side of this
sordid industry that One Voice organized the premiere in France.
First election results: a defeat for kangaroos
The
hope that the situation will change has diminished with the outcome
of the Australian parliamentary elections of the 23rd
March. The Liberal coalition in the state of New South Wales
(south-east Australia) won this vote. It has not taken an official stand against these massacres. Let us hope that legislatures across
the country will benefit more from the environment and kangaroos in
May, when all Australian states will have voted to establish, in
addition to members of their Senate, a new government.
Act now!
We call on the European Union
to react quickly to preserve these iconic animals in danger and
extremely vulnerable. Join with us and write (letter template downloadable) to the European Parliament:
For the attention of Mr
Ottavio Marzocchi Policy Department C
Citizens’ Rights and
Constitutional Affairs
European Parliament
B-1047 Brussels
BELGIUM
poldep-citizens@europarl.europa.eu
or to your candidate in the
European elections to ban the import of meat, skin and kangaroo fur.